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During the course of this journey, namely 'life', sometimes people's words and actions can leave a psychologically disturbing and detrimental effect on us for years to come. Such people may deem what they uttered maybe within a matter of a few minutes & the span of a short conversation to be light and insignificant, yet, what they fail to realise is the tremendous affect and impact such hurtful words may have on the other. Painful words may at times resonate within the victim's mind and heart for years to come, bringing about stinging grudges to the point that some have suffered from certain depressing complexes, unrest, and a lack of self-worth and confidence. Hence, grudges have the power to affect one's relationship with one's own self and as a result, with the people around oneself also...if one allows them to.

To prevent ourselves from falling into this same sin of hurting others, we should bear in mind our own experience of how painful words can be, and therefore exercise caution in what we say to others - which can't be done without the fear, love and hope in Allaah (s). Furthermore, another beneficial exercise is to think back in time to someone who hurt your feelings when you were younger, maybe in school or college. Then bring yourself back into the present and realise how time healed that pain. The memory is there, but the pain deteriorated, and the issue no longer seems to hold the same relevance in your life anymore. Time is a healer, especially for the believer.

Of course, the best way to deal with such a situation is to forgive, forget and talk it through with the person concerned. But the real problem is when one can't talk it through with that certain individual, either because the issue wasn't dealt with appropriately by the one who was hurt when the time was right, or because of that person's psychological / social level. Worse still, it may be feared that such a person will use one's weakness, lack of experience and pain furthermore to victimize the hurt individual. Sometimes one just has to learn to let go, for the sake of the social circle one is amidst, whether that's family, relatives or friends. As the saying goes: 'Be selective in your battles, sometimes peace is better than being right...'

Whatever the case, the Qur'aan and Sunnah in numerous places commands us to forgive and forget. But in doing so, it also offers practical advice on how to go about doing this and never leaves one alone and in pain.

The following Prophetic narration provides an amazing, easy and affective principle when it comes to the usage of the tongue and how to restrain it towards only good. Just as it has helped me, I pray that it will also be a source of help for you also for years to come, Allaah Willing. Please try and memorize the words, even if it's just the translation, and keep this is as one of your principles throughout your life. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏:‏

‏"‏ ... ومن كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر فليقل خيراً أوليصمت

"... and he who believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

It's interesting that the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the above narration placed the conditions of one believing in:

1) Allaah

If the belief in Allaah (s) is not there then a person will feel the need to be recompensed by others for the pain in one's heart. And a sad fact of life is that some people are just not willing to say 'sorry' and mend rifts. Hence, where does a believer look towards for reward and recompense? Allaah, the Glorifed, the Majestic, whose knowledge is never lost, nor does He forget. When He Decrees, he Decrees by His Wisdom. All good is attributed to Him, He says about Himself in 5 verses or more of the Qur'aan:

وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَيْسَ بِظَلَّامٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ

"...and because Allah is not ever unjust to [His] servants."
(Aal-'Imraan [3]: 182)

2) The Last Day

Sometimes the problem is that our perception is limited. We think everything is about the here and now. But we forget about the final destination, the Hereafter and that this life is transient. Therefore, the believer must remember the Hour which is both fast-approaching and near at hand; this would in turn strengthen one's Imaan and empower us through it's remembrance. Allaah Almighty describes it as:

إِنَّ يَوْمَ الْفَصْلِ مِيقَاتُهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

"Indeed, the Day of Judgement is the appointed time for them all."
(Ad-Dukhaan [44]: 40)

We must remember that the above Prophetic Narration came from a man, the Noble Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who was hurt many times by his own people. His own loved ones were killed and tortured, yet he never became angry for himself and was quick to forgive, even when, at times, people continued to be haughty and arrogant...and even if it hurt.

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"Pardon them and overlook – Allah loves those who do good." (Qur'an 5:13)

If we hold grudges, our spirits get stuck like trapped birds. We can't fly the way we're supposed to, because our own resentments bind us and hold us down. When you hate someone, they don't feel it. Only you do. It affects only your own heart, until your heart hardens and your vision narrows, and life loses its joy and zest.

We must forgive each other and forgive ourselves. Let go of resentments from the past. Do it for your own sake, because letting go and forgiving is the only way to be happy.

Whatever others have done against you, let it go. Consign it to Allah, then forgive. Whatever you have done against others, apologize and ask forgiveness, and ask Allah's forgiveness as well.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was seated in a gathering with the Sahaabah (his Companions) when he looked towards the entrance and said, "A man of Paradise is coming." At that instance someone who seemed to be very ordinary entered the Masjid where they were seated. One Sahaabi was curious as to why the Prophet had said such a thing about this man, so he followed the man to his house. The Sahaabi told the man of Paradise that he was a traveler, and was invited to stay as a guest. For three days the Sahaabi watched the man of Paradise, but he saw nothing unusual in the man's character or worship. Finally he told the man what the Prophet had said and asked him what was so special about him. The man thought for a long time and said, "There might be one thing — before going to sleep every night I forgive everyone and sleep with a clean heart."

Mr. Evatt

I went to high school in Saudi Arabia, and I had an American teacher who I really liked. He was my English teacher for two years and his name was Mr. Evatt. He was from Georgia and had long hair and a heavy Southern drawl. He lived in an old neighborhood of Riyadh that was situated on a dusty, rocky hilltop. Every morning our school bus would pick him up, and I always found it amusing when we'd pull up and he'd be standing in the dirt road, smoking a cigarette, his shirt already plastered with sweat at 7am , and a herd of goats climbing on the rocks all around him. He used to call us students, "wallets", which was his version of "walad", which means boy in Arabic. He'd come into the classroom and shout, "Siddown, little wallets!" But was a good teacher and I respected him.

Sometime during the second year, I was passing by the teacher's lounge and the door was open. I heard a few of the teachers talking about Arabs. I paused outside the door to listen, and I heard Mr. Evatt refer to his students as "sand-ni****s." I was very hurt. I think it also fueled the beginning of a deep resentment and intolerance in me that lasted for many years. I returned to the USA for college, and for a long time, if I ever found out that one of my non-Muslim friends harbored the least bit of bigotry against Muslims or Arabs, I would cut that person off forever. I had no patience for it.

I also had an increasing sense that I did not belong in American society. I had always been proud of being an American, but while I loved America, America did not seem to love me back. I was turned down for a job because of my religion, openly mocked on a few occasions, visited at home by the FBI, stopped at the airport for questioning and invasive searches... I became restless and unsatisfied with life in America. None of that had anything to do with Mr. Evatt of course, but that insult that he cast on us students represented my first awareness of bigotry; it became, in my mind, a symbol of racism.

My most satisfying times were my trips abroad to Mexico or Costa Rica. Finally I left the USA and emigrated to Panama.

I was happy in Panama. It was a peaceful, beautiful place. The people there had no preconceptions about Arabs and Muslims. I think I was able to finally relax, and breathe easily. I came back to the USA in late 2008 for family reasons, but I've realized that somewhere along the road, I let go of the grudges I was holding. I'm more easy going with people now. I have a martial arts teacher who has some anti-Arab ideas, but I am patient with him. Who knows, maybe his interactions with me will help to dispel his stereotypical beliefs. People need to be educated, not condemned. It's the only way forward.

It's so much simpler to extend love to people, and show them the way, rather than react with anger. And it's better for my own soul. I feel calm now, and balanced. Alhamdulillah. If I could see Mr. Evatt now, I would thank him for being a good teacher. He must have cared about us, or he would not have made the effort. And maybe I would ask him about the statement he made. But I wouldn't blame him or get angry. I wish him well.

Forgive Yourself

This is important. Forgiveness needs to extend in all directions, even to yourself. Whatever you've done against yourself, forgive yourself. Don't hold grudges against yourself. We humans all make mistakes. "Pardon them and overlook – Allah loves those who do good."

Don't call yourself names. You are not stupid, shameful, or useless. Just the opposite! You are bright, special and unique, with a special mission in this life. If you feel that you have been corrupted by sin, then the glory of Islaam is that innocence can be yours again, with Tawbah. We Muslims don't believe in original sin. All human beings were created pure, on the Fitrah. That is your birthright.

That's why 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as having said: "None of you should say: 'My soul has become evil,' but he should say: 'My soul has become remorseless.'" (Saheeh Muslim)

In other words, your soul has not turned into an evil thing. It is not totally lost. It is just at a point when it is not feeling remorse or sorrow for its actions. But that can be changed! The soul can be softened through prayer, Dua', Dhikr (remembrance of Allah), fasting, reciting Qur'aan, doing good to others, and other acts of worship, until your soul once again feels remorse, and can return to a state of purity. SubhaanAllaah!

Allah knew exactly what He was doing when He made you. If you don't trust your own judgment, then trust Allah's (subhaanahu wa ta'ala).

Tonight, let go of your grudges and sleep with a clean heart.

Tomorrow the day is new, and life goes on. You have far to go and much to do.

Look ahead, with a sunrise in your eyes.

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A Saudi father pardoned his son's killer if he successfully memorized the Holy Quran, a local newspaper reported on Saturday.

Rabi'a al-Dousary, father of the slain young man named Abdullah, promised to pardon the convicted felon, Faisal al-Ameri, if he successfully memorized all of the Holy Quran before leaving prison, al-Yawm Saudi newspaper reported.

Ameri was sentenced to death for killing Dousary during a quarrel that erupted in their neighborhood.

The Higher Committee of Correction in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom has persuaded the father to forgive and pardon Ameri.

The father, who refused to receive any blood money, to teach the Ameri a far more valuable lesson, insisted on one condition: the killer to fully memorize the Quran before his acquittal from prison.

Source.

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Imagine the feeling of looking at the man who murdered your uncle, who cut out his organs and gave it to someone to eat- and forgiving him. Imagine being abused and taunted, and when given the chance to retaliate, instead you forgive. This was the Messenger of Allah Ta'ala (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam), a man described as "an excellent exemplar for those who hope in Allah and the Last Day" [Quran, Chapter 33, Surat al-Ahzab, 33:21].

Many of us cannot forgive our parents or friends or spouses when they say hurtful things in anger. We hold grudges for years, unable to forget the things people have done to us. On the one hand, we feel justified in feeling this way. After all, we are the ones wronged. On the other, bottling things up inside is unhealthy at the very least, on both a spiritual and psychological level.

It is natural to be upset at someone when they've hurt you. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) told us that a Muslim is not allowed to break off ties with another Muslim for more than 3 days, recognizing that we need time to cool off. Yet what is unhealthy, and often destructive, is the inability to forgive and move on.

So what does forgiving actually mean?

Forgiving means not carrying a grudge in your heart against that person. Forgiving means that if you were given the chance to retaliate, you would choose not to. Forgiving means not wishing evil, even if secretly, upon the person. It means you can continue to be civil towards them, and that you can even bring yourself to pray for their well-being and guidance.

However, forgiveness does not mean that you cannot learn from the trial. It doesn't mean that the person did not do wrong, nor does it justify what they did. If you trusted someone and they betrayed your trust, forgiveness does not mean that you have to trust them again if they haven't given you reason to. You are able to treat them well, without resentment in your heart, but if you learned something about their character, you should keep that in mind when dealing with them.

So how can we benefit from forgiving others? How can this help us to be productive Muslims?

1. Spiritual productivity: Earning Allah's pleasure

When we are preoccupied with the wrongs others have committed against us, we lose focus of one of the most beautiful ways to get closer to Allah. The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
"There was a merchant who used to extend credit to people. If he found one of his customers to be in straightened means, he would say to his assistants: "Forgive them their debt, perhaps Allah will forgive us." Allah did forgive him." [Bukhari/Muslim]

There is a direct correlation between the ways we treat others and how Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) treats us.

Righteous deeds of all kinds bring us closer to Allah, but especially kindness to others. We should show kindness to all creatures as well as to human beings, whether this kindness comes in the form of our personal behavior, our sharing of our wealth, giving assistance with our abilities and our influence, or praying to Allah on their behalf. We need to especially consider the disenfranchised, the widows and orphans, and the poor.

We all know the Prophet's (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) famous saying "Have mercy on those on the earth, and the One in heaven will have mercy on you" [Tirmidhi]. Of course, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) is incomparably greater and more merciful than us. Therefore, whatever we do for others, Allah will multiply that for us. If we are sincere in wanting Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) to forgive us for our many slip-ups and sins, we should be prepared to do that for others.

Pardon, tolerance, and magnanimity should exemplify the way we treat one another. We should be willing to overlook the faults of others. We should even be willing at times to waive some of our rights. We should not always demand everything that is due to us. All relationships are a matter of give and take.

This applies to everyone we have dealings with. It is the way things should be between the husband and wife, between parents and children, between teachers and students, and between governors and the governed. In each of these relationships, there are clearly defined rights and duties, and we should do our best to fulfill them. However, in every relationship, people fall short at times. Forgiveness, forbearance, and pardon bring harmony and love into our relationships.

Imagine a marriage based solely on accounting for rights and obligations. Would there be any love or mercy in such a marriage, any room for tenderness and affection?

Tolerance and magnanimity, stabilize those relationships and bolster the esteem and human worth that people have for one another. By Allah's grace, these qualities make our dealings more successful, and certainly make our dealings more pleasing to Allah.

The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam), while sitting in the mosque with the Companions (radi Allahu anhum), pointed out a person who entered the mosque as being of those who would enter Jannah. He did this for 3 days, and every time, it was the same person who entered the mosque. Abdullah bin 'Amr (radi Allahu anhu) wanted to know what quality this man possessed that made the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) say that about him, so he spent three nights with that man. He did not notice that the man prayed the optional night prayers during any of these nights, but if he woke up during the night, he would simply mention Allah. So before he left, he had to ask him what he did that was so special that the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) identified him as a man of Jannah. The man replied: "My deeds are nothing more than what you saw". When Abdullah (radi Allahu anhu) left, he (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) called him back in and said: "My deeds are nothing more than what you saw, but the only thing I do is that I do not hold any grudge against any Muslim or envy anyone for what bounties Allah has granted them"; thereupon 'Abdullah Ibn 'Amr (radi Allahu anhu) said to him: "This difficult quality to obtain is what granted you this rank". [Ahmad]

That is what it means to be true believer. Our focus is not simply in how much we pray, although that has its place. Rather we are so focused on gaining the pleasure of Allah that people's wrongs against us are insignificant. This is why Allah described the believers as "those who avoid the major sins and immoralities, and when they are angry, they forgive" [Surat ash-Shu'ara, 42:37].

2. Psychological Productivity: Gaining Strength

Psychologists have said that the inability to forgive may cause a person to repeatedly bring anger and bitterness into every relationship and new experience. The hurt and insecurity caused by our offender is projected onto others, because we were not able to move on from our previous experience.

We are not being asked to condone what others have done to us, but rather we should acknowledge that they have hurt us and it was wrong. We should reflect on why this was hurtful, what may have been the motives of the person who hurt us, and what we should learn. And then we should move on, because we cannot change the past, but we can certainly use it to empower ourselves and become better people, inshaa'Allah.

When we take the step to learn from a hurtful experience, we should be able to prevent ourselves from doing the same to others. Many times we condemn what we do ourselves- we are hurt that someone has spoken behind our backs, but we backbite all the time. We feel slighted when we are not appreciated by our parents, but never once did we recognize and thank others for the things they do for us. This introspection should help us to gain greater clarity into our own dealings with people.

Another psychological effect of forgiving others is that it teaches us sympathy. When we let go of anger, we can better understand those who are put in the same situation that we were in previously. Sometimes it helps us to not demonize the person who hurt us; the specific thing that they did may have been bad, but when we step back, we sometimes learn that they have their own baggage that caused them to act in a certain way. This is not to condone what they did, but it is to enable us to see that the world is not always so black and white.

3. Physical Productivity: Healthy mind, healthy body

The inability to forgive affects us spiritually and psychologically, and furthermore, has a detrimental effect on our health. One study showed that people who focused on a personal grudge had increased blood pressure and heart rates, as well as increased muscle tension and feelings of being less in control. Participants in this study were asked to imagine forgiving their wrongdoers, and they said they felt more positive and relaxed and thus, the changes disappeared.

If we want Allah to forgive us, we should be forgiving of others and willing to overlook their wrongs. This is part of what it means to be good to others. Allah describes his believing servants as "those who restrain their anger and are pardoning towards people." He then says: "Indeed, Allah loves those who do good." [Sūrah Āl 'Imrān: 134]

Indeed, Allah says: "And let not those of you who possess wealth and abundance swear against giving to the near of kin and the poor and those who have had to emigrate for Allah's sake. They should forgive and forebear. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." [Sūrah al-Nūr: 22]

May Allah give us the strength to forgive others for their faults, and to forgive us for our own. Aameen.

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Abû Hurayrah relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Allaah will ask on the Day of Judgment: 'Where are those who loved each other for the sake of My glory? Today, – on a day when there is no shade but mine – I shall shade them with My shade." [Sahîh Muslim (2566)]

"I love you for the sake of Allaah". This phrase has been used by me and by many others so many times. I recently attended a Halaqah also on this topic and what struck me was the word "love".

Something was amiss and I was very restless.

Yes I love a lot of people, but I do that because they are my family; blood, in law or through circumstances.

But the Messenger of Allaah (s) in his statement does not make any exceptions. He (s) talks only about "loving each other for the sake of Allaah".

I was so confused when I looked around me and saw people using this statement yet exhibiting coldness in emotion, jealousy, betrayal in their attitude.

And then I looked up the word in the dictionary, as I think we sometimes really forget the "meaning" of the word we speak so casually.

Love means to have really strong feelings of affection for someone and to really like someone.

Now a different question perplexed me. Ok Alhamdulillah I really love some people, but here as I said earlier the Messenger of Allaah (s) makes no exception.

So how to really love someone who hurt or betrayed me?!!!! And I like you, desperately want that shade of Allaah [s]!!

Love Each other for Allaah's sake - It's easier said than done. Right?

No matter how hard we try, we still fail to love some people. All our efforts seem to fall flat. So, we either give up trying or are about to give up or desperately seeking a way to make it work. Sometimes these are really crucial relations like spouses, in laws, relatives and sometimes not so crucial but nevertheless important because of their influence in our daily lives like coworkers, neighbors, roommates.

Yet we witness certain relations that withstand the trials of our nafs, distance and time. Onslaughts of negative emotions like envy, ego is not able to even put a crack in the solid foundations of the relationship. We also witness a sudden surge of love and tenderness for people around us whom we could never imagine liking again.

How does that happen? Who makes us succeed and fail at times?

"And (moreover) He has put affection between their hearts: not if you had spent all that is in the earth, could you have produced that affection, but Allaah has done it: for He is Exalted in might, Wise."[8:63]

" .. And He put love and mercy between your hearts. Verily in that are Signs for those who reflect. [Surah Rum: 21]

So, now we know who makes it all possible. But the question still remains. Why do we fail?

A mention of the above aayah [8:63] by my sister in law, a student of the Qur'an and a heart searching discussion with one of my dearest friends led me to understand why we fail and what we can do to improve our chances of success, as who doesn't want Allaah subhanahu wa ta'aala's shade on the day when there will be no other?

After all the hurt and the discussion which unfortunately is labeled under the tag " "Gheebah" in our Book Of Deeds settles down and the remorse sets in. I look for the answer to "how to truly love a person no matter what for the sake of Allaah swt" and and then Alhamdullilah I came upon a simple 'Point Plus Program Guide for Truly Loving a Person for the Sake of Allaah':

Make the intention: No matter what I will "love " this person for the sake of Allaah swt as He wants me to and I desperately want that shade on the day when there will be no shade but His.

Check your intentions—why do you really want to love this person? Do you want to love your husband, because you truly believe that Allaah subhanahu wa ta'ala has chosen the best one for you? Why do you want to love your mother in law though she sometimes does point out your mistakes? Do you want to love her to please your husband or Allaah subhaanahu wa ta'aala? Once the truthful answers to all the questions you put to yourself are subhaanahu wa ta'aala, then it's time for you to move to next step. Else stop right there and ask Allaah subhaanahu wa ta'aala to guide you towards Him and then proceed to the next step.

Acknowledge the struggle: None of us is perfect. Not me. Not you. Each day is an intense struggle with the nafs and this dunyah to live life the way Allaah wants us to live. Each one of us has different areas of weakness and strengths. Acknowledge the struggle and remember we are all "sisters (or brothers) in arms" against the shaitan.

Identify the Good Areas: each one of us has some "good areas". Something about a person that is good and we like. Identify it.

Focus on it: once we have identified the good areas, focus on them alone. You must have seen a horse with the blinders around its eyes, to make it look only straight ahead. Become like that horse. Focus only on the good areas. Not easy. I agree but if done for the sake of Allaah, then eventually it does become easy. Inshaa'Allaah!!

Seek refuge from the shaitaan: something negative will happen to derail us. A nasty comment, a cold look, someone telling us about the bad the other person has said or done to us. Seek refuge from Allaah. Only He can help and anyways we are doing it only for His sake. So He will help us inshaa'Allaah. And start at Point No 1 again: Acknowledge the struggle a person makes.

Remember no one is perfect. Not you. Not me: we are all struggling in this Dunyah for a better Aakhirah. None of us is perfect and if we don't help each other by being forgiving and understanding and sympathy, then who will?

Make Du'a—Du'a is the weapon of a believer. It is the only thing that always works. So, close your eyes open your heart and feel the depth of words of the du'a the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings upon him) taught us.

اللَّهُمَّ أَلِّفْ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِنَا وَأَصْلِحْ ذَاتَ بَيْنِنَا وَاهْدِنَا سُبُلَ السَّلاَمِ وَنَجِّنَا مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ وَجَنِّبْنَا الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ

وَبَارِكْ لَنَا فِي أَسْمَاعِنَا وَأَبْصَارِنَا وَقُلُوبِنَا وَأَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ

وَاجْعَلْنَا شَاكِرِينَ لِنِعْمَتِكَ مُثْنِينَ بِهَا قَابِلِيهَا وَأَتِمَّهَا عَلَيْنَا

"O Allaah!! Put affection amongst our hearts, reform our matters within us, guide us to the path of peace, save us from the darkness towards light, save us from all kinds of obscenity - the apparent as well as the hidden; bless our hearing, our sight, our hearts, our spouses and our children, turn in mercy towards us. Indeed You are the One who greatly accepts repentance, most Merciful. Make us the ones most grateful for Your bounties so we may compete with one another n praising You for these (bounties) and complete these (bounties) for us." [Aboo Daawood, Shaykh Al-Albaani has authenticated it]

Learn the following process:

May Allaah subhaanahu wa ta'ala grant us success and grant us all His shade on the Day when there will be no shade except His.

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It never ceases to amaze me that Allaah can inspire so much fear in our hearts when we reflect on His supremacy, yet his mercy is equally as vast as His dominion. Allaah tells us in a Hadith Qudsi (sacred narration of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ): "O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you" (Al-Tirmidhi). Subhaan'Allaah (Glory be to Allaah) there is no limit to Allaah's forgiveness, even though our mistakes are numerous.

But what's disheartening is how seldom we are able to forgive each other and how often we are impetuously intolerant toward one another. Islaam teaches us that the strongest of servants are those who not only have the strength to suppress their anger when they are tested but also possess an immeasurable capacity to forgive. The Prophet ﷺ said that: "Whoever suffers an injury and forgives (the person responsible), God will raise his status to a higher degree and remove one of his sins" (Al-Tirmidhi). If we can sincerely forgive those who anger us, inwardly and outwardly, then that cleanses our souls from the shaytaan (satan) and his negative energy. It is important to disregard vain criticisms and this is the first step toward being tolerant. Of course, this is not done without difficulty because it is hard to understand why those who have caused us grievances wanted to do so in the first place. But this is where the battle with our inner self can take a positive turn and allow us to elevate our imaan (faith). This inner struggle is what the Prophet ﷺ called "The Greater Jihad" because it involves tolerance and fighting the evil within ourselves in order to purify our hearts. This is always done for the sake of Allaah and to purify our spiritual conditions.

Islaam also teaches us that the best kind of forgiveness is answering the oppression of others with kindness. Abu Hurayra (may Allaah be pleased with him) said, "A man came to the Prophet, may Allaah bless him and grant him peace, and said, 'Messenger of Allaah! I have relatives with whom I maintain ties while they cut me off. I am good to them while they are bad to me. They behave foolishly towards me while I am forbearing towards them.' The Prophet said, 'If things are as you said, it is as if you were putting hot ashes on them and you will not lack a supporter against them from Allaah as long as you continue to do that.'" (Adab Al-Mufrad)

The Prophet ﷺ and his companions were so merciful in their conduct that instead of becoming angry with their offenders, they defended them and gave them gifts. What immeasurable acts of compassion. They went beyond human altruism and practiced unmatched generosity. They demonstrated that when we open our hearts and pardon others, we are granting ourselves an inner peace. This is how we can prevent spite from suffocating our hearts, which is crucial because hatred has the ability to make us internally ill. We think that hatred is a means of revenge against those who have harmed us, but by begrudging them we are only harming ourselves. This is because our enemies will never feel our anger, and they live contently as we suffer. When we forgive others, it brings relief to our souls because it is a kind of liberating release. This is because when someone has upset us, they have a power over us because we allowed them to do so.

Life is short. Let us not waste our energy on being angry at our enemies and seeking revenge against them. If we can progressively minimize our spite every day, then soon we will bear no hatred or malice in our hearts, inshaa'Allaah (God willing). This is how we can end conflict amongst ourselves, since it is a day to day issue we face. After all, sometimes our own actions can provoke another person's wrong doings and we may not be aware of how we contributed to the conflict. We tend to judge the faults of others, while being blind to our own. We forget how we have wronged others, and we only remember how others have wronged us. In the same manner, we forget the good things that others have done for us, and remember only the good that we have done for them. It is an innate human error. But let us try to remember our own shortcomings before we reflect on the shortcomings of others. Let us stop victimizing ourselves and think about how we have victimized others, and then seek their forgiveness. And if they ask our forgiveness, let us always grant it to them. Because the Prophet ﷺ taught us that: "Whoever does not show mercy will not be shown mercy" (Al-Bukhari). And we must keep in mind that however we treat others is how Allaah will treat us - And Allaah knows best.

So inshaa'Allaah when someone hurts us, let us try to meet their oppression with kindness and forgive them, even if they are not so sorry.

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Allaah urges us immensely to forgive each other as He says (which means): {... Let them pardon and forgive. Do you not love that Allaah should forgive you?} [Qur'an 24:22]. Moreover, the Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: "Indeed Allaah does not increase the one who pardons except by more honour..." [Muslim]

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The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “I guarantee a house in Jannah (Paradise) for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right; and I guarantee a house in the middle of Jannah for one who abandons lying even for the sake of fun; and I guarantee a house in the highest part of Jannah for one who has good manners.” [Abu Dawud]

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TABUK — Marzooghah Al-Blewi of Tabuk refused an offer of property and millions of riyals to pardon the man who took her son's life more than two years ago.

Instead, in a dramatic scene after the sentencing in court, the mother of the victim asked to see her son's murderer after which she said that she forgave him without conditions. This was documented in the presence of the judge, and the grateful young man asked the woman to accept him as her son to serve her for the rest of her life.

The victim's mother said that she could not forget the night when her 19-year-old son Suhail was murdered, while she was waiting for him to drive her to visit some relatives.

