Since seven years i am in love with one boy.... he is against my religion he is a hindu after a great effort i convinced him to convert to muslim and he had agreed but now he has changed his mind and he abuses me all the time and he ignores me because he income is good now i guess i am suppose to leave him but iam not able to do so because i love him a lot and i fear leaving him,he has taken care of me from four years now because i stay alone here for education and my parents are else where... please suggest a strong dua so that i succeed in my career and to totally forget this guy who keeps hurting and ignoring.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
You must hasten to repent to Allaah and beg Him to forgive and pardon you, for you have wronged yourself and your religion, and spent this long period of your life in disobedience to Allaah, and the shaytaan has made your bad deeds appear attractive to you. You say that you wanted to call this playboy to Islam, but you should have called yourself to fear Allaah and to beware of His punishment.
It is indeed a great calamity when fathers and mothers fail to protect their daughters and leave them exposed to the “wolves” on the basis of their study. Where is your protective jealousy, O people of Islam? What about the trust (amaanah) concerning which you will be asked before Allaah tomorrow?
Your staying far away from your family was the beginning of this evil, then your getting to know this boy and falling in love with him and becoming so attached that you were afraid to leave him or be far away from him. All of these are things from which you must repent to your Lord before death takes you by surprise when you are in this state. Praise Allaah that there is still some life in your heart which has led you to ask and try to get out of this great calamity. We ask Allaah to save you and keep you safe.
Secondly:
There are some steps that you have to take in order to rid yourself of this sinful relationship, which could lead to your doom in this world and in the Hereafter.
1 – You must resolve firmly to end this relationship out of fear of Allaah and in the hope that He will forgive you for what has happened in the past, not because this boy has treated you badly and hurt you, but because your Almighty Lord has rights over you and you are a believing woman who must strive to please Him and avoid disobeying Him.
2 – You must cut off all means of communication between you and change your place of residence if possible; indeed you should go back to your family so that Allaah will make it easy for you to be distracted and forget about him, and you can be resolved and able to leave him.
3 – You should occupy yourself with worshipping Allaah, by regularly praying, fasting, reciting dhikr and reading Qur’aan, because if the nafs is not kept busy with acts of obedience to Allaah, it will keep you busy in acts of disobedience to Him, and the shaytaan is closer to the person who is falling short and negligent in his worship and religious commitment.
4 – You should not think about this boy at all or about calling him to Islam, because this is one of the tricks of the shaytaan which is aimed at making you incur the wrath of Allaah.
5 – You should remember that you belong to this great religion, so do not let this evildoer have the joy of you drifting away from it. Remember that it is obligatory for every Muslim to disavow himself of the kaafireen and not feel any love in his heart for any one of them, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“You (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) will not find any people who believe in Allaah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allaah and His Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), even though they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred (people). For such He has written Faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with Rooh (proofs, light and true guidance) from Himself. And He will admit them to Gardens (Paradise) under which rivers flow, to dwell therein (forever). Allaah is pleased with them, and they with Him. They are the party of Allaah. Verily, it is the party of Allaah that will be the successful”
[al-Mujaadilah 58:22].
6 – You should look for some righteous friends who can help you to obey Allaah and put a barrier between you and disobedience to Him. You should listen a great deal to tapes of exhortations and raqaa’iq (heart-softening reports) about Paradise and Hell, death and the torment of the grave, so as to increase your faith and make you fear Allaah more, and so that you will realize how insignificant this world and everything in it is, and how important the Hereafter and what Allaah has prepared for its people are.
7 – Say a lot of du’aa’ and ask Allaah to divert evil from you and save you from temptation. For example, you can say: “O Allaah, guide me to what is best for me, and protect me from the evil of my own self. O Allaah, purify my heart and guard my chastity. O Allaah, divert the plot of the Shaytaan away from me. O Controller of the hearts, make my heart adhere firmly to Your religion.”
What matters is that you should say that with humility and proper focus, and chose the times when du’aa’s are answered, such as between the adhaan and iqaamah, whilst prostrating and in the last third of the night. The du’aa’ does not have to be in words narrated in reports (from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)), rather you may ask Allaah for what you need in whatever language you can, declaring your need for Allaah and asking Him to save you, purify you, divert evil from you and cover and conceal you in this world and in the Hereafter.
We ask Allaah to guide you and accept your repentance.
And Allaah knows best.
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Thursday, 22 March 2012
Enthusiasm when one first repents, followed by slackening off
When a person repents, he makes a vigorous start and says, “The Shaytaan is telling me to slow down,” so he does more acts of worship. Then his enthusiasm cools down, and he says, “Allaah does not burden any person beyond his scope,” and his acts of worship become less until he goes back to the way he was.
My question: What advice can you give? Should he make a vigorous start, or take a gradual approach until it is established and then add more after a while, or should he follow the saying, “When your wind blows, then make the most of it”?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The blessing of guidance and repentance is one of the greatest blessings that Allaah can bestow upon the Muslim, whereby he changes himself for the better in ways that will bring him closer to Allaah, may He be exalted. Usually the person who has repented starts to do acts of worship in an enthusiastic manner, seeking thereby to make up for what he missed out on during the time that he spent in sin and misguidance.
This is something natural that happens to everyone who is sincere in his repentance. This was mentioned by our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who also described the cooling off and reduction of enthusiasm that comes after that. This is also something natural, but the danger in the case of one who has repented is that this loss of enthusiasm may lead to him going back to the way he was. Hence it is essential to pay attention to this matter. If the one who repents finds his enthusiasm waning, he must adopt a moderate approach and adhere to the Sunnah so that he can preserve his capital, then he can start again with energy and strength, because starting from the middle is better than starting from zero.
It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every deed has a period of enthusiasm, and every period of enthusiasm is followed by a slackening off. If a person’s enthusiasm is for my Sunnah, then he has succeeded, but whoever chooses something else when he slackens off is doomed.”
Narrated by Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh (1/187); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 56.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every deed has a period of enthusiasm, and every period of enthusiasm is followed by a slackening off. If a person is moderate and avoids extremes, then you may have hope for him, but if fingers are pointed at him, then do not count him as anything.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2453; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 57.
Al-Mubaarakfoori (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“Every deed has a period of enthusiasm” means, enthusiasm and energy for doing a thing, whether it is for good or evil.
“and every period of enthusiasm is followed by a slackening off” means, one becomes tired, weak and lethargic
“If a person is moderate and avoids extremes” means, if he controls his enthusiasm and avoids the extremes of excess and negligence when his enthusiasm wanes.
“then you may have hope for him” means, there is the hope that he will succeed, for he can continue to adhere to something moderate, and the most beloved of deeds to Allaah are those which are done consistently.
“but if fingers are pointed at him” means, he is striving hard in order to become famous for his worship and asceticism, so that he will be famous and people will point at him.
“then do not count him as anything” means, do not think of him as special or regard him as one of the righteous, for he is showing off. He did not say, “Do not have any hope for him,” because he has already fallen and he cannot catch up with what he has missed.
Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi, 7/126
In order for the Muslim to avoid either extreme, he must be moderate and not go to extremes in doing acts of worship and obedience lest he get bored and give it up, and he should not refrain from doing them out of laziness and carelessness lest he gets used to that and never goes back to worship. Both attitudes are wrong, but the one who follows a middle path is following the right path, and whoever follows the right path will attain that which Allaah loves and is pleased with.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No one of you will be saved by his deeds.” They said: Not even you, O Messenger of Allaah? He said: “Not even me, unless Allaah bestows mercy upon me. So do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and worship Allaah in the forenoon and in the afternoon and during a part of the night, and always adopt a moderate course whereby you will reach your target (Paradise).”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6098
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“So do good deeds” means, strive to do what is right.
“moderately” means, do not go to extremes in worship, lest you become tired and give up, and thus fall short.
This hadeeth indicates that we are encouraged to be gentle and moderate in worship; the words used liken worship to walking at various times of day and night, with the aim of reaching one's abode, namely Paradise.
“Always adopt a moderate course” means adhere to the middle way. The literal translation would be, “Moderation, moderation”; the word is repeated for emphasis.
Fath al-Baari, 11/297
Conclusion: We invite you to ponder the ahaadeeth quoted above and think about what they mean. Remember that the one who repents should be grateful, and the best way of showing gratitude is to persist in repentance, which means persisting in worship. Remember that “The dearest of actions to Allaah is that which is done regularly, even if it is small.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim. So do not start in an overenthusiastic way and then stop completely; rather be moderate in worship. This is something that it is possible for you to do. Whenever you feel more energetic, then focus on obeying and worshipping Allaah, and whenever you feel tired than go back to the moderate way. We ask Allaah to make things easy for you, and to guide you to the best of words, deeds and attitudes.
And Allaah knows best.
My question: What advice can you give? Should he make a vigorous start, or take a gradual approach until it is established and then add more after a while, or should he follow the saying, “When your wind blows, then make the most of it”?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The blessing of guidance and repentance is one of the greatest blessings that Allaah can bestow upon the Muslim, whereby he changes himself for the better in ways that will bring him closer to Allaah, may He be exalted. Usually the person who has repented starts to do acts of worship in an enthusiastic manner, seeking thereby to make up for what he missed out on during the time that he spent in sin and misguidance.
This is something natural that happens to everyone who is sincere in his repentance. This was mentioned by our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who also described the cooling off and reduction of enthusiasm that comes after that. This is also something natural, but the danger in the case of one who has repented is that this loss of enthusiasm may lead to him going back to the way he was. Hence it is essential to pay attention to this matter. If the one who repents finds his enthusiasm waning, he must adopt a moderate approach and adhere to the Sunnah so that he can preserve his capital, then he can start again with energy and strength, because starting from the middle is better than starting from zero.
It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every deed has a period of enthusiasm, and every period of enthusiasm is followed by a slackening off. If a person’s enthusiasm is for my Sunnah, then he has succeeded, but whoever chooses something else when he slackens off is doomed.”
Narrated by Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh (1/187); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 56.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every deed has a period of enthusiasm, and every period of enthusiasm is followed by a slackening off. If a person is moderate and avoids extremes, then you may have hope for him, but if fingers are pointed at him, then do not count him as anything.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2453; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 57.
Al-Mubaarakfoori (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“Every deed has a period of enthusiasm” means, enthusiasm and energy for doing a thing, whether it is for good or evil.
“and every period of enthusiasm is followed by a slackening off” means, one becomes tired, weak and lethargic
“If a person is moderate and avoids extremes” means, if he controls his enthusiasm and avoids the extremes of excess and negligence when his enthusiasm wanes.
“then you may have hope for him” means, there is the hope that he will succeed, for he can continue to adhere to something moderate, and the most beloved of deeds to Allaah are those which are done consistently.
“but if fingers are pointed at him” means, he is striving hard in order to become famous for his worship and asceticism, so that he will be famous and people will point at him.
“then do not count him as anything” means, do not think of him as special or regard him as one of the righteous, for he is showing off. He did not say, “Do not have any hope for him,” because he has already fallen and he cannot catch up with what he has missed.
Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi, 7/126
In order for the Muslim to avoid either extreme, he must be moderate and not go to extremes in doing acts of worship and obedience lest he get bored and give it up, and he should not refrain from doing them out of laziness and carelessness lest he gets used to that and never goes back to worship. Both attitudes are wrong, but the one who follows a middle path is following the right path, and whoever follows the right path will attain that which Allaah loves and is pleased with.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No one of you will be saved by his deeds.” They said: Not even you, O Messenger of Allaah? He said: “Not even me, unless Allaah bestows mercy upon me. So do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and worship Allaah in the forenoon and in the afternoon and during a part of the night, and always adopt a moderate course whereby you will reach your target (Paradise).”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6098
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“So do good deeds” means, strive to do what is right.
“moderately” means, do not go to extremes in worship, lest you become tired and give up, and thus fall short.
This hadeeth indicates that we are encouraged to be gentle and moderate in worship; the words used liken worship to walking at various times of day and night, with the aim of reaching one's abode, namely Paradise.
“Always adopt a moderate course” means adhere to the middle way. The literal translation would be, “Moderation, moderation”; the word is repeated for emphasis.
Fath al-Baari, 11/297
Conclusion: We invite you to ponder the ahaadeeth quoted above and think about what they mean. Remember that the one who repents should be grateful, and the best way of showing gratitude is to persist in repentance, which means persisting in worship. Remember that “The dearest of actions to Allaah is that which is done regularly, even if it is small.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim. So do not start in an overenthusiastic way and then stop completely; rather be moderate in worship. This is something that it is possible for you to do. Whenever you feel more energetic, then focus on obeying and worshipping Allaah, and whenever you feel tired than go back to the moderate way. We ask Allaah to make things easy for you, and to guide you to the best of words, deeds and attitudes.