She accepted the matter as fate and test of her patience from God. She said the killer's family had constantly contacted her offering property and money and seeking forgiveness to spare their son from execution.

She said she resides in Prince Sultan Charitable Housing with her three orphaned daughters, one of whom is completely paralyzed, and her 80-year-old father who is also partially paralyzed.

They live on her deceased husband's pension of SR2,000 in addition to SR1,000 from social insurance. She forgave her son's killer seeking God's recompense.

The perpetrator's father, Ayed Al-Blewi, spoke of the many attempts to have the distraught mother drop the charges by offering SR2 million and his property, but she refused many times, until that day in court.

He offered his sincere thanks to her and to the relatives of the deceased.

"... They should rather pardon and overlook. Would you not love Allaah to forgive you? Allaah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Qur'aan, 24:22)

Source: Saudi Gazette

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The Companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him), Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

We were sitting in the presence of Allah’s Messenger (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallaam) one day, and he said: “A person is about to arrive from this mountain path who is from the people of Paradise.”

So a person from the Ansaar (a Medinan who helped the Prophet (peace be upon upon) when he migrated to Madinah) arrived, his beard dripping with water from Wudhoo' and his left hand carrying his sandals. He greeted us with Salaams.

The second and the third day the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallaam) said similar words and the same man appeared in the same condition.

'Abdullah Bin 'Amr Bin Al-'Aas followed the man sought his permission to stay with him for three days .

Then 'Abdullah spent three nights with this person. But he did not see him stand up for the Night Prayer at all! All he did was, mention Allaah and make Takbeer (i.e., say 'Allaahu-Akbar' (Allaah is the Greatest)) when he turned sides on his bed. He would do this till he stood up for the Fajr prayer.

However,' Abdullah said,

“I never heard him speak anything except good.”

So when the three days were over, 'Abdullah told the man, “O, Servant of Allah! I heard Allah’s Messenger (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallaam) saying on three occasions, ‘A person is about to arrive who is from the people of Paradise,’ and you arrived on those three occasions.

But I have not seen you perform a great deal of deeds, so what is it that made the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallaam) say that about you?”

He replied,

“I do not harbor disloyalty to any of the Muslims within me, and neither do I feel jealous for the wealth that Allah has bestowed upon them.”

'Abdullah said, “This is what has (made you special) and it’s something we cannot endure.”

Source: Musnad Ahmad (Hadeeth Hasan).

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‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with them both, narrated that the Messenger of Allaah, may Allaah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“The believer who mixes with the people and endures their annoyances is better than the one who does not mix with them and does not endure their annoyances.” [Related by Ibn Maajah with a good chain of narrators. At-Tirmidhi reported this hadeeth without mentioning the Companion]

Shiekh Saalih ibn Fouzaan al-Fouzaan, may Allaah preserve him, explains this noble Hadeeth by saying:

“At-Tirmidhi reported this hadeeth without mentioning the Companion,” the absence of knowing the Companion isn’t an issue because all of them are upright and trustworthy even if they aren’t mentioned by name. This doesn’t do any harm in the Science of Hadeeth.

This Hadeeth is about isolation and intermingling with the people. A person is sociable by nature as it has been said, meaning that he cannot live alone by himself without any interaction with the creation. He needs the people and they need him likewise. However if there is evil or those who you are mixing with are upon evil, is it correct to isolate yourself from them or mingle with them?

The Messenger, may Allaah bless him and grant him peace, explained in this hadeeth that “The believer who mixes with the people and endures their annoyances…” This is the condition that he endures their harm and annoyances: “is better than the one who does not mix with them and does not endure their annoyances.” If your mixing with the people brings about rectification, inviting to Allaah, teaching the people good, commanding what is right, forbidding what is wrong, etc, then this interaction is recommended.

Ponder over the verse: “O my son! Aqim-is-Salat (perform As-Salat), enjoin (people) for Al-Ma’ruf (Islamic Monotheism and all that is good), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief in the Oneness of Allah, polytheism of all kinds and all that is evil and bad), and bear with patience whatever befall you. Verily! These are some of the important commandments ordered by Allah with no exemption.” [31:17]

Allaah Almighty also says: “By Al-’Asr (the time).Verily! Man is in loss,Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth (i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (Al-Ma’ruf) which Allah has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (Al-Munkar) which Allah has forbidden), and recommend one another to patience (for the sufferings, harms, and injuries which one may encounter in Allah’s Cause during preaching His religion of Islamic Monotheism or Jihad, etc.).” [103:1-3]

So the one who mixes with the people, corrects them, calls to Allaah Almighty, commands the good and forbids the evil, teaches the ignorant, aids the needy, reconciles between the people is better than the one who stays away.

The one who isolates himself escapes the harm and evil of the people however the one who mixes with them and endures their harms is better. This is the explanation of this matter of interaction and isolation from the people.

If mixing with them will result in good then it’s better than isolation.

But if mixing with the people is going to result in the person being affected negatively by them and not positively affecting them, then isolation is best in this scenario.”

Source: ‘Tasheelul Ilmaam bi fiqhil Ahaadeeth min Bulooghil Maraam’ by Sheikh Saalih al-Fouzaan.

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This is the story of how even a dog benefited from good companionship...

Many of us will read this Soorah (Chapter 18) on Fridays yet many of the benefits from the Soorah might slip the attention of most common people.

One of such, is the mentioning of the dog in the story of the sleepers of the cave. What is the meaning of bringing up the mention of a dog, whose saliva is considered impure and the very ownership of it will cause the owner to decrease in reward, not to mention that the Angels will not come close to a place where there are dogs present?! So then, what is the purpose of mentioning this animal?

The name of the dog was Qitmeer, it was said that he was the hunting dog of one of the people or that he was the dog of the king’s cook, who shared the religious views of these young muslim men, and brought his dog with him.

Imaam Ibn Kathir (rahimahullah) says in his famous Tafseer:

Ibn Jurayj said,

“He was guarding the door for them.”

It was his nature and habit to lie down at their door as if guarding them. He was sitting outside the entrance of the cave, because the angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog, as was reported in As-Saheeh, nor do they enter a house in which there is an image, a person in state of ritual impurity or a disbeliever, as was narrated in the Hasan Hadith.

The blessing they enjoyed extended to their dog, so the sleep that overtook them overtook him too. This is the benefit of accompanying good people, and so this dog attained fame and stature.

Source: Tafseer Ibn Katheer Soorah Al-Kahf.

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You cannot live alone. Do not live alone, as the wolf eats up the lone sheep, and Satan is close to the one who is alone and is farther away from two people who live together. So, if you live somewhere, live with at least one other person, and this one person should be righteous.

Friends are like a row of connected test tubes: if liquid overflows in one tube, the excess flows into the other tubes until there is an equal amount of liquid in all the tubes. Likewise, if you live with corrupt people, they will take away many of your good deeds, and you will decrease and decrease and decrease until you are all equal in status. You will definitely end up like these interconnected test tubes. A group of friends are all like each other, and the longer the friendship lasts, the closer the character and manners of each person in the group will be to the others. Do not believe that a good person can live for long with a corrupt person, unless the corrupt person improves and follows the example of the good person.

This is why you should look for the good people, and a friend is like a chain: s/he will either drag you into Paradise or drag you into Hell. S/he will either cause you problems or s/he will help you solve your problems...

After this, work on guarding your tongue, because most of the torture in Hell is because of the tongue. The Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "And will people be dragged on their faces into Hell because of anything other than what their tongues have brought forth?" (Tirmidhi)

After this, work on making good use of your time. Do not waste your time. Always try to bring about some benefit from your social gatherings. So, if you see people talking about food, drink, telling jokes, etc., tell them: 'Guys, I read a story today to tell you about something that happened in Syria, or something that the Afghans did,' or say: 'What do you think about this hadith? I read the tafsir of this verse to tell you about,' etc. Benefit them in this gathering, and occupy them with something that will benefit them.

Sit down together and read the Qur'an, read the biographies of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the Companions, a simple explanation of the Qur'an such as 'Tafsir al-Jalalayn' - a simple, general explanation - and read a simple book of Fiqh, especially regarding how to pray...

Work for Allah and stick together, and the more you work for Allah, the more your souls will become strong and rise, and you will ascend rapidly upon the path of those who are ascending towards Allah.

I advise you to recite the Qur'an everyday, because the Qur'an is like water to a plant.

It is the life of the heart.

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Ever wonder what life would be like if our family and friends never forgave us for the mistakes we made? Take a moment to reflect on your own life. Think hard about it. What images do you see more often? Do you see yourself apologizing more or waiting for an apology? Now try to forget about all of those times when you felt someone else should have been asking you for forgiveness but did not come around to it. Forget about all of those times when you felt you deserved an apology but one was not forthcoming. This is not about everyone else, it is about you. It is about you making an intentional decision, a deliberate choice to internalize forgiveness as a way of life.

What Is Forgiveness?

All of us, at one point or another in our lives, have had an experience that frustrated us, made us upset, resentful, or angry. The sources of difficulty might have been, among so many possibilities, the words or actions of a family member or friend, or the words or actions of a stranger. Based on the intensity of the pain or harm we perceive from such difficult moments or incidents, we sometimes find that it is not possible for us to move on, to overlook, or to look past the pain or hurt. Even worse, we sometimes find it impossible to resume normal interactions with the individual or individuals who have caused us the pain.

Forgiveness is the subsiding and ultimate elimination of feelings of anger, frustration, and resentment towards the individual or individuals who have caused us the pain, followed by a resumption of normal interactions with the individual or individuals concerned. Ultimately, forgiving a person wipes away the active memory of whatever pain or hurt that caused the rift to begin with.

This notion of wiping away, of starting anew, is rooted in Islamic teachings. One of the attributes of Allah Almighty is that He is Al-Ghaffar (the Forgiving). There are frequent occurrences in the Qur'an of the juxtaposition of the notion of Allah the Almighty forgiving us and of covering or wiping our sins away. Among the numerous examples in the Qur'an, a part of one verse in particular stands out: {for Allah does blot out sins and forgive again and again} (An-Nisaa' 4:43).

And in this same surah, Allah Almighty reminds us again of people who strive to do good and struggle in the path of Allah: {For these, there is hope that Allah will forgive: For Allah does blot out (sins) and forgive again and again.} (An-Nisaa' 4:99). The reference to blotting out our sins reminds us of a renewal of sorts, so that the slate of our actions is wiped clean. Similarly, when forgiving a person or persons, we strive to reach a level of self-restraint so that our actions with those who hurt us are no longer guided by anger or resentment, but rather by a desire to reestablish the bonds which exists between family and friends.

Obstacles to Being Forgiving

What is it about forgiving others that is so difficult? If you think about it, you can identify family members and friends you know who have found it almost impossible to be forgiving. We all might have family members who allowed an argument, over something trivial, to escalate to the point of no return. Rather than restraining anger, restraining the tongue, and restraining the hands and legs, we sometimes become vulnerable and lose control of ourselves. As a result, an uncle might not be talking to your father, or a mother might be shunning her own daughter or son. The desire not to forgive is not something unnatural.

What is unnatural, with sometimes dire consequences to one's mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health, is the savoring of, the sulking in, and as gory as it sounds, the enjoyment of, the feelings of resentment and anger towards a person. As you can tell by now, you and I are responsible for how we manage our feelings, especially when it comes to being forgiving of one another. As much as we would like to blame our inability to forgive on other people, claiming that we do not forgive because the other person or persons are so bad, so unworthy of forgiveness, the reality is that not forgiving others is more a reflection about who we are, and about our souls more than it is about other people.

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has taught us clearly that exercising self-restraint, especially in situations where we would be justified fully to exact retribution, is an ideal to which every believer should aspire. We learn from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as narrated to us by Abu Huraira (peace be upon him), that "the strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book #73, Hadith #135).

Learning to Be Forgiving

One clear obstacle to being forgiving is our tendency to want to hold a grudge against people. As stated earlier, sometimes holding a grudge ends up being years spent apart from a family member or a friend. The question to ask then is: What do we gain by holding a grudge and not wanting to forgive? What could be so painful to us that we are unwilling to give the person who hurt us a second chance?

Of all the people in Islamic history, there is no one else who suffered more, was harmed more, was insulted more, and in general, experienced more emotional and spiritual pain than Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). His own tribe, the people of Quraish, turned against him and conspired to kill him. When finally Allah Almighty granted Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) victory over the Quraish, history captures for all of time to come, the merciful and forgiving manner in which the Prophet dealt with them. At the conquest of Makkah, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) posed the following question to the Quraish: "How do you think, I am going to treat you now?" They said, "You are a generous brother and the son of a generous brother. We expect only charity and forgiveness from you." He said, "I will tell you what Joseph told his brothers: {"There is no blame on you today."} (Yusuf 12:92).

Recalling the forgiving attitude of Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) towards his brothers, who had also conspired to kill him, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) went beyond the imagination of the Makkans and inclined to forgive them when in fact the right to exact retribution was entirely his. Should we not aspire to imitate Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? Can we not find it in our hearts to forgive our family and friends and to strive to strengthen the bonds of family and friendship? Learning to be forgiving is not something one can achieve overnight. It takes a lifetime of practice and reflects the height of self-restraint.

Final Thoughts

Growing up, you might have heard again and again that Islam is a way of life. You might wonder, as I and so many others have, just what it means to say that Islam is a way of life. One way to think about it is that every aspect of our lives has to be lived in accordance with the teachings of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Another way to think about it is that in addition to living our lives according to the Islamic teachings, we have to aspire to internalize as many as possible of the sublime qualities as compassion, love, mercy, forgiveness and so on. We must daily practice being compassionate, loving, merciful, and forgiving, for example.

Are you ready to incorporate forgiveness as a way of life? Who will be the first person you e-mail or call to tell them that he or she is forgiven? Who will you walk up to and say, "Listen, I'm sorry for holding a grudge against you for so long." Imagine how relieved you will feel knowing that you are no longer carrying around with you the burden of anger and frustration! Knowing that you have released all of that negative energy from your body will be refreshing and make it easier for you to be forgiving of others and to be forgivable by others. Indeed Allah is the Forgiving and our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) mastered forgiveness as a way of life. Are you up to the challenge?

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When people went to visit Abu Dujaanah, may Allaah be pleased with him, in his death sickness, they saw him happy and his face radiant; they asked him about the reason, to which he, may Allaah be pleased with him, replied:

“I have two qualities I possessed in my life; one is that I never interfered in that which did not concern me, and the second is that I always had a pure heart, free from spite towards my fellow Muslims”.

Imaam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah mercy upon him, was another great example in this matter. Some people of knowledge of his time who envied him, spoke ill of him to the Caliph who commanded him to be imprisoned; yet while he was in prison he, may Allaah mercy upon him, sent a letter to his students saying:

“Yo u know very well that I do not like to see anyone from the common Muslims getting hurt because of me, let alone the people of knowledge. People are three types: one who strives to do what is correct but fails, and such will be rewarded for striving to do what is right and will be pardoned for failing as he tried; another is one who strives to do what is correct and succeeds, and such will be rewarded twice, once for striving to do what is right and another for achieving such a goal; the third type is a person who is a sinner, and we ask Allaah to forgive him. I will not forgive any of you if you start talking about anyone who was the cause of my imprisonment”.

Not only that, but Allaah Willed that Sultan An-Naasir, may Allaah have mercy upon him, became the Caliph and wanted to take revenge from the people who were the cause of his imprisonment, but Imaam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah mercy upon him, refused and continued to talk to the Caliph and admonish him about the quality of forgiveness and tolerance, until he changed his mind and let them go unharmed.

Jaabir, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, saying: “The devil has despaired of being worshipped by those who engage in prayer in the Arabian Peninsula but (has not lost hope) in creating dissension among them.” [Muslim] This was a statement made by the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, while addressing the companions, may Allaah be pleased with them. Satan strives very hard to instill spite in the hearts of the believers towards one another, hence, we must avoid anything that could be the means or cause of enmity or spite. We must know that Satan is the source of spite and envy.

Moreover, spite, dispute and envy are the reasons for one’s good deeds being rejected: Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: “People's deeds are presented before Allaah on Mondays and Thursdays, and then every slave (of Allaah) is granted forgiveness (of minor sins) if he does not associate anything with Allaah in worship. But the person in whose heart there is rancor against his brother, will not be pardoned. With regard to them, it is said twice: `Hold these two until they are reconciled, Hold these two until they are reconciled.'” [Muslim] In fact, this was the reason why the exact night on which the night of Al-Qadr falls was not disclosed to the people.

The matter is even graver than this, as indicated in the following narration. Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: “It is not lawful for a Muslim to forsake his (Muslim) brother beyond three days; and whosoever does so for more than three days, and then dies, will certainly enter the Hell.” [Abu Daawood]  We ask Allaah to purify our hearts from spite and grudges.

Spiteful hearts

One of the main things that leads to having a spiteful heart is backbiting and tale bearing. These two evil qualities often result in hatred and severing of ties amongst people. Therefore, a Muslim must control his tongue and not allow himself to talk about others, backbite or slander them.

Some people refrain from eating certain types of meat before ascertaining their permissibility, yet they have no problems eating the flesh of their fellow Muslim; Allaah Says (what means): “And do not backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would detest it.” [Quran 49: 12]

Another matter that results in spite is disputes and arguments, thus people must beware of this bad quality. People can hold different opinions but do not have to become enemies due to this. Yoosuf As-Sadafi, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said:

“I never saw anyone wiser than Imaam Ash-Shaafi’ee, I argued with him once about a matter but we could not come to an agreement, so when he saw me later, he took hold of my hand and said: `O Abu Moosaa! Can’t we disagree and remain brothers?'”

Prejudice and partiality -- whether to one’s opinion, a group or a person -- also lead to spite creeping into the heart.

Competing over worldly matters results in spite in most cases; this is why Islam forbade a person from attempting to buy something that his Muslim brother has already started negotiating about, or proposing to a woman who a fellow Muslim has approached earlier. The reason for this is that Islam tries to prevent all the possible reasons that could engender spite and hatred.

The zeal of attaining high posts and positions makes a person envious; Al-Fudhayl Ibn ‘Iyaadh, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said:

“Striving to reach high  posts and positions and leadership makes people envious and leads them to transgressing other people’s rights.”

There is another matter that people neglect, which has a direct connection to this issue: straightening the rows during prayer. Nu`maan Ibn Basheer, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: “Straighten your rows (during prayer) or Allaah would create dissension amongst you”. [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

Joking too much with people and two people talking in seclusion in the presence of a third are more reasons for spite amongst Muslims, which we must be careful to avoid.

There are certain things a person can do to prevent spite and spread love instead, like supplicating for others and giving them gifts.

Finally, we must differentiate between being kind hearted and simple minded and naive. Not knowing what is plotted against you is not being kind, as this could make a person fall in the trap of others, like those who propagate drugs and immorality. Many people have been dragged into drugs, immorality and other harmful habits due to their naïveté.  As Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy upon him, stated:

"Recognizing the evil and not indulging in it is not the same as being naïve".

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Slaves of Allaah! Islam encourages making reconciliation between people in order to maintain good relations amongst the Muslims, to spread love and to keep the hearts of Muslims free from spite. Allaah Says (what means): “So fear Allaah and amend that which is between you.” [Quran 8: 1]. Additionally, Islam ordains all that which spreads mutual love and frees the hearts from spite, as in the narration of Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, who reported that the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said: “You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I guide to that which would make you love one another? Spread greetings (Salaam) abundantly amongst yourselves” [Muslim]

The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, was asked: “Who are the best type of people?” He, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, replied: “A person who is truthful in his speech and Makhmoom in his hear.t” People asked: “We know what is truthful speech, but what is a Makhmoom heart?” The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, responded saying: “It is a pure pious heart that does not have envy, evil or spite.” [Ibn Maajah]

Spite has greatly increased amongst people today, resulting in the severing of relations and in people holding grudges against each other. This is in spite of the fact that Allaah has made legislations, which would prevent this from happening. For example, a Muslim is allowed to request a fellow Muslim who wants to visit him to return at a later time. In normal situations, people would not appreciate someone not allowing them entry when they visit them, but since Allaah The All-Knowing, knows that people might have certain circumstances that would not allow them to receive visitors, He legislated this to protect people’s hearts from holding grudges due to this. Allaah Says (what means): “And if it is said to you, “Go back (Or a similar expression showing that the occupants are not prepared to receive visitors)” then go back; it is purer for you.” [Quran 24: 28]. This is a way to condole the person who was not granted permission to enter, lest he feels insulted or saddened, and a means to protect the hearts from spite. This is why some of the Salaf, may Allaah have mercy upon them, used to be happy when they went visiting someone and were not permitted in, because they sought the consequence of returning mentioned in the above verse --which is the promise of becoming purer (i.e. in their hearts).

Having pure hearts that are free from spite is a bounty and a blessing from Allaah which He grants to the dwellers of Paradise upon their entry into it. Allaah Says (what means): “And We will remove whatever is in their chests of resentment (i.e. ill will or ill feelings towards one another), [so they will be] brothers, on thrones facing each other.” [Quran 15: 47]

In addition to a pure heart being a blessing and a bounty from Allaah, it is also a source of comfort.  This is why Islam puts great emphasis on purification of the heart from spite, so that people can live together in peace and harmony.

The great importance attached to this issue is because it is a difficult state to achieve all the time. A person may have a strong will which enables him to wake up in the middle of the night to offer optional night prayers, but he may not be strong enough to overcome some of his bad feelings towards his fellow Muslims.

Undoubtedly, this quality is a praiseworthy one indeed; Allaah praised the Ansaar (i.e. the residents of Madeenah) for possessing such a quality saying  (which means): “They [i.e. the Ansaar] find not any [ill] feelings in their chests [i.e. hearts] of what they were given [i.e. the Muhaahireen-emigrants from Makkah] but give [them] preference over themselves, even though they are in privation.” [Quran 59: 9] When Allaah favored the Muhaajireen with certain things, the Ansaar did not feel any objection to this, nor did they harbor any ill feelings or envy towards their brothers in faith for being distinguished with these favors. Instead, they favored them over their own selves with whatever they had, even if they themselves were in need of what they offered.

The following great story reflects the rank of possessing a pure heart that is free from spite, and that it is a blessing from Allaah. Anas Ibn Maalik, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated: “We were sitting with the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, once when he said: “A man from the dwellers of Paradise will walk in now.” So a man from the Ansaar (i.e. residents of Madeenah) walked in whose beard was dripping from the effect of ablution and who held his slippers with his left hand. The next day the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said the same thing, and the same man walked in. On the third day, the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said the same thing, and the same man once again walked in. When the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, left the gathering, ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Amr followed that man and said to him: `I had a misunderstanding with my father and swore not to stay in his house three nights, so if you permit me I would like to spend these three nights with you` The man said: `Yes, I permit you.`”

Anas, may Allaah be pleased with him, added: “‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Amr told us that he spent three nights and did not notice that the man prayed the optional night prayers during any of these nights, but if he woke up during the night, he would simply mention Allaah. Nonetheless, I never heard him utter except good things, so when the three nights finished, I almost belittled his deeds (as they were insignificant) and I said to him: `O slave of Allaah! There was not dispute between me and my father or anger, but I heard the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, saying thrice: “A man from the dwellers of Paradise will walk in now.” and you walked in all three times, so I wanted to sleep in your place to see what you do in order to imitate you, but I did not see that you exert extra effort in performing any extra deeds. How did you reach such status to deserve what the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said about you?` He replied: `My deeds are nothing more than what you saw.' Then when I left, he called me back in and said:

'My deeds are nothing more than what you saw, but the only thing I do is that I do not hold any grudge against any Muslim or envy anyone for what bounties Allaah has granted them.'

Thereupon ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Amr, may Allaah be pleased with him, said to him: “This difficult quality to obtain is what granted you this rank”.  [Ahmad]

The keenness of the Salaf, may Allaah have mercy upon them, to have pure hearts: It is not an easy task for someone to maintain a heart free from spite and hold no grudges against anyone. On the other hand, it is not an impossible mission either, and can be achieved with training, practice and constant striving.

The companions, may Allaah be pleased with them, were very keen to remove any bad feelings from the hearts of their brothers towards them. `Aa’ith Ibn `Amr Al-Muzani, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported: “Abu Sufyaan passed by Salmaan, Suhayb and Bilaal and some other Companions, may Allaah be pleased with them (after the conquest of Makkah, when he was still a disbeliever). They said to him: "The swords of Allaah did not exact their due from the foes of Allaah?'' Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him, said to them: "Do you speak like this to the chief of the Quraysh and their master?'' Then he went to the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, and related this to him. He, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "O Abu Bakr! Perhaps you have angered them. If so, you have angered your Lord”. Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him, rushed back to them and said: "O my brothers! Did I offend you?'' They replied: "No. May Allaah forgive you, brother”.
[Muslim]

This proves that a person must rush to make amends and apologize for his actions, if he fears that a fellow Muslim was offended or his feelings were hurt, to make sure his brother’s heart remains pure towards him. The one who is being apologized to must accept without delay and comfort his brother, and assure him that he is not holding any grudge against him and supplicate for him as the companions did with Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with them all.

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It is not permissible for a Muslim to make friends with a mushrik (polytheist) or to take him as a close friend, because Islam calls on us to forsake the disbelievers and to disavow them, because they worship someone other than Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O you who believe! Take not as friends the people who incurred the Wrath of Allaah (i.e. the Jews). Surely, they have despaired of (receiving any good in) the Hereafter, just as the disbelievers have despaired of those (buried) in graves (that they will not be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection).” [al-Mumtahanah 60:13]

This was also the teaching of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

1 – It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) that he heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, “Do not keep company with anyone but a believer and do not let anyone eat your food but one who is pious.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2395; Abu Dawood, 4832. Abu ‘Eesa al-Tirmidhi said: this hadeeth is hasan. It was also classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2519).

Abu ‘Eesa al-Khattaabi said:

'Rather he warned against keeping company with anyone who is not pious and against mixing with them or eating with them, because eating with a person instills friendship and love in the heart.'

He said: 'Do not make friends with anyone who is not pious; do not take him as a companion with whom you eat and chat.' (Ma’aalim al-Sunan, Haamish Mukhtasar Sunan Abi Dawood, 7/185, 186).

2 – It was narrated from Samurah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not live among the mushrikeen and do not mix with them, for whoever lives among them or mixes with them is not one of us.” (Narrated by al-Bayhaqi, 9/142; al-Haakim, 2/154. He said, it is saheeh according to the conditions of al-Bukhaari. The hadeeth was also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 2/229 with its corroborating reports).

But it is permissible to deal with them in a kind manner in the hope that they might become Muslim.

It was narrated that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: There was a Jewish boy who used to serve the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he fell sick. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to visit him. He sat by his head and said, “Become Muslim.” (The boy) looked at his father who was with him, and he (the father) said, “Obey Abu’l-Qaasim (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).” So he became Muslim, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out, saying,

“Praise be to Allaah Who has saved him from the Fire” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1290).

And Allaah knows best.

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The view of scholars towards music

Numerous scholars have declared consensus [ijma’] on the prohibition of using musical instruments which suggests at the very least that the opinion which permits using musical instruments is unreliable.

The list includes scholars such as:

• Al-Tabari (d.311 A.H.),
• Al-Nawawi (d.676 A.H.),
• Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdasi (d.620 A.H.),
• Al-Qurtubi (d.671 A.H.) and
• Ibn Taymiyyah (d.728 A.H.).

The famous companion Ibn Mas’ud held that listening to musical instruments gives birth to disbelief and hypocrisy in one’s heart. Al-Awza’i (d.157 A.H.), a very famous scholar of the second generation, narrated that the righteous Caliph Umar Ibn Abdul‘Aziz (d.101 A.H.) sent a letter to one of his governors with the words,

‘…and your presentation of musical and woodwind instruments is an innovation in Islam. I had resolved to dispatch to you someone who would shear the hair on the back of your head, such vile hair!’

Likewise, Imam Malik (d.179 A.H.), who resided in Madinah - the home of the vast majority of the Companions of the Prophet stated,

‘Only the very sinful amongst us listen to music’.

Imam Malik’s opinion was in fact a Madinian opinion, which reflected their consensus: a source of authority if not legislation. Can it be reasonably argued that while so many early scholars greatly detested using musical instruments, there were those who believed it was acceptable? This cannot be the case and is precisely the reason why some scholars negate the opinion (of allowing music) being attributed to any of the early scholars. The famous Hanbali scholar Ibn Hajar al-Hanbali (d.795 A.H.) stated,

‘Whoever attributes the opinion permitting music to any of the scholars who are respected in legal issues has surely erred.’

Music: the message of peace and love?

In his article, Sami Yusuf stated, ‘In the midst of all this, it is upon all conscious and responsible artists who look beyond the commercial to work in refining arts and music. Apart from entertaining audiences, music is a powerful medium to communicate values and social messages. In these times where heinous crimes against humanity are being committed, we as artists – Muslims or non-Muslims, British or non-British – have a duty to use this medium to bring some sanity to this world of unrest, fear, violence, terror and war. Human life and dignity are values that should be cherished and championed by all’.

Those who erroneously support such an idea go even further and compare their music to the poems of Hassan Ibn Thabit, the famous Companion who would use his poetic skills to defend the Prophet, may Allah praise and send peace upon him, and the Islamic values which he propagated. The idea that music is a powerful medium to communicate values and social messages is merely an emotional and unscholarly view. However appealing this idea may seem, we must understand that it is far from reality. We must consider the power in Hassan’s poetry and the reasons why the Prophet not only endorsed but also encouraged him to defend Islam. The strength of Hassan’s poems lay in the denotation of his rhythmic and eloquent words; this is what makes a poem effective. There are no legal issues with regard to Muslims practising the art of poetry. One dreams of Muslim poets eloquently articulating and defending Islam and its values.

However, the discussion here is focused on the use of musical instruments which are normally accompanied by bodily movements as mentioned by Sister Yvonne. Furthermore, music may be a weapon, but a counterproductive one, for embedded within it is a culture of permissiveness and liberalism. Many non-Muslims concede this fact and have undertaken research analysing the connection between music, behaviour and crime.

There is no comparison between the power of comprehendible and eloquent words and insignificant sounds. This method of argument to promote idealistic concepts is akin to Christian use of flowery language and idealism in order to promote that which cannot be defended using rational arguments. Attempts by some Christians to sugar-coat theological inconsistencies failed and turned people away. One can say that the public have lost faith in the methodology of using music to propagate messages of love and peace as they have realised that it lacks practicality. Furthermore, these methods have led many people to the conclusion that they are being duped in order to keep the focus away from the root cause of problems.

In our current climate, how can music contribute to solving the many conflicts that exist in many parts of the world? It certainly has not brought some sanity to this world of unrest, fear, violence, terror and war. How will music contribute to stopping Western troops from attacking innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan, or stop Israelis from shedding the blood of innocent women and children in Lebanon and Palestine? Such a view is utterly erroneous and we must free ourselves of using such fanciful idealistic concepts that have no relevance to reality. Let us take an intellectual and rational approach to the problems and their solutions.

The reality of this world is quite different from what we may hope it to be. We should be calling Muslims to arise and face the real challenges, such as taking a leading role in promoting correct principles and values, values such as freeing people from servitude of man to the servitude of Allah alone.

Such an imperative undertaking requires maturity and seriousness to the extent that we should be willing to sacrifice our lives and wealth for the cause. I call upon all Muslims to remember that this life is a test as we are informed in the Qur’an, ‘Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the dominion, and He is Able to do all things; Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed. And He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving.’1 Allah also said, ’The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (i.e., a deceiving thing).’2 Hence, this life is essentially a conflict between truth and falsehood and even a cursory glance at history would visibly affirm this reality. A moral system should be based on a sense of what is good and evil, what is truth and falsehood. Peace and love form only a part of the reality, and thus, our discussion should not be limited to these values in isolation of others for that would certainly end with detrimental consequences. Any system that promotes these values without having power, strength and rule of law to protect and maintain them is nothing but a hoax. This is contrary to the reality of Islam and this should reflect in our literature and discourses. It is the practicality of Islam that will be convincing to people from all spectrums.

The debate is not limited to Music

An essential aspect of pop culture (including music) is the resulting various evil effects which are usually overlooked in discussions. It is the norm however to analyse such effects within Islamic jurisprudence. It is sad to witness respected Muslim figures speaking about music and its permissibility and citing examples of the music played at the beginning of news programs or what is occurs and is heard unintentionally in the street. Their discussions are usually limited to these simple cases; however, their views are frequently misunderstood as a justification for contemporary music. Sami Yusuf in his response to Yvonne correctly stated that, ‘The obsessive fascination of fans towards any celebrity - be it in arts, music, politics, media, etc - to the point of hysteria and hero-worshipping is definitely unhealthy not to mention un-Islamic’.

However, he also stated, ‘I definitely did not see girls dancing or behaving indecently in any of my concerts. To state otherwise is a gross exaggeration if not an outright fallacy’. I have personally asked numerous people about many ‘Islamic concerts’ and their comments and views resemble those of Yvonne’s. Recently, I attended a major Islamic event, at the end of which there was an ‘Islamic concert’. I remained behind for a few minutes in order to observe; I could not believe what was being done in the name of Islam! Members of the opposite sex where freely mixing, so much so that they were sitting next each other and their thighs were touching.

Once the ‘Islamic’ music began, the audience began to clap and their bodies to shake in their chairs. I decided to leave disgusted at what I had observed and met another brother who had also entered the hall with the intention to examine the ongoing of such concerts; he was surprised that I had departed so early on though the concert had not properly began. Muslim singers mention that music plays a major role in communicating ‘values and social messages’. Based upon what happens in such concerts, can they still argue that these noble goals are achieved? Furthermore, the youth exchange singers’ photos by e-mail and text message. They hang posters of these singers’ on their bedroom walls. They act with bad manners, pushing and shoving in order to reach their hero to attain his autograph, jumping and screaming as the singers make their way to the stage. This clearly resembles idolisation of the famous which contravenes the Islamic code of conduct. Our ummah is calling out to us to produce genuine men and women who can meet the hardships it faces and provide a future with hope and optimism for the establishment of servitude to Allah and welfare of our brothers and sisters; this cannot be achieved through fads and mere dreams of betterment and through incapacitating our youth via the escapism and harmful effects of music: a matter out-rightly rejected and deemed impermissible throughout our fourteen hundred year history. In my next article, I will move onto exploring some thoughts on the discussion around Britishness and identity, by the will of Allah, may he be Glorified.

_____________

Footnotes:

1. Surah al-Mulk 67:1
2. Surah Aal Imran 3:185

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I FEEL very uncomfortable about the pop culture which is growing around some so-called Nasheed artists. Of course I use the term ‘Nasheed artists' very lightly. Islamic ‘boy bands' and Muslim ‘popsters' would probably be more appropriate.

Eminent scholars throughout history have often opined that music is haram, and I don't recall reading anything about the Sahaba whooping it up to the sound of music. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for people letting off steam, but in a dignified manner and one which is appropriate to their surroundings.

The reason I am expressing concern is that just a few days ago at a venue in Central London, sisters went wild in the aisles as some form of pop-mania swept through the concert venue. And I'm not just talking about silly, little girls who don't know any better; I am talking about sisters in their 20's, 30's and 40's, who squealed, shouted, swayed and danced. Even the security guys who looked more like pipe cleaners than bulldozers were left looking dazed and confused as they tried to stop hijabi sisters from standing on their chairs.

Of course the stage groupies did not help at all as they waved and encouraged the largely female Muslim crowd to "get up and sing along." (They're called ‘Fluffers' in lap-dancing circles!)

The source of all this adulation was British-born Sami Yusuf, who is so proud of his claret-colored passport that he wants us all to wave the Union Jacks. I'm amazed he didn't encourage his fans to sing "Land of Hope and Glory." Brother Sami asked his audience to cheer if they were proud to be British ,and when they responded loudly, he said he couldn't hear them and asked them to cheer again.

How can anyone be proud to be British? Britain is the third most hated country in the world. The Union Jack is drenched in the blood of our brothers and sisters across Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine. Our history is steeped in the blood of colonialism, rooted in slavery, brutality, torture, and oppression. And we haven't had a decent game of soccer since we lifted the World Cup in 1966.

Apparently Sami also said one of the selling points of Brand UK was having Muslims in the Metropolitan Police Force! AstafurAllah! Dude, these are the same cops who have a shoot-to-kill policy and would have gunned down a Muslim last year if they could tell the difference between a Bangladeshi and a Brazilian. This is the same police force that has raided more than 3000 Muslim homes in Britain since 9/11. What sort of life is there on Planet Sami, I wonder? If he is so proud to be British, why is he living in the great Middle Eastern democracy of Egypt?

Apparently the sort of hysteria Sami helped encourage is also in America, and if it is happening on both sides of the Atlantic, then it must be creeping around the globe and poisoning the masses. Islamic boy bands like 786 and Mecca 2 Medina are also the subject of the sort of female adulation you expect to see on American Pop Idol or the X-Factor. Surely Islamic events should be promoting restrained and more sedate behavior.

Do we blame the out-of-control sisters? Or do we blame the organizers for allowing this sort of excessive behavior which demeans Islam? Or do we blame the artists themselves?

Abu Ali and Abu Abdul Malik, struggling for their Deen, would certainly not try to whip up this sort of hysteria. Neither would the anonymous heroic Nasheed artists who sing for freedom; check out Idhrib Ya Asad Fallujah, and you will know exactly what I mean.

Fallujah is now synonymous with the sort of heroic resistance that elevated the Palestinians of Jenin to the ranks of the resistance written about in the Paris Communeand the Siege of Leningrad. The US military has banned the playing of any Nasheeds about Fallujah because of the power and the passion it evokes.

If those Nasheeds had sisters running in the streets whooping and dancing, however, the Nasheeds may be encouraged because of haram activity surrounding them.

Quite frankly, I really don't know how anyone in the Ummah can really let go and scream and shout with joy at pleasure domes when there is so much brutality and suffering going on in the world today. The rivers of blood flow freely from the veins of our brothers and sisters from across the Muslim world.

Screaming and shouting the names of musical heroes drown out the screams coming from the dungeons of Uzbekistan where brothers and sisters are boiled alive in vats of water. How many will jump up and down and wave their arms in the air, shouting wildly for justice for our kin in Kashmir, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Palestine, and Iraq?

There are many more killing fields as well across the Asian and Arab world. Will you climb on theater chairs and express your rage over Guantanamo Bay and other gulags where our brothers and sisters are being tortured, raped, sodomized, beaten, and burned? Or will you just switch off this concerned sister and switch on to the likes of Sami Yusuf because he can sell you a pipe dream with his soothing words and melodic voice?

Oh, Muslims, wake up! The Ummah is not bleeding; it is hemorrhaging. Listen not to what is haram. Listen to the pain of your global family.

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In an article written by Sister Yvonne Ridley titled Pop Culture in the name of Islam (Apr 06), she heavily criticised a recent phenomenon sweeping through Muslim communities across the UK and affecting both the young and more mature generations. The condemnation was particularly directed towards Brother Sami Yusuf. Reasons for this could be due to certain statements he made as well as his status as one of the foremost stars of ‘Islamic music’. Sami responded in turn and in his letter (Jun 06)2 he addressed a number of ideological concepts currently debated in the public domain. He used the discourse on Islamic music as a medium through which to express his views about contemporary issues such as identity, culture and Britishness. These three topics provided the main focus of discussion and upon analysis I found him to employ arguments simultaneously being used by others; a regurgitation of many propounded elsewhere, which consistently argue an analogous perspective. I therefore find it imperative to engage with the wider Muslim audience on the aforementioned issues which I believe to be particularly significant for Muslims in our current climate. The intent is to provide a thorough discourse and analysis in an impartial fashion and to provide solutions to the complex dilemmas we Muslims face. I begin with the issue of music in light of the discourse of Muslim scholars. Culture, identity and Britishness will be discussed in forthcoming articles.

Many of the ideas and concepts remonstrated by those who argue viewpoints similar to Sami’s are neither substantiated nor adhere to Islamic principles. They are fanciful and idealistic notions of no tangible benefit and lack simple rational evidence. It has unfortunately become common amongst Muslims, both the laity and elite, to deal with challenges of culture, identity and Britishness in a romantic fashion to the extent that the frequent use of terms such as love, peace and tolerance instil a false sense of hope and only serve to restrict philosophical and theological development.

This in turn amplifies the predicament as it renders the masses inoperative and unable to distinguish between idealism and realism thereby rendering them ineffective for the vital task of establishing a successful method by which people may live. Before accepting such idealistic notions at face value, it is of paramount importance that we scrutinise their relevance and practicality; we must examine the legitimacy of such ideas rationally and more importantly, legally, in accordance with Islamic law.

Music: A simple matter of disagreement?

Some Muslim musicians assert that music is one of the most controversial topics in Islamic jurisprudence, although they usually acknowledge that many eminent classical scholars have considered it forbidden. Some such as Sami Yusuf have argued that there are, ‘…other eminent scholars – classical and contemporary, who permit singing and the use of musical instruments.’3 Such statements are frequently used as Islamic evidence by those who hold the opinion that the production of music as well as listening to it is permissible. However, such a declaration demands the naming of scholars who have claimed that the subject of music is one of the most controversial topics in Islamic Jurisprudence. It is accepted that a few contemporary scholars hold the view that musical instruments are permissible albeit with certain conditions attached. Nevertheless, this does not render the issue of music a controversial one, especially within the confines of Islamic law. In this regard, we are at liberty to scrutinise our judicial rulings which have been formed over fourteen centuries in order to locate one scholar who described this issue as a highly controversial one. It is expedient that we understand the principle of Islamic law which informs us that where a handful of scholars hold a view which opposes the overwhelming majority, the issue neither remains controversial nor the difference acceptable and valid. This principle is agreed upon among Islamic jurists and reads,

‘There is no censure in issues of disagreement, while the censure is only in issues that have consensus’4.

The scholars have further explained the meaning of issues of disagreement by stating that irregular or weak opinions are excluded from this principle altogether rendering them open to censure. For this reason Ibn al-Qayyim in his work ’Ilam al-Muwaqqi’in explains at length the difference between issues that are open to enquiry and the exercising of one’s opinion [ijtihad] and issues that are not subject to ijtihad (logical reasoning) even if there may be scholars who hold opinions contrary to the established ruling5.

Failure to either differentiate between the two issues or to neglect this rule entirely will inevitably lead to significant problems which could possibly lead to the dissolution of Islamic law; this may seem ostensibly dramatic yet we are still required to accept certain truths though they do not seem inevitable. Throughout the works of comparative jurisprudence, especially the voluminous manuals such as al-Mughni, al-Majmu’, Fath al-Bari, ‘Umadat-ul-Qari and al-Tamheed, we rarely unearth a legal issue which is free from dispute but to accommodate each and every opinion in all legal disputes would result in a disordered system void of the perfection projected by Islam. To give an example, there is an opinion held by some scholars that the Isha’ prayer is suspended during the summer months in countries such as England owing to the absence of Islamic legal signs indicating the beginning of Isha’. This opinion gives rise to the vital question, ‘Can this opinion be adopted and thus the Isha’ prayer be put on hold during the summer?' Of course not! Any action taken based on this opinion would justifiably be condemned. There are many additional examples of legal opinions which are quite rightly disregarded in matters of consensus: some scholars deem the consumption of dog meat as lawful; others hold the opinion that it is forbidden for a man to see his mother’s hair; and the phenomenon whereby Muslims steal from non-Muslims claiming that certain scholars have deemed such actions permissible. In fact, if we use the same logic presented by Sami, 7/7 should not be condemned and we must simply respect the notion of differing to be the rightful reaction as there are those who view it in a favourable light. In reality, scholars would often pronounce in response to such legal absurdities, ’

One who deliberately seeks out religious errors of judgment becomes a heretic’6.

A commendable stance worthy of mention here was taken by a notable early scholar, Isma’il al-Qadhi, who strove to preserve the framework of the Islamic legal system; he was presented with a written piece in which the author had collected all of the lenient abnormal opinions and excuses of jurists, to which he boldly denounced the work and informed the Caliph that the book was the work of a heretic. When a person enquired as to why he gave such a harsh verdict whilst there were hadiths supporting some of these opinions, Isma’il Al-Qadhi replied,

’The scholars who viewed that singing is allowed did not view drinking certain types of wine as permissible, and so on…’7

He meant by this that odd opinions are not to be compiled and then adopted as a concise manual of jurisprudence [fiqh] to practise, since the jurist who is but fallible and offers an individual odd opinion or two does not necessarily agree with other odd opinions.

To conclude, the mere existence of a difference of opinion on a given issue does not render the difference acceptable and valid. Valid differences of opinion arise where there is scope for one to exert efforts in study and examination and to exercise one’s opinion [ijtihad]. This occurs only when the differences of opinion and numbers of scholars are regarded and considered significant. Moreover, it must be the result of objective and sincere efforts without any hidden yearning to seek lenient allowances from the onset.

In the next article, I will examine issues of ijtihad and the ruling of music in further detail.

_____________

Footnotes:

1. This article can be found at her website.
2. This letter titled, Open letter from Sami Yusuf to Yvonne Ridley, can be found in several places over the internet. There is a link to the article on his own website here but it does not seem to be active.
3. Ibid.
4. See for example al-Suyuti, al-Ashbah wa al-Nadhai’r, pg. 175, Dar Ihya’ al-Kutub al-‘Arabiyah.
5. Ibn al-Qayyim, ‘Ilam al-Muwaqqi’in, 3/258-361, Dar al-Kutub al-Hadithiyyah, 1969.
6. Al-Dhahabi, Siyar ‘Alam al-Nubala’, reporting on al-Awza’i and others 7/125 & 8/18.
7. Al-Bayhaqi, al-Sunan al-Kubra, 10/211.

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Category: Why and How to Leave Music

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Evidence of prohibition in the Qur’aan and Sunnah:

Allaah says in Soorat Luqmaan (interpretation of the meaning):

“And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing) to mislead (men) from the path of Allaah…” [Luqmaan 31:6]

The scholar of the ummah, Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:

"This means singing." (Tafseer al-Tabari, 21/40).

Mujaahid (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

"This means playing the drum (tabl)." (Tafseer al-Tabari, 21/40).

Al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

"This aayah (verse) was revealed concerning singing and musical instruments (lit. woodwind instruments)." (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 3/451).

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

"This includes all manner of haraam speech, all idle talk and falsehood, and all nonsense that encourages kufr (disbelief) and disobedience; the words of those who say things to refute the truth and argue in support of falsehood to defeat the truth; and backbiting, slander, lies, insults and curses; the singing and musical instruments of the Shaytaan; and musical instruments which are of no spiritual or worldly benefit." (Tafseer al-Sa’di, 6/150)

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

The interpretation of the Sahaabah and Taabi’in, that ‘idle talk’ refers to singing, is sufficient. This was reported with saheeh isnaad (chains) from Ibn ‘Abbaas and Ibn Mas’ood. Abu’l-Sahbaa’ said: 'I asked Ibn Mas’ood about the aayah (interpretation of the meaning), “And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks." [Luqmaan 31:6]. He said:

"By Allaah, besides Whom there is no other god, this means singing" – and he repeated it three times.

It was also reported with a saheeh isnaad (authentic chain) from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) that this means singing. There is no contradiction between the interpretation of “idle talk” as meaning singing and the interpretation of it as meaning stories of the Persians and their kings, and the kings of the Romans, and so on, such as al-Nadr ibn al-Haarith used to tell to the people of Makkah to distract them from the Qur’aan. Both of them are idle talk. Hence Ibn ‘Abbaas said:

'“Idle talk” is falsehood and singing.'

Some of the Sahaabah said one and some said the other, and some said both. Singing is worse and more harmful than stories of kings, because it leads to zinaa (adultery) and makes hypocrisy grow (in the heart); it is the trap of the Shaytaan, and it clouds the mind. The way in which it blocks people from the Qur’aan is worse than the way in which other kinds of false talk block them, because people are naturally inclined towards it and tend to want to listen to it. The aayaat (verses) condemn replacing the Qur’aan with idle talk in order to mislead (men) from the path of Allaah without knowledge and taking it as a joke, because when an aayah (verse) of the Qur’aan is recited to such a person, he turns his back as if he heard them not, as if there were deafness in his ear. If he hears anything of it, he makes fun of it. All of this happens only in the case of the people who are most stubbornly kaafirs (disbelievers) and if some of it happens to singers and those who listen to them, they both have a share of this blame. (Ighaathat al-Lahfaan, 1/258-259).

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“[Allaah said to Iblees:] And befool them gradually those whom you can among them with your voice (i.e. songs, music, and any other call for Allaah’s disobedience)…” [al-Israa’ 17:64]

It was narrated that Mujaahid (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

“And befool them gradually those whom you can among them with your voice.” – his voice [the voice of Iblees/Shaytaan] is singing and falsehood.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This idaafah [possessive or genitive construction, i.e., your voice] serves to make the meaning specific, as with the phrases [translated as] “your cavalry” and “your infantry” [later in the same aayah]. Everyone who speaks in any way that is not obedient to Allaah, everyone who blows into a flute or other woodwind instrument, or who plays any haraam kind of drum, this is the voice of the Shaytaan. Everyone who walks to commit some act of disobedience towards Allaah is part of his [the Shaytaan’s] infantry, and anyone who rides to commit sin is part of his cavalry. This is the view of the Salaf, as Ibn ‘Abi Haatim narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas:

"His infantry is everyone who walks to disobey Allaah." (Ighaathat al-Lahfaan).

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Do you then wonder at this recitation (the Qur’aan)? And you laugh at it and weep not, Wasting your (precious) lifetime in pastime and amusements (singing).” [al-Najm 53:59-61]

‘Ikrimah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: it was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas that al-sumood [verbal noun from saamidoon, translated here as “Wasting your (precious) lifetime in pastime and amusements (singing)”] means “singing”, in the dialect of Himyar; it might be said “Ismidi lanaa” [‘sing for us’ – from the same root as saamidoon/sumood] meaning “ghaniy” [sing]. And he said (may Allaah have mercy on him):

"When they [the kuffaar] heard the Qur’aan, they would sing, then this aayah (verse) was revealed."

Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning) “Wasting your (precious) lifetime in pastime and amusements (singing)” – Sufyaan al-Thawri said, narrating from his father from Ibn ‘Abbaas:

"(This means) singing. This is Yemeni (dialect): ismad lana means ghan lana [sing to us]."

This was also the view of ‘Ikrimah. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer).

It was reported from Abu Umaamah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not sell singing slave women, do not buy them and do not teach them. There is nothing good in this trade, and their price is haraam. Concerning such things as this the aayah was revealed (interpretation of the meaning): ‘And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing) to mislead (men) from the path of Allaah…’ [Luqmaan 31:6].” (Hasan hadeeth)

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

“Among my ummah there will certainly be people who permit zinaa (adultery), silk, alcohol and musical instruments…” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari ta’leeqan, no. 5590; narrated as mawsool by al-Tabaraani and al-Bayhaqi. See al-Silsilah al-Saheehah by al-Albaani, 91).

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

"This is a saheeh hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari in his Saheeh, where he quoted it as evidence and stated that it is mu’allaq and majzoom. He said: Chapter on what was narrated concerning those who permit alcohol and call it by another name.

This hadeeth indicates in two ways that musical instruments and enjoyment of listening to music are haraam. The first is the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “[they] permit” which clearly indicates that the things mentioned, including musical instruments, are haraam according to sharee’ah, but those people will permit them. The second is the fact that musical instruments are mentioned alongside things which are definitely known to be haraam, i.e., zinaa and alcohol: if they (musical instruments) were not haraam, why would they be mentioned alongside these things?" (adapted from al-Silsilah al-Saheehah by al-Albaani, 1/140-141)

Shaykh al-Islam (Ibn Taymiyah) (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

"This hadeeth indicates that ma’aazif are haraam, and ma’aazif means musical instruments according to the scholars of (Arabic) language. This word includes all such instruments." (al-Majmoo’, 11/535).

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: And concerning the same topic similar comments were narrated from:

• Sahl ibn Sa’d al-Saa’idi,
• ‘Imraan ibn Husayn,
• ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr,
• ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abbaas,
• Abu Hurayrah,
• Abu Umaamah al-Baahili,
• ‘Aa’ishah Umm al-Mu’mineen,
• ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib,
• Anas ibn Maalik,
• ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Saabit and
• al-Ghaazi ibn Rabee’ah.

Then he mentioned it in Ighaathat al-Lahfaan, and it indicates that they (musical instruments) are haraam.

It was narrated that Naafi’ (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Ibn ‘Umar heard a woodwind instrument, and he put his fingers in his ears and kept away from that path. He said to me, "O Naafi’, can you hear anything?" I said, "No". So he took his fingers away from his ears and said: "I was with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he heard something like this, and he did the same thing. (Saheeh Abi Dawood).

Some insignificant person said that this hadeeth does not prove that musical instruments are haraam, because if that were so, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have instructed Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) to put his fingers in his ears as well, and Ibn ‘Umar would have instructed Naafi’ to do likewise! The response to this is: He was not listening to it, but he could hear it. There is a difference between listening and hearing. Shaykh al-Islam (Ibn Taymiyah) (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

'Concerning (music) which a person does not intend to listen to, there is no prohibition or blame, according to scholarly consensus. Hence blame or praise is connected to listening, not to hearing. The one who listens to the Qur’aan will be rewarded for it, whereas the one who hears it without intending or wanting to will not be rewarded for that, because actions are judged by intentions. The same applies to musical instruments which are forbidden: if a person hears them without intending to, that does not matter.' (al-Majmoo’, 10/78).

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

'The listener is the one who intends to hear, which was not the case with Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both); what happened in his case was hearing. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) needed to know when the sound stopped because he had moved away from that path and blocked his ears. So he did not want to go back to that path or unblock his ears until the noise had stopped, so when he allowed Ibn ‘Umar to continue hearing it, this was because of necessity.' (al-Mughni, 10/173)

(Even though the hearing referred to in the comments of the two imaams is makrooh (disliked), it was permitted because of necessity, as we will see below in the comments of Imaam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him). And Allaah knows best).

The views of the scholars (Imaams) of Islam

Al-Qaasim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

'Singing is part of falsehood. Al-Hasan (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: if there is music involved in a dinner invitation (waleemah), do not accept the invitation.' (al-Jaami by al-Qayrawaani, p. 262-263).