And Allaah knows best.
He caused some kittens to die – will his repentance be accepted?
I live in an apartment building and in my apartment I left one of the windows open. A cat gave birth to four kittens, and I spoke to my father about these kittens and he told me to keep them for a while until the kittens got a little bigger and could fend for themselves, but I only kept them for a short while, until their eyes were open and they had begun to walk, then I threw them out of the apartment and put them on the roof, although I knew that their mother would never be able to find where they had gone. This is what actually happened.
This happened although I knew the hadeeth of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about the woman who entered Hell because of a cat, but I still left them and went away from that place for three days.
What has happened now is that after I came back, I found that the kittens are not there, and their mother is looking for them. It seems that they fell into the drains of the building.
What is the ruling on me in this case, as I could have prevented that and saved these kittens, and that would not have cost me anything, and I also went against my father’s advice? Am I a sinner? What should I do to expiate for my sin? Please advise me, may Allaah have mercy on you and reward you. I feel very depressed and I cannot enjoy life. I am just waiting for death so that I can find some relief from these feelings. All the time I think about these kittens and I think they never harmed me but I killed them, so I will go to Hell like that women in the hadeeth.
I have become depressed and have no enthusiasm for anything I do. I do not find any joy in anything. I wish that I could turn back the clock. I feel so lost and helpless. I will never forget this incident and the pain it has caused me, in this world or in the Hereafter.
Praise be to Allaah.
Allaah has enjoined kindness in all things, as it says in the hadeeth: “Allaah is Kind and He loves kindness in all things.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5678) and Muslim (2165).
Muslim (2592) narrated that Jareer (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Whoever is deprived of kindness is deprived of goodness.”
Remember that whoever has any kind of animals must protect them and give them food and water. It is not permissible for him to expose them to danger. In the hadeeth that you referred to, the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that a woman entered Hell because of a cat that she detained and did not feed it or let it eat from the vermin of the earth, i.e., insects. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2365) and Muslim (904).
It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: We were with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on a journey, and he went to relieve himself. We saw a bird with two chicks and we took away her chicks, and the bird started flapping her wings. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came and said: “Who has upset this bird by taking her children? Give her children back to her.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (2675); classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
The point is that whomever Allaah has given any of these animals to look after, such as if they are in his care or he is raising them and keeping them for some need, then he must look after them and treat them kindly.
Based on that, then you have to repent to Allaah for several reasons:
1 – Disobeying your parents whom Allaah has commanded you to honour and obey so long as there is no sin involved in doing so.
2 – These kittens were in your care but you failed to look after them, and that led to their death.
3 – You upset their mother by separating her and her children, then her little ones died.
Undoubtedly the feelings of sin that you describe indicate that your heart is alive and that you have sincere feelings of regret for what you have done.
But perhaps that has gone too far, such that you feel despair, and this undoubtedly is not permissible, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say: O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-Zumar 39:53]
What about the vastness of Allaah’s mercy, which encompasses all things? What about Allaah’s acceptance of His slaves’ repentance, even from major sins?
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us of a man who killed ninety-nine people, then he killed a devoted worshipper, thus completing one hundred, then he repented sincerely and Allaah accepted his repentance – as is narrated in al-Saheehayn. What is your sin in comparison to his? He killed one hundred people then repented, and Allaah accepted his repentance. So you have no right to despair of the forgiveness and mercy of Allaah. Do righteous deeds and always remember the words of Allaah , may He be exalted: “Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds” [Hood 11:114].
And Allaah knows best.
This happened although I knew the hadeeth of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about the woman who entered Hell because of a cat, but I still left them and went away from that place for three days.
What has happened now is that after I came back, I found that the kittens are not there, and their mother is looking for them. It seems that they fell into the drains of the building.
What is the ruling on me in this case, as I could have prevented that and saved these kittens, and that would not have cost me anything, and I also went against my father’s advice? Am I a sinner? What should I do to expiate for my sin? Please advise me, may Allaah have mercy on you and reward you. I feel very depressed and I cannot enjoy life. I am just waiting for death so that I can find some relief from these feelings. All the time I think about these kittens and I think they never harmed me but I killed them, so I will go to Hell like that women in the hadeeth.
I have become depressed and have no enthusiasm for anything I do. I do not find any joy in anything. I wish that I could turn back the clock. I feel so lost and helpless. I will never forget this incident and the pain it has caused me, in this world or in the Hereafter.
Praise be to Allaah.
Allaah has enjoined kindness in all things, as it says in the hadeeth: “Allaah is Kind and He loves kindness in all things.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5678) and Muslim (2165).
Muslim (2592) narrated that Jareer (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Whoever is deprived of kindness is deprived of goodness.”
Remember that whoever has any kind of animals must protect them and give them food and water. It is not permissible for him to expose them to danger. In the hadeeth that you referred to, the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that a woman entered Hell because of a cat that she detained and did not feed it or let it eat from the vermin of the earth, i.e., insects. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2365) and Muslim (904).
It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: We were with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on a journey, and he went to relieve himself. We saw a bird with two chicks and we took away her chicks, and the bird started flapping her wings. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came and said: “Who has upset this bird by taking her children? Give her children back to her.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (2675); classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
The point is that whomever Allaah has given any of these animals to look after, such as if they are in his care or he is raising them and keeping them for some need, then he must look after them and treat them kindly.
Based on that, then you have to repent to Allaah for several reasons:
1 – Disobeying your parents whom Allaah has commanded you to honour and obey so long as there is no sin involved in doing so.
2 – These kittens were in your care but you failed to look after them, and that led to their death.
3 – You upset their mother by separating her and her children, then her little ones died.
Undoubtedly the feelings of sin that you describe indicate that your heart is alive and that you have sincere feelings of regret for what you have done.
But perhaps that has gone too far, such that you feel despair, and this undoubtedly is not permissible, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say: O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-Zumar 39:53]
What about the vastness of Allaah’s mercy, which encompasses all things? What about Allaah’s acceptance of His slaves’ repentance, even from major sins?
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us of a man who killed ninety-nine people, then he killed a devoted worshipper, thus completing one hundred, then he repented sincerely and Allaah accepted his repentance – as is narrated in al-Saheehayn. What is your sin in comparison to his? He killed one hundred people then repented, and Allaah accepted his repentance. So you have no right to despair of the forgiveness and mercy of Allaah. Do righteous deeds and always remember the words of Allaah , may He be exalted: “Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds” [Hood 11:114].
And Allaah knows best.
Ruling on kissing one’s wife in the street in front of people
I am in alot of trouble. I can not ask local Iman because he is not good in his knowledge and i am embarassed to ask friends or family. You see, the problem is I got married recently and I think i might of committed zina with my wife. This is how, we were driving my sisters car and me and wife stopped the car in a quiet place and we kissed alot, quite alot. a man walked passed and he saw us, but we did not stop. i feel i have committed open zina. do we need to pay kafarah, or confess to our elders. my second very very important question is after kissing, i let out (we were both wearing clothes all the time mufti saab) sperm in my underwear. Now i feel very bad because this is my sisters car and she has been driving it after me. i can not wash the car seat as she will get suspicious and confront me. i do not want to lie, now she sits in the car sits on the floor to eat dinner, sits on the sofa, her and her children and i feel very very bad as to what to do. is the car and sofa and place were we sit not clean anymore, and my wife and i are arguing she blames me for worrying. i think she is a bad muslim, because she does not fear Allah, becuase she made me stop the car and kiss, i hate her for that. dear sir, i await your reply as i am disturbed by what has happened, i like to keep paak and clean at all times to please Allah.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Please note that you will never be able to live your life without sins and mistakes. This is the nature of man. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every son of Adam commits sin, and the best of those who commit sin are those who repent.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2499; Ibn Maajah, 4251; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. This hadeeth clearly indicates that man will inevitably commit sin, but what matters after that is what he does about his sin. The believer repents to Allaah from all his sins, gives them up and asks Allaah for forgiveness every time he commits a sin, and he regrets doing it and resolves sincerely not to do it again. If you do that, then understand that Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful; He forgives all sins for the righteous believer who repents sincerely and admits his sin humbly before Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say: O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-Zumar 39:53]
The sin that you have admitted to is not zina with your wife! Rather it is kissing her in front of other people, because there is no zina with one's wife, rather zina is done with a woman whom it is not permissible for a man to touch. But in the case of a wife, it is permissible to touch her.
It is not permissible for a man or a woman to speak to anyone else of what happens between them in bed which no one else should see but them, because of the evils and temptations that result from that and because it opens the door to the shaytaan. This has to do with one who speaks about what he did with his wife, so how about one who does things in front of people where they can see him!
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his Fataawa (10/277) that kissing one’s wife in front of people is not permissible.
Secondly:
As for the expiation for this sin, there is no expiation except sincere repentance and firm resolve not to do it again, and true regret for having committed this sin.
As for confessing to your parents, there is no need for that. The sin that you have admitted to is a sin against Allaah, so confession should be made to Allaah. It is between you and Allaah and you should not tell anyone about it, but be sincere in your repentance to Allaah and Allaah will forgive you. Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
The fact that your wife is the one who told you to do this deed does not mean that she is not a righteous woman or that she does not fear Allaah. You also agreed with her to do it, and you did not stop even when that man saw you. So you should also shoulder your share of responsibility for what you did.
See also questions no. 6103 and 31773.
May Allaah help you to do that which He loves and which pleases Him.
And Allaah knows best.
Reading quran and exploring it is the true duty of a Muslim because it contains Allah’s message to all people and the quran teaching tells the people that how to act correctly. By learning quran you will find that it guides us to a correct way of life in this world. We as a practicing Muslim should teach our kids quran and let the kids learn quran recitation and do quran memorization and we also do quran memorization by heart and there is an other importing thing that learn quran with tajweed because the tajweed rules are very important regarding the pronunciation and way or read the holy quran and further more enhancing the quranic studies by learning quran tafseer and reading quran the translation with it listening to quran online with the quran recitation don by some of the top reciter also. It is the Book of Allah also talks about life after death. It tells us that Allah has prepared Paradise for good people and Hell for bad people. While reading Quran we see that it encourages the worship of only one God Who creates and provides for them. The Book forbids people from evil and condemns those who do wrong. It contains stories of the past Prophets and the examples of bad and good people. Find online quran courses
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Please note that you will never be able to live your life without sins and mistakes. This is the nature of man. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every son of Adam commits sin, and the best of those who commit sin are those who repent.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2499; Ibn Maajah, 4251; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. This hadeeth clearly indicates that man will inevitably commit sin, but what matters after that is what he does about his sin. The believer repents to Allaah from all his sins, gives them up and asks Allaah for forgiveness every time he commits a sin, and he regrets doing it and resolves sincerely not to do it again. If you do that, then understand that Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful; He forgives all sins for the righteous believer who repents sincerely and admits his sin humbly before Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say: O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-Zumar 39:53]
The sin that you have admitted to is not zina with your wife! Rather it is kissing her in front of other people, because there is no zina with one's wife, rather zina is done with a woman whom it is not permissible for a man to touch. But in the case of a wife, it is permissible to touch her.
It is not permissible for a man or a woman to speak to anyone else of what happens between them in bed which no one else should see but them, because of the evils and temptations that result from that and because it opens the door to the shaytaan. This has to do with one who speaks about what he did with his wife, so how about one who does things in front of people where they can see him!
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his Fataawa (10/277) that kissing one’s wife in front of people is not permissible.
Secondly:
As for the expiation for this sin, there is no expiation except sincere repentance and firm resolve not to do it again, and true regret for having committed this sin.
As for confessing to your parents, there is no need for that. The sin that you have admitted to is a sin against Allaah, so confession should be made to Allaah. It is between you and Allaah and you should not tell anyone about it, but be sincere in your repentance to Allaah and Allaah will forgive you. Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
The fact that your wife is the one who told you to do this deed does not mean that she is not a righteous woman or that she does not fear Allaah. You also agreed with her to do it, and you did not stop even when that man saw you. So you should also shoulder your share of responsibility for what you did.
See also questions no. 6103 and 31773.
May Allaah help you to do that which He loves and which pleases Him.
And Allaah knows best.