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

'The view of the four Imaams is that all kinds of musical instruments are haraam. It was reported in Saheeh al-Bukhaari and elsewhere that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that there would be among his ummah those who would allow zinaa (adultery), silk, alcohol and musical instruments, and he said that they would be transformed into monkeys and pigs… None of the followers of the imaams mentioned any dispute concerning the matter of music.' (al-Majmoo’, 11/576).

Al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

'The four madhhabs are agreed that all musical instruments are haraam.' (al-Saheehah, 1/145).

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

'The madhhab of Abu Haneefah is the strictest in this regard, and his comments are among the harshest. His companions clearly stated that it is haraam to listen to all musical instruments such as the flute and the drum, even tapping a stick. They stated that it is a sin which implies that a person is a faasiq (rebellious evil doer) whose testimony should be rejected. They went further than that and said that listening to music is fisq (rebellion, evildoing) and enjoying it is kufr (disbelief). This is their words. They narrated in support of that a hadeeth which could not be attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). They said: "He should try not to hear it if he passes by it or it is in his vicinity." Abu Yoosuf said, "Concerning a house from which could be heard the sound of musical instruments: Go in without their permission, because forbidding evil actions is obligatory, and if it were not allowed to enter without permission, people could not have fulfilled the obligatory duty (of enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil)." (Ighaathat al-Lahfaan, 1/425).

Imaam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about playing the drum or flute, if a person happens to hear the sound and enjoy it whilst he is walking or sitting. He said: "He should get up if he finds that he enjoys it, unless he is sitting down for a need or is unable to get up. If he is on the road, he should either go back or move on." (al-Jaami’ by al-Qayrawaani, 262). He (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

“The only people who do things like that, in our view, are faasiqs.” (Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 14/55).

Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: "Among the types of earnings which are haraam by scholarly consensus are ribaa (usury), the fee of a prostitute, anything forbidden, bribes, payment for wailing over the dead and singing, payments to fortune-tellers and those who claim to know the unseen and astrologers, payments for playing flutes, and all kinds of gambling. (al-Kaafi).

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, explaining the view of Imaam al-Shaafa'i: "His companions who know his madhhab (point of view) stated that it is haraam and denounced those who said that he permitted it." (Ighaathat al-Lahfaan, 1/425).

The author of Kifaayat al-Akhbaar, who was one of the Shaafai's, counted musical instruments such as flutes and others, as being munkar (evil), and the one who is present (where they are being played) should denounce them. He cannot be excused by the fact that there are bad scholars, because they are corrupting the sharee’ah, or evil faqeers (destitute) – meaning the Sufis, because they call themselves fuqaraa’ or faqeers – because they are ignorant and follow anyone who makes noise; they are not guided by the light of knowledge; rather they are blown about by every wind. (Kifaayat al-Akhbaar, 2/128).

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: With regard to the view of Imaam Ahmad, his son ‘Abd-Allaah said: 'I asked my father about singing. He said:

"Singing makes hypocrisy grow in the heart; I do not like it." Then he mentioned the words of Maalik: "The evildoers (faasiqs) among us do that." (Ighaathat al-Lahfaan).

Ibn Qudaamah, the researcher of the Hanbali madhhab – (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

"Musical instruments are of three types which are haraam. These are the strings and all kinds of flute, and the lute, drum and rabaab (stringed instrument) and so on. Whoever persists in listening to them, his testimony should be rejected. (al-Mughni, 10/173).

And he said (may Allaah have mercy on him);

"If a person is invited to a gathering in which there is something objectionable, such as wine and musical instruments, and he is able to denounce it, then he should attend and speak out against it, because then he will be combining two obligatory duties. If he is not able to do that, then he should not attend." (al-Kaafi, 3/118)

Al-Tabari (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

"The scholars of all regions are agreed that singing is makrooh and should be prevented. Although Ibraaheem ibn Sa’d and ‘Ubayd-Allaah al-‘Anbari differed from the majority, (it should be noted that) the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Adhere to the majority.” And whoever dies differing from the majority, dies as a jaahili." (Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 14/56).

In earlier generations, the word “makrooh” was used to mean haraam, then it took on the meaning of “disliked”. But this is to be understood as meaning that it is forbidden, because he [al-Tabari] said “it should be prevented”, and nothing is to be prevented except that which is haraam; and because in the two hadeeths quoted, music is denounced in the strongest terms. Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him) is the one who narrated this report, then he said: Abu’l-Faraj and al-Qaffaal among our companions said:

"The testimony of the singer and the dancer is not to be accepted."

I say: if it is proven that this matter is not permissible, then accepting payment for it is not permissible either.

Shaykh al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) said:

"What Ibraaheem ibn Sa’d and ‘Ubayd-Allaah al-‘Anbari said about singing is not like the kind of singing that is known nowadays, for they would never have allowed this kind of singing which is the utmost in immorality and obscenity." (al-I’laam)

Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: "It is not permissible to make musical instruments." (al-Majmoo’, 22/140). And he said:

"According to the majority of fuqahaa’, it is permissible to destroy musical instruments, such as the tanboor [a stringed instrument similar to a mandolin]. This is the view of Maalik and is the more famous of the two views narrated from Ahmad. (al-Majmoo’, 28/113).

And he said: …Ibn al-Mundhir mentioned that the scholars were agreed that it is not permissible to pay people to sing and wail… the consensus of all the scholars whose views we have learned about is that wailing and singing are not allowed. Al-Shu’bi, al-Nakha’i and Maalik regarded that as makrooh [i.e., haraam].

Abu Thawr, al-Nu’maan – Abu Haneefah (may Allaah have mercy on him) – and Ya’qoob and Muhammad, two of the students of Abu Haneefah said:

"It is not permissible to pay anything for singing and wailing. This is our view." And he said: "Musical instruments are the wine of the soul, and what it does to the soul is worse than what intoxicating drinks do." (Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 10/417).

Ibn Abi Shaybah (may Allaah have mercy on him) reported that a man broke a mandolin belonging to another man, and the latter took his case to Shurayh. But Shurayh did not award him any compensation – i.e., he did not make the first man pay the cost of the mandolin, because it was haraam and had no value. (al-Musannaf, 5/395).

Al-Baghawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) stated in a fatwa that it is haraam to sell all kinds of musical instruments such as mandolins, flutes, etc. Then he said: "If the images are erased and the musical instruments are altered, then it is permissible to sell their parts, whether they are silver, iron, wood or whatever." (Sharh al-Sunnah, 8/28)

An appropriate exception

The exception to the above is the daff – without any rings (i.e., a hand-drum which looks like a tambourine, but without any rattles) – when used by women on Eids and at weddings. This is indicated by saheeh reports. Shaykh al-Islam (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

"But the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made allowances for certain types of musical instruments at weddings and the like, and he made allowances for women to play the daff at weddings and on other joyful occasions. But the men at his time did not play the daff or clap with their hands. It was narrated in al-Saheeh that he said: “Clapping is for women and tasbeeh (saying Subhaan Allaah) is for men.” And he cursed women who imitate men and men who imitate women. Because singing and playing the daff are things that women do, the Salaf used to call any man who did that a mukhannath (effeminate man), and they used to call male singers effeminate – and how many of them there are nowadays! It is well known that the Salaf said this."

In a similar vein is the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), when her father (may Allaah be pleased with him) entered upon her at the time of Eid, and there were two young girls with her who were singing the verses that the Ansaar had said on the day of Bu’aath – and any sensible person will know what people say about war. Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:

“Musical instruments of the Shaytaan in the house of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)!”

The Messenger of Allaah had turned away from them and was facing the wall – hence some scholars said that Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) would not tell anybody off in front of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but he thought that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was not paying attention to what was happening. And Allaah knows best. He (the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) said:

“Leave them alone, O Abu Bakr, for every nation has its Eid, and this is our Eid, the people of Islam.”

This hadeeth shows that it was not the habit of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions to gather to listen to singing, hence Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq called it “the musical instruments of the Shaytaan”. And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) approved of this appellation and did not deny it when he said, “Leave them alone, for every nation has its Eid and this is our Eid.” This indicates that the reason why this was permitted was because it was the time of Eid, and the prohibition remained in effect at times other than Eid, apart from the exceptions made for weddings in other ahaadeeth.

Shaykh al-Albaani explained this in his valuable book Tahreem Aalaat al-Tarab (the Prohibition of Musical Instruments).

"The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) approved of young girls singing at Eid, as stated in the hadeeth: “So that the mushrikeen (polytheists) will know that in our religion there is room for relaxation.” There is no indication in the hadeeth about the two young girls that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was listening to them. The commands and prohibitions have to do with listening, not merely hearing, just as in the case of seeing, the rules have to do with intentionally looking and not what happens by accident. So it is clear that this is for women only. Imaam Abu ‘Ubayd (may Allaah have mercy on him) defined the daff as “that which is played by women.” (Ghareeb al-Hadeeth, 3/64).

An inappropriate exception

Some of them make an exception for drums at times of war, and consequentially some modern scholars have said that military music is allowed. But there is no basis for this at all, for a number of reasons, the first of which is that this is making an exception with no clear evidence, apart from mere opinion and thinking that it is good, and this is wrong. The second reason is that what the Muslims should do at times of war is to turn their hearts towards their Lord. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“They ask you (O Muhammad) about the spoils of war. Say: ‘The spoils are for Allaah and the Messenger.’ So fear Allaah and adjust all matters of difference among you…” [al-Anfaal 8:1]. But using music is the opposite of this idea of taqwa (Allah-Consciousness) and  it would distract them from remembering their Lord. Thirdly, using music is one of the customs of the kuffaar, and it is not permitted to imitate them, especially with regard to something that Allaah has forbidden to us in general, such as music. (al-Saheehah, 1/145)

“No people go astray after having been guided except they developed arguments amongst themselves.” (Saheeh)

Some of them used the hadeeth about the Abyssinians playing in the mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as evidence that singing is allowed! Al-Bukhaari included this hadeeth in his Saheeh under the heading Baab al-Hiraab wa’l-Daraq Yawm al-‘Eid (Chapter on Spears and Shields on the Day of Eid). Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: "This indicates that it is permissible to play with weapons and the like in the mosque, and he applied that to other activities connected with jihaad." (Sharh Muslim). But as al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

"Whoever speaks about something which is not his profession will come up with weird ideas such as these."

Some of them use as evidence the hadeeth about the singing of the two young girls, which we have discussed above, but we will quote what Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, because it is valuable:

"I am amazed that you quote as evidence for allowing listening to sophisticated songs the report which we mentioned about how two young girls who were below the age of puberty sang to a young woman on the day of Eid some verses of Arab poetry about bravery in war and other noble characteristics. How can you compare this to that? What is strange is that this hadeeth is one of the strongest proofs against them. The greatest speaker of the truth [Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq] called them musical instruments of the Shaytaan, and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) approved of that appellation, but he made an exception in the case of these two young girls who had not yet reached the age of responsibility and the words of whose songs could not corrupt anyone who listened to them. Can this be used as evidence to allow what you do and what you know of listening (to music) which includes (bad) things which are not hidden?! Subhaan Allaah! How people can be led astray!" (Madaarij al-Saalikeen, 1/493).

Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) was young at that time; nothing was transmitted from her after she reached the age of puberty except condemnation of singing. Her brother’s son, al-Qaasim ibn Muhammad, condemned singing and said that it was not allowed to listen to it, and he took his knowledge from her. (Talbees Iblees, 229).

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

'A group of the Sufis used this hadeeth – the hadeeth about the two young girls – as evidence that singing is allowed and it is allowed to listen to it, whether it is accompanied by instruments or not. This view is sufficiently refuted by the clear statement of ‘Aa’ishah in the following hadeeth, where she says, “They were not singers.” She made it clear that they were not singers as such, although this may be understood from the wording of the report. So we should limit it to what was narrated in the text as regards the occasion and the manner, so as to reduce the risk of going against the principle, i.e., the hadeeth. And Allaah knows best.' (Fath al-Baari, 2/442-443).

Some people even have the nerve to suggest that the Sahaabah and Taabi’een listened to singing, and that they saw nothing wrong with it!

Al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) said: "We demand them to show us saheeh isnaads (authentic chains) going back to these Sahaabah and Taabi’een, proving what they attribute to them."  Then he said: 'Imaam Muslim mentioned in his introduction to his Saheeh that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Mubaarak said:

"The isnaad is part of religion. Were it not for the isnaad, whoever wanted to could say whatever he wanted to."

Some of them said that the ahaadeeth which forbid music are full of faults. No hadeeth was free of being criticized by some of the scholars. Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

"The ahaadeeth which were narrated concerning music being haraam are not full of faults as has been claimed. Some of them are in Saheeh al-Bukhaari which is the soundest of books after the Book of Allaah, and some of them are hasan and some are da’eef. But because they are so many, with different isnaads (chains), they constitute definitive proof that singing and musical instruments are haraam."

All the imaams agreed on the soundness of the ahaadeeth which forbid singing and musical instruments, apart from Abu Haamid al-Ghazzaali, but al-Ghazzaali did not have knowledge of hadeeth; and Ibn Hazam, but al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) explained where Ibn Hazam went wrong, and Ibn Hazam himself said that if any of (these ahaadeeth) were saheeh, he would follow that. But now they have proof that these reports are saheeh because there are so many books by the scholars which state that these ahaadeeth are saheeh, but they turn their backs on that. They are far more extreme than Ibn Hazam and they are nothing like him, for they are not qualified and cannot be referred to.

Some of them said that the scholars forbade singing because it is mentioned alongside gatherings in which alcohol is drunk and where people stay up late at night for evil purposes.

Al-Shawkaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

"The response to this is that mentioning these things in conjunction does not only mean that what is haraam is what is joined together in this manner. Otherwise this would mean that zinaa, as mentioned in the ahaadeeth, is not haraam unless it is accompanied by alcohol and the use of musical instruments. By the same token, an aayah such as the following (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, he used not to believe in Allaah, the Most Great, and urged not on the feeding of Al-Miskeen (the poor).” [al-Haaqqah 69:33-34]

would imply that it is not haraam to disbelieve in Allaah unless that is accompanied by not encouraging the feeding of the poor. If it is said that the prohibition of such things one at a time is proven from other reports, the response to that is that the prohibition of musical instruments is also known from other evidence, as mentioned above. (Nayl al-Awtaar, 8/107).

Some of them said that “idle talk” does not refer to singing; the refutation of that has been mentioned above. Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

"This – the view that it means singing – is the best that has been said concerning this aayah, and Ibn Mas’ood swore three times by Allaah besides Whom there is no other god, that it does refer to singing."

Then he mentioned other imaams who said the same thing. Then he mentioned other views concerning the matter. Then he said:

"The first view is the best of all that has been said on this matter, because of the marfoo’ hadeeth, and because of the view of the Sahaabah and the Taabi’een." (Tafseer al-Qurtubi).

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him), after quoting this Tafseer, said: Al-Haakim Abu ‘Abd-Allaah said in the Tafseer of Kitaab al-Mustadrak:

"Let the one who is seeking this knowledge know that the Tafseer of a Sahaabi, who witnessed the revelation, is a hadeeth with isnaad (a chain) according to the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhaari and Muslim)."

Elsewhere in his book, he said:

"In our view this hadeeth has the same strength as a marfoo’ report. Although their tafseer is still subject to further examination, it is still more readily acceptable than the tafseer of those who came after them, because they are the most knowledgeable among this ummah of what Allaah meant in his Book. It was revealed among them and they were the first people to be addressed by it. They heard the tafseer from the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in word and in deed. And they were Arabs who understood the true meanings of (Arabic) words, so Muslims should avoid resorting to any other interpretation as much as possible."

Some of them said that singing is a form of worship if the intention is for it to help one to obey Allaah!

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

"How strange! What type of faith, light, insight, guidance and knowledge can be gained from listening to tuneful verses and music in which most of what is said is haraam and deserves the wrath and punishment of Allaah and His Messenger? … How can anyone who has the least amount of insight and faith in his heart draw near to Allaah and increase his faith by enjoying something which is hated by Him, and He detests the one who says it and the one who accepts it?" (Madaarij al-Saalikeen, 1/485)

Shaykh al-Islam said, discussing the state of the person who has gotten used to listening to singing:

"Hence you find that those who have gotten used to it and for whom it is like food and drink will never have the desire to listen to the Qur’aan or feel joy when they hear it, and they never find in listening to its verses the same feeling that they find when listening to poetry. Indeed, if they hear the Qur’aan, they hear it with an inattentive heart and talk whilst it is being recited, but if they hear whistling and clapping of hands, they lower their voices and keep still, and pay attention." (Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 11/557 ff)

Some say that music and musical instruments have the effect of softening people’s hearts and creating gentle feelings. This is not true, because it provokes physical desires and whims. If it really did what they say, it would have softened the hearts of the musicians and made their attitude and behaviour better, but most of them, as we know, are astray and behave badly.

Conclusion

Perhaps – for fair-minded and objective readers – this summary will make it clear that the view that music is permissible has no firm basis. There are no two views on this matter. So we must advise in the best manner, and then take it step by step and denounce music, if we are able to do so. We should not be deceived by the fame of a man in our own times in which the people who are truly committed to Islam have become strangers. The one who says that singing and musical instruments are permitted is simply supporting the whims of people nowadays, as if the masses were issuing fatwas (verdicts) and he is simply signing them! If a matter arises, they will look at the views of fuqahaa’ on this matter, then they will take the easiest view, as they claim. Then they will look for evidence, or just specious arguments which are worth no more than a lump of dead meat. How often have these people approved things in the name of sharee’ah which in fact have nothing to do with Islam!

Strive to learn your Islam from the Book of your Lord and the Sunnah of your Prophet. Do not say, "So-and-so said", for you cannot learn the truth only from men. Learn the truth and then measure people against it. This should be enough for the one who controls his whims and submits himself to his Lord.

May what we have written above heal the hearts of the believers and dispel the whispers in the hearts of those who are stricken with insinuating whispers. May it expose everyone who is deviating from the path of Revelation and taking the easiest options, thinking that he has come up with something which none of the earlier generations ever achieved, and speaking about Allaah without knowledge. They sought to avoid fisq (evildoing) and ended up committing bid’ah – may Allaah not bless them in it. It would have been better for them to follow the path of the believers.

And Allaah knows best. May Allaah bless and grant peace to His Messenger who made clear the path of the believers, and to his companions and those who follow them in truth until the Day of Judgement.

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Somebody asked,

"There is a kind of drum which is covered on one side, and the second side is covered apart from a small opening. Is this similar to the daff?"

The Shaykh replied,

Praise be to Allaah.

This is more like the tabl (a kind of drum which is covered on both sides) and may be worse, because the sound comes out from this small opening which makes the sound more refined than if it was all sealed or all open. So it is not permissible to use this drum in the same manner as the daff is used, because the daff is not as bad, undoubtedly, whereas this gives a very refined tone and makes it more entertaining and intoxicating.

Source: Liqaa’aat al-Baab al-Maftooh by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, p. 20.

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It is permissible for women to beat the daff and to sing permissible songs on permissible occasions such as Eid, celebrations and the like.

Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

It is permissible for him – the bridegroom – to allow women to announce the marriage by beating the daff only, and by singing permissible songs in which there is no description of beauty or mention of immoral phrases… then he mentioned the evidence for that. (Adaab al-Zafaaf, p. 93.)

The evidence that the Shaykh mentioned is:

It was narrated that al-Rubayyi’ bint Mu’awwidh said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered upon me on the day of my wedding and sat on my mattress as you are sitting now, and young girls were beating the daff and singing about their fathers who had been killed at the battle of Badr, until a girl said, “And among us is a Prophet who knows what will happen tomorrow.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not say this, but say the other things that you were saying.”(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3700)

It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah that she took a woman on her wedding night to a man from among the Ansaar, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to her, “O ‘Aa’ishah, was there any entertainment  (in the gathering)? For the Ansaar love entertainment.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4765)

It was narrated that Abu Ishaaq said: I heard ‘Aamir ibn Sa’d al-Bajali say: I saw Thaabit ibn Wadee’ah and Qarazah ibn Ka’b al-Ansaari at a wedding, and there was singing. I spoke to them about that and they said that a concession had been granted allowing singing at weddings and weeping for the dead, so long as there was no wailing. (Narrated by al-Bayhaqi, 14469)

It was narrated that Muhammad ibn Haatib al-Jamahi said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The thing that differentiates between haraam and halaal is the beating of the daff and voices.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1008; al-Nasaa’i, 3316; Ibn Maajah, 1886. Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Adaab al-Zafaaf, p. 96)

This is what it is permitted for women to do of singing at weddings. The only musical instrument that is permissible for them is the daff, and not others such as the tabl. The difference between them is that the tabl is covered on both sides whereas the daff is open on one side and covered on the other. A picture of the tabl:

The Standing Committee said:

With regard to the tabl and other kinds of musical instruments, it is not permissible to use them with these anasheed, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did not do that. (Fataawa, no. 3259, dated 13/10/1400 AH)

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

With regard to the tabl, it is not permissible to beat it in weddings, rather the daff only should be used. (Fataawa Islamiyyah, 3/185)

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:

The drum that is covered on both sides is called the tabl, and it is not permissible, because it is a kind of musical instrument and all kinds of musical instruments are haraam, except that for which there is evidence that it is halaal, which is the daff at weddings. (Fataawa Islamiyyah, 3/186.)

Thirdly:

With regard to dancing, it is not permissible in front of men, non-mahrams, mahrams or women, because of the fitnah (tribulation) that may be caused by the movements of the body. It is well known that women may feel desire for one another, and even if that is not the case, there is no guarantee that one of them will not go back to her menfolk and describe to them what she has seen of the beauty of the dancer and her movement, so this may affect the men and may cause a great deal of mischief. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade such things.

It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No woman should look at another woman then describe her to her husband so that it is as if he can see her.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4839.)

In the early days the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) allowed effeminate men to enter upon woman, but when he saw one of them describing women and disclosing their secrets, he forbade them from doing that.

It was narrated from Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her): The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered upon me and there was an effeminate man with me. I heard him say to ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Umayyah, “O ‘Abd-Allaah, if Allaah should enable you to conquer al-Taa’if tomorrow you should look for the daughter of Ghaylaan…” then he described her. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “These people should not enter upon you.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3980; Muslim, 4048)

The alluring movements of a woman are part of her ‘awrah (private parts), and it is not permissible for her to show them to anyone but her husband.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Dancing is makrooh (disliked) in principle, but if it is done in the western manner or in imitation of the kaafir women, then it becomes haraam, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” Moreover it sometimes leads to fitnah, because the dancer may be a young, beautiful woman, so the other women are tempted. Even if she is among other women, the other women may do things that indicate that they are temped by her. And whatever is a cause of fitnah is not allowed. (Liqa’ al-Baab al-Maftooh, q. 1085)

And he said:

"With regard to dancing on the part of women, it is an evil action and we cannot say that it is permissible, because we have heard of incidents that have occurred among women because of it. If it is done by men that is even worse, because that is men imitating women, and the evil involved is well known. If dancing is done among a mixed group of men and women, as some of the foolish do, that is even worse because of the mixing and great fitnah involved, especially when that is done at a wedding party.” (Fataawa Islamiyyah, 3/187)

Fourthly:

With regard to permissible words in songs, they are those that do not contain any haraam descriptions, or provoke desire, or words that are forbidden in Sharee’ah (Islamic Legislation), or some innovated adhkaar (formulas of remembrance), and other haraam things.

There are sufficient permissible things that may be sung about, such as encouraging good morals, the pursuit of knowledge, giving up haraam things, and so on.

The Standing Committee said:

"You are correct in your ruling that songs of the modern type are haraam, because they include immoral words and things that are no good, and they include idle leisure and provocation of sexual desire, and promiscuity, and the voice has a quality that inspires evil thoughts in the mind of the listener. May Allaah help us and you to do that which pleases Him.

It is permissible for you to replace these songs with Islamic nasheeds which contain rulings, exhortation and teaching, which will increase people’s keenness and pride in their religion, and promote Islamic feelings and put people off evil and what leads to it." (Fatwa no. 3295, dated 13/10/1400 AH)

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Whether I’m in my room, or driving with my friends, or walking down the street, I hear music, if I’m in a desi community ill hear chalte chalte, if I’m in the hood ill hear jay z or 50 cent, when I’m at a shadii (although mixed weddings are haraam), ill hear even more mehndi songs and love songs, and as soon as the sheikh does dua for the couple, all the aunties will put on their laal dupattas and as soon as the sheikh stops, party time, why? when i first started it was like i was listening to main stream hip hop, then I went on to listening to celion dion, then i went to desi bollywood remixes, basically whatever sounded good, but now its like it’s not just about the sound, it’s about the wordplay and the content and everything about the song.

I mean put on like a nice song which you enjoy, whether it’s a hip hop or like desi song, try to listen to the whole song and not get any bad thoughts in your head, it’s nearly impossible, just recently before if wrote this I was listening to some hip hop, even though i narrowed my selection to positive and the song sounded good I still felt uncomfortable.

Some guys I have spoken to, argue that music is ok, as long as you can control it, and be conscious of what you put into your heart and mind. But human nature is that if he or she puts themselves in the position to be influenced in whatever way, then it will be in there mind, or psychologically effect them, it is what it is, so me, i would rather be on the safer side with spoken poetry.

The bottom line is that it’s so weird to like listen to the song, and know that I have beautiful Quran recitation on my desktop as well as nasheeds or bangin lectures, and honestly if you have ever heard quran recitation from the top reciters in the world, you can’t put music in front of their recitation, if you do, you got some major issues, even if you don’t understand it, the Arabic, just by you listening to it or reciting it, it clean outs your heart, and we know this because the Last Prophet (PBUH) said: “Verily the one who recites the Qur’an beautifully, smoothly, and precisely, he will be in the company of the noble and obedient angels. And as for the one who recites with difficulty, stammering or stumbling through its verses (because he doesn’t know how to read it but is trying to), then he will have TWICE that reward.”

Its such a big contradiction.

That is why I’d rather stick to my brothers and sisters doing spoken word poetry because it has no beat, straight halal, but see it gets real interesting, as you live life as a Muslim, you become more analytical of your surroundings and you become more aware of your actions and how they affect your everyday behavior, I realized that music hits me in the head so hard when I’m trying to pray, or it distracts me or gets me fantasizing about things which I don’t want to think about, and it basically comes down to this, look I’m not saying tomorrow you’re going to wake up and never listen to music again or i expect you to, I’m just saying, if you leave music alone, you will end up reading books and listening to audio which is worth your time, we have to stop leaving in this Mickey mouse dream world, but it’s always good to take the positive out something rather than just looking at the negative, so yes if you still listen to music and dance, just think it over, save the moves for your spouse, and try finding an alternative to your garbage music, music is straight up non productive, I mean progress is a slow process, gotta start somewhere, so yea stop buying 500 gb ipods and putting songs on there which you never heard of, rather make use of your audio device and be more moderate and just listen to something which you think will be more beneficial.

I’m a young Muslim dude, I understand this society, i aint trying to be extreme, i understand the whole desi arab party scene , and brothers and sisters trying to stay on the deen, you moslems as well as myself gotta step up our iman quick before its too late, whatever we put into our hearts is exactly what we are going to get out, and remember the ears and eyes are the window to our soul so inshallah… i hope this helped

Forget Britney Spears and her shaved head, I’m shaving my head when I go to 'Umrah and Hajj inshaa'Allah….

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O Muslim, lawful things have good attributes

Where is the good in singing, dancing and listening to flutes?

Can we compare the words of singers and sounds of Musicians

To the Glorious Quran, its lessons, wisdoms and admonitions?

How many singers do you know and give admiration,

And how many do you know of the companions and the following generation?

How much do you spend on singers from your dollars?

Compared to how many you know of Islamic Scholars.

Do you see how much is memorized of Music songs?

While you ignore the book to which memorization belongs?

How much do you memorize of these incantations?

And swayed back and forth in intoxication?

Have you not seen those who follow the misguided?

And increase the loudness of the Music, when they should hide it?

And who writes their songs? thinkers, or men of academia?

Or maybe scholars, like Ahmad, Malik or maybe ibn Taymiyah.

O you who listens to music..

Don't you see that All the songs of the world and all the lyrics you've seen

Wouldn't compare in reward to Alif Laam Meem

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Many Brothers and Sisters in faith seeking happiness through means other than Islam, thereby treating themselves with with poison instead of medicine and deluding themselves into believing that satiating their lustful desires will cure them of their ailments. An example of this is the obsession of many people today with listening to music and musical instruments; they justify this unenviable habit of theirs with baseless arguments and excuses. This evil deed is only promoted by those who are already afflicted with the blind following of their lustful desires and listening to shameless female singers.

Our Prophet Muhammad told us about these people when he said, “There will be some people among my nation who will regard fornication, wearing of silk (for men), drinking of intoxicants and stringed instruments as lawful.” (Al-Bukhaaree and others)

Fellow Muslims! It is a great error on the part of anyone who claims to have knowledge and eemaan (faith) to hold that listening to music with its instruments is permissible, considering that it contain every conceivable form of evil.

As a matter of fact, music is a satanic voice that deeply penetrates the human heart and stimulates in it destructive lustful desires, wreaks havoc on mans’ body and soul and fills his ears with obscenities.

Let us ask ourselves a question: How can a sane person plunge his noble self into acts of such shameless immorality; acts that believing souls disdain and people of sound nature reject and abhor? Jaabir narrated that the Prophet (saws) said, “I did not forbid you from weeping. I have only forbidden you from making two foolish and horrible noises: a noise when playing and using the instrument of Satan and a noise when you are afflicted with a calamity and you beat your faces, tear your garments and make a satanic wailing.” (Al-Haakim)

Anas narrated that the Prophet (saws) said, “Two sounds are accursed in this world and the hereafter: (the sound of) musical instruments in time of happiness and wailing during calamity.” (Al-Bazaar)

Music is prohibited and condemned by many Qur’anic verses. Allah says, “And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. Music, singing etc.) to mislead men from the path of Allah without knowledge and takes it (the path of Allah, or the verses of the Qur’an) by way of mockery. For such there will be humiliating torment (in the Hell-fire).” (Luqmaan 31: 6)

The Prophet (saws) said while commenting on this verse, “It is not permissible to sell singing girls nor to buy them, nor to trade in them. Their price is haraam. This verse was revealed regarding that.” (At-Tabaraanee)

Abdullah ibn Mas’ood also commented on this verse when he said, “By Him beside whom no deity is worthy of worship! That (verse refers to) music.”

Dear Muslims! Music is the voice of Satan with which he instigates human beings into perpetrating evil deeds and acts of disobedience. It is therefore imperative upon every Muslim to shun him and keep away from him. Allah says in this regard,

“And befool them gradually those whom you can among them with your voice (i.e. songs, music, and any other call for Allah’s disobedience), make assaults on them with your cavalry and infantry, share with them wealth and children (by tempting them to earn money by illegal ways – usury, or by committing illegal sexual intercourse), and make promises to them. But Satan promises them nothing but deceit.”(Al-Israa’ 17: 64)

Fellow Muslims! Shun music and its instruments for it leads to promiscuity. It is also the trap of Satan by which he lures men to immoral acts. Zayd ibn Al-Waleed said,

“O Omayyads! Keep away from music for it reduces modesty, increases lust and destroys man. It acts in the same way as alcohol and one who is under its influence acts like one who is drunk.”

Umar ibn Abdul-Azeez wrote to his sons’ tutor:

“Let your first lesson for them be the hatred of musical instruments that come from Satan and end with the wrath of Allah; for it reached me from trustworthy sources that attending a place where music and its instruments are played grows hypocrisy in the heart as water makes plants grow.”

He also wrote a letter to Umar ibn Al-Waleed part of which goes thus,

“And your introduction of musical instruments and flutes is an innovation in Islam and I have decided to send to you those who will chop off that evil head of yours.”

Beware of things that lead to Allah’s wrath. Appearance of music and stringed instruments is a cause of Allah’s wrath and His chastisement. Aboo Maalik Al-Ash’aree narrated that the Messenger of Allah said,

“There will be a group of people among my nation who will drink alcohol calling it by other names and upon their heads stringed instruments will be played and in their presence songstresses will sing, Allah will cause the earth to swallow them and He will turn them into monkeys and pigs.”

‘Imraan narrated that the Messenger of Allah said,

“In this nation there will be humiliation, corruption and slander." The companions asked, “When will that happen O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “When songstresses and stringed instruments appear and when alcohol is consumed.” (At-Tirmidhee)

Indeed the essence of music, its causes, goals and effects all revolve around the songs of corrupt and immoral people, for music contains commendation of that which Allah detests, boasting about perpetration of what He dislikes and forbids and maybe even exceeding this with music which extols sacrilegious ideas.

If you consider the havoc that songs and instruments have wreaked on the lives of those musicians and their fans you will realise what a terrible impact it has. It leaves clear visible effects on their faces, their speech and their conditions.

When Maalik ibn Anas was asked about what some men in his time regarded as permissible music, he answered, “It is only the sinful people who do that here.”

Fellow Muslims! Listening to music is one of the greatest traps of Satan that he sets to divert people’s attention from the Qur’an. Ash-Shaafiee said, “I left behind in Baghdad something that heretics introduced which they called Taghbeer with which they distract people from the Qur’an.”

Allahu Akbar! This saying of Ash-Shaafiee was about Taghbeer which is poetry which encourages an ascetic life, sung by one while he strikes a rod against a dried skin or something like that, what then will one say about a type of music that is parallel to intoxicants in its effect? Music is nothing more than lustful words that give not peace of mind nor calm the nerves. Glory be to Allah! How easily people get misled!

The sense of hearing is a great trust and a huge favour from Allah. He has commanded His slaves to preserve this sense and tells them that they will be held responsible for it. Therefore, using this sense to listen to music and stringed instruments amounts to abuse of this favour. Aboo Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (saws) said, “The fornication of the tongue is uttering immoral utterances, fornication of the hands is touching and fornication of the feet is walking (unto what is forbidden). The heart desires and wishes but it is the private parts that confirms or denies them.” (Muslim)

Fellow Muslims! Extolling music and stringed instruments and regarding musicians as leaders of society means calling people unto error and driving them away from the book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet. The Prophet (saws) said: “Whoever calls unto an error will have the sin equal to that of those who follow him without deducting anything of their own sins.” (Muslim)

It is quite disheartening to see a nation which is being persecuted, whose people are being killed, whose honour, lands, and sacred places are being desecrated and who yet still find time to sing and play music as if nothing had happened! We seek refuge with Allah from having such dead unfeeling hearts!

Dear Muslims! Clean yourselves and your ears from idle talk and stringed instruments of Satan and replace them with the Gardens of Paradise that are to be found in Qur’anic reading and Sunnah study circles, you will reap the everlasting fruits, have guidance and find a cure for all diseases of the heart, mind and soul. Be among those whom Allah describes thus: “And if they pass by some evil play or evil talk, they pass it by with dignity.” (Al-Furqaan 25: 72)

Allah allows the beating of tambourines in marriage ceremonies along with songs that contain no description of women or any other immoral message. That is in order to make the marriage publicised and distinguish between lawful and unlawful marriages. The Prophet (saws) said, “The difference between the lawful and unlawful marriage is the beating of the tambourine and the proclamation of the marriage.”

In Saheeh Al-Bukharee, Rubayyia bint Mu’awiyyah said – after her marriage had been consummated – “Some girls were beating a tambourine and praising those of their fathers who had been killed during the Battle of Badr.”

Ibn Hajar said, “In the sound hadeeths there is permission for women to do that exclusively. Men should not join with them in that because of the general ruling that forbids men from imitating women.”

It is therefore pitiful that some overstep the bounds of this permission by hiring musicians and songstresses who sing immoral songs and play on their musical instruments. These people who hire them spend a huge amount of money in doing so, thereby hurting themselves and disturbing and hurting their neighbours with the noise of that music. They also commit other atrocities like giving the women an avenue to imitate those shameless dances, causing the mixing of the two sexes, wasting time and neglecting prayers among other things.

Brothers and sisters in Islam! Let us therefore shun this type of gathering. Al-Imaam Al-Awzaa’ee said, “Do not attend a marriage ceremony in which there is drum beating and stringed instruments.”

Fellow Muslims! Repent and turn back to Allah. Adhere to the manners of your religion, reform yourselves and hold fast unto the Book of your Lord and the Sunnah of your Prophet and you will prosper and succeed.

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The Deen of Islaam has made clear the prohibition of Music, as is clear from the Qur'aan, ahaadeeth of the Messenger and the understanding of the Companions, when all three are taken together.

From the Qur'aan:

Allaah (az) says, what means:  "Do you marvel at this statement, and laugh and do not weep, while you amuse yourselves [proudly] in vanities? Rather, prostrate before Allaah and worship Him [alone]." [Surah An-Najm (The Star) Verse  59 to 62 ]

According to Ibn Abbaas (rah), the word 'saamidoon' in this verse refers to the mushrikeen's habit of singing and playing music noisily whenever they heard the Qur'aan being recited, in order to drown out the reciters voice so that others wouldn't hear it.

Also, Allaah says (regarding Satan) what means: "'And excite any of them whom you can with your voice. Assault them with your cavalry and infantry, be a partner with them in their wealth and children, and make them promises.' But Satan promises them nothing except deceit." [Surah Al-Isra (The Journey by Night) Verse 64]

Some of the taabi'een such as ad-Dahhaak and Mujaahid interpreted Satan's exciting mankind with his voice to mean through the use of music, song and amusement. Ad-Dahhaak said it was the sound of wind instruments. However according to Ibn Abbaas, the voice mentioned in the verse refers to every form of invitation which calls to the disobedience of Allaah the Exalted, which seems to be the most correct interpretation.

Finally, Allaah says what means: "And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing, etc.) to mislead (men) from the Path of Allaah without knowledge, and takes it (the Path of Allaah, the Verses of the Qur'aan) by way of mockery. For such there will be a humiliating torment (in the Hell-fire)." [Surah Luqman (Prophet Luqman) Verse 6]

Ibn Masood (ra) said about this verse "I swear by the One other than Whom there is no God that it refers to singing [ghinaa].", and he repeated this three times. Ibn Abbaas said it referred to 'singing and the like' while Jaabir is reported to view its meaning to signify singing and listening to songs. Many taabi'oon such as Mujaahid, Ikrimah, Mak-hool and Umar ibn Shu'ayb viewed it as a censure of music and song.

From the ahaadeeth of the Messenger (saws):

Contrary to the commonly held belief, there are a number of authentic narrations from the Prophetic Sunnah which clearly point to the indisputable fact that music, instruments, singing to accompaniment, etc. are objects prohibited by the Islaamic Sharia. The exceptions to this general rule are specific, limited types of innocent singing or chanting without any instrumental accompaniment or to the accompaniment of a simple hand drum (daff) on certain occasions designated by the sunnah.

Unfortunately, many Muslims entertain the misconception that all the ahaadeeth relating to music, singing and musical instruments are either weak (da'eef) or forged (mawdoo') - a position that is untenable.

The Narration of al-Bukhaaree:

The Prophet (saws) said: "There will be [at some future time] people from my Ummah who will seek to make lawful fornication, the wearing of silk, wine drinking and the use of musical instruments [ma'aazif]. Some people will stay at the side of the mountain and when their shepherd comes in the evening to ask them for his needs, they will say: 'Return to us tomorrow'. Then Allaah will destroy them during the night by causing the mountain to fall upon them, while He changes others into apes and swine. They will remain in such a state until the Day of Resurrection." al-Jowhari, the author of the ancient dictionary 'as-Sihaah', asserts that ma'aazif signifies musical instruments, al-'aazif indicates one who sings, and the 'azf of the wind is its voice..

Az-Zabeedi also says that ma'aazif are instruments of leisure which are drummed upon or played, like the loot ('ood), the drum (tanboor), the small hand drum (daff) or other such musical objects.

Ibn Hajar in Fathul-Baaree relates that 'azf is also used to describe singing (ghinaa).

This authentic hadeeth clearly establishes the prohibition of music and singing and this in itself is sufficient for the one who really wishes to see the Truth of the affair. However there are other authentic narrations on the subject that we quote below.

The Narration of Ibn Maajah:

The Messenger of Allaah (saws) said: "A people of my Ummah will drink wine, calling it by other than its real name. Merriment will be made for them through the playing of musical instruments and the singing of female singers. Allaah will cleave the earth under them and turn others into apes and swine." 

This hadeeth has also been narrated by al-Bayhaaqi and ibn Asaakir, and has been authenticated by the renowned scholar of hadeeth Ibn al-Qayyim.

Narrations of Ahmed bin Hanbal:

The Messenger of Allaah (saws) said: "Verily Allaah prohibited wine, gambling and al-koobah; and every intoxicant is prohibited." Sufyan said: "I asked the narrator, Ali bin Badheemah, 'What is al-Koobah?' He answered, 'It is the drum'."

The Messenger of Allaah (saws) said: "Verily Allaah has prohibited for my Ummah wine, gambling, a drink distilled from corn, the drum and the lute; while He supplemented me with another Prayer, the witr"

The Narration of Haakim and Others:

That the Messenger of Allaah (saws) said: "Verily I did not prohibit weeping [per se], but rather I forbade two voices [sowtayn] which are imbecilic [ahmaq] and sinfully shameless [faajir]: one a voice [singing] to the accompaniment of musical amusement [lahw] and Satan's [wind] instruments; the other, a voice [wailing] due to some calamity, accompanied by striking of the face and tearing of garments. But this [weeping off mine] stems from compassion, and whosoever does not show compassion will not receive it." 
This hadeeth is graded Hasan, and has been strengthened by other narrations.

The Narration of Abu Bakr ash-Shaafi'ee (rah): Anas bin Maalik (ra) related from the Prophet [saws] said that "Two cursed sounds are that of the [wind] instrument [mizmaar] played on the occasion of joy and grace, and woeful wailing upon the occurrence of adversity."

These narrations should prove sufficient to show the illegality of music and singing to musical accompaniment to the one "has a heart or gives ear while he is heedful." [Surah Qaf Verse 37].

From the statements of the Companions:

The Sahaabah (rah) were the best people after the Messenger of Allaah (saws), and best understood the deen of Islaam as they understood it directly from the Messenger. The ijmaa' (consensus) of the Sahaabah is therefore binding upon the Muslim Ummah, as is the complete consensus of any generation of scholars on a certain religious issue.

The Companions (rah) unanimously agreed upon the prohibition of music and song but allowed particular exceptions specified by the authentic sunnah.

In the preceding sections we have already quoted some of the Sahaabah such as Ibn Masood and Ibn Abbaas (ra). This was also the view of the Four Rightly Guided Khulafaa and the fuqahaa from amongst the Sahaabah (radhi Allah 'anhum).

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Embrace Your Emotions, Control Your Actions

Fact: Allaah (az) made women sensitive and emotional by nature. Whether we like it or not or choose to admit it, a woman can go through so many intense emotional highs and lows in one day that by the day’s end she is left feeling weary and mentally drained because every emotion we experience has a physical and psychological reaction. Beware!! The simplest event may trigger an emotional biological response that will cause our mood to involuntarily and spontaneously transform!!

How do we deal with this? Well, I’ve come up with a little acronym that just might help us inshaa'Allaah: R.A.C.E

Recognize Your Emotions - Whenever we get emotional, pause and recognize that this is who we are by nature. Beware! The simplest event may trigger an emotional biological response that will cause our mood to involuntarily and spontaneously transform! It may be a whisper from the shayateen, hearing an idle or disrespectful comment, receiving a confusing email or dealing with someone who has a bad attitude and loves confrontation on a daily basis. Practicing awareness of the source of these changes in emotion will allow us to respond in a way that Allaah (az) loves.

Accept Your Emotions - Simply accept and acknowledge the fact that this is the way our Creator and Master Allaah (az) designed us. Our emotions make us beautiful, nurturing, caring and sensitive human beings. They make us intuitive, loving wives, mothers and friends. However, we must also accept that emotions are our test. For instance, it’s very important to learn how to recognize, accept and deal with jealousy, especially in a polygamous marriage. How deeply and intensely we love our husbands should pale in comparison to our love and devotion to Allaah [s].

It may help us as women to remember this Hadeeth. While it may be hard to accept because we love to love with deepest devotion, our beloved Prophet (p) cautions us with good reason to love in moderation:

Allaah’s Messenger (p) said: “Love the one whom you love to a certain degree (moderately), perhaps one day he will be someone for whom you have hatred, and hate the one for whom you have hatred to a certain degree (moderately), perhaps one day he will be one whom you love.” (At-Tirmidhee) 

We may not be able to control how we feel, but we can certainly control our actions and what rolls off our tongue: our speech.

Control Your Emotions! We may not be able to control how we feel, but we can certainly control our actions and what rolls off our tongue: our speech.  Alhamdulillaah, we will not be held accountable for our thoughts. Does anyone doubt the wisdom of Al Hakeem (The Perfectly Wise)?

He knew what thoughts would go through our minds and what we would love to do and say to that sister with the attitude that annoys us. However, we will be held accountable for our deeds. This is a serious matter, especially for women, and applies not only to anger and jealousy, but gossip and backbiting as well.

Embrace Your Emotions 

This is my personal Jihaad. Which of us loves being overly emotional? Welling up with tears for no apparent reason sometimes. Feeling hurt and neglected by those we love, even though you may have spoken to them just a day ago. Getting so angry that the veins on our neck pop up? It’s no picnic! Personally, I’m annoyed at myself for not being able to stay angry for a long time, even though I may have every right to be.

It took me a long time to realize that when I get upset, I express my opinion and then I go quiet. But when I get really angry I can’t even form a sentence, can’t even utter a word. Mouth traps shut. Maashaa'Allaah.

Rather, I distance myself from the situation and wait until the anger subsides and I can think clearly again, before anything comes out of my mouth. This is surely a mercy from Allaah (az), because He knows that the kind of haraam speech that would come spewing forth from my lips would make me go into a 21 day fast to make Tawbah for deliverance from sure hell fire! Allaahu'alam! 

Now, I recognize that this is part of my nature, and I have learned to embrace it and deal with it accordingly.  May Allaah (az) help us all to find ways to deal with our emotions.

Remember as Muslimahs we need to be like an Oreo cookie. The entire cookie is good, but the inside is soft and sweet, while the outside is a little tougher and not that easy to break.  In other words we need to develop a thicker skin so that we don’t let anything get to us inwardly to the point where it would cause us to outwardly sin.

‘O Allaah, You are my Lord, none has the right to be worshipped except You, You created me and I am Your servant and I abide to Your covenant and promise as best I can, I take refuge in You from the evil of which I committed.  I acknowledge Your favour upon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for verily none can forgive sin except You.’ – Sayyid ul Istigfaar

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Ibn Al-Mubaarak (r) said, "Mukhlid Ibn al-Husayn once said to me,

'We are more in need of acquiring Adab than learning Hadith'.

This highlights that knowledge alone is insufficient to build a sound and balanced Islamic personality. Imaam Zakariya al-Anbari once said:

'Knowledge without Adab is like fire without wood, and Adab without knowledge is like a spirit without a body'.

So, vast amounts of knowledge and severe lack in Adab, means a person is little more than a donkey laden with books. What use are the books to that donkey without being able to read? Similarly, what use is knowledge to a Muslim, without the practical mannerisms and etiquettes that really define us as Muslims?

Traditionally, Adab was not taught but acquired and embodied between interactions between people. It has been narrated that Imaam Ahmed (رحمة الله عليه) would have had up to 5000 attendees at his gatherings, maybe 500 would write and learn; the rest (4500) would simply learn from his actions, his Adab. This has such importance that we learn by what we see, whether that is good or bad, hence it is essential that we teach only that which is good, as the bad habits are perhaps the easier to acquire.

Looking at other classical examples from our pious 'Ulema - the mother of Imaam Maalik (رحمة الله عليه) would place an 'Imaamah (turban) on his head and send him to his teacher Rabi'ah ibn Abdur-rahman (nicknamed: Rabi'ah Ar-Rai'), to learn first from his manners, his Adab and then his knowledge. Indeed the Deen of Islaam is itself manners, where anyone that surpasses you in manners, is better than you in deen (Ibn al-Qayyim). Aboo Hurairah (رضى الله عنه) narrated, that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

"I have not been sent as a Messenger, except to perfect character (Akhlaaq)"

He also said that:

"The nearest of you to me on the Day of Judgement will be the one who is best in character." (Saheeh Al-Bukhaari)

All the books of Hadith have chapters on Adab. For example:

1. Muwatta': Imaam Malik: The book of good behaviour
2. Sahih al-Bukhari: The book of manners
3. Sahih Muslim: The book of dutifulness, ties of kinship and manners.
4. Sunan Abi Dawud: The book of manners
5. Sunan At Tirmidhi: The book of manners, and the book of dutifulness and ties of kinship.
6. Sunan Ibn Majah: Chapters on Manners.

The book Al-Adab Al Mufrad was separated by Imaam Al-Bukhaari (رحمة الله عليه) because he was aware of its great importance in everyday living. When we talk about Adab we must first begin with our Adab with Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) in terms of Akhlaaq, sincerity, actions, avoiding Shirk etc. We must qualify our respect for Allaah (سبحانه وتعالى) and His attributes, His signs, His Symbols (the Qur'aan, the Masãjid and everything connected to Him). Then we must purify and qualify our Adab with the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). In quantifying, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us in the Qur'aan that in His (صلى الله عليه وسلم) manners and style, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was a perfect example:

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلى خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ

"Truly, you have the best of manners"
(Quran, Al-Qalam: Verse 4)

It has been narrated by many 'Ulema that if parents give any inheritance, there is no greater inheritance than Adab. Al-Walid ibn Numayr said that he heard his father say:

"They used to say, 'Righteousness is (a gift) from Allah, but Adab (right conduct) is from the parents".

In this sense however, Adab holds such importance that the actions of a believer are rendered null and void if they lack manners. In pointing out the status of Adab in comparison to actions, Imaam al-Qarafi said:

"You should know that a little of good manners is better than a lot of good actions".

Ruwaym the righteous scholar told his son:

"Oh my son, make your deeds salt and your manners flour".

So much like the "perfect dough", many good manners with a few good deeds are better by far than many good deeds with a few good manners.

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Category: The Day of Judgement And Its Signs

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This Article is based on the concept that the expansion of the universe (space) is the cause of the "phenomenon of time." If this is true then the universe will "appear" to be paradoxically expanding faster as we try to measure the distant expansion of the past with our slowing time. This anomaly was independently discovered by two groups of astronomers in 1998. Unaware that our time could be slowing, the physicists are now trying to explain this surprising finding by some undiscovered property of space or repulsive force that may make the universe expand faster.

Chapter 50, Verse 47:
{When we are dead and have become dust and bones.
Shall then we indeed be raised again?}

Chapter 75, Verses 3-4:
{Man thinks that, We shall not assemble his bones.
Yes Truly! We are able to restore his very fingers!}

Chapter 22, Verse 7:
{The Hour will come there is no doubt.
And God will raise those who are in the graves.}

CONTENTS

• The Afterlife
• Is Resurrection a Physical Process?
• An Introduction to Cosmology
• The Light Year
• The Receding Galaxies
• The Future of the Universe
• The Future of the Universe as Described in The Qur'aan
• The Big Bang
• The Expansion of the Universe
• The Contraction of the Universe and the Reversal of Time
• No Free Will in the Contracting Universe
• Reversal of Gravity
• Earth: "Empty" from Inside with the Sky in its Center
• The Smooth Outer Surface of the Earth
• Will we Regress to Nothingness with the Reversal of Time?
• The Higher Dimensions
• The Black Holes: "The Blocked Gateways" to the Higher Dimensions
• Angels Descend through the Gates in the Sky
• When will the Day of Judgment Arrive
• Waiting in the Grave for Day of Judgment to Arrive?
• Summary

THE AFTERLIFE

The belief in life after death is universal; it is reflected in the teachings of all the major religions of the world, permeating culture and time. Despite tremendous scientific and technological advancement of the twentieth century, we have no answers to many questions that have plagued the minds of people from time immemorial.

• What happens to us on dying?
• What is soul?
• Does it leave the body to enter the spiritual world, which is beyond human perception in some other dimension?
• Are the souls reincarnated entering some other body to be recycled again as in the beliefs of some eastern religions?
• Is the soul captured and kept somewhere until the Day of Judgment to be reunited with the body that rises from the grave?
• How can a body that had decayed and disappeared into dust, regain its original shape and form?

We can believe what we wish; however the modern world is based on truthful pursuit of science and technology. Truth cannot be decided on wishful thinking or majority vote, if that was the case then Columbus would have surely fallen off the earth in 1492.

We live in a world that demands proof and is not just content with belief. The belief or even the proof however, is only for the believer, and belief comes from within our hearts. The greatest of proofs will not satisfy the non-believer, while the slightest evidence can be a great source of satisfaction for the believer. In this context let us look at the story of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be on him) given in the Qur'aan. (Chapter ii, verse 260.) Prophet Ibrahim wanted to know how God gives life to the dead. He had the faith of a man who was willing to sacrifice his own son for the sake of God, yet he wanted reassurance; which then was given to him in the form of a great miracle. Ordinary people like us are also in need of reassurance in a world where science and technology have assumed greater importance than religion.

There is only one version of the Qur'aan. It is the only religious book that even the critics of Islaam admit was never altered since its revelation to Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) fourteen hundred years ago. Scientific advancements have provided better understanding of many Qur'aanic verses that appeared obscure in the past. The Qur'aan accurately describes a variety of scientific facts that were discovered in the last one hundred years. This is one of the reasons that the Qur'aan stands far above other religious books in its authority as a truly revealed book.

The Qur'aan in many verses describes the future of the universe and The Day of Judgment. The verses appear to depict some great final catastrophe that will affect the whole universe. Many chapters mention the final earthquake, the opening of gates in the sky and "a time" in which mankind will see what they had done before so that they will become witnesses against their own selves.

In this article I explore the similarities between the Qur'aanic description of The Day of Judgment and some theories of cosmology that predict reversal of time in the future with the beginning of the contraction phase of the universe.

You will be surprised to learn that the religious contention that man will rise from the grave is not a myth or wishful thinking but is based on real scientific principles. I would like to however caution the reader that scientific ideas keep on changing, and my presentation here does not in any way mean that this is the only way for mankind to come back alive. God has absolute power and when He wishes something to happen IT IS.