Reading quran and exploring it is the true duty of a Muslim because it contains Allah’s message to all people and the quran teaching tells the people that how to act correctly. By learning quran you will find that it guides us to a correct way of life in this world. We as a practicing Muslim should teach our kids quran and let the kids learn quran recitation and do quran memorization and we also do quran memorization by heart and there is an other importing thing that learn quran with tajweed because the tajweed rules are very important regarding the pronunciation and way or read the holy quran and further more enhancing the quranic studies by learning quran tafseer and reading quran the translation with it listening to quran online with the quran recitation don by some of the top reciter also. It is the Book of Allah also talks about life after death. It tells us that Allah has prepared Paradise for good people and Hell for bad people. While reading Quran we see that it encourages the worship of only one God Who creates and provides for them. The Book forbids people from evil and condemns those who do wrong. It contains stories of the past Prophets and the examples of bad and good people. Find online quran courses
She spoke to men over the internet then she repented from that
PLEASE HELP, ITS URGENT! (May Allah make you see this).
I need your advice, I became Muslim 4 years ago, I got married 3 years ago (or there abouts). I do not live with my husband as our marriage is secret, his parents do not know about me yet. Anyway the point is, I do not get to see my husband as often as I would like, and as a result I became lonely, and in my stupidity and selfishness and inpatience, I started to speak to NON MAHRAMS over the internet!!!! (May Allah forgive me). I spoke you quite a few of them, and told them I was not married, and to some of them I said I was divorced or getting divorced. Also I gave one of them an old picture of me without hijab, My hair, neck and arms were uncovered!!!!!!! This was all months ago, and I have repented for my crimes, and I have cried for fear of my grave and the Day of Judgement. I fear Allah so much and have cut off all ties with these people, I no longer speak to any men over the internet as I know Shaytaan temps human beings. I am truly ashamed of what I have done, and feel so guilty for it. I love my husband and he is going to tell his family about me soon inshaAllah. But I do not want to hurt him or embarrass him by having to call things off because of what I have done, I do not want to lose him. Do I have to tell him what I have done??? And what about the Photo, I hate what I did, but what if the boy still has it???? Will I go to hell????? And as for me telling people I was divorced or getting divorced, is my marriage still valid??????? I know I have ruined my life, but please help me, Allah knows best my intentions, I do not want to hurt anyone or do wrong in the sight of Allah. I want to do what is best for everyone concerned, I want to cover myself, can I do this. Please help me as I'm in so much pain.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Praise be to Allaah Who has guided you to Islam. Allaah has chosen you to be one of the followers of this great message, which is one of the greatest means of attaining goodness and happiness in this life and in the Hereafter. You must always remember this great blessing of which many are deprived, and express your gratitude to Allaah both inwardly and outwardly.
Secondly:
Praise be to Allaah Who has blessed you with a Muslim husband, although we wish that it was a marriage in which your husband is not far away from you, and that his family knew about it. The fact that your husband has hidden this marriage from his family and has kept away from you played a major role in what happened to you. You must hasten to set this matter straight, by asking him to make your marriage known and to hasten to tell his family; he should also stay by your side to help you to obey Allaah, may He be exalted. He should fear Allaah with regard to you and not expose you to temptation. He should pay attention to this responsibility which rests on his shoulders.
Thirdly:
Praise be to Allaah Who has enabled you to repent and turn back to Him before you became immersed in sin or did anything worse than that. The Shaytaan makes sin appear attractive to the one who does it, but if you remember the punishment for doing it and the reward that is with Allaah for not doing it, and remember what Allaah has prepared in the Hereafter for those who are obedient, you will realize that what is with Allaah is better and more lasting, and that no matter what pleasure a person may get from sinning, it will end up in distress and hardship in this world and punishment in the Hereafter. So continue to repent and regret what you did, and resolve firmly never to go back to it. Do voluntary acts of worship to make up for what you have missed and to draw closer to Allaah and earn more reward.
Fourthly:
It is essential for you to close the door to the temptations which led you to sin. What we mean by that is those chats. You have to keep away from those sinful chats with men altogether. It is not permissible for you to enter chat rooms or correspond with them or talk to them. If you have their names on “Messenger” then you must hasten to erase their names.
If you fear that logging onto the internet will lead you to chatting with them, then you must keep away from the internet altogether and content yourself with useful audio tapes, reading useful books, and looking for righteous female friends who will guide you to what is good and keep you away from evil.
Another requirement of sincere repentance is that it should be accompanied by regret and resolve not to go back to that sin; you should also keep away from other tempting sites and sites that are haraam or that promote idleness and immorality.
If you devote your time to listening to useful tapes, reading useful books and reading answers and articles on Islamic websites that are known to follow correct beliefs and the correct path, this will be sufficient for you as long as you live. How can you waste your life in things that are of no benefit when you have before you a treasure of good books, articles and tapes? That will be evidence against you on the Day of Resurrection if you neglect it. You have no right to say “I am alone and I do not know how to spend my time” when you have in front of you as it were a garden filled with beautiful and fragrant flowers. Make the most of this garden and strive to do good for yourself. Remember that life is short and if a person were to spend it all in worship he would still meet Allaah falling short in his duties, so how about if he wastes his life in idleness and sin?
Fifthly:
Usually when many men establish relationships with women, they stay with them until they get what they want from them, then they move on to someone else. This is what Allaah has saved you from, and it is a blessing that cannot be described in terms of worldly wealth. It requires you to be constantly grateful to Allaah. Some men also leave women for others if they despair of having their way with them or if communication between them ceases. Many of them may think that the conversations that took place were not with a woman, and that the picture was not of a particular person but came from a photo shop or from a magazine or newspaper. If you have cut off all contact with them – and this is what Allaah has enabled you to do – then any of these things are possible. There is no need to worry about the picture or try to get it back, if you express the wish to have the picture back, it could be used for extortion, as has happened to many women. So forget about the matter altogether and delegate your affairs to Allaah, may He be exalted, for He is the Concealer who loves concealment, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said. He is the One Who has guided you to Islam and to repentance, and He is the One Who has saved you. So do not fall prey to those wolves. Allaah is the One Who will conceal you and make things easy for you by His will, may He be glorified and exalted. There are many more pictures of women other than you with which the internet is filled – Allaah forbid – and none of them will be interested in a picture like that when he has thousands more in front of him.
Sixthly:
Beware of telling your husband about what happened, rather you should conceal it with the concealment of Allaah. If you tell him, it may lead to bad consequences. So leave this issue between you and Allaah, and repent to Him, may He be exalted. Ask Him for forgiveness and do a lot of good deeds; strive to get your husband to tell his family about your marriage, and ask him to stay with you so that he can help you to obey Allaah. Do not open any closed doors by telling him what happened, because there is no benefit in telling him, rather that may only lead to something that is not in your interests at all.
Seventhly:
Telling people that you are divorced or about to get divorced does not have any effect on the validity of your marriage, so rest assured and do not worry. Words like this may lead to other consequences if they are uttered by the husband, but if the wife says them they do not have any effect on the marriage contract. So do not worry about this matter. There is no ruling that results from your saying this, apart from your having to repent and seek forgiveness for saying something that is not true.
Eighthly
You have not ruined your life, rather you have reformed it, first by becoming Muslim, then by repenting from this sin. Remember that Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful, and that He accepts the repentance of His slaves and changes the bad deeds of those who are sincere in their repentance to good deeds. He may enable you to repent sincerely so that you will be better off and more steadfast after that sincere return to Him. So do not let despair enter your heart. Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “All sons of Adam are prone to sin, and the best of those who sin are those who repent.” You are one of the daughters of Adam, and you have sinned, so be one of the best of those who sin, namely those who repent. We hope that Allaah has enabled you to repent sincerely and that He will accept it from you.
Remember that Allaah will turn your bad deeds into good deeds if you do that. Listen to what our Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And those who invoke not any other ilaah (god) along with Allaah, nor kill such person as Allaah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.
69. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace;
70. Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-Furqaan 25:68-70]
In conclusion:
Continue to repent and close the doors to temptation. Strive to do acts of worship and obedience, and to find righteous friends. Do not tell your husband about what happened, and put your trust in Allaah, that He will conceal you if you are sincere in your repentance.
We hope that we have answered all your questions and that you will find this website helpful in sha Allaah. We hope to hear that your situation has changed for the better and that your husband will tell his family about your marriage. We ask Allaah to bless you with beneficial knowledge, good deeds and righteous offspring.
And Allaah is the Source of strength.
From learning Quran online Blog.
And notably& note that we want to discourse and share with you it is about Reading quran and doing Quran recitation online to appreciate it, Ramadan is the month when the divine Holy Quran has been brought out. A miracle by the Lord of the worlds, Allah (SWT) Should we not spiritualize him by reading Quran the natural endowment he has sent down for us and we should learn Arabic Quran by heart to have the power of it and we as Moslem should try to Learn Quran with translation to comprehend it while we do quran memorization and let our heart fill will teardrops of glory and wash away our sins in the month of Ramadan many people teach quran and we should participate in teaching quran as much as we could. important note to before starting to read Koran after social intercourse or menstrual bleeding one must not touch the holy Quran or do quran recitation and also not do quran memorization until after bathing non-Muslim should not handle the religious writing, but may listen up to Quran online. In relation to all these things in your thoughts when one is not reading or reciting holy Quran it must be closed and stored in nice and clean situation, it should never be placed on floor or in a privy and Muslim will require to focus on reading quran the tajweed quran and its normals with a proper institute.
End from online Quran reciter blog.
I need your advice, I became Muslim 4 years ago, I got married 3 years ago (or there abouts). I do not live with my husband as our marriage is secret, his parents do not know about me yet. Anyway the point is, I do not get to see my husband as often as I would like, and as a result I became lonely, and in my stupidity and selfishness and inpatience, I started to speak to NON MAHRAMS over the internet!!!! (May Allah forgive me). I spoke you quite a few of them, and told them I was not married, and to some of them I said I was divorced or getting divorced. Also I gave one of them an old picture of me without hijab, My hair, neck and arms were uncovered!!!!!!! This was all months ago, and I have repented for my crimes, and I have cried for fear of my grave and the Day of Judgement. I fear Allah so much and have cut off all ties with these people, I no longer speak to any men over the internet as I know Shaytaan temps human beings. I am truly ashamed of what I have done, and feel so guilty for it. I love my husband and he is going to tell his family about me soon inshaAllah. But I do not want to hurt him or embarrass him by having to call things off because of what I have done, I do not want to lose him. Do I have to tell him what I have done??? And what about the Photo, I hate what I did, but what if the boy still has it???? Will I go to hell????? And as for me telling people I was divorced or getting divorced, is my marriage still valid??????? I know I have ruined my life, but please help me, Allah knows best my intentions, I do not want to hurt anyone or do wrong in the sight of Allah. I want to do what is best for everyone concerned, I want to cover myself, can I do this. Please help me as I'm in so much pain.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Praise be to Allaah Who has guided you to Islam. Allaah has chosen you to be one of the followers of this great message, which is one of the greatest means of attaining goodness and happiness in this life and in the Hereafter. You must always remember this great blessing of which many are deprived, and express your gratitude to Allaah both inwardly and outwardly.
Secondly:
Praise be to Allaah Who has blessed you with a Muslim husband, although we wish that it was a marriage in which your husband is not far away from you, and that his family knew about it. The fact that your husband has hidden this marriage from his family and has kept away from you played a major role in what happened to you. You must hasten to set this matter straight, by asking him to make your marriage known and to hasten to tell his family; he should also stay by your side to help you to obey Allaah, may He be exalted. He should fear Allaah with regard to you and not expose you to temptation. He should pay attention to this responsibility which rests on his shoulders.
Thirdly:
Praise be to Allaah Who has enabled you to repent and turn back to Him before you became immersed in sin or did anything worse than that. The Shaytaan makes sin appear attractive to the one who does it, but if you remember the punishment for doing it and the reward that is with Allaah for not doing it, and remember what Allaah has prepared in the Hereafter for those who are obedient, you will realize that what is with Allaah is better and more lasting, and that no matter what pleasure a person may get from sinning, it will end up in distress and hardship in this world and punishment in the Hereafter. So continue to repent and regret what you did, and resolve firmly never to go back to it. Do voluntary acts of worship to make up for what you have missed and to draw closer to Allaah and earn more reward.
Fourthly:
It is essential for you to close the door to the temptations which led you to sin. What we mean by that is those chats. You have to keep away from those sinful chats with men altogether. It is not permissible for you to enter chat rooms or correspond with them or talk to them. If you have their names on “Messenger” then you must hasten to erase their names.
If you fear that logging onto the internet will lead you to chatting with them, then you must keep away from the internet altogether and content yourself with useful audio tapes, reading useful books, and looking for righteous female friends who will guide you to what is good and keep you away from evil.
Another requirement of sincere repentance is that it should be accompanied by regret and resolve not to go back to that sin; you should also keep away from other tempting sites and sites that are haraam or that promote idleness and immorality.