IS RESURRECTION A PHYSICAL PROCESS?

It is God, Who sends the winds and they raise a cloud then leads it to a dead land and revives the earth after its death, Such is the Resurrection. (Qur'aan, Chapter 35, Verse 9)

The raising of clouds and the growth of plants following rain had appeared miraculous in the past. Now we understand these as due to various natural laws. In the Qur'aan the resurrection is compared to the physical processes such as the growth of plants after rain; this suggest that revival after death is also based on some physical laws created by God. Following are the main themes of the Day of Judgment described in the Qur'aan:

(1) The final earthquake and the transformation of the earth into a hollow sphere.
(2) Rising from the grave.
(3) A time when our hands feet and tongue will become witnesses against us.
(4) Opening of gates in the sky.
(5) Through which every one will be removed to some other higher dimensions beyond the dying universe.

All of the above events can be explained on the basis of reversal of time and the accompanying reversal of gravity which the physicists believe, has to happen if the time is going to reverse. Sometimes in the future the knowledge of the Day of Judgment that is given in the Qur'aan might become widely known and accepted as the truth.

{We shall show them our signs on the horizons and within themselves until it will become apparent to them, that it is the truth is your Lord not sufficient since He is witness over all things?} (Qur'aan, Chapter41, Verse 53)

AN INTRODUCTION TO COSMOLOGY

To understand how the future of the universe is linked to the Day of Judgment, some knowledge of cosmology is essential. In the next few pages we will learn, how the universe began, what it is like now and what are the possibilities in the future.

Our solar system consists of earth and eight other planets that are orbiting around a star that we call the sun. The sun, along with two hundred billion other stars, comprises our galaxy "The Milky Way." The galaxies are shaped roughly like a disc, with the stars orbiting at various distances around a large central mass.

THE LIGHT YEAR

The universe is so vast that the distances between stars and galaxies have to be measured in "light years." A light year is the distance travelled by light in a year, at the speed of three hundred thousand kilometres per second. The distance between the earth and the sun is only eight minutes at the speed of light. Compared to this, the nearest star from the earth other than our sun, is four light years away. The galaxy we live in, "The Milky Way," is one hundred and fifty thousand light years across. This means that traveling at the speed of light, it would take one hundred and fifty thousand years to go from one side of Milky Way to the other. The galaxies on the average are separated from each other by ten million light years. Many hundred billion such galaxies are part of the truly gigantic universe.

{The creation of the heavens and the earth is definitely a greater thing than creation of mankind, however, most of mankind knows not}. (Qur'aan, Chapter 40, Verse 57)

THE RECEDING GALAXIES

The galaxies other than our "Milky Way" are moving away from us at tremendous speeds. This can be ascertained, by analysing the light given off by the galaxies, by an instrument called the spectroscope. The more distant a galaxy is the greater is its speed of recession. This motion of the galaxies is due to the expansion of the universe. The universe began about fifteen to twenty billion years ago with a tremendous explosion called "The big bang" and has been expanding ever since. The universe is not just a sphere of galaxies rushing away from each other into unending emptiness of space. It can be compared to a balloon with many dots on it, each representing a galaxy. However, the surface of this balloon, which is two dimensional, represents all three dimensions of our space, and is expanding into a higher dimension, that is beyond our imagination.

THE FUTURE OF THE UNIVERSE

It is not known if the universe will expand forever, or if one day it will begin to contract. In either case, the future of all the inhabitants of the universe could be rather bleak. If the expansion continues, after billions of years, all the energy of the sun and stars will be exhausted and every living thing will freeze to death. Eventually, only the expanding emptiness will remain. Alternatively if there is enough mass in the universe, gravity will one day stop the expansion and then contraction will begin. A contracting universe would ultimately end in a very hot and compressed state called "The Big Crunch." This would also destroy all life forms, as we know them.

Besides the above two depressing and purposeless scenarios of the future, there is an another possibility. Some physicists feel that time may reverse when the universe begins contracting. This prospect has a striking resemblance to the Qur'aanic description of the Day of Judgment.

THE FUTURE OF THE UNIVERSE AS DESCRIBED IN THE Qur'aan

It is not known if the universe will expand forever, or if one day it will begin to contract. In either case, the future of all the inhabitants of the universe could be rather bleak. If the expansion continues, after billions of years, all the energy of the sun and stars will be exhausted and every living thing will freeze to death. Eventually, only the expanding emptiness will remain. Alternatively if there is enough mass in the universe, gravity will one day stop the expansion and then contraction will begin. A contracting universe would ultimately end in a very hot and compressed state called "The Big Crunch." This would also destroy all life forms, as we know them.

Besides the above two depressing and purposeless scenarios of the future, there is an another possibility. Some physicists feel that time may reverse when the universe begins contracting. This prospect has a striking resemblance to the Qur'aanic description of the Day of Judgment.

Now, let us turn our attention to the verses in the Qur'aan that describe the beginning, the expansion and eventually the contraction of the universe. There is marked similarity between the Qur'aanic revelation and recent discoveries in cosmology. The Qur'aanic verses however, go far beyond modern cosmology in describing the future of the universe. The Qur'aan gives us insight into laws of the universe that are yet to be discovered, the laws of the contracting universe.

THE BIG BANG

The universe came into existence billions of years ago with a tremendous explosion called "The big bang." This is clearly mentioned in the Qur'aan in the following verses:

{Have not "those who disbelieve" known that heavens and earth were of one piece, We parted them and, We made every living thing of water will they not then believe?} (Qur'aan, Chapter 21, Verse 30.)

The discovery of "The Big Bang" and that of "The aquatic origin of life" was made by the non-Muslims, ("those who disbelieve"). When the universe began all matter and space (heavens) was at one point (one piece). Then everything was separated in what the physicists describe as "The big bang." The evidence that the universe began in the "The big bang" is so overwhelming that it is now considered a fact and not just a theory.

THE EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSE

The Universe has been expanding since its creation. Hubbell, an astronomer made this great discovery, in the early part of this century. It was also predicted by Einstein's theory of "General Relativity." The expansion of the universe is clearly mentioned in the following Qur'aanic verses:

{The heavens, We have built with power and, We are expanding it.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 51, Verse 47)

THE CONTRACTION OF THE UNIVERSE AND THE REVERSAL OF TIME

Time is one of the most elusive mysteries of the universe. No one knows what time really is. Albert Einstein explained time by saying that time is something that we measure with the clock. Time passes slowly within objects moving at speeds close to that of light and stops altogether at the speed of light. Time also slows near massive objects like earth, sun, very dense stars called the neutron stars, and almost stops inside the super massive stars "the black holes." Time has a direction, it always moves towards the future. We see rain falling from the sky, objects breaking up, people getting older, and people dying. We do not see a glass becoming "unbroken" or anyone returning from the dead. That could happen only if time ran backwards. Some physicists like Michael Berry, Thomas Gold, and Steven Hawking have proposed that time may reverse when the universe begins to contract. Verses in the Qur'aan suggest that one day the universe will start contracting and this will coincide with beginning of the Day of Judgment.

{The day when We shall roll up the heavens as a recorder rolls up a written scroll. As, We began the first creation We shall repeat it.} (Qur'aan Chapter 21 Verse 104.)

In the above verse, "The Day" means The Day of Judgment and the contraction of the universe, is compared to the closing of a scroll. This is when time may reverse. Reversal of time will cause man to rise from his grave and again become alive. Every event will be replayed again as everything has been recorded in time.

{This book pronounces against you with truth We have caused (all) you did to be recorded (in time).} (Qur'aan, Chapter 45, Verse 29)

{And there is nothing hidden in the heavens, or the earth, but it is a clear record (in time).} (Qur'aan, Chapter 27, Verse 75)

As the history of earth runs backwards through time, nations will return one after another. All the good and evil deeds of the individual as well as that of the nations will become completely apparent as time reversal occurs.

{And you will see each nation humbled, each nation called to its record. And it will be said to them: This day you are repaid for what you used to do.} (Qur'aan Chapter 45 Verse 28) - time reversal.

The playing back of time will cause people to see what they had done previously. They will have no control over their hands, feet, mouths, and eyes. All the wrong and right things that were done before by them will be repeated again. In this sense, the mouths, hands, and feet, will become witnesses against them in front of the angels and God, and they will not be able to deny any of their wrong doings.

{On the day when their tongues and their hands and their feet testify against them as to what they used to do.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 24, Verse 24) - time reversal.

(We warn you of doom at hand. A day when a man will look on that his own hand has sent before, and the non-believers will cry: "Wish that we were dust."} (Qur'aan, Chapter 78, Verse 40)

{And, the messengers are brought into their time appointed.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 77, Verse 11)

The prophets will be returned into their time as time runs backwards.

NO FREE WILL IN THE CONTRACTING UNIVERSE

Man is given a free will to choose between right and wrong in the expanding universe, that is, when all his deeds are recorded in time. In the contracting universe, there will be no free will, and no one will have power to do harm or good to others, or change anything that they have done in their previous life.

{A day when no soul has power at all over any other soul, The absolute command on that day is God's.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 82, Verse 19.)

REVERSAL OF GRAVITY

{When earth is shaken with her final earthquake.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 99, Verse 1.)

One aspect of gravity is minute differences in time at different heights. Time passes at a slightly faster rate at the top of a mountain, as compared to the sea level. This difference in time, although imperceptible to us, is enough to make things fall to earth, and can be measured with the aid of atomic clocks. If time reverses in the contracting phase of the universe, then this time difference will also reverse. This will cause gravity to reverse so that everything will fall upwards, producing an earthquake of a magnitude never seen before. The earth along with the mountains will be suddenly lifted up from under our feet and subsequently come crashing down.

{When the trumpet is blown one blast the earth with the mountains shall be lifted and crushed with one crash.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 69, Verse 13-14.)

The reversal of gravity will cause the earth to literally explode and turn inside out. The mountains will fall apart. The red-hot lava will be thrown out lighting up the sky like molten copper.

{When the sky will be like molten copper and the hills will be like flakes of wool.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 70, Verse 8.)

EARTH: "EMPTY" FROM INSIDE WITH THE SKY IN ITS CENTER

{And when the earth is spread out. And casts out all that was in her and is "Empty."} (Qur'aan, Chapter 84, Verse 3-4.)

The reversal of gravity will cause earth to expand outwards, throwing out all of its insides. The mass of the earth however, will not disperse, as reversal of time will be directing all the matter to return to its previous position in time. Thus, time and gravity will become two opposing forces in the contracting universe. A balance between these two forces will change the earth into a large sphere, empty from inside. The position of the sky will Trans-locate so that it will occupy the center of the hollowed earth.

{On the day when the earth will be changed other than this earth and the heavens also and they will come forth unto God, The One The Almighty.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 14, Verse 48.)

THE SMOOTH OUTER SURFACE OF THE EARTH

The inner surface of the hollowed earth will be the exact-replica of the present day earth as time plays backwards. However, the outer surface of the earth will be made from the liquid lava that is at the present time inside the earth, thus it will become smooth without any mountains, hills, valleys or any kind of unevenness.

{They will ask about the mountains, say: My Lord will break them into scattered dust and leave it (earth) as an empty plane, so you see neither curve nor ruggedness.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 20, Verse 105-107.)

The following verses describe the Day of Judgment in a comprehensive manner. The Day of Judgment will start with the final earthquake as gravity reverses. The reversal of gravity will cause the earth to throw out all that was once inside her, thereby becoming, completely empty. The hollowed earth will have the sky towards its center. The people will begin to rise from the graves coming back alive, one after another, "in scattered groups". The history of nations will be played back with the reversal of time. Nations as well as people will be totally powerless caught in the backward flow of time. They will helplessly re-enact and witness their own deeds of the past. This drama will continue until each one of us is removed to the beyond.

{When earth is shaken with her final earthquake. And earth yields its burdens (From within). And man says what's wrong with her. That day she will relate her History (in time) because your Lord inspires her. That day mankind will issue forth in scattered groups to be shown their deeds.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 99, Verse 1-6.)

WILL WE REGRESS TO NOTHINGNESS WITH THE REVERSAL OF TIME?

To an inquiring mind, it may occur that the reversal of time can lead to the resurrection from the grave. If this process remained unchecked then we will continue to grow younger, pass through our childhood and regress into nothingness in our mother's wombs. This is also what time reversal theories say, again a purposeless exercise. Well not quite so! The thought of the great and final earthquake may instil fear into our hearts, but the real purpose is to make the higher dimensions accessible for escape from the collapsing universe. God has designed the universe with great precision. After the resurrection, arrangements have been made, to escape the unrelenting effect of time reversal, to beyond this universe.

{On that Day, He shall gather them together it will seem as if they have stayed (in the grave) for an hour, recognizing one another. Those who were not guided and denied the meeting with God will perish.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 10, Verse 45).

THE HIGHER DIMENSIONS

Mathematically there are an infinite number of dimensions. However we only live in a three dimensional space. Every object in our daily lives has a length, width, and height. The concept that there are more than three dimensions is impossible to imagine. However, higher dimensions do exist as intense gravity near the sun causes the space to curve in an extra higher dimension. Einstein considered this for the first time and was able to accurately calculate the orbit of the inner planet Mercury. Einstein's theory of general relativity is based on the concept of higher dimensions.

We may gain some insight into the concept of higher dimensions by studying the problems faced by people in the past. There was a time when people believed that the earth is flat. They were afraid of the possibility of falling off the earth if they traveled too far. This cannot happen because the surface of the earth is curved and continuous like that of a sphere. To get off the earth we just need to move in a dimension (direction) that is perpendicular to the surface. That is straight up, from anywhere we are. We face a similar conceptual problem in understanding the higher dimensions. We may imagine that we can leave the universe only by travelling very far, but that is also not true. Even if we traveled billions of miles, we will remain within the confines of our three dimensional space.

{We know that we cannot escape from God in the earth, nor can we escape by flight.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 72, Verse 12.)

The only way to go beyond the universe is by moving into a higher dimension in a direction that is perpendicular to our three dimensional space, right from where we are. In the present expanding universe this is not possible, as our space is not continuous with the higher dimensions. For that to happen, our space will have to literally be torn apart first and then be connected to the higher dimensions. Can this happen in the center of the black holes?

THE BLACK HOLES: "THE BLOCKED GATEWAYS" TO THE HIGHER DIMENSIONS

{And heaven is opened and becomes as gates}. (Qur'aan, Chapter 78, Verse 19.)

The opening of gates in the sky is a concept similar to that of black holes. Such openings can be the gateways to beyond the universe through the higher dimensions. Massive stars, which collapse inward under their own weight, can form black holes. Gravity in such objects is so strong that even light cannot escape and they become invisible. Hence, the name black holes. Some physicists believe that space-time may be ripped apart in the black holes, producing gateways to beyond this universe. The curvature producing mass of the black hole however also blocks the opening, thus preventing anything from escaping to the higher dimensions.

In the contracting universe, this problem should not exist. The reversal of gravity in the contracting phase will change all the heavenly bodies into massive hollow structures just as described in the Qur'aan. These hollow structures will have empty skies in their center where even the reversed gravity of relatively lighter objects like earth, will have a run away effect. This will cause the fabric of space-time to be torn apart, forming portals or gateways to the higher dimensions:

{The heavens will split asunder, for that day, it will be frail.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 69, Verse 16.)

Mankind will see many strange things in the contracting universe that may cause confusion, (When sight is confounded.) One of these is the rising of sun from the west, mentioned in an authentic hadith. This phenomenon due to the reversal of time will be visible briefly as the Day of Judgment begins followed by the final earthquake. The earth will change into a hollow structure, from within which both the sun and the moon will not be visible. (The moon is eclipsed.) The gateways to beyond the universe will form in the center-sky, and may appear as a bright light constantly shining from straight above. This may cause us to wonder weather the sun and the moon have become one: (The sun and moon are united). This dilemma is probably mentioned in the following verses.

{When sight is confounded, And the moon is eclipsed (hidden from view), And sun and moon are united. (appear as one light).} (Qur'aan, Chapter 75, Verse 7-9.)

The stars will stop shining as the light moves back with reversal of time. They will also be hidden from view from within the hollowed earth.

{When the stars are put out.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 78, Verse 8.)

ANGELS DESCEND THROUGH THE GATES IN THE SKY

{A day when the heavens and the clouds will be rent asunder and the angels will be sent down a grand descent.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 25, Verse 25.)

The reversed gravity in the contracting universe will open gates in the center-sky of the earth. A spectacular site will be thousands of angels descending down to accomplish the task assigned to them on the Day of Judgment.

{Think of the day when, We remove the hills, and you see the earth emerging and We gather them together, as to leave not one of them behind.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 18, Verse 47.)

The collapsing universe will ultimately be destroyed in a fireball which physicists call the "Big Crunch." Everyone will be gathered much before that time comes and no one will be left behind. The angels of "The grand descent" may accomplish the gathering and removal of humans to "The beyond". Anyone remaining behind could regress to nothingness, as time will be running backwards.

{That you shall "ride" on from plane to plane}. (Qur'aan, Chapter 84, Verse 19.)

In our final journey through the gates that will open in the center sky, we may cross many planes or dimensions. The word "ride" is used in the Qur'aan, as if this journey will be accomplished by riding on "something."

As we leave this universe we may be collected together on some vast plane in an another dimension, every one will come from all times and places in history to face the judgment of their deeds and heaven and hell.

WHEN WILL THE DAY OF JUDGMENT ARRIVE

{Men ask you of the Hour. Say the knowledge of it is with God only. What can convey to you that may be the Hour is near.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 33, Verse 63.)

PThey bid you to hasten on the doom. And if a term had not been appointed, the doom would have definitely come on them. And it will come upon them suddenly when they perceive not.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 29, Verse 53.)

Superficially, it seems that if we knew the rate at which the expansion of the universe is slowing, then we should be able to predict when the Day of Judgment will begin. However, if time is related to the expansion of space, we cannot observe the slowing of the expansion. This would be like attempting to measure the speed of a car with a clock that is connected to its wheels, so that the speed of time would depend on the speed of the car. If the car slowed-down the time will also slowdown and speed of the car would always appear the same. Similarly as the expansion of the universe slows time and motion will also slowdown, the rate of expansion, will appear the same.

{The threatened hour is near. None beside God can disclose it. Are you surprised then at this statement?} (Qur'aan, Chapter 53, Verse 57-59.)

Even the most advanced civilization in the universe would always observe that the universe is expanding at the same steady rate with which it started. Paradoxically the far-reaches of space may even seem to expand faster when measurements are made with our local slowing time. The nature of time is such that slowing of time also cannot be perceived. This of course means that the beginning of the Day of Judgment cannot be predicted and may come at any time. Only God, who is independent of time, knows of the real timing of the Day of Judgment.

WAITING IN THE GRAVE FOR DAY OF JUDGMENT TO ARRIVE?

In the Qur'aan, the soul is compared to consciousness and death is compared to sleep. Once death overcomes us there is no perception of the passage of time and the next thing we see will be the Day of Judgment.

{And on The Day when the Hour arrives the guilty will swear that they remained (dead) but for an hour, thus they were ever deceived but to those to whom knowledge and faith are given will say: "The truth is that you have remained (dead) until the Day of Resurrection by God's decree. This is the Day of Resurrection, but you used not to know."} (Qur'aan, Chapter 30, Verse 55-56.)

On The Day of Judgment, the reality of afterlife and the true religion Islaam will become clear to everyone. Those who had indulged in evil deeds and followed false beliefs will wish that they had never existed; but they will have to face the final justice. May God have mercy on all of us.

{To God belongs the Sovereignty of heavens and the earth on the Day when the Hour rises, who follow falsehood will be lost.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 45, Verse 27.)

SUMMARY

With the tremendous scientific advancements of the twentieth century, we have placed our trust in science and technology to solve all our problems. Dazzled by the ability of technology to produce quick results, our faith in God has become weak. Our actions are for worldly goals, although a stronger belief in God and fear of accountability in the afterlife could make us better people. We can see the consequences of lacking these in the moral decay that is afflicting many societies all over the world.

God has sent guidance to human beings according to the conditions existing at that moment in history. When the Pharaohs ruled, magic was a very popular pastime. Then Moses (Peace be on him: Pbuh) came with miracles from God and defeated the magicians of the Pharaoh's court. The people at the time of Jesus (Pbuh) were similarly deep into miracles, and we can see that the life of Jesus (Pbuh) is full of miracles. When Mohammad (Pbuh) came, the Arabic language and poetry was at the height of its development. The Qur'aan with its clear message was revealed in the most eloquent poetry with a style unique and unmatched.

Many verses in the Qur'aan describe the Day of Judgment. We live in a universe that has been expanding since its creation billions of years ago. Both the birth of the universe with the "Big Bang" and its expansion are described in the Qur'aan. Scientists do not know if the expansion will continue forever, or if one day the universe will begin to contract. However, the Qur'aanic verses suggest that the universe will not expand forever and that the Day of Judgment will begin with the contraction of the universe. It appears that time and gravity will reverse when the universe begins to contract. Reversal of time will bring about the resurrection from the grave. In this time reversed world we will come across all the good and evil that we did in our lives. Reversal of gravity will be the cause of the final earthquake, mentioned in the Qur'aan. This will change the earth so that it will be turned inside out and be transformed into a giant hollow sphere with the sky towards its center. The reversed gravity focused towards the "earth's center-sky" will have a runaway effect on space. The space in the center-sky will be literally torn apart to produce openings or gates to the higher dimensions that are beyond our universe. Through these openings, we will be removed from the collapsing universe.

Everyone will be taken away to escape the unrelenting effect of time reversal that could regress us to nothingness in our mother's wombs. In some higher dimension or plane mankind will be brought together from all times and places in history, to face the judgment for their deeds and hell or heaven.

From the Qur'aan, it appears that the timing of the Day of Judgment will never be known and it may come at any time. We should be aware that The Day of Judgment is very near to every one of us as there is no perception of passage of time after death.

{The agony of death comes in truth; this is what you wished to avoid, And the trumpet is blown; this is the threatened Day.} (Qur'aan, Chapter 50, Verse 19-20.)

As we go through our daily life we should keep in mind that everything big and small that we do is being recorded in time. If we do not take steps to protect ourselves from evil, in addition to the threat of severe punishment, we stand the chance of great embarrassment on the Day of Judgment. The reversal of time will expose all our secrets.

I hope this article will serve as a source of warning as well as encouragement to the believers. They will realize that, The Day of Judgment is a religious, scientific and mathematical truth, which every one will have to face; and our deeds in this world will determine our fate in the eternal life. There is no doubt however, that the real knowledge of the Day of Judgment is with God only.

The non-Muslims hopefully, will appreciate that the religion of Islaam is more than just another belief and they will be stimulated to further investigate the world of Islaam.

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Category: The Day of Judgement And Its Signs

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The portents of the Hour are not all of the same degree, rather some of them are minor and some are major. The major signs are those which, when the first one appears, the others will follow like beads falling from a broken string. But with regard to the minor signs, there is a long period of time between the first and the last of them. The sending of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was one of the minor signs of the Hour, not one of the major portents.

It was narrated that Anas said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I and the Hour have been sent like these two.” He said, And he held up his index and middle fingers together. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6139; Muslim, 2951.)

Al-Qurtubi (rahimahullaah) said:

'The first of the portents of the Hours is the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because he is the Prophet of the end of time. He has been sent and there will be no Prophet between him and the Resurrection.' (Al-Tadhkirah, p. 111)

With regard to the strength of Israel (the Jewish state), this is something that has happened to them by the will and decree of Allaah.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Indignity is put over them wherever they may be, except when under a covenant (of protection) from Allaah, and from men” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:112]

Allaah has given them power and respite, but that is only so that when He does seize them, He will seize them severely.

It was narrated that Abu Moosa (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah gives respite to the wrongdoer until, when He seizes him, He does not let him go.” Then he recited (interpretation of the meaning):

“Such is the Seizure of your Lord when He seizes the (population of) towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His Seizure is painful (and) severe.” [Hood 11:102] (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4409; Muslim, 2583.)

At the time of the Mahdi and when ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) comes down, the Muslims’ victory over the Jews will be complete.

It is proven (in the hadeeth) then when the leader of the Muslims, the Mahdi will come to lead them in praying Fajr, ‘Eesa ibn Maryam will come down to them, and the imam will step back so that ‘Eesa can come forward and lead the prayer, but ‘Eesa will put his hand on his back and say, “Go forward and lead the prayer, for the iqaamah was given for you.” So their imam will lead them in prayer, and when he has finished, then ‘Eesa will head towards the Dajjaal, with whom will be seventy thousand Jews. When the Dajjaal looks at him, he will melt like salt in water, and the Messiah ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) will catch up with him at the gate of Lod (which is a town near Jerusalem) and kill him. Then Allaah will cause the defeat the Jews, and there will be nothing that Allaah has created that a Jew hides behind, but Allaah will cause that thing to speak. Rocks, trees, walls and animals will all say, ‘O Muslim, O slave of Allaah, here is a Jew, come and kill him!’ – except for the box-thorn tree (al-gharqad), for it is one of their trees and will not speak.”

If the Muslims want to defeat the Jews and all kaafirs, they have to turn back to Allaah and support His religion until Allaah grants them victory, for the Jews are too insignificant for words, but they took advantage of the fact that the Muslims have turned away from their religion.

We ask Allaah to being the Muslims back to their religion and help them follow it properly.

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Category: The Day of Judgement And Its Signs

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Dajjaal is a man who will appear towards the end of time, and Jews will follow him. His appearance is a sign of the Last Hour, and he will bring with him immense Fitan (tests and trials) which will have an adverse effect on the Iman (of Muslims). Quite possibly many people may perish because of his Fitnah, except those whom Allah protects.

From the virtues of Sooratul Kahf:

From Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri, who said: "Whoever reads Soorat al-Kahf on the night of Jumu'ah, will have a light that will stretch between him and the Ancient House (the Ka'bah)." (Narrated by al-Daarimi, 3407. This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami, 6471)

(b) "Whoever reads Soorat al-Kahf on the day of Jumu'ah, will have a light that will shine from him from one Friday to the next." (Narrated by al-Haakim, 2/399; al-Bayhaqi, 3/249. It was classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami', 6470)

The soorah may be read during the night or the day of Jumu'ah. The night of Jumu'ah starts from sunset on Thursday, and the day of Jumu'ah ends at sunset.

Therefore the time for reading this soorah extends from sunset on Thursday to sunset on Friday.

Dajjaal is a man who will appear towards the end of time, and Jews will follow him. His appearance is a sign of the Last Hour, and he will bring with him immense Fitan (tests and trials) which will have an adverse effect on the Iman (of Muslims). Quite possibly many people may perish because of his Fitnah, except those whom Allah protects.

As for his attributes, he would be a Kafir man, blind in one eye. He will seek to divert people from their religion by whatever means possible. So his Fitnah and danger will be immense. It is obligatory upon us to seek refuge in Allah from his Fitnah, as we have been commanded (to do so) by the Prophet (peace be upon him).

There are saheeh ahaadeeth that indicate that the Mahdi (peace be upon him) will appear at the end of time. He is one of the signs of the Hour. Among these ahaadeeth are the following:

1. Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: "At the end of the time of my ummah, the Mahdi will appear. Allaah will grant him rain, the earth will bring forth its fruits, he will give a lot of money, cattle will increase and the ummah will become great. He will rule for seven or eight years. (Mustadrak al-Haakim, 4/557-558; he said: this is a hadeeth whose isnaad is saheeh, although it was not reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim. Al-Dhahabi agreed with him, and al-Albaani said: this is a saheeh sanad, and its men are thiqaat (trustworthy), Silsilat al-ahaadeeth al-saheehah, vol. 2, p. 336, hadeeth 771)

2. ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: ‘The Mahdi is one of us, a member of my family. Allaah will guide him in a single night.’" (Musnad Ahmad, 2/58, hadeeth 645, edited by Ahmad al-Shaakir, who said: its isnaad is saheeh; Sunan Ibn Maajah, 2/1367. This hadeeth was also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, 6735). Ibn Katheer said: "This means that Allaah will forgive him, grant him help, inspire him and guide him, when he was not like this before." (Al-Nihaayah, al-Fitan wa’l-Malaahim, 1/29; edited by Taha Zayni).

3. Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said: "The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: ‘The Mahdi is of my lineage, with a high forehead and a long, thin, curved nose. He will fill the earth with fairness and justice as it was filled with oppression and injustice, and he will rule for seven years.’" (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitaab al-Mahdi, 11/375, hadeeth 4265; Mustadrak al-Haakim, 4/557; he said: this is a saheeh hadeeth according to the conditions of Muslim, although it was not reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim. See also Saheeh al-Jaami, 6736).

4. Umm Salamah said: "I heard the Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) say: ‘The Mahdi is of my lineage and family, from the descendants of Faatimah.’" (Sunan Abu Dawud, 11/373; Sunan Ibn Maajah. 2/1368. Al-Albaani said that it is saheeh in Saheeh al-Jaami, 6734)

5. Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: ‘‘Eesaa ibn Maryam will descend, and their leader the Mahdi will say, "Come and lead us in prayer," but he will say, "No, one of them should lead them as an honour to this ummah from Allaah."’" The version narrated by Muslim says: "… Then ‘Eesaa ibn Maryam (Peace be upon him) will descend and their leader will say, ‘Come and lead us in prayer,’ but he will say, ‘No, some of you are leaders over others as an honour from Allaah to this ummah.’" (Reported by Muslim, 225)

6. Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: "He is one of us, behind whom ‘Eesaa ibn Maryam will pray." (Reported by Abi Na’eem in Akhbaar al-Mahdi. Al-Albaani said it is saheeh; see al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, 5/219, hadeeth 5796).

7. ‘Abdullaah ibn Mas’ood reported that the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: "The world will not come to an end until the Arabs are ruled by a man from my family whose name will be the same as mine." (Musnad Ahmad, 5/199, hadeeth 3573. Another version says: "… whose name is the same as mine and whose father’s name is the same as my father’s." (Sunan Abi Dawud, 11/370).

You should be aware that some liars have fabricated ahaadeeth about the Mahdi, and others have even claimed to be he, or that he belongs to a group other than Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah. Some of these "false mahdis" have tried to deceive the slaves of Allaah for some worldly gain and to distort the picture of Islaam. Some have started movements and revolutions and gathered those people and supporters whom they were able to deceive. Then they were destroyed, and their lies and falsehood were exposed. None of this affects the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah in the Mahdi, upon whom be peace, and that he will undoubtedly appear and rule the earth in accordance with Islamic Sharee’ah. And Allah knows best.

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Category: The Day of Judgement And Its Signs

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The Distribution of the Books of Deeds:

When people have been brought to account for their deeds, each person will be given the book that contains the record of all his deeds. The believer will be given his book in his right hand, as a sign of honour. He will be the one who is saved and happy on the Day of Resurrection.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):“Then as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand, he surely, will receive an easy reckoning, and will return to his family in joy!” (Al-Inshiqaaq 84:7-9.)

And: “Then as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand will say: ‘Here! Read my Record! Surely, I did believe that I shall meet my Account!’ So he shall be in a life, well-pleasing. In a lofty Paradise, The fruits in bunches whereof will be low and near at hand.  Eat and drink at ease for that which you have sent on before you in days past!” (Al-Haaqqah 69:19-24.)

But the disbelievers, hypocrites and followers of misguidance will be given their books in their left hands, from behind their backs. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “But whosoever is given his record behind his back, he will invoke (for his) destruction, and he shall enter a blazing Fire.” (Al-Inshiqaaq 84:10-12)

And: “But as for him who will be given his Record in his left hand, will say: ‘I wish that I had not been given my Record! And that I had  never known how my Account is! Would that it had been my end (death)! My wealth has not availed me; my power (and arguments to defend myself) have gone from me!’ (It will be said): ‘Seize him and fetter him; Then throw him in the blazing Fire. Then fasten him with a chain whereof the length is seventy cubits!’” (Al-Haaqqah 69:25-32)

When the people have been given their books, it will be said to them: “This Our Record speaks about you with truth. Verily, We were recording what you used to do (i.e. Our angels used to record your deeds).” (Al-Jaathiyah 45:29)

And: “Read your book. You yourself are sufficient as a reckoner against you this Day.” (Al-Isra’ 17:14.)

The Balance:

The Balance will be set up to weigh people’s deeds. Al-Qurtubi said: “When the Reckoning is completed, then people’s deeds will be weighed, because the weighing has to do with reward and punishment. So it is apt that it should come after the Reckoning. The Reckoning is to evaluate the deeds, and the weighing is to determine the amount of reward or punishment.”

The texts indicate that the Balance is a real Balance, with two pans, in which people’s deeds will be weighed. It is a huge Balance, the size of which is known only to Allaah. The scholars differed as to whether it is one Balance in which people’s deeds will be weighed, or whether there are numerous Balances, so that each person will have his own Balance. Those who said that there will be numerous balances quote as evidence the fact that the word appears in plural form in some verses, for example (interpretation of the meaning): “And We shall set up Balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And Sufficient are We to take account.” (Al-Anbiya’ 21:47.)

Those who say that it will be one Balance quote as evidence the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “The Balance will be set up on the Day of Resurrection, and if the heavens and the earth were to be weighed in it, it would be sufficient to carry them. And the angels will say, ‘O Lord, who is this for?’ Allaah will say, ‘For whomsoever I will from among My slaves.’” (Al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 941.). They interpret the verse in which the plural form is mentioned as referring to the large number of things to be weighed, namely words, deeds, records and people. 

One of the things that indicate that words will also be weighed is the hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurayrah, according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Two words which are light on the tongue but will weigh heavily in the Balance and are beloved to the Most Merciful: Subhaan Allaah il-‘Azeem, Subhaan Allaahi wa bi Hamdihi (Glory be to Allaah the Almighty, Glory and praise be to Allaah).” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6406).

The fact that deeds will be weighed is indicated by the authentic narration narrated from Abu’l-Darda’ who said: “I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, ‘There is nothing that will be placed in the Balance that will weigh more heavily than a good attitude. The one who has a good attitude will attain thereby the status of one who fasts and prays (a great deal).’” (Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 1629.)

Another thing that indicates that the books of deeds will be weighed is the hadeeth of al-Bitaaqah from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas who said, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah will separate a man belonging to my nation in the presence of all creatures and will spread ninety-nine scrolls for him, each scroll extending as far as the eye can see. Then He will say, ‘Do you object to anything in this? Have my scribes who keep note wronged you?’ He will say, ‘No, my Lord.’ He will ask him, ‘Do you have any excuse?’ He will say, ‘No my Lord.’ Allaah will say, ‘On the contrary, you have with Us a good deed, and you will not be wronged this Day.’ A slip of paper will then be brought out, on which are the words ‘Ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluhu (I  bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger).’ Allaah will say, ‘Bring your weight (i.e., the scrolls).’ The man will say, ‘O Lord, what is this slip of paper in comparison to these scrolls?’ And He will reply, ‘You will not be wronged.’ The scrolls will then be put in one side of the Balance and the slip of paper in the other, and the scrolls will become light and the slip of paper heavy, for nothing could compare in weight to the name of Allaah.” (Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2127.)

One of the things that indicate that people will be weighed is the hadeeth narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), according to which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A huge fat man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection, and he will not weigh more before Allaah than the wing of a gnat. Recite: ‘and on the Day of Resurrection, We shall assign no weight for them’{footnote}Al-Kahf 18:105 – interpretation of the meaning.{/footnote}.”{footnote}Narrated by Al-Bukhaari, 4729{/footnote}. It is also indicated by the fact that Abdullah ibn Mas’ood was trying to break a siwaak [toothstick] branch from an araak tree and he had thin legs and the wind started to buffet him, so the people laughed at him. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “What are you laughing at?” They said, “O Prophet of Allaah, because his legs are so thin.” He said, “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, they will weigh more heavily in the Balance than Mount Uhud.” (Its isnaad [chain] was classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Sharh al-Tahhaawiyyah, no. 571, p. 418)

We ask Allaah to make us weigh heavily in the Balance.

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Allaah calls the Day of Resurrection the Day of Gathering because Allaah will gather His slaves, mankind and the jinn. Allaah says: “Indeed in that (there) is a sure lesson for those who fear the torment of the Hereafter. That is a Day whereon mankind will be gathered together, and that is a Day when all (the dwellers of the heavens and the earth) will be present.” (Hood 11:103)

“Say (O Muhammad): (Yes) verily, those of old, and those of later times. All will surely be gathered together for appointed Meeting of a known Day.” (Al-Waaqiyah 56:49-50)

“There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto the Most Gracious (Allaah) as a slave. Verily, He knows each one of them, and has counted them a full counting. And everyone of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection (without any helper, or protector or defender).” (Maryam 19:93-95)

“And (remember) the Day We shall cause the mountains to pass away (like clouds of dust), and you will see the earth as a levelled plain, and we shall gather them all together so as to leave not one of them behind.” (Al-Kahf 18:47)

Also included in this gathering are the animals. Shaykh al-Islam (Ibn Taymiyah) said:

“As for the animals, they will all be gathered by Allaah, as is indicated by the Qur’aan and Sunnah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):"There is not a moving (living) creature on earth, nor a bird that flies with its two wings, but are communities like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book, then unto their Lord they (all) shall be gathered.’ (Al-An’aam 6:38)

‘And when the wild beasts are gathered together.’ (Al-Takweer 81:5)

‘And among His Aayaat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.) is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and whatever moving (living) creatures He has dispersed in them both. And He is All-Potent over their assembling (i.e. resurrecting them on the Day of Resurrection after their death, and dispersion of their bodies) whenever He wills.’ (Al-Shoora 42:29)

The word idha (translated here as when or whenever) refers to something that will inevitably come to pass. And there are many well known ahaadeeth on this topic. On the Day of Resurrection Allaah will gather the animals, and the scores among them will be settled. Then it will be said to them, “Be dust!” and they will become dust. At that point the kaafir will say, “Would that I were dust!” (Al-Naba’ 72:40 – interpretation of the meaning.) Whoever says that they will not be brought back to life is making a serious mistake, indeed he is misguided or is a disbeliever. And Allaah knows best.” (Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 4/248)

Ahmad (20534) narrated from Abu Dharr that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sitting, and two sheep locked horns, and one of them butted the other and defeated it. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) smiled, and it was said to him, “Why are you smiling, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “Because of the sheep. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, it will settle its score with the other on the Day of Resurrection.” (Ahmad Shaakir said, its isnaad [chain] is hasan [good] and unbroken.)

Muslim (2582) narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “All rights will be restored on the Day of Resurrection, until even the hornless sheep will settle its score with the one that has horns.”

Al-Nawawi said:

This clearly indicates that the animals will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection, and that they will be brought back to life like human beings who are accountable, and like children and the insane and those who were not reached by the call of Islam. This is what is indicated by the Qur’aan and Sunnah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And when the wild beasts are gathered together.” (Al-Takweer 81:5)

If something is stated in a legislative text, and there is no rational or legislative reason not to interpret it according to what it appears to mean, then it must be taken at face value. The scholars said that it is not a condition of the gathering or the resurrection that there should be reward or punishment. With regard to the hornless sheep settling their scores with those that have horns, this is not the retaliation that comes with accountability, because they are not accountable. Rather it is simply settling the scores. And Allaah knows best.

People will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection barefoot, naked and uncircumcised. It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “You will be gathered barefoot, naked and uncircumcised.” Then he recited, “As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it. (It is) a promise binding upon Us. Truly, We shall do it.” (Al-Anbiya’ 21:104 – interpretation of the meaning.)Then he said: “The first one to be clothed on the Day of Resurrection will be Ibraaheem. Some people from among my followers will be taken away towards the left and I will say, ‘My followers, my followers!’ He will say, ‘They kept turning back on their heels after you left them.’ And I will say what the righteous slave said: ‘And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them, but when You took me up, You were the Watcher over them; and You are a Witness to all things. (This is a great admonition and warning to the Christians of the whole world). If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily, You, only You, are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.’ (Al-Maa’idah 5:117).” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3349.)

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) said: ‘You will be gathered barefoot, naked and uncircumcised.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, men and women will be looking at one another?!’ He said, ‘The situation will be so terrible that that will not concern them.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6527.)

And it was narrated in the hadeeth that people will be resurrected in the clothes in which they died. It was narrated that when Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri was dying, he called for new clothes and put them on, then he said, “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, ‘The deceased will be resurrected in the clothes in which he died.’” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3114; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1671.)

This hadeeth may seem to contradict the hadeeth quoted above, which says that they will be resurrected naked. The scholars reconciled between the two reports by noting the following points:

1- That they will be raised in those garments but they will wear out after the resurrection, and when they reach the place of standing they will be naked.

2- They will be raised naked then when the Prophets and Siddeeqs [the truthful] etc have been clothed, everyone else will be clothed in the same kind of clothes as those in which they died.

3- Some of the scholars interpreted this hadeeth as referring to the martyrs (shuhada’), because they are the ones whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded should be buried in the clothes in which they died, so they will be resurrected in their clothes in order to distinguish them from others.

4- What is meant by clothes is righteous deeds, as in the verses (interpretation of the meanings)

“And the raiment of righteousness, that is better.” (Al-A’raaf 7:26)

“And purify your garments.” (Al-Muddaththir 74:4)

What is meant by a person being resurrected according to what he was doing when he died is that if his final action was good, then it will be good (for him) and if it was bad then it will be bad (for him). This is indicated by the hadeeth of Jaabir who said: “I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, ‘Every person will be resurrected in the manner that he died.’” (Narrated by Muslim, 2878)

And Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him): “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘When Allaah sends down punishment upon a people, the punishment also befalls those who were among them, then they will be resurrected according to their deeds.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 7108.)

This is also indicated by the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: “Whilst a man was at ‘Arafah, he fell from his mount and broke his neck (or it broke his neck). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Wash him with water and lotus leaves, and shroud him in two garments, but do not apply perfume or cover his head, for he will be raised on the Day of Resurrection reciting the Talbiyah [The call of labbayk made by the pilgriim].’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1265)

And it was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every wound that the Muslim receives for the sake of Allaah will appear on the Day of Resurrection as it was at the time when it was inflicted; blood will be flowing from the wound and its colour will be that of blood but its smell will be the fragrance of musk.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhaari, 237).

Hence it is mustahabb [recommended] to encourage one who is dying to say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah [There is no God but Allah], so that these good words will be his last words in this world and he will be raised saying them on the Day of Resurrection. (See Fath al-Baari, 11/383 )

The people will be gathered on that Day on another earth, one that is different from this earth, with specific features that are explained in the Sunnah. It was narrated that Sahl ibn Sa’d said: “I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, ‘The people will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection on reddish white land like a pure loaf of bread (made from pure fine flour).” Sahl or someone else said, “It will have no landmarks for anyone (to make use of).” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6521)

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The word "Kawthar" in Arabic refers to great abundance.

In Islamic terminology it has two meanings:

1– It is a river in Paradise which Allaah has given to His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This meaning is what is meant in the verse where Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, We have granted you (O Muhammad) Al-Kawthar (a river in Paradise).” (Al-Kawthar 108:1)

This is how the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) interpreted it. It was narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh (607) that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Whilst we were with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), he dozed off then he raised his head and he was smiling. We said, “Why are you smiling, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said: “A chapter has been revealed to me.” And he recited (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, We have granted you (O Muhammad) Al-Kawthar (a river in Paradise)…” (Al-Kawthar 108:1) to the end of the soorah. Then he said: “Do you know what is Al-Kawthar?” We said: “Allaah and His Messenger know best.” He said: “It is a river that my Lord has promised to me in which there is much goodness. And it is a cistern to which my ummah [nation] will come on the Day of Resurrection.”

Al-Tirmidhi (3284) narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Al-Kawthar is a river in Paradise. Its banks are made of gold and its bed is of pearls and rubies…” (Al-Tirmidhi said: It is hasan saheeh; it was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 3/135.)

2 – It is a great cistern – a tank for holding water – which will be set up in the place of gathering on the Day of Resurrection, to which the ummah [nation] of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will come. The water of this cistern will come from the river of al-Kawthar which is in Paradise, hence it is called 'The Cistern of al-Kawthar'. The evidence for that is the hadeeth narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh (4255) from Abu Dharr, that “into the Cistern will flow two pipes from Paradise.” The apparent meaning of this hadeeth is that the Cistern will be next to Paradise so that the water from the river that is inside Paradise will be able to flow into it, as Ibn Hajar said in al-Fath 11/466. And Allaah knows best.

Is the Kawthar only for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to the exclusion of other Prophets, or for all?

With regard to 'The River of Al-Kawthar' from which water will flow into the Cistern, there is no report of any other Prophet having anything like it, apart from our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Allaah states that He has blessed him with it in Soorat al-Kawthar, so it is likely that this is only for our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and not for any other Prophet.

With regard to 'The Cistern of Al-Kawthar', it is well known among the scholars that it is only for our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Among those who stated this was al-Qurtubi in al-Mufahhim. But al-Tirmidhi (2367) narrated that Samurah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every Prophet will have a cistern and they will be looking to see who has the largest number of followers coming to him, and I hope that I will have the largest number.” All the isnads [chains] of this hadeeth are weak (da’eef), but some of the scholars ruled that it is acceptable because it has so many isnaads [chains], as al-Albaani said in al-Saheehah, 1589. Some of them ruled that it is weak (da’eef). Even if this hadeeth cannot be proven, it is not unlikely that the Cistern will also be only for our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to the exclusion of others. And Allaah knows best.

The characteristics of the river that is in Paradise and the Cistern that will be set up in the place of gathering were narrated in the authentic narrations. The characteristics of the river of al-Kawthar that will be in Paradise include the following:

Al-Bukhaari narrated in his Saheeh from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whilst I was walking in Paradise, I saw a river whose banks were domes of hollow pearls.” I said, “What is this, O Jibreel?” He said: “This is al-Kawthar which your Lord has given to you.” The angel struck it with his hand and its mud or its perfume was of the most fragrant (or pure) musk.

In al-Musnad (12084) it was narrated from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I have been given al-Kawthar, and it is a river that flows on the face of the earth. Its banks are domes of pearls and it is not covered. I struck its dust with my hand and its dust was the most fragrant (or pure) musk, and its pebbles were pearls.”{footnote}Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Saheehah, 2513{/footnote}

According to another report narrated in al-Musnad (12827) also from Anas, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about Al-Kawthar and he said: “That is a river which Allaah has given to me, in Paradise. It is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey, and in it are birds whose necks are like the necks of camels.” ‘Umar said: “Those are soft birds.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Eating them is even softer, O ‘Umar.” (Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, 3740.)

With regard to the features of the Cistern that will be in the place of gathering, they include the following:

Al-Bukhaari (6093) and Muslim (4244) narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “My Cistern is (as big as) the distance of a month’s (journey). Its length and width are equal and its water is whiter than milk and its scent is better than musk. Its drinking vessels are like the stars of the sky and whoever drinks from it will never thirst again.”

In Saheeh Muslim (4261) it is narrated from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “In it can be seen vessels of gold and silver whose number is as the stars of the sky.” According to another report, “More than the number of stars in the sky.”

It is also narrated in Saheeh Muslim (4256) from Thawbaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about its drink and he said: “It is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey. Two pipes feed into it from Paradise, one of gold and the other of silver.”

There is no doubt among the scholars that the narrations about the Cistern reach the level of being mutawaatir (i.e., narrated by so many people from so many people that it is inconceivable that they could all agree upon a lie). It was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) by more than fifty of his companions. Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar listed the names of the Sahaabah who narrated these ahaadeeth in al-Fath (11/468). And al-Qurtubi said in ‘Al-Mufahhim Sharh Saheeh Muslim’:

‘Every Muslim has to understand and believe that Allaah has singled out His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to be given the Cistern, the name and features of which and its drink are mentioned in the well known saheeh ahaadeeth [authentic narrations] which, when taken together, constitute definitive knowledge [i.e. it can’t be disputed].’

Where will the Cistern, in the land of gathering, be located  [on the day of judgement]?

The scholars differed concerning this matter. Some said that it will be after the Siraat (bridge across Hell). Others said that it will be before the Siraat. This is the view of the majority and is more likely to be correct – and Allaah knows best – because some of those who come to it will be taken to Hell, and if it were after the Siraat they would not be able to reach it because they would already have fallen into Hell – we seek refuge with Allaah.

We must also draw attention to a very important and serious matter which is that not everyone who belongs to the ummah [nation] of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) will attain the honour of drinking from the Cistern of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The ahaadeeth [narrations] clearly state that there are some people among this ummah who will be driven back harshly from the Cistern – we ask Allaah to keep us safe from that. Who are the ones who will drink and who are the ones who will be pushed away?

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has answered this question clearly in such a way that no one has any excuse. Muslim narrated in his Saheeh (367) from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to the graveyard and said: “Peace be upon you, O habitation of believing people. We will join you soon, if Allaah wills. Would that we had seen our brothers.” They said, “Are we not your brothers, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said: “You are my Companions. Our brothers are those who have not yet come.” They said: “How will you recognize those among your ummah who have not yet come, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said: “If a man has a horse with a white blaze and white feet among horses that are all black, don’t you think that he will recognize his horse?” They said: “Of course, O Messenger of Allaah.” He said: “They will come with white foreheads and white hands and feet because of wudhoo’ [ablution]. I will have reached the Cistern ahead of them and men will be driven away from my Cistern as stray camels are driven away. (I will say), ‘Let them come,’ and it will said to me, ‘They changed after you were gone,’ so I will say, ‘Away with them!’”

In al-Bukhaari (6528) and Muslim (4243) it is narrated that Abu Haazim said: I heard Sahl say: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “I will reach the Cistern ahead of you. Whoever comes to it will drink and whoever drinks from it will never be thirsty again. Some people will come to me whom I will recognize and they will recognize me, but then a barrier will be placed between me and them.” Abu Haazim said: al-Nu’maan ibn Abi ‘Ayyaash heard me narrating this hadeeth and said: “Is that how you heard Sahl say it?” I said, “Yes.” He said: “I bear witness that I heard Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri add: and he [meaning the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] said: ‘They are from me.” And it will be said; “You do not know what they did after you were gone.” And I will say, “Away with those who changed after I was gone!”’”

It was narrated by al-Bukhaari (2194) and Muslim (4257) from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, I will drive men away from my Cistern as strange camels are driven away from a cistern.”

Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Our scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) said: ‘Everyone who apostatizes from the religion of Allaah or who introduces innovations with which Allaah is not pleased and did not give permission for is one of those who will be driven away from the Cistern. Those who will be most forcibly driven away will be those who differed from the majority of Muslims and split from them, such as the Khawaarijis and Raafidis [Shi’a] of all stripes, and the Mu’tazilis and anyone who followed their ways. The same applies to the evildoers and oppressors who tried to extinguish the truth and kill its followers and humiliate them, and those who openly committed major sins and took the matter of sin lightly, and all those who followed deviant whims and desires and innovation.’

So we must strive to follow the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and not go against him in any way, in the hope that Allaah will honour us by allowing us to drink from this blessed Cistern. Otherwise what regret can be greater than the regret of the one who is pushed away from before the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and suffers unbearable thirst but is not allowed to drink that cool water, then his loss is further compounded by the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that he be driven far away? We seek refuge with Allaah. Imagine this torment – what if you were actually to experience it?

We ask Allaah to bless us and our Muslim brothers and Sisters with guidance to follow the Sunnah [way of the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam)] and to avoid bid’ah (innovation) and sin. Ameen. Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. (See al-Qiyaamah al-Kubra, 257-262; al-Jannah wa’l-Naar, 166, 167 – both by Shaykh ‘Umar al-Ashqar and Fath al-Baari by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar, 11/466.)

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As for meeting Allaah and seeing Him:

• Meeting Allah [az] occurs after death and on the Day of Judgement.
• Seeing Him will occur only on the Day of Judgement.

Concerning the meeting with Allaah after death, Imaam al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) reported in Saheeh al Bukhari, in the chapter on 'Whoever loves to meet Allaah, Allaah loves to meet him,' the following:

From ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit, from the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) who said: "Whoever loves to meet Allaah, Allaah will love to meet him, and whoever hates to meet Allaah, Allaah will hate to meet him." ‘Aa’ishah or one of his wives said: "But we all dislike the idea of death." He said, "It is not what you are thinking. When death approaches the believer and he is given the news of Allaah’s pleasure and honour, nothing will be more dear to him than what lies ahead of him, so he will love to meet Allaah and Allaah will love to meet him. But when death approaches the disbeliever and he is given the news of Allaah’s wrath and punishment, nothing will be more disliked by him that what lies ahead of him, so he will hate to meet Allaah and Allaah will hate to meet him." (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 6026)

The Meaning of 'Meeting Allah'

The words "...nothing will be more dear to him than what lies ahead of him..." refer to what he will go through after death.

Muslim and al-Nisaa’i report that Shurayh ibn Haani’ said: "I said to ‘Aa’ishah: ‘I have heard a hadeeth which, if it is as I heard it, means that we are doomed. The hadeeth says: "There is not one of us who does not dislike death."’ She said: ‘It is not what you think. What it means is when a person’s eyes stare without blinking, when the death rattle is in his chest and his skin and muscles contract.’

Al-Khattaabi said:

"There are different types of meeting: it may mean seeing with one’s own eyes, or it may mean resurrection, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘They indeed are losers who denied their meeting with Allaah…’ (Al-An’aam 6:31); or it may mean death, as Allaah says: (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Whoever hopes for the Meeting with Allaah, then Allaah’s term is surely coming…’ (Al-‘Ankaboot 29:5) and ‘Say (to them): Verily, the death from which you flee will surely meet you…’ (Al-Jumu’ah 62:8)"

The meeting with Allaah (mentioned in the hadeeth quoted above) refers to something other than death, because in another hadeeth the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said, "Death is a barrier between us and the meeting with Allaah.": "The hadeeth does not refer to a dislike of death and the suffering involved, because everybody feels this way. What is being criticized here is a love and preference for this world and a dislike of the idea of moving on to Allaah and the Hereafter. This is explained by the fact that Allaah condemned people who love this life, and said (interpretation of the meaning): ‘… those who hope not for their meeting with Us, but are pleased and satisfied with the life of the present world…’ (Yoonus 10:7.)"

But when death is the means of meeting Allaah, it is described as the meeting with Allaah. 