If you devote your time to listening to useful tapes, reading useful books and reading answers and articles on Islamic websites that are known to follow correct beliefs and the correct path, this will be sufficient for you as long as you live. How can you waste your life in things that are of no benefit when you have before you a treasure of good books, articles and tapes? That will be evidence against you on the Day of Resurrection if you neglect it. You have no right to say “I am alone and I do not know how to spend my time” when you have in front of you as it were a garden filled with beautiful and fragrant flowers. Make the most of this garden and strive to do good for yourself. Remember that life is short and if a person were to spend it all in worship he would still meet Allaah falling short in his duties, so how about if he wastes his life in idleness and sin?
Fifthly:
Usually when many men establish relationships with women, they stay with them until they get what they want from them, then they move on to someone else. This is what Allaah has saved you from, and it is a blessing that cannot be described in terms of worldly wealth. It requires you to be constantly grateful to Allaah. Some men also leave women for others if they despair of having their way with them or if communication between them ceases. Many of them may think that the conversations that took place were not with a woman, and that the picture was not of a particular person but came from a photo shop or from a magazine or newspaper. If you have cut off all contact with them – and this is what Allaah has enabled you to do – then any of these things are possible. There is no need to worry about the picture or try to get it back, if you express the wish to have the picture back, it could be used for extortion, as has happened to many women. So forget about the matter altogether and delegate your affairs to Allaah, may He be exalted, for He is the Concealer who loves concealment, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said. He is the One Who has guided you to Islam and to repentance, and He is the One Who has saved you. So do not fall prey to those wolves. Allaah is the One Who will conceal you and make things easy for you by His will, may He be glorified and exalted. There are many more pictures of women other than you with which the internet is filled – Allaah forbid – and none of them will be interested in a picture like that when he has thousands more in front of him.
Sixthly:
Beware of telling your husband about what happened, rather you should conceal it with the concealment of Allaah. If you tell him, it may lead to bad consequences. So leave this issue between you and Allaah, and repent to Him, may He be exalted. Ask Him for forgiveness and do a lot of good deeds; strive to get your husband to tell his family about your marriage, and ask him to stay with you so that he can help you to obey Allaah. Do not open any closed doors by telling him what happened, because there is no benefit in telling him, rather that may only lead to something that is not in your interests at all.
Seventhly:
Telling people that you are divorced or about to get divorced does not have any effect on the validity of your marriage, so rest assured and do not worry. Words like this may lead to other consequences if they are uttered by the husband, but if the wife says them they do not have any effect on the marriage contract. So do not worry about this matter. There is no ruling that results from your saying this, apart from your having to repent and seek forgiveness for saying something that is not true.
Eighthly
You have not ruined your life, rather you have reformed it, first by becoming Muslim, then by repenting from this sin. Remember that Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful, and that He accepts the repentance of His slaves and changes the bad deeds of those who are sincere in their repentance to good deeds. He may enable you to repent sincerely so that you will be better off and more steadfast after that sincere return to Him. So do not let despair enter your heart. Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “All sons of Adam are prone to sin, and the best of those who sin are those who repent.” You are one of the daughters of Adam, and you have sinned, so be one of the best of those who sin, namely those who repent. We hope that Allaah has enabled you to repent sincerely and that He will accept it from you.
Remember that Allaah will turn your bad deeds into good deeds if you do that. Listen to what our Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And those who invoke not any other ilaah (god) along with Allaah, nor kill such person as Allaah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.
69. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace;
70. Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-Furqaan 25:68-70]
In conclusion:
Continue to repent and close the doors to temptation. Strive to do acts of worship and obedience, and to find righteous friends. Do not tell your husband about what happened, and put your trust in Allaah, that He will conceal you if you are sincere in your repentance.
We hope that we have answered all your questions and that you will find this website helpful in sha Allaah. We hope to hear that your situation has changed for the better and that your husband will tell his family about your marriage. We ask Allaah to bless you with beneficial knowledge, good deeds and righteous offspring.
And Allaah is the Source of strength.
From learning Quran online Blog.
And notably& note that we want to discourse and share with you it is about Reading quran and doing Quran recitation online to appreciate it, Ramadan is the month when the divine Holy Quran has been brought out. A miracle by the Lord of the worlds, Allah (SWT) Should we not spiritualize him by reading Quran the natural endowment he has sent down for us and we should learn Arabic Quran by heart to have the power of it and we as Moslem should try to Learn Quran with translation to comprehend it while we do quran memorization and let our heart fill will teardrops of glory and wash away our sins in the month of Ramadan many people teach quran and we should participate in teaching quran as much as we could. important note to before starting to read Koran after social intercourse or menstrual bleeding one must not touch the holy Quran or do quran recitation and also not do quran memorization until after bathing non-Muslim should not handle the religious writing, but may listen up to Quran online. In relation to all these things in your thoughts when one is not reading or reciting holy Quran it must be closed and stored in nice and clean situation, it should never be placed on floor or in a privy and Muslim will require to focus on reading quran the tajweed quran and its normals with a proper institute.
End from online Quran reciter blog.
Repenting from gambling
I have gambled a lot. How can I repent from that?
Praise be to Allaah.
You have to give up gambling straight away and keep away from the people who do it, from the places where it happens and from gambling machines. You have to regret what has happened in the past, and resolve not to return to it. You also have to give in charity, because it was narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever swears and says in his oath ‘By al-Laat and al-‘Uzza,’ let him say ‘Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah (there is no god but Allaah).’ And whoever says to his companion, ‘Come on, let’s gamble,’ let him give in charity.”
Al-Nawawi said: the scholars said, he enjoined charity as an expiation for the sin of speaking these words. Al-Khattaabi said, What it means is that he should give in charity the amount that he wanted to gamble.
Al-Nawawi said, the correct view is that which was stated by the scholars, and which is the apparent meaning of the hadeeth, that it does not have to be this specific amount, but that he should give in charity whatever he can, of things that are counted as charity. This is supported by the report which says, “Let him give something in charity.”
Praise be to Allaah.
You have to give up gambling straight away and keep away from the people who do it, from the places where it happens and from gambling machines. You have to regret what has happened in the past, and resolve not to return to it. You also have to give in charity, because it was narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever swears and says in his oath ‘By al-Laat and al-‘Uzza,’ let him say ‘Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah (there is no god but Allaah).’ And whoever says to his companion, ‘Come on, let’s gamble,’ let him give in charity.”
Al-Nawawi said: the scholars said, he enjoined charity as an expiation for the sin of speaking these words. Al-Khattaabi said, What it means is that he should give in charity the amount that he wanted to gamble.
Al-Nawawi said, the correct view is that which was stated by the scholars, and which is the apparent meaning of the hadeeth, that it does not have to be this specific amount, but that he should give in charity whatever he can, of things that are counted as charity. This is supported by the report which says, “Let him give something in charity.”
His boss gave him the choice between reducing his beard or leaving the job
I work in a company and the boss asked me to reduce my beard (not shave it off) or leave the job. He always lets me pray in the mosque at the times of prayer. What is the ruling on reducing my beard?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Shaving the beard is haraam, as is shortening it and reducing it, because of the evidence which shows that it is obligatory to leave it alone and let it grow.
It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (5/133): Shaving the beard is haraam because of the saheeh ahaadeeth and reports that have been narrated concerning that, and because of the general meaning of the texts that forbid resembling the kuffaar, including the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar, which says that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Be different from the mushrikeen; let your beards grow and trim your moustaches.” According to another report: “trim your moustaches and let your beards grow.” And there are other, similar ahaadeeth. Letting the beard grow means leaving it as it is and not shaving it, or plucking or cutting any part of it. Ibn Hazm narrated that there was scholarly consensus that trimming the moustache and letting the beard grow is obligatory, and he quoted as evidence a number of ahaadeeth, including the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) quoted above, and the hadeeth of Zayd ibn Arqam, according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does not trim his moustache is not one of us.” Classed as saheeh by al-Tirmidhi. It says in al-Furoo’: According to our companions – the Hanbalis – this indicates that it is haraam.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The Qur’aan, Sunnah and scholarly consensus indicate that we are commanded to be different from the kuffaar and that it is forbidden to resemble them in general terms, because resembling them outwardly may cause us to resemble them in attitude and doing blameworthy deeds and even in beliefs. It generates love and friendship inwardly, just as inward love generates outward resemblance. Al-Tirmidhi narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “He is not one of us who imitates people other than us; do not imitate the Jews and the Christians.” According to another report: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” Narrated by Imam Ahmad. And ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab rejected the testimony of a man who plucked his beard.
Imam Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said in al-Tamheed: It is haraam to shave the beard, and no one does that but effeminate men, meaning those who imitate women. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had a thick beard, as was narrated by Muslim from Jaabir and in other reports. And it is not permissible to remove anything from it because of the general meaning of the evidence that shows that that is not allowed. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: What is the ruling on one who makes the ends of his beard even?
He said: What is required is to leave the beard alone and let it grow, and not to do anything to it, because it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Trim the moustache and let the beard grow; be different from the mushrikeen.” Saheeh – agreed upon. Narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him). And al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) narrated in his Saheeh from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Trim the moustache and let the beard grow; be different from the mushrikeen.” Muslim narrated in his Saheeh from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Cut the moustache and let the beard grow; be different from the Magians.”
All these ahaadeeth indicate that it is obligatory to leave the beard alone and let it grow, and to trim the moustache. This is what is prescribed in Islam, and this is what is obligatory, as taught and enjoined by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This is following the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them), and differing from the mushrikeen, and avoiding resembling them or resembling women.
With regard to the report narrated by al-Tirmidhi (may Allaah have mercy on him) which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to remove something from the length and breadth of his beard, this is a false report according to the scholars, and it is not a saheeh report from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Some people insisted on using this hadeeth as evidence, but it is not a saheeh report, because its isnaad includes ‘Umar ibn Haroon al-Balkhi, who is accused of lying.
So it is not permissible for a believer to follow this false hadeeth, or to use as a concession that which was said by some scholars, for the Sunnah is binding upon us all, and Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad), has indeed obeyed Allaah”
[al-Nisa’ 4:80]
“Say: Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger, but if you turn away, he (Messenger Muhammad) is only responsible for the duty placed on him (i.e. to convey Allaah’s Message) and you for that placed on you. If you obey him, you shall be on the right guidance. The Messenger’s duty is only to convey (the message) in a clear way (i.e. to preach in a plain way)”
[al-Noor 24:54]
“O you who believe! Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allaah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allaah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination”
[al-Nisa’ 4:59]
And Allaah is the Source of strength. End quote from Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh ibn Baaz (4/443).
Secondly:
It is not permissible for your boss to order you to reduce your beard, because this is an order to commit sin, as explained above, and you have no right to obey him. Rather what you must do is be patient and explain the shar’i ruling to him. If he insists on his opinion, and letting your beard grow means that you will lose your job, it depends on your situation and your work. If you can find another job, then leave this one, seeking the pleasure of Allaah. If you cannot find another job, then we hope that you will be forgiven if you reduce your beard, because the scholars have stated that it is permissible to do a haraam action in causes of necessity and extreme need, so long as you limit yourself to the minimum of reducing it that will please your boss. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“So keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him as much as you can”
[al-Taghaabun 64:16]
See also question no. 70319.
And Allaah knows best
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Shaving the beard is haraam, as is shortening it and reducing it, because of the evidence which shows that it is obligatory to leave it alone and let it grow.
It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (5/133): Shaving the beard is haraam because of the saheeh ahaadeeth and reports that have been narrated concerning that, and because of the general meaning of the texts that forbid resembling the kuffaar, including the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar, which says that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Be different from the mushrikeen; let your beards grow and trim your moustaches.” According to another report: “trim your moustaches and let your beards grow.” And there are other, similar ahaadeeth. Letting the beard grow means leaving it as it is and not shaving it, or plucking or cutting any part of it. Ibn Hazm narrated that there was scholarly consensus that trimming the moustache and letting the beard grow is obligatory, and he quoted as evidence a number of ahaadeeth, including the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) quoted above, and the hadeeth of Zayd ibn Arqam, according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does not trim his moustache is not one of us.” Classed as saheeh by al-Tirmidhi. It says in al-Furoo’: According to our companions – the Hanbalis – this indicates that it is haraam.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The Qur’aan, Sunnah and scholarly consensus indicate that we are commanded to be different from the kuffaar and that it is forbidden to resemble them in general terms, because resembling them outwardly may cause us to resemble them in attitude and doing blameworthy deeds and even in beliefs. It generates love and friendship inwardly, just as inward love generates outward resemblance. Al-Tirmidhi narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “He is not one of us who imitates people other than us; do not imitate the Jews and the Christians.” According to another report: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” Narrated by Imam Ahmad. And ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab rejected the testimony of a man who plucked his beard.
Imam Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said in al-Tamheed: It is haraam to shave the beard, and no one does that but effeminate men, meaning those who imitate women. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had a thick beard, as was narrated by Muslim from Jaabir and in other reports. And it is not permissible to remove anything from it because of the general meaning of the evidence that shows that that is not allowed. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: What is the ruling on one who makes the ends of his beard even?
He said: What is required is to leave the beard alone and let it grow, and not to do anything to it, because it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Trim the moustache and let the beard grow; be different from the mushrikeen.” Saheeh – agreed upon. Narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him). And al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) narrated in his Saheeh from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Trim the moustache and let the beard grow; be different from the mushrikeen.” Muslim narrated in his Saheeh from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Cut the moustache and let the beard grow; be different from the Magians.”
All these ahaadeeth indicate that it is obligatory to leave the beard alone and let it grow, and to trim the moustache. This is what is prescribed in Islam, and this is what is obligatory, as taught and enjoined by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This is following the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them), and differing from the mushrikeen, and avoiding resembling them or resembling women.
With regard to the report narrated by al-Tirmidhi (may Allaah have mercy on him) which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to remove something from the length and breadth of his beard, this is a false report according to the scholars, and it is not a saheeh report from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Some people insisted on using this hadeeth as evidence, but it is not a saheeh report, because its isnaad includes ‘Umar ibn Haroon al-Balkhi, who is accused of lying.
So it is not permissible for a believer to follow this false hadeeth, or to use as a concession that which was said by some scholars, for the Sunnah is binding upon us all, and Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad), has indeed obeyed Allaah”
[al-Nisa’ 4:80]
“Say: Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger, but if you turn away, he (Messenger Muhammad) is only responsible for the duty placed on him (i.e. to convey Allaah’s Message) and you for that placed on you. If you obey him, you shall be on the right guidance. The Messenger’s duty is only to convey (the message) in a clear way (i.e. to preach in a plain way)”
[al-Noor 24:54]
“O you who believe! Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allaah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allaah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination”
[al-Nisa’ 4:59]
And Allaah is the Source of strength. End quote from Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh ibn Baaz (4/443).
Secondly:
It is not permissible for your boss to order you to reduce your beard, because this is an order to commit sin, as explained above, and you have no right to obey him. Rather what you must do is be patient and explain the shar’i ruling to him. If he insists on his opinion, and letting your beard grow means that you will lose your job, it depends on your situation and your work. If you can find another job, then leave this one, seeking the pleasure of Allaah. If you cannot find another job, then we hope that you will be forgiven if you reduce your beard, because the scholars have stated that it is permissible to do a haraam action in causes of necessity and extreme need, so long as you limit yourself to the minimum of reducing it that will please your boss. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“So keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him as much as you can”
[al-Taghaabun 64:16]
See also question no. 70319.
And Allaah knows best
She is not sure whether her prayer and fasting are valid
I feel ashamed to ask this question because of the abhorrence of what I used to do, and I do not even like to mention it.
A few years ago I used to do two horrible things. The first is that a female relative and I used to fondle one another and we continued to do that for a while, then we stopped. The second is that I used to mistreat the young son of our neighbours; I used to hit him time after time and make him kiss me or touch part of my body. I do not even like to mention these things because it makes me feel that I am bad. I really regret having done these things. I have a number of questions.
1- Do I have to fast the days on which I did those things, although I did not know that they invalidate my fasting and prayers?
2- Do I also have to repeat the prayers?
3- I do not know if any fluid was emitted or not.
4- I am confused and uncertain, and I do not remember if I did those things in Ramadaan or not?
5- If I have to fast, how can I work out the number of days? I tried hard to work it out but I do not remember exactly when I did those things.
6- When does a girl become accountable for her fasting? Is it after she reaches puberty? I mean, is it after she gets her monthly period for the first time?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We praise Allaah for having enabled you to repent from these haraam deeds, and we ask Allaah to accept your repentance.
Secondly:
You do not have to make up any of the prayers or fasts, for the following reasons:
1- You did not know that this would invalidate your fasting and prayers. If a person does something haraam without knowing that it is forbidden, then he may be excused and does not deserve to be punished for this sin. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And there is no sin on you concerning that in which you made a mistake, except in regard to what your hearts deliberately intend. And Allaah is Ever Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Ahzaab 33:5]. Ignorance is a kind of mistake, because the one who is unaware does not deliberately commit sin. See the answers to questions no. 50017 and 45648.
2- You are not certain that any fluid was emitted. If a Muslim does an act of worship, the basic principle is that it is judged to be valid, so long as he is not certain that it was not valid. Merely doubting does not invalidate an act of worship once it has been done.
Thirdly:
With regard to a girl becoming accountable for fasting and other Islamic rulings, that happens when she reaches puberty, and a girl reaches puberty when one of four signs occur:
1- Reaching the age of fifteen
2- Growth of coarse hair around the private part
3- Emission of maniy (fluid emitted at climax)
4- Menstruation.
It is not essential that all of these happen at once, rather one sign is sufficient to establish that puberty has been reached.
See also the answer to question no. 21246.
We ask Allaah to enable you to do all that is good. And Allaah knows best.
A few years ago I used to do two horrible things. The first is that a female relative and I used to fondle one another and we continued to do that for a while, then we stopped. The second is that I used to mistreat the young son of our neighbours; I used to hit him time after time and make him kiss me or touch part of my body. I do not even like to mention these things because it makes me feel that I am bad. I really regret having done these things. I have a number of questions.
1- Do I have to fast the days on which I did those things, although I did not know that they invalidate my fasting and prayers?
2- Do I also have to repeat the prayers?
3- I do not know if any fluid was emitted or not.
4- I am confused and uncertain, and I do not remember if I did those things in Ramadaan or not?
5- If I have to fast, how can I work out the number of days? I tried hard to work it out but I do not remember exactly when I did those things.
6- When does a girl become accountable for her fasting? Is it after she reaches puberty? I mean, is it after she gets her monthly period for the first time?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We praise Allaah for having enabled you to repent from these haraam deeds, and we ask Allaah to accept your repentance.
Secondly:
You do not have to make up any of the prayers or fasts, for the following reasons:
1- You did not know that this would invalidate your fasting and prayers. If a person does something haraam without knowing that it is forbidden, then he may be excused and does not deserve to be punished for this sin. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And there is no sin on you concerning that in which you made a mistake, except in regard to what your hearts deliberately intend. And Allaah is Ever Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Ahzaab 33:5]. Ignorance is a kind of mistake, because the one who is unaware does not deliberately commit sin. See the answers to questions no. 50017 and 45648.
2- You are not certain that any fluid was emitted. If a Muslim does an act of worship, the basic principle is that it is judged to be valid, so long as he is not certain that it was not valid. Merely doubting does not invalidate an act of worship once it has been done.
Thirdly:
With regard to a girl becoming accountable for fasting and other Islamic rulings, that happens when she reaches puberty, and a girl reaches puberty when one of four signs occur:
1- Reaching the age of fifteen
2- Growth of coarse hair around the private part
3- Emission of maniy (fluid emitted at climax)
4- Menstruation.
It is not essential that all of these happen at once, rather one sign is sufficient to establish that puberty has been reached.
See also the answer to question no. 21246.
We ask Allaah to enable you to do all that is good. And Allaah knows best.
Ruling on one who apostatises repeatedly
Soorat al-Nisa’ states that Allah will not accept the Islam of one who commits kufr three times, and will never guide him. Does that include not praying three times, for example?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The important principle that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, confirms in His revelation and states that it is the foundation of reckoning and the criterion of reward and punishment, is that repentance wipes out whatever came before it, and that Islam erases all that came before it; the gate of repentance is open to every individual, even if he falls into sin and kufr time after time. The grace and mercy of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, towards His slaves decrees that He should accept the repentance of the one who repents and forgive him his sins.
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease (from disbelief), their past will be forgiven” [al-Anfaal 8:38].
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do you not know that Islam destroys whatever came before it, and that hijrah destroys whatever came before it, and that Hajj destroys whatever came before it?” Narrated by Muslim, 121.
There are also verses which indicate that the repentance of the apostate, if he comes back to Islam and repents sincerely, is accepted. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“How shall Allaah guide a people who disbelieved after their Belief and after they bore witness that the Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) is true and after clear proofs had come unto them? And Allaah guides not the people who are Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers).
They are those whose recompense is that on them (rests) the Curse of Allaah, of the angels, and of all mankind
They will abide therein (Hell). Neither will their torment be lightened, nor will it be delayed or postponed (for a while).”
And yet after all that, Allah, may He be glorified, says:
“Except for those who repent after that and do righteous deeds. Verily, Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:86-88, 89].
But if a person apostatises and then goes further in disbelief and wrongdoing, and he does not repent or come back to Islam, this is the one to whom the verse in Soorat al-Nisa’ –which the questioner mentioned – refers, and the verses from Aal ‘Imraan also indicate that his repentance will not be accepted.
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, those who disbelieved after their Belief and then went on increasing in their disbelief (i.e. disbelief in the Qur’aan and in Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) — never will their repentance be accepted (because they repent only by their tongues and not from their hearts). And they are those who are astray.
91. Verily, those who disbelieved, and died while they were disbelievers, the (whole) earth full of gold will not be accepted from anyone of them even if they offered it as a ransom. For them is a painful torment and they will have no helpers”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:90-91].
And He says:
“Verily, those who believe, then disbelieve, then believe (again), and (again) disbelieve, and go on increasing in disbelief; Allaah will not forgive them, nor guide them on the (right) way”
[al-Nisa’ 4:137].
Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Tafseer al-Qur’aan al-‘Azeem (1/753):
Here Allah tells us about the one who enters Islam and then recants, then comes back to it, then recants and persists in his misguidance, and increases in it until he dies: there is no repentance after his death and Allah will not forgive him or grant him any way out from what he is in, and there is no way he could be guided. Hence He says: “Allaah will not forgive them, nor guide them on the (right) way.” Ibn Abi Haatim said: … It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said concerning the verse, “and go on increasing in disbelief”: They persist in their disbelief until they die. This was also the view of Mujaahid. End quote.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (16/28-29):
Concerning these whose repentance will not be accepted, there were several opinions:
It was said that it is because of their hypocrisy, or because they repented from sins less grave than shirk but did not repent from shirk, or it was said that their repentance would never be accepted after death. But the majority, such as al-Hasan, Qataadah, ‘Ata’, al-Khorasaani and al-Suddi said: Their repentance will never be accepted when death comes to them. So this is like the verse in which Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds until death faces one of them and he says: ‘Now I repent;’ nor of those who die while they are disbelievers” [al-Nisa’ 4:18].
And the same applies to the verse in which Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, those who believe, then disbelieve, then believe (again), and (again) disbelieve, and go on increasing in disbelief; Allaah will not forgive them, nor guide them on the (right) way”
[al-Nisa’ 4:137].
Mujaahid and other mufassireen said: “and go on increasing in disbelief” means, they remain steadfast in that until they die.
I [Ibn Taymiyah] say: That is because the one who repents is giving up kufr, whereas the one who does not repent is persisting in it and adding kufr to kufr. The words “and go on increasing in disbelief” are like saying, they persisted in kufr and continued in kufr and remained in kufr. So they became disbelievers after becoming Muslim, then their kufr increased and did not grow less. The repentance of these people will not be accepted, referring to their repentance when they are dying, because the one who repents before death comes has repented soon enough and recanted his kufr, so it did not increase; rather it decreased, unlike the one who persisted in kufr until the time of death. End quote.
There is no difference of opinion among the scholars that if the apostate repents sincerely and comes back to Islam, Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will accept him and forgive him for what is past, even if he has apostatized repeatedly.
This is with regard to Allah in the Hereafter.
As for the rulings in this world, some of the scholars said that if a person apostatises repeatedly he should be executed and his repentance not accepted. The difference of opinion among the scholars about accepting repentance has to do with rulings in this world only and does not have to do with a person’s standing before Allah in the Hereafter, may He be glorified and exalted.
Ibn Qudaamah said in al-Mughni (12/271):
To sum up, the difference of opinion among the imams concerning the acceptance of their repentance has to do with rulings in this world, not executing them, and affirming that they should be treated as Muslims.
As to whether Allah accepts their repentance and forgives the one who repents and gives up (apostasy) both inwardly and outwardly, there is no difference of opinion concerning that. End quote.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 30/16:
When the fuqaha’ differed concerning the acceptance of the repentance of one who apostatises repeatedly and the acceptance of the repentance of the heretic, that only has to do with the ruling on outward appearances, because the repentance of such people cannot be trusted. But if he is sincere in his heart towards Allah in his repentance then he is included in the words of Allah (interpretation of the meaning): “Say: “O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Zumar 39:53].