Al-Nawawi said:

"The meaning of the hadeeth is that the like and dislike referred to are those that occur at the time of death, at the stage when repentance is no longer acceptable, when the dying person is shown where he is headed. There is also some discussion in the hadeeth about the dislike of death. Whoever dislikes death because he prefers this life to the blessings of the Hereafter is condemned. Whoever dislikes death because he fears being brought to account for his shortcomings, lack of preparation and failure to carry out the commands of Allah properly, is not to blame in this case. The one who feels this way should hasten to prepare himself so that when death comes to him he will not dislike it but will love it because of the meeting with Allaah which he is hoping for after death."

The hadeeth quoted above also indicates that no living person will see Allaah in this life, but that the believers will see Him after death, as the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: "Death is a barrier between us and the meeting with Allaah." This fact is stated even more clearly in another hadeeth narrated by Muslim from Abu Umaamah, in which the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) says: "Know that you will not see your Lord until you die."

The meeting with Allaah and seeing Him on the Day of Judgement is proven in many texts, such as the verse (interpretation of the meaning): "Some faces that Day will be naadirah (shining and radiant), looking at their Lord." (Al-Qiyaamah 75:22-23)

Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the people said, "O Messenger of Allaah, will we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?" He said, "Do you have any doubts about seeing the full moon on a cloudless night?" They said, "No." He said, "Do you have any doubts about seeing the sun on a cloudless day?" They said, "No." He said, "Then you will see your Lord in the same way." (Reported by Al-Bukhaari, 764.)

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It was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), in a hadeeth that has many corroborating reports and isnaads [chains], that he said: “Allaah will judge between His creation, jinn, men and animals. On that Day, Allaah will let the hornless animal settle its score with the horned until, when there is nothing left to be settled, Allaah will say to them, ‘Be dust.’ At that point the kaafir will say, ‘Would that I were dust.’” (Classed as saheeh)

Yes, all creatures will settle the scores between them, even the hornless animal with the horned one, and even one ant with another). It was narrated from Abu Dharr that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sitting, and two sheep locked horns until one of them defeated and subdued the other. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) smiled and someone asked him, “Why are you smiling, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “It is amazing. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, their score will be settled on the Day of Resurrection.” (Saheeh Muslim)

Imaam Al-Nawawi said inhis  Sharh [explanation] of Saheeh Muslim, in the explanation of this Hadeeth [narration]:

“This clearly indicates that the animals will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection and that they will be resurrected on the Day of Resurrection like humans who are accountable, and as children, the insane, and those whom the call did not reach will also be resurrected. There is also evidence in the Qur’aan and Sunnah to support that. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And when the wild beasts shall be gathered togethe.r” (Al-Takweer 81:5) If there is a phrase in a text of sharee’ah [the sources of Islaamic legislation] whose apparent meaning is not impossible whether according to sharee’ah or reason, then it must be interpreted according to its apparent meaning. The scholars said: reward and punishment are not essential features of the gathering and the resurrection. The settling of scores between the hornless and horned animals is not based on accountability, because they are not held accountable, rather it is retaliation in kind for the sake of justice. And Allaah knows best.”

Shaykh ‘Ali al-Qaari quoted him in al-Murqaah (4/761) as saying:

“If it is said that a sheep is not accountable, how can scores be settled with it? (Our response is) that Allaah does as He wills, and He cannot be questioned as to what He does. The point is to demonstrate to people that rights will not be neglected, rather the rights of the oppressed will be settled at the expense of the oppressor.”

Al-Qaari’ said:

“This is a good point. The point is that this settling of scores points in the most eloquent manner to the perfect justice with which all those who are accountable will be dealt. If this is the situation with regard to animals who are not accountable, then how about those who possess reason, lowly and noble, strong and weak?” (See al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, p. 612)

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The Signs are listed in roughly chronological order, although the order is not necessarily precise, especially for those in the future.

"Are they waiting for anything except the Hour, to come to them  suddenly?  But its Signs have already come!" (Al-Qur’an, Surah Muhammad)

Past

1. Splitting of the Moon.

2. Death of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

3. A form of death which will kill thousands of Muslims. (Understood to refer to the plague of Amwas during the caliphate of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab.)

4. A major fighting in Madinah (understood to refer to the battle of al-Harrah during the caliphate of Yazid, 63 AH).

5. The Muslim conquest of Jerusalem.

6. The Muslim conquest of Constantinople.

7. Two large groups of Muslims will fight in war.

8. A war between the Muslims and a reddish people with small eyes, wearing sandals made of hair (understood to refer to
the Mongol Tatar invasion of the Islamic lands.)

9. A peace agreement between the Muslims and non-Muslims from the yellow race (Chinese, Mongols, etc.)

10. Thirty impostors (dajjal) will appear, each thinking he is a prophet.

Present?

11. Naked, destitute, barefoot shepherds will compete in building tall buildings.

12. The slave-woman will give birth to her master or mistress.

13. A trial (fitnah) which will enter every Arab household.

14. Knowledge will be taken away (by the death of people of knowledge), and ignorance will prevail.

15. Wine (intoxicants, alcohol) will be drunk in great quantities.

16. Illegal sexual intercourse will become widespread.

17. Earthquakes will increase.

18. Time will pass more quickly.

19. Tribulations (fitan) will prevail.

20. Bloodshed will increase.

21. A man will pass by the grave of another and wish he was in the latter’s place.

22. Trustworthiness will be lost, i.e. when authority is given to those who do not deserve it.

23. People will gather for prayer, but will be unable to find an imam to lead them.

Future

24. The number of men will decrease, whilst the number of women will increase, until for every man there are 50 women.

25. The Euphrates will reveal a treasure of gold, and many will die fighting over it, each one hoping to be the one who gains
the treasure.

26. The Romans (Europeans) will come to a place called A’maq or Wabiq, and an army of the best people will go forth from Madinah to face them.

27. The Muslim conquest of Rome.

28. The Mahdi (guided one) will appear, and be the Imam of the Muslims.

29. Jesus Christ will descend in Damascus, and pray behind the Mahdi.

30. Jesus will break the cross and kill the swine, i.e. destroy the false christianity.

31. The Antichrist (al-masih al-dajjal, the false christ) will appear, with all his tools of deception, and be an immense trial.  He will be followed by 70,000 Jews from Isfahan (present-day Iran).

32. The appearance of Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog), and the associated tribulations.

33. The emergence of the Beast from the Earth, carrying the Staff of Moses and the Seal of Solomon, who will speak to the people, telling them they did not believe with certainty in the Divine Signs.

34. A major war between the Muslims (including Jews and Christians who truly believe in Jesus after his return) led by the Imam Mahdi, and the Jews plus other non-Muslims led by the Antichrist. 

35. Jesus will kill the Antichrist at the gate of Ludd (Lod in present-day Israel, site of an airport and a major Israeli military base).

36. A time of great peace and serenity during and after the remaining lifetime of Jesus. 

37. Wealth will come so abundant that it will become difficult to find someone to accept charity.

38. Arabia will become a land of gardens and rivers.

39. Society will then decay.

40. The buttocks of the women of the tribe of Daws will again sway in circumambulation (tawaf) around the idol Dhul-Khulsah.

41. A great fire in the Hijaz, seen by the inhabitants of Busra.

42. Three major armies will sink into the earth: one in the east, one in the west, one in Arabia.

43. An Abyssinian leader with thin shins will destroy the Ka’bah.

44. The huge cloud of smoke.

45. The sun will rise from the west (its place of setting).

46. A gentle wind which will take the souls of the believers.

47. There is no-one left on the earth saying, "Allah, Allah" or "There is no god except Allah."

48. Eventually the Day of Judgment is established upon the worst of the people, who copulate like donkeys in public.

49. The blowing in the Trumpet by the Angel Israfil, upon which everyone will faint except as Allah wills.

50. The second blowing in the Trumpet, upon which everyone will be resurrected.

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When the Day of Resurrection comes, a man's wealth and capital will be his hasanaat (good deeds). If he had done wrong to any people, they will take from his hasanaat to the extent that he mistreated them. If he does not have any hasanaat, the sayyi`aat (wrong deeds) will be taken from those he wronged and added to his burden.

Bukhari narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said: "Whoever wronged his brother with regard to his honour or any other matter, should seek his forgiveness today, before there are no longer any dinaars, or dirhams; and if he has any righteous deeds, they will be taken from him, in accordance with the wrong he did; and if he has no hasanaat (good deeds), some of the sayyi`aat (bad deeds) of his counterpart will be taken and added to his burden.” (Bukhari: Kitaab al-Mazaalim, Baab man kaanat lahu mazlamah `inda rajul, Fath al-Baari, 5/101.)

This person whose hasanaat (good deeds) are taken from him by the people, and then has their sayyi`aat (bad deeds) placed on his own back, is the one who is bankrupt, as the Messenger (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) called him. Muslim narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said: "Do you know who is the one who is bankrupt?" They said, "The bankrupt is the one who has no money and no possessions." He said, "Among my ummah [nation], the one who is bankrupt is the one who will come on the Day of Resurrection with prayer and fasting and zakah (obligatory charity to his credit), but he will come having insulted this one, slandered that one, consumed the wealth of this one and shed the blood of that one, and beaten that one. So they will all be given some of his hasanaat (good deeds), and when his hasanaat (good deeds) run out, before judgement is passed, some of their sins will be taken and cast onto him, then he will be cast into the Fire." (Muslim: 4/1998, hadith no. 2581.)

If a debtor died when he still owed money to people, they will take from his hasanaat (good deeds) whatever is in accordance with what he owes them. In Sunan ibn Maajah it is narrated with a saheeh isnaad (authentic chain) that Ibn 'Umar (radhiallahu `anhu) stated: The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:"Whoever dies owing a dinar or a dirham, it will be paid from his hasanaat (good deeds), for then there will be no dinars or dirhams.” (Saheeh al-Jaami' as-Sagheer, 5/537, hadith no. 6432.)

If people wronged one another, the score will be settled between them. If they mistreated one another equally, then there will be no score to settle. If one of them is still owed something by the other, he will take what he is entitled to.

In Sunan at-Tirmidhi it is narrated that 'Aa'ishah said: "A man came and sat in front of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam), and said, 'O Messenger of Allah, I have two slaves who tell me lies, betray and disobey me, and I insult them and beat them. What is my position with regard to them?” The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said: 'On the Day of Resurrection, their betrayal, disobedience and lying will be measured against your punishment of them. If your punishment is commensurate with their wrongs, then there will be no score to settle. If your punishment of them was less than their sins deserved, then this will count in your favour. If your punishment of them was more than their sins deserved, then the score will be settled against you.' The man turned away and started to weep. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said to him, 'Have you not read the words of Allah?': “And We shall set up Balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And Sufficient are We to take account.” (Qur'an 21: 47).’”(Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 3/66, hadith no. 5561. It is also narrated in Saheeh al-Jaami`, 6/327, hadith no. 7895, where it attributed to Ahmad and Tirmidhi.)

Because Dhulm (oppression) is such a serious matter, it is better for those who fear that Day to give up oppression and avoid it. The Messenger (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) has told us that oppression will be darkness on the Day of Resurrection. Bukhari and Muslim narrated from 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar that the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said: "Oppression (dhulm) will be darkness (dhulumaat) on the Day of Resurrection." (Bukhari: Kitaab al-Mazaalim, Baab az-Zulm Zulumaat Yawm al-Qiyaamah, Fath al-Baari, 51100; Muslim, 4/1969, hadith no. 2579.)

Muslim narrated from Jaabir ibn 'Abdullah that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said: "Beware of oppression (dhulm), for oppression will be darkness (dhulumaat) on the Day of Resurrection." (Muslim: 4/1969, hadith no. 2578.)

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It is proven in the Qur’aan and Sunnah that when a person dies, he will be called to account for every major and minor action he did in this world, whether it was good or bad. He will be rewarded for his good deeds and punished for his bad deeds. The first stage of that reckoning is in the grave. In the grave the first thing a person will be asked will be:

• Who was your Lord?
• What is your religion?
• Who is this man who was sent amongst you? (As was narrated in the hadeeth of al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib (may Allaah be pleased with him), which was narrated by Abu Dawood in his Sunan (4753) and classed as saheeh [authentic].)

Then on the Day of Resurrection he will be brought to account for every major and minor action, even though he has already been brought to account for that in the grave. The first thing for which he will be brought to account for then will be his prayer.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The first thing among their deeds for which the people will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection will be prayer. Our Lord will say to His angels, although He knows best, ‘Look at My slave’s prayer, is it complete or lacking?’ If it is complete, it will be recorded as complete, but if it is lacking, He will say, ‘Look and see whether my slave did any voluntary (naafil) prayers.’ If he had done voluntary prayers, He will say, ‘Complete the obligatory prayers of My slave from his voluntary prayers.’ Then the rest of his deeds will be examined in a similar manner.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 864; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 770.)

On the Day of Resurrection, people will be asked about other matters, including the following:

It was narrated from Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The son of Adam will not be dismissed from before his Lord on the Day of Resurrection until he has been questioned about five things: his life and how he spent it, his youth and how he used it, his wealth and how he earned it and how he disposed of it, and how he acted upon what he acquired of knowledge.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2422; classed as hasan.)

And the nations will be asked on the Day of Resurrection: “What answer gave you to the Messengers?” (Al-Qasas 28:65 – interpretation of the meaning.)

These are some of the things about which people will be asked on the Day of Resurrection. So the wise person who is keen to save himself should prepare answers to these questions. We ask Allaah to guide us to the straight path.

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The most important events that will happen on the Day of Judgement are when we will be held accountable for our deeds and when we will be questioned by our Lord Allah [az]. There are many Qur'anic verses and ahaadith [narrations] that tell us about these events so that the believers will prepare themselves for the most important, final test. They can prepare for this test with their strong faiths and with their righteous deeds. Allah (swt) says what could be translated as, "Draws near for mankind their reckoning, while they turn away in heedlessness." (Surat Al-'Anbia', Verse 1.)

Also, He says what could be translated as, "Verily, to us will be their return: -Then verily, for us will be their reckoning." (Surat Al-Ghashiah, Verses 25 and 26.)

And He says what could be translated as, "Then surely, we shall question those (people) to whom it (the book) was sent and verily, we shall question the Messengers." (Surat Al-A'raf, Verses 6 and 7.)

These verses and other ahadeeth that will be mentioned, state one of the events that will happen on the Judgement Day. What will happen on this day is called, “ Al-Hisaab ” [The Reckoning] which is when Allah (swt) will ask every person what they have done in their lives.

There will be two different ways that Allah will hold people accountable for their deeds:

The First Method: Allah will quickly and easily skim through the people's deeds, and will allow them to enter paradise safely. Those who believe strongly with sincerity, will enter paradise in this manner.

The Second Method: Allah will discuss the people's deeds in depth and in detail, and will hold them accountable for each evil act they committed. Then Allah will send them away to the Hell Fire. These are the disbelievers, hypocrites, those who are weak in their faith, or those who are not sincere will enter the Hell Fire in this manner.

Allah (swt) describes that Day in what could be translated as, "On the Day when every person will be confronted with all the good he has done, and all the evil he has done, he will wish that there were a great distance between him and his evil." (Surat Al-Imran, Verse 30.)

Anyone who is questioned in depth and in detail will surely be tortured:

Imams Bukhari and Muslim reported that Ai'sha (ra) said that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Destroyed is the one who has his account settled on the Day of Resurrection.” Ai'sha said: "O Messenger of Allah, didn't Allah say "Then he who is given his records in his right hand soon will his account be taken by easy reckoning" (Surat Al-Inshiqaq, Verses 7 and 8.) The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied: "This is the skimming through the deeds; and destroyed is the one who has his account settled on the Day of Judgment.”

The good believer will have an easy reckoning and Allah (swt) will cover up his sins after He reminds him about them. Then he will forgive him from his sins, and allow him to enter paradise.

This is concluded from a hadith reported by Imams Bukhari and Muslim in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Allah will bring the believer very close and privately and ask him "Do you know this sin? Do you know that sin? The believers reply will be, “Yes Oh Lord,” until he is reminded about all of his sins, and he thinks he will perish. Then Allah will say "I covered up your sins during your life, and I will forgive your sins today.” Then he will be given his book of good deeds. But the unbelievers and hypocrites will be asked about their deeds loudly in front of the creatures.

"These are the ones who lied against their Lord!" No doubt! The curse of Allah is on the Dhaalimoon (polytheists, wrongdoers, oppressors, etc.)!" (Surat Huud, Verse 18.)

Allah will confront His servant directly, without a mediator.

The Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “Allah will talk to everyone directly, without a translator. The person will look to his right, and will not see anything but his deeds. Then the person, will look in front of himself and will see nothing but the hellfire facing him. So protect yourself from Hellfire even by giving a charity of half a date." (Reported by Imam Bukhari.)

Prayer will be the first thing a person will be questioned about on the Day of Judgment.

Prayer is a right of Allah (swt), and people will be questioned about it. They will be asked if their prayers were done completely and with good quality. If a person performs prayers with the utmost of quality, then the person will be saved. If the prayers were done incompletely or half-heartedly, then his voluntary prayers will suffice for the shortcomings.

The Messenger (peace be upon him) told us in an authentic hadith , “The first thing the people will be accountable for on the Day of Judgment is prayer, Allah will say to His angels (even though he already knows): “Look at my servants prayers, were they complete or not?” If they were complete, it will be written as complete. If they were not fully complete Allah will say: “See if my servant has voluntary prayers, if he has them Allah will say: Complete his obligatory prayers shortage with his voluntary prayers.” Then the rest of his deeds will be dealt with in the same manner.” (Reported by Imams Ahmad, Abu Dawood, An-Nisa'i, and Al-Hakim)

We will be asked in the Day of Judgement about five things.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The son of Adam will not pass away from Allah until he is asked about five things: how he lived his life, and how he utilized his youth, with what means did he earn his wealth, how did he spend his wealth, and what did he do with his knowledge.” (Hasan hadith reported by Imam At-Tirmithi.)

We will be asked in the Day of Judgement about all of the blessings and bounties that Allah gave us in this life. Some of these blessings may include our good health, our wealth, our food and drink, our ride and our home, etc. Allah (swt) says in the Noble Qur'an, what could be translated as, “Then, on that Day, you shall be asked about the delight (you indulged in in this world).” (Surat Al-Takathir, Verse 8.)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) described the questioning in a speech reported by Imam Muslim: "Allah (swt) will meet a person and ask him: "O person, wasn't I generous with you, and made you with a spouse, and made the horses and camels at your disposal?" The servant will reply "yes!" Allah (swt) will then ask “Did you think that you will meet me?” He will reply: "No!" Allah (swt) will say: "I will forget you like you forgot me!" Then Allah (swt) will meet another person and his reply will be the same as the first person. Then Allah (swt) will meet a third person and will ask similar questions, and the person's reply will be: "O Lord I believed in you, in your books, and in your messengers. I prayed, I fasted, and I gave charity." And he will praise Allah as much as he can. Allah (swt) will say: "Hold on to your words, Now we will bring the witnesses." The person will ask himself “Who will testify against me?” Then that persons mouth will be sealed, and his thighs, flesh and bones will be asked to speak. They will speak about his bad deeds. He will know that he has no excuse. That is the hypocrite Allah (swt) will be furious with!”

Allah (swt) describes that situation in what could be translated as, "On the day when their tongues, their hands, and their feet will bear witness against them as to their actions" (Surat An-Nur, (verse 24)). Also Allah (swt) says what could be translated as, "And they will say to their skin: "Why did you bear witness against us?” They will say "Allah has caused us to speak, as He cause all things to speak." (Surat Al-Fussillat, Verse 21.)

Also Allah (swt) will ask us in the Day of Judgment about all of our convenants and promises that we have made in our lives. Those promises may be made to Allah (swt) or made to people. And so Allah (swt) says in what could be translated as, “And fulfil (every) covenant. Verily! The covenant, will be questioned about.” (Surat Al-Israa, Verse 34.)

Allah (swt) will also ask us in the Day of Judgment about our hearing, our vision, and our hearts. He will ask us about how we utilized each of them. Allah (swt) says in the Noble Qur'an, in what could be translated as, “Verily! The hearing, and the sight, and the heart, of each of those, you will be questioned (by Allah). ” (Surat Al-Israa, Verse 36.)

It is out of the Mercy of Allah (swt), that he told us about these important questions ahead of time so that we can prepare ourselves. The good believer is the one who prepares himself for those difficult events by getting closer to Allah (swt), by doing good deeds, and by staying away from what Allah has forbidden, so that he will be among those who receive their book of deeds on the Day of Judgment in their right hand and Allah will enter them into paradise.

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Mom’s two-year tooth-and-nail battle with cancer has ended. No matter how tightly I shut my eyes and remember her loving hugs, bright smile, or warm lap, they will not manifest. But if I can learn from this loss, perhaps I can turn grief into something positive, and thereby honor mom’s memory.  

Cancer and death have disrupted the calm of my life, creating ripples of change. Change for good. Alhumdulillah.

Death has taught me to live

My picture of life has often felt foggy. What is my purpose? It’s a tough question.

Contrast can create meaning. Take light for example; without darkness, it is meaningless. Subhan’Allah. In the same vein, I think to myself: how can I really live without understanding death?

When mom’s soul left her body and we began the preparations for her burial, I thought about death for the first time. Yes, I’ve heard lectures about the afterlife since I was a child. But, in all honesty, I had never contemplated it. Death was always taboo.

Exploring death has been liberating. It has helped me break the choking fetters of materialism in favor of something divine. It has helped me appreciate my responsibility to myself, family, and community. My picture of life has gained focus. The colors are vibrant, hues are crisp, and lines are clear.

Death is not morbid. In fact, I have never felt so alive. 

Motherhood, martyrdom, and my motivation

In 52 years, my mom never received an award for her career. Because, as a stay-at-home mom, she sacrificed her career for us. She never wore high fashion clothes. Because, as part of a working-class family, she saved all of her money for us. She never complained about her circumstances in life. Because, as a compassionate mom, she never wanted to stress us.

My mom didn’t fight in a war, but I believe she was a martyr. At 26, I finally realize that she gave the world for me. Now, I want to be her award. I want to perfect my character, improve my world, and pleasure my God to honor her.

Vincent van Gogh, Edgar Allen Poe, and Johann Bach are part of a long list of artists who were finally celebrated after their death. Their work was ahead of their time. Perhaps, the same is true for the stay-at-home mom, an occupation that has unfortunately lost its luster in our American culture.

Cancer as a sheep in wolf’s clothing

When I realized the extent of mom's cancer, anxiety built in my chest. I saved my tears for God, a sort of ghusl that watered the parched soil of my heart. It softened my being and allowed faith to take root, giving life to a new understanding of patience.

Before Dr. King became Dr. King, he suffered intense depression due to child abuse and the untimely death of his grandmother. Before Einstein became Einstein, he had developmental disabilities and experienced serious poverty. Trauma, in all of its pain, can still have positive results. In fact, our Prophet (PBUH) exemplifies this. Before he was born, his father passed away. At six, his mother passed away. And two years later, his grandfather passed away as well.

In math, an inflection point is the point when a line changes direction. Allah (SWT) promises that each of us will be tested with loss of health, wealth, and life, but glad tidings are reserved for those who patiently persevere through such challenges (2:155). Perhaps these events can serve as an inflection point, catalyzing positive change in our lives. While we have no control over what happens to us, we do have control over our response. 

It is difficult to say out loud, but much good has come from cancer. My picture of life has become clearer, providing me with a better sense of purpose. I am motivated to excel in good work to honor my mom. Our family has come together in a way that has never happened before. I have invested into my relationship with Allah (SWT), making him a close friend and confidant.

With so many things to be thankful for, it is difficult to harbor anger towards this disease and its unfortunate result.

A couple of quick asks that I have of you:

• If this reflection has sparked new thoughts, please spend five minutes to share the ideas with family or friends. Insha’Allah any good that results from your ideas will illuminate my mother’s grave.
• Thank your mother and father. Without them, you would not be reading this message today.

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This is final act of Shaykh Abdur-Razzaaq Al-Halabi. He was a teacher of the Qur'aan and its 10 modes of recitation in ‪Syria‬.

His finger remains pointing to the Words of Allah that he loved, taught & lived- inshaa'Allah.

Ya Allaah! Accept him into Your Mercy, forgive him & raise him high in Jannah.

O Allaah! increase him and do not deprive him, honour him and let him not be disgraced

O Allaah! Grant him for every letter of the Qur'aan, sweetness. For every word, honour. For every Aayah, joy and for every Soorah, Peace.

O Allaah! Admit him to Jannah by virtue of the Qur'aan’s intercession and let each verse be witness for him, O Allaah.

Ya Allaah! Bless me with an end like his after a long life serving Your Book like him!

Aameen!

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Category: Death and the Grave

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Category: Death and the Grave

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Category: Death and the Grave

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"Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing)."
( سورة آل عمران , Aal-e-Imran, Chapter #3, Verse #185)

"Say: "The angel of death, who is set over you, will take your souls. Then you shall be brought to your Lord."
( سورة السجدة , As-Sajda, Chapter #32, Verse #11)

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Category: Death and the Grave

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A Qur'aan teacher always advised her students to live by this Ayah:

وَعَجِلْتُ إِلَيْكَ رَبِّ لِتَرْضَىٰ

"And I hurried to You, my Lord, so that You'll be pleased."

[Taahaa, [20]: 84]
...

She told them, "This Ayah is what moves me. When I hear the Adhaan and I'm in occupied and the middle of something, I remind myself of this Ayah and so i get up to pray."

"When my alarm goes off at 2am and i want to go back to sleep I remember: "And I hurried to You, my Lord, so you'll be pleased", and so i get up.

Her husband had the following arrangement with her: On his way home from work he'd call her so she'll get the food hot & ready, so he can come home and eat & sleep.

One day he asked her to make Mahshi (stuffed grape leaves) - very time consuming. You wrap many of them and put the pot of them on the stove to cook. She had 3 more to wrap then she had to put them on the stove to cook.

But the Adhaan came in...

So she left the 3 remaining grape-leaves (which would have taken her 5 mins) and went to pray. Her husband kept calling & calling her phone but there was no answer.

He came home and found her in Sujood and food not ready. He saw there were only 3 grape-leaves left. So he was upset & said, "You could have just finished them & put the pot to cook then pray!"

No response.

He went to her to discover she had died in her Sujood!

SubhaanAllaah, had she waited like any of us to "finish whats in her hand" she would have died in the kitchen! But a person dies upon what they lived on and by. And they are resurrected on what they died on.

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Category: Death and the Grave

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"Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing)."
( سورة آل عمران , Aal-e-Imran, Chapter #3, Verse #185)

"Say: "The angel of death, who is set over you, will take your souls. Then you shall be brought to your Lord."
( سورة السجدة , As-Sajda, Chapter #32, Verse #11)

*Please click here if you can't see the above video.

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Category: Death and the Grave

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"O mankind! If you are in doubt concerning the Resurrection, then lo! We have created you from dust, then from a drop of seed, then from a clot, then from a little lump of flesh shapely and shapeless, that We may make it clear for you. And We cause what We will to remain in the wombs for an appointed time, and afterward We bring you forth as infants, then give you growth that you attain full strength. And among you there is he who dies young, and among you there is he who is brought back to the most abject time of life, so that after knowledge he knows naught!" [Al-Haj 22:5]

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