According to the correct scholarly opinion, the repentance of one who has apostatised repeatedly is to be accepted with regard to rulings in this world too, and he comes under the same rulings as any other Muslim. This is the view of the majority of Hanafi and Shaafa‘i scholars and is the well-known view among the Maalikis, and is the second of the two views of Ahmad ibn Hanbal.
See Haashiyat Tabyeen al-Haqaa’iq, 3/284; Fath al-Qadeer, 6/68; al-Insaaf, 10/332-335; Tuhfat al-Muhtaaj, 9/69; Kashshaaf al-Qinaa‘, 6/177-178; al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 14/127-128. In al-Mabsoot (10/99-100) it is attributed to ‘Ali and Ibn ‘Umar that they did not accept the repentance of one who had apostatised repeatedly.
Based on that, the repentance of one who had given up prayer is acceptable if he is sincere, even if he repeatedly gave up prayer, but he should beware, because death may come before he is able to repent and Allah may cause his punishment to come in this world before the Hereafter.
We ask Allah to bestow upon us and you His great mercy.
And Allah knows best.
Praise be to Allaah.
The important principle that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, confirms in His revelation and states that it is the foundation of reckoning and the criterion of reward and punishment, is that repentance wipes out whatever came before it, and that Islam erases all that came before it; the gate of repentance is open to every individual, even if he falls into sin and kufr time after time. The grace and mercy of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, towards His slaves decrees that He should accept the repentance of the one who repents and forgive him his sins.
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease (from disbelief), their past will be forgiven” [al-Anfaal 8:38].
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do you not know that Islam destroys whatever came before it, and that hijrah destroys whatever came before it, and that Hajj destroys whatever came before it?” Narrated by Muslim, 121.
There are also verses which indicate that the repentance of the apostate, if he comes back to Islam and repents sincerely, is accepted. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“How shall Allaah guide a people who disbelieved after their Belief and after they bore witness that the Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) is true and after clear proofs had come unto them? And Allaah guides not the people who are Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers).
They are those whose recompense is that on them (rests) the Curse of Allaah, of the angels, and of all mankind
They will abide therein (Hell). Neither will their torment be lightened, nor will it be delayed or postponed (for a while).”
And yet after all that, Allah, may He be glorified, says:
“Except for those who repent after that and do righteous deeds. Verily, Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:86-88, 89].
But if a person apostatises and then goes further in disbelief and wrongdoing, and he does not repent or come back to Islam, this is the one to whom the verse in Soorat al-Nisa’ –which the questioner mentioned – refers, and the verses from Aal ‘Imraan also indicate that his repentance will not be accepted.
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, those who disbelieved after their Belief and then went on increasing in their disbelief (i.e. disbelief in the Qur’aan and in Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) — never will their repentance be accepted (because they repent only by their tongues and not from their hearts). And they are those who are astray.
91. Verily, those who disbelieved, and died while they were disbelievers, the (whole) earth full of gold will not be accepted from anyone of them even if they offered it as a ransom. For them is a painful torment and they will have no helpers”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:90-91].
And He says:
“Verily, those who believe, then disbelieve, then believe (again), and (again) disbelieve, and go on increasing in disbelief; Allaah will not forgive them, nor guide them on the (right) way”
[al-Nisa’ 4:137].
Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Tafseer al-Qur’aan al-‘Azeem (1/753):
Here Allah tells us about the one who enters Islam and then recants, then comes back to it, then recants and persists in his misguidance, and increases in it until he dies: there is no repentance after his death and Allah will not forgive him or grant him any way out from what he is in, and there is no way he could be guided. Hence He says: “Allaah will not forgive them, nor guide them on the (right) way.” Ibn Abi Haatim said: … It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said concerning the verse, “and go on increasing in disbelief”: They persist in their disbelief until they die. This was also the view of Mujaahid. End quote.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (16/28-29):
Concerning these whose repentance will not be accepted, there were several opinions:
It was said that it is because of their hypocrisy, or because they repented from sins less grave than shirk but did not repent from shirk, or it was said that their repentance would never be accepted after death. But the majority, such as al-Hasan, Qataadah, ‘Ata’, al-Khorasaani and al-Suddi said: Their repentance will never be accepted when death comes to them. So this is like the verse in which Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds until death faces one of them and he says: ‘Now I repent;’ nor of those who die while they are disbelievers” [al-Nisa’ 4:18].
And the same applies to the verse in which Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, those who believe, then disbelieve, then believe (again), and (again) disbelieve, and go on increasing in disbelief; Allaah will not forgive them, nor guide them on the (right) way”
[al-Nisa’ 4:137].
Mujaahid and other mufassireen said: “and go on increasing in disbelief” means, they remain steadfast in that until they die.
I [Ibn Taymiyah] say: That is because the one who repents is giving up kufr, whereas the one who does not repent is persisting in it and adding kufr to kufr. The words “and go on increasing in disbelief” are like saying, they persisted in kufr and continued in kufr and remained in kufr. So they became disbelievers after becoming Muslim, then their kufr increased and did not grow less. The repentance of these people will not be accepted, referring to their repentance when they are dying, because the one who repents before death comes has repented soon enough and recanted his kufr, so it did not increase; rather it decreased, unlike the one who persisted in kufr until the time of death. End quote.
There is no difference of opinion among the scholars that if the apostate repents sincerely and comes back to Islam, Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will accept him and forgive him for what is past, even if he has apostatized repeatedly.
This is with regard to Allah in the Hereafter.
As for the rulings in this world, some of the scholars said that if a person apostatises repeatedly he should be executed and his repentance not accepted. The difference of opinion among the scholars about accepting repentance has to do with rulings in this world only and does not have to do with a person’s standing before Allah in the Hereafter, may He be glorified and exalted.
Ibn Qudaamah said in al-Mughni (12/271):
To sum up, the difference of opinion among the imams concerning the acceptance of their repentance has to do with rulings in this world, not executing them, and affirming that they should be treated as Muslims.
As to whether Allah accepts their repentance and forgives the one who repents and gives up (apostasy) both inwardly and outwardly, there is no difference of opinion concerning that. End quote.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 30/16:
When the fuqaha’ differed concerning the acceptance of the repentance of one who apostatises repeatedly and the acceptance of the repentance of the heretic, that only has to do with the ruling on outward appearances, because the repentance of such people cannot be trusted. But if he is sincere in his heart towards Allah in his repentance then he is included in the words of Allah (interpretation of the meaning): “Say: “O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Zumar 39:53].
According to the correct scholarly opinion, the repentance of one who has apostatised repeatedly is to be accepted with regard to rulings in this world too, and he comes under the same rulings as any other Muslim. This is the view of the majority of Hanafi and Shaafa‘i scholars and is the well-known view among the Maalikis, and is the second of the two views of Ahmad ibn Hanbal.
See Haashiyat Tabyeen al-Haqaa’iq, 3/284; Fath al-Qadeer, 6/68; al-Insaaf, 10/332-335; Tuhfat al-Muhtaaj, 9/69; Kashshaaf al-Qinaa‘, 6/177-178; al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 14/127-128. In al-Mabsoot (10/99-100) it is attributed to ‘Ali and Ibn ‘Umar that they did not accept the repentance of one who had apostatised repeatedly.
Based on that, the repentance of one who had given up prayer is acceptable if he is sincere, even if he repeatedly gave up prayer, but he should beware, because death may come before he is able to repent and Allah may cause his punishment to come in this world before the Hereafter.
We ask Allah to bestow upon us and you His great mercy.
And Allah knows best.
She entered Islam then she deviated from the path of guidance and she wants to repent
I am a sister who came to Islam about 11 years ago. I had always been curious about Islam because of my exposure to Malcolm X. I used to always see Muslim women and I absolutely adored them because I thought they were so dignified and beautiful from the way they dressed. However, after leaving home at the age of seventeen. I moved to a city where there were alot of Muslims. I was again exposed to Islam and was given a Quran as a gift. I was so happy and always felt in my heart that there was something so special about this way, though I was ignorant about the teachings. Anyway, it came at a very tender time in my life when I needed direction and help. I had no one, family, or anything but all the negativity surrounding me, from prostitution, drugs, gambling, murderers,robbing,and every thing under. Even all of my aunts and uncles were drug abusers, and there children soon became the same. Thank Allah I never allowed myself to get consumed with all the bad things that were happening around me. My sister and I Started to read the Quran at night and right away it touched my heart in a way that nothing else before had done. We would start to cry when we would read passages about the Hell Fire, because we always believed in HELL and did not want to go there. We knew without a doubt that this book was the truth. I felt that it was just to similar to the bible in many ways but was the next step. Two weeks later we went to the Masjid and took our shahadda. This Quran. Anyway, years passsed and the different stages I had gone through were unbelievable. I have now been married three times by brothers who basically treated me very bad and abandoned me. One of which asked for a divorce when I was pregnant. And when he told me that he did'nt love me I began bleeding profusely until I lost the baby. And the other 2 husbands had metal illnesses that I was unaware of before I married them. Now, that all of this has passed, it has broken me down completely. I used to be so strong and resiliant and now i feel like I am floating in a cloud and lost. How did I lose My Lord when he is so near? How do you get it back? Why did i leave Allah when I know that he says he will test the ones he loves the most? I feel so weak and broken, I feel that I have no value or beauty and now after all this time I have self destructed and doing some of the things that i said I would never do. I get drunk every day at home all by myself and I smoke cigartetts. I really dont want to live nor do I want to die because i know that I am not right. All the while I just wish I could have been protected from all of the fitnah and been with Allah by his side. Help Me.
Praise be to Allaah.
May Allaah help you, relieve your distress, guide your footsteps and forgive your sin.
Your soul is still in your body, your heart is still beating and your mind is still thinking, so we will start from there.
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah accepts the repentance of His slaves so long as the death rattle has not reached his throat.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (3537); classed as hasan by al-Albaani.
You are not too weak and you are not a pile of dust like those who are in the graves, rather you still have the strength to start again, and in sha Allaah you are stronger than you think. The strong person is not the one who never falls, rather the strong person is the one who can get up again if he falls.
Were you not following the religion of your forefathers, associating others with Allaah and disbelieving in His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then Allaah gave you the strength to leave all that behind, and you moved to a new religion that you were not used to and had not followed before? That is a thousand times harder than leaving the state you are in now.
Weren’t the cups of wine filled around you and paths of temptation open to you, with no one watching for you to feel ashamed and thus be protected? But Allaah gave you strength and protected you from immorality and drinking alcohol. So now how can you give in to the situation you are in?
You have the strength to recover. Do not help your enemy against yourself. If some wrongdoer slaps you, do not slap your other cheek. “He is not one of us who slaps his cheeks, rends his garment and prays with the call of Jaahiliyyah.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1294).
There is a difference between the one who falls into a ditch and gives in to the fall, and laments his luck, blames fate and thinks badly of his Lord, and one who falls and knows that he deserved it because of his sin and bad deeds, and because he chose that for himself. “And verily, Allaah is not unjust to His slaves” [al-Anfaal 8:51]. So he gets up after stumbling, and seeks the help of his Lord in ridding himself of sin first of all, then relieving his distress, as he learns to say every day: “You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything)” [al-Faatihah 1:5]. Such is the strong believer whom Allaah loves. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allaah than the weak believer, although both are good. Strive to do that which will benefit you and seek the help of Allaah, and do not feel helpless. If anything befalls you, do not say ‘If only I had done (such and such), the such and such would have happened,’ rather say: ‘Allaah has decreed and what He wills He does,’ for ‘if only’ opens the door to the work of the shaytaan.”
Narrated by Muslim (2664).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Man is not commanded to refer to the concept of the divine decree with regard to the deeds that are enjoined upon him, rather he should refer to the concept of the divine decree with regard to calamities that he has no means to ward off. Whatever befalls you as the result of other people’s actions or otherwise, bear it with patience, accept it and submit. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“No calamity befalls, but by the Leave [i.e. Decision and Qadar (Divine Preordainments)] of Allaah, and whosoever believes in Allaah, He guides his heart [to the true Faith with certainty, i.e. what has befallen him was already written for him by Allaah from the Qadar (Divine Preordainments)]”
[al-Taghaabun 64:11]
One of the salaf – either Ibn Mas’ood or ‘Alqamah – said: This is the man whom calamity befalls and he knows that it is from Allaah, so he accepts it and submits. Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (7/278).
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This hadeeth confirms some of the most important principles of faith, which include:
Man’s happiness lies in his striving for that which will benefit him in this life and in the Hereafter. Striving means doing one’s utmost. As man’s striving and deeds can only be done with the help of Allaah and by His will, He has commanded him to seek His help, so as to fulfil the meaning of the verse: “You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything)” [al-Faatihah 1:5]. His striving for that which will benefit him is an act of worship of Allaah and can only be achieved with Allaah’s help. So He commanded him to worship Him and to seek His help.
Then he said: “And do not feel helpless”, because feeling helpless is the opposite of striving for that which will benefit him, and it is the opposite of seeking the help of Allaah. So the one who is striving for that which will benefit him and seeking the help of Allaah is the opposite of the one who feels helpless. This principle applies before what is decreed happens, and it guides the Muslim to that which is one of the greatest causes of attaining it, which is striving for it whilst seeking the help of the One in Whose hand are all things, from Whom they originate and to Whom they will return. If what is not decreed for him does not come to him, there are two scenarios: the first of which is feeling helpless, which opens the door to the works of the shaytaan, and this helplessness leads him to regret and say “if only” and there is no benefit in saying “if only”, rather this opens the door to blame, anguish, anger, regret and sorrow, all of which are from the shaytaan and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade opening the door to the shaytaan in this manner. Or in the second scenario, he may look at the divine decree and think about it, for if it is decreed (for him to get what he wanted) for him he would not have missed it and no one would have beaten him to it. Hence he said: “If anything befalls you, do not say ‘If only I had done (such and such), the such and such would have happened,’ rather say: ‘Allaah has decreed and what He wills He does.’” So he taught him that which will benefit him in either case: if he gets what he wanted and if he did not get it. Hence this hadeeth is one that a person can never do without.
Shifa’ al-‘Aleel (37-38).
Once you have understood this, there is no room for wishing for something different than what was decreed, for that is in fact like suggesting that Allaah should have decreed something else. There is no point in wishing that Allaah had spared you from these trials that you went through and that made you so alterable and confused after you had been guided to Him.
Do you not know that tests and trials are an inevitable part of man’s existence in this life?
“Verily, We have created man from Nutfah (drops) of mixed semen (sexual discharge of man and woman), in order to try him, so We made him hearer and seer”
[al-Insaan 76:2]
People are like metals. Some are pure gold, some are a mixture, and some are less than that. The test is like a fire which will show whether the gold is truly gold or not.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Alif‑Laam‑Meem.
[These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’aan, and none but Allaah (Alone) knows their meanings.]
2. Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: ‘We believe’ and will not be tested.
3. And We indeed tested those who were before them. And Allaah will certainly make (it) known (the truth of) those who are true, and will certainly make (it) known (the falsehood of) those who are liars, (although Allaah knows all that before putting them to test)”
[al-‘Ankaboot 29:1-3]
Shaykh Ibn Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Allaah tells us of His perfect wisdom, and that His wisdom does not mean that everyone who says that he believes will remain as such, free from tribulations and tests, and not be faced with that which will confound their faith. If that were the case, then there would be no way to distinguish between one who is sincere and one who is lying.
But His way with the earlier nations and with this ummah is to test them with good things and bad things, with ease and hardship, with good times and bad times, with wealth and poverty. He tests them by causing their enemies to prevail over them sometimes and He tests them when they strive against the enemies in word and deed, and other kinds of trials, all of which result from specious arguments about faith, which are contrary to certain faith and desires which undermine the resolve of the believer.
If a person’s faith remains firm in the face of doubts and does not waver, and he wards them off with the truth that he has, and if, in the face of desires that call him to sin or to go against that which Allaah and His Messenger have enjoined, he does that which is required by faith, and strives against his desires, this indicates that his faith is sincere and valid.
But if his heart is affected by doubts and desires, and they lead him to sin or divert him from his duties, this indicates that his faith is not valid or sincere. People are of varying degrees with regard to this matter, which are known only to Allaah, We ask Allaah to make us steadfast in this world and in the Hereafter, and to make our hearts steadfast in adhering to His religion, as tests and trials are like the bellows which brings out the dross and the good.
O maidservant of Allaah, you do not want to live and you do not want to die.
We say: We too would not like you to have this life of sin, but we hope that you do not die in this state, rather we hope that our Lord, the Lord of the Worlds, will not like you to live such a life and will not like you to die in this state.
This situation is not as confusing as you think, and the solution is not for you to give in to loss, as you are doing now. Allaah does not want you to meet Him, after you die, in any state other than Islam.
“O you who believe! Fear Allaah (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. (Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always,) and die not except in a state of Islam [as Muslims (with complete submission to Allaah)]”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:102]
Nor does Allaah want you to live except in a state of Islam, which He has chosen for His slaves:
“Say (O Muhammad): Verily, my Salaah (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allaah, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists).
163. He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims”
[al-An’aam 6:162-163]
So what is the solution? Where should we start?
The solution is to turn back to Him, and He will love you when you turn back to Him:
“Allaah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves”
[al-Baqarah 2:222]
He will grant you relief when you come back to Him, no matter how far astray you have gone.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, says: ‘I am as My slave thinks I am, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers me to himself, I remember him to Myself; if he remembers Me in a gathering, I remember him in a gathering better than it; if he draws near to Me a handspan, I draw near to him an arm’s length; if he draws near to me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length; if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.” Narrated by Muslim (2675).
So what about sins and alcohol?
Our Lord, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say: O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-Zumar 39:53]
You still have a way to turn over a new leaf and make the record of your deeds white and clean. We do not mean that it will be white with no good deeds or bad deeds written on it so that we will go back to zero and start from scratch. No; what we mean is that we want it to be white with no sins on it, and by the mercy of the Most Merciful of those who show mercy, it will be filled with good deeds instead of every bad deed that you did and every sin into which you fell.
Have you not heard the words of Allaah which tell us of the characteristics of the slaves of the Most Merciful, where He mentions a number of their beautiful attributes that are beloved to Him, among which He mentions:
“And those who invoke not any other ilâh (god) along with Allaah, nor kill such person as Allaah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.
69. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace;
70. Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful.
71. And whosoever repents and does righteous good deeds; then verily, he repents towards Allaah with true repentance”
[al-Furqaan 25:68-71]
Do you not see how Allaah does not just forgive those major sins, but by His grace He turns them into good deeds!
It was narrated from Abu Taweel Shatab al-Mamdood that he came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “What do you think if a man has committed all kinds of sins, and has not left out any of them, and he did not omit any minor or major sin but he did it, can he repent?”
He said: “Have you become Muslim?”
He said: “As for me, I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah alone, with no partner or associate, and that you are the Messenger of Allaah.”
He said: “Do good deeds and abstain from bad deeds, and Allaah will make them all good deeds for you.”
He said: “Even my betrayals and immoral deeds?”
He said: “Yes.”
He said: “Allaah is most great,” and he kept saying takbeer until he left.
Narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer (7/314); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb.
So, O maidservant of Allaah, change your state and do good deeds, and give up bad deeds, and they will all be turned to good deeds in your record of deeds. Then you will know that you cannot lose that closeness to Allaah, for you will still have the opportunity to be with Him in Paradise.
Ibn al-Qayyim said: Come and be with Allaah, and draw close to Him in an abode of peace, with no exhaustion or tiredness or suffering via the closest and easiest routes. You are in a time between two times, which in fact is your life, your current time, between the past and the future. What has passed can be set right by repentance and regret and prayers for forgiveness, and that is something which will not exhaust you or tire you out and is not difficult. Rather it is an action of the heart. As for the future, you should refrain from committing sin, and refraining from sin will give you a great deal of peace of mind. It is not a physical action that is too hard to do, rather it is resolve and firm intention, which will bring physical and mental peace.
But what matters is your life, which is your time between two times. If you waste it you will lose happiness and salvation. But if you take care of the present as well as correcting the past and the future as described above, then you will be saved and will have peace of mind, pleasure and tranquillity.
Taking care of it is more difficult than setting right that which comes before and after it, for taking care of it requires you to do that which is best and most beneficial for you, and which is most likely to bring happiness, and people differ greatly with regard to that.
Al-Fawaa’id (117).
So seek the help of Allaah to deal with your situation and roll up the record of the past with all that it contains, and move on to set the rest of your life straight. Strive to keep company with good people who will help you deal with your situation, and if you can move to a new place, close to good and righteous people, then do that, for it will be better for you. Be mindful of Allaah and He will take care of you; be sincere towards Him and He will compensate you with good for what you have missed.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“O Prophet (Muhammad)! Say to the captives that are in your hands: If Allaah knows any good in your hearts, He will give you something better than what has been taken from you, and He will forgive you, and Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-Anfaal 6:70]
In sha Allah, we are sure that you will do this, and we look forward to another message from you with good news of a new journey towards the light, just as we were saddened to hear of your stumbling from the path.
And Allaah knows best.
Praise be to Allaah.
May Allaah help you, relieve your distress, guide your footsteps and forgive your sin.
Your soul is still in your body, your heart is still beating and your mind is still thinking, so we will start from there.
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah accepts the repentance of His slaves so long as the death rattle has not reached his throat.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (3537); classed as hasan by al-Albaani.
You are not too weak and you are not a pile of dust like those who are in the graves, rather you still have the strength to start again, and in sha Allaah you are stronger than you think. The strong person is not the one who never falls, rather the strong person is the one who can get up again if he falls.
Were you not following the religion of your forefathers, associating others with Allaah and disbelieving in His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then Allaah gave you the strength to leave all that behind, and you moved to a new religion that you were not used to and had not followed before? That is a thousand times harder than leaving the state you are in now.
Weren’t the cups of wine filled around you and paths of temptation open to you, with no one watching for you to feel ashamed and thus be protected? But Allaah gave you strength and protected you from immorality and drinking alcohol. So now how can you give in to the situation you are in?
You have the strength to recover. Do not help your enemy against yourself. If some wrongdoer slaps you, do not slap your other cheek. “He is not one of us who slaps his cheeks, rends his garment and prays with the call of Jaahiliyyah.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1294).
There is a difference between the one who falls into a ditch and gives in to the fall, and laments his luck, blames fate and thinks badly of his Lord, and one who falls and knows that he deserved it because of his sin and bad deeds, and because he chose that for himself. “And verily, Allaah is not unjust to His slaves” [al-Anfaal 8:51]. So he gets up after stumbling, and seeks the help of his Lord in ridding himself of sin first of all, then relieving his distress, as he learns to say every day: “You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything)” [al-Faatihah 1:5]. Such is the strong believer whom Allaah loves. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allaah than the weak believer, although both are good. Strive to do that which will benefit you and seek the help of Allaah, and do not feel helpless. If anything befalls you, do not say ‘If only I had done (such and such), the such and such would have happened,’ rather say: ‘Allaah has decreed and what He wills He does,’ for ‘if only’ opens the door to the work of the shaytaan.”
Narrated by Muslim (2664).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Man is not commanded to refer to the concept of the divine decree with regard to the deeds that are enjoined upon him, rather he should refer to the concept of the divine decree with regard to calamities that he has no means to ward off. Whatever befalls you as the result of other people’s actions or otherwise, bear it with patience, accept it and submit. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“No calamity befalls, but by the Leave [i.e. Decision and Qadar (Divine Preordainments)] of Allaah, and whosoever believes in Allaah, He guides his heart [to the true Faith with certainty, i.e. what has befallen him was already written for him by Allaah from the Qadar (Divine Preordainments)]”
[al-Taghaabun 64:11]
One of the salaf – either Ibn Mas’ood or ‘Alqamah – said: This is the man whom calamity befalls and he knows that it is from Allaah, so he accepts it and submits. Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (7/278).
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This hadeeth confirms some of the most important principles of faith, which include:
Man’s happiness lies in his striving for that which will benefit him in this life and in the Hereafter. Striving means doing one’s utmost. As man’s striving and deeds can only be done with the help of Allaah and by His will, He has commanded him to seek His help, so as to fulfil the meaning of the verse: “You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything)” [al-Faatihah 1:5]. His striving for that which will benefit him is an act of worship of Allaah and can only be achieved with Allaah’s help. So He commanded him to worship Him and to seek His help.
Then he said: “And do not feel helpless”, because feeling helpless is the opposite of striving for that which will benefit him, and it is the opposite of seeking the help of Allaah. So the one who is striving for that which will benefit him and seeking the help of Allaah is the opposite of the one who feels helpless. This principle applies before what is decreed happens, and it guides the Muslim to that which is one of the greatest causes of attaining it, which is striving for it whilst seeking the help of the One in Whose hand are all things, from Whom they originate and to Whom they will return. If what is not decreed for him does not come to him, there are two scenarios: the first of which is feeling helpless, which opens the door to the works of the shaytaan, and this helplessness leads him to regret and say “if only” and there is no benefit in saying “if only”, rather this opens the door to blame, anguish, anger, regret and sorrow, all of which are from the shaytaan and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade opening the door to the shaytaan in this manner. Or in the second scenario, he may look at the divine decree and think about it, for if it is decreed (for him to get what he wanted) for him he would not have missed it and no one would have beaten him to it. Hence he said: “If anything befalls you, do not say ‘If only I had done (such and such), the such and such would have happened,’ rather say: ‘Allaah has decreed and what He wills He does.’” So he taught him that which will benefit him in either case: if he gets what he wanted and if he did not get it. Hence this hadeeth is one that a person can never do without.
Shifa’ al-‘Aleel (37-38).
Once you have understood this, there is no room for wishing for something different than what was decreed, for that is in fact like suggesting that Allaah should have decreed something else. There is no point in wishing that Allaah had spared you from these trials that you went through and that made you so alterable and confused after you had been guided to Him.
Do you not know that tests and trials are an inevitable part of man’s existence in this life?
“Verily, We have created man from Nutfah (drops) of mixed semen (sexual discharge of man and woman), in order to try him, so We made him hearer and seer”
[al-Insaan 76:2]
People are like metals. Some are pure gold, some are a mixture, and some are less than that. The test is like a fire which will show whether the gold is truly gold or not.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Alif‑Laam‑Meem.
[These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’aan, and none but Allaah (Alone) knows their meanings.]
2. Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: ‘We believe’ and will not be tested.
3. And We indeed tested those who were before them. And Allaah will certainly make (it) known (the truth of) those who are true, and will certainly make (it) known (the falsehood of) those who are liars, (although Allaah knows all that before putting them to test)”
[al-‘Ankaboot 29:1-3]
Shaykh Ibn Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Allaah tells us of His perfect wisdom, and that His wisdom does not mean that everyone who says that he believes will remain as such, free from tribulations and tests, and not be faced with that which will confound their faith. If that were the case, then there would be no way to distinguish between one who is sincere and one who is lying.
But His way with the earlier nations and with this ummah is to test them with good things and bad things, with ease and hardship, with good times and bad times, with wealth and poverty. He tests them by causing their enemies to prevail over them sometimes and He tests them when they strive against the enemies in word and deed, and other kinds of trials, all of which result from specious arguments about faith, which are contrary to certain faith and desires which undermine the resolve of the believer.
If a person’s faith remains firm in the face of doubts and does not waver, and he wards them off with the truth that he has, and if, in the face of desires that call him to sin or to go against that which Allaah and His Messenger have enjoined, he does that which is required by faith, and strives against his desires, this indicates that his faith is sincere and valid.
But if his heart is affected by doubts and desires, and they lead him to sin or divert him from his duties, this indicates that his faith is not valid or sincere. People are of varying degrees with regard to this matter, which are known only to Allaah, We ask Allaah to make us steadfast in this world and in the Hereafter, and to make our hearts steadfast in adhering to His religion, as tests and trials are like the bellows which brings out the dross and the good.
O maidservant of Allaah, you do not want to live and you do not want to die.
We say: We too would not like you to have this life of sin, but we hope that you do not die in this state, rather we hope that our Lord, the Lord of the Worlds, will not like you to live such a life and will not like you to die in this state.
This situation is not as confusing as you think, and the solution is not for you to give in to loss, as you are doing now. Allaah does not want you to meet Him, after you die, in any state other than Islam.
“O you who believe! Fear Allaah (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. (Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always,) and die not except in a state of Islam [as Muslims (with complete submission to Allaah)]”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:102]
Nor does Allaah want you to live except in a state of Islam, which He has chosen for His slaves:
“Say (O Muhammad): Verily, my Salaah (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allaah, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists).
163. He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims”
[al-An’aam 6:162-163]
So what is the solution? Where should we start?
The solution is to turn back to Him, and He will love you when you turn back to Him:
“Allaah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves”
[al-Baqarah 2:222]
He will grant you relief when you come back to Him, no matter how far astray you have gone.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, says: ‘I am as My slave thinks I am, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers me to himself, I remember him to Myself; if he remembers Me in a gathering, I remember him in a gathering better than it; if he draws near to Me a handspan, I draw near to him an arm’s length; if he draws near to me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length; if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.” Narrated by Muslim (2675).
So what about sins and alcohol?
Our Lord, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say: O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-Zumar 39:53]
You still have a way to turn over a new leaf and make the record of your deeds white and clean. We do not mean that it will be white with no good deeds or bad deeds written on it so that we will go back to zero and start from scratch. No; what we mean is that we want it to be white with no sins on it, and by the mercy of the Most Merciful of those who show mercy, it will be filled with good deeds instead of every bad deed that you did and every sin into which you fell.
Have you not heard the words of Allaah which tell us of the characteristics of the slaves of the Most Merciful, where He mentions a number of their beautiful attributes that are beloved to Him, among which He mentions:
“And those who invoke not any other ilâh (god) along with Allaah, nor kill such person as Allaah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.
69. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace;
70. Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful.
71. And whosoever repents and does righteous good deeds; then verily, he repents towards Allaah with true repentance”
[al-Furqaan 25:68-71]
Do you not see how Allaah does not just forgive those major sins, but by His grace He turns them into good deeds!
It was narrated from Abu Taweel Shatab al-Mamdood that he came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “What do you think if a man has committed all kinds of sins, and has not left out any of them, and he did not omit any minor or major sin but he did it, can he repent?”
He said: “Have you become Muslim?”
He said: “As for me, I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah alone, with no partner or associate, and that you are the Messenger of Allaah.”
He said: “Do good deeds and abstain from bad deeds, and Allaah will make them all good deeds for you.”
He said: “Even my betrayals and immoral deeds?”
He said: “Yes.”
He said: “Allaah is most great,” and he kept saying takbeer until he left.
Narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer (7/314); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb.
So, O maidservant of Allaah, change your state and do good deeds, and give up bad deeds, and they will all be turned to good deeds in your record of deeds. Then you will know that you cannot lose that closeness to Allaah, for you will still have the opportunity to be with Him in Paradise.
Ibn al-Qayyim said: Come and be with Allaah, and draw close to Him in an abode of peace, with no exhaustion or tiredness or suffering via the closest and easiest routes. You are in a time between two times, which in fact is your life, your current time, between the past and the future. What has passed can be set right by repentance and regret and prayers for forgiveness, and that is something which will not exhaust you or tire you out and is not difficult. Rather it is an action of the heart. As for the future, you should refrain from committing sin, and refraining from sin will give you a great deal of peace of mind. It is not a physical action that is too hard to do, rather it is resolve and firm intention, which will bring physical and mental peace.
But what matters is your life, which is your time between two times. If you waste it you will lose happiness and salvation. But if you take care of the present as well as correcting the past and the future as described above, then you will be saved and will have peace of mind, pleasure and tranquillity.
Taking care of it is more difficult than setting right that which comes before and after it, for taking care of it requires you to do that which is best and most beneficial for you, and which is most likely to bring happiness, and people differ greatly with regard to that.
Al-Fawaa’id (117).
So seek the help of Allaah to deal with your situation and roll up the record of the past with all that it contains, and move on to set the rest of your life straight. Strive to keep company with good people who will help you deal with your situation, and if you can move to a new place, close to good and righteous people, then do that, for it will be better for you. Be mindful of Allaah and He will take care of you; be sincere towards Him and He will compensate you with good for what you have missed.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“O Prophet (Muhammad)! Say to the captives that are in your hands: If Allaah knows any good in your hearts, He will give you something better than what has been taken from you, and He will forgive you, and Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-Anfaal 6:70]
In sha Allah, we are sure that you will do this, and we look forward to another message from you with good news of a new journey towards the light, just as we were saddened to hear of your stumbling from the path.
And Allaah knows best.
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
He took out a loan with interest for his friend, then he repented. What should he do?
He took out a loan with interest in his name for his friend, as a way of helping his friend – as he thought. Now he has repented, so does he have to transfer the debt to his friend’s name?
Praise be to Allaah.
We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him, who replied as follows:
If it is possible, then he should do that, lest he be considered to approve of this, and lest he continue to help his friend deal with ribaa. And Allaah knows best.
Profit and salaries made from a business financed with interest
As Salam aliakum
I have purchase a business ( Dry Cleaners ) and we have borrow some money from Credit Cards, on which we are paying interest. My question is , is the money we are making and paying off our Debts is Hilal or Haram, plus the profits. Second thing, i am working their too and i take salary, is that Halal ?
Thank u,,,,
I have purchase a business ( Dry Cleaners ) and we have borrow some money from Credit Cards, on which we are paying interest. My question is , is the money we are making and paying off our Debts is Hilal or Haram, plus the profits. Second thing, i am working their too and i take salary, is that Halal ?
Thank u,,,,
Borrowing with interest is considered one of the greatest of the major sins (al-kabaa'ir). The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) has cursed those who consume interest, and those who pay it. Borrowing money with interest is considered as peddling in it as the borrower pays it to the borrower. Whoever does this is to repent and express remorse, and he is to try as much as he can to return only the principle he borrowed without the interest, advising the person who lent him the money against this practice. If he cannot, as in the case of borrowing from interest-based banks, which rarely forgive but rather get back their dues even if by force, he is to return the principle plus the interest offering repentance to Allaah at the same time.
Whatever the borrower has bought or developed in terms of legitimate and Islamically-permitted business based on the borrowed money, can remain in his possession. He is allowed to continue his enterprise and profit from it, paying sadaqah at the time on a frequent basis to purify his business and himself of the misdeed he has committed. Those who work in businesses functioning on money borrowed using interest for which they are not responsible can continue to work in such enterprises as long as the nature of the business is halaal and legitimate such as a Laundromat, etc.
Allaah the Most Knowledgeable knows what is most correct and best.
Repaying an interest-based loan on behalf of one who has passed away
MY FATHER PASSED AWAY LAST YEAR, AND BEFORE HE DIED HE BORROWED A LOT OF MONEY BECAUSE HE NEEDED THIS MONEY FOR URGENT THINGS AND HE BORROWED WITH RIBA, BUT HE COULDN'T GIVE ALL PEOPLE THIS MONY BACK SO, WHAT CAN WE DO IF WE -HIS SONS- we don't have this amount of mony at moment, please reply me as soon as possible because I worry about this matter. thanks.
Praise be to Allaah.
You should try to pay off your father’s loan as an act of respect and kindness (birr) to him. Try also to repay only the original amount that your father borrowed, without paying any extra interest, and advise the creditors to take only the original amount. There is nothing wrong with negotiating with them about this, so long as they receive their original loan and they neither treat others unjustly nor are themselves treated unjustly.
Pray for forgiveness and mercy for your deceased father.
Too much debt
I have indebted myself to the point to where I cannot remember all the people I owe money or the amounts. What do I do to solve or make expiation, and when will I be able to make Hajj and the debt not cause it to be rejected?
Jazakallah Khairyn
Jazakallah Khairyn
Praise be to Allaah.
There are two aspects to this question.
Firstly: what can you do to solve this problem?
Secondly: when can you go for Hajj without the debts leading to your Hajj being rejected?
With regard to the first issue: try to pay off your debts to the people you know about. Whoever asks you to pay back the debt and has proof that you owe him, or you can remember that you owe him, pay him back. If you know that you owe somebody and how much you owe him, but you cannot find him, or you know the amount you owe but you do not know to whom it is owed, then give that amount in charity on that person's behalf. If he comes along later, give him the choice between approving of the charity and gaining the reward for it, or asking you to pay him back, in which case the reward (for giving charity) will be yours.
With regard to the second issue: if you want to go for Hajj, then you can either pay off your debts, especially those where you know how much is owed to whom, or you can ask for their permission and then go for Hajj. May Allaah help you and make it easy for you to pay off your debts and fulfil your duties.
What should a person who borrowed with interest(Ribba) do?
Salam Brother,
My question is; how does one purify himself or his place of business from things that may have occurred prior to knowledge that it was haram? For example, I own clothing stores, but have financed this business via moneys borrowed and paid interest upon. To this day I am using a bank where I have a loan and pay interest on it.
Also in the past I had a business that did not succeed, and was forced into bankruptcy, which meant that there were many people and businesses that were left unpaid, what is my Islamic duty in that case? I did make a sincere effort to pay all that I could but after the business went bad was not able to repay them.
My question is; how does one purify himself or his place of business from things that may have occurred prior to knowledge that it was haram? For example, I own clothing stores, but have financed this business via moneys borrowed and paid interest upon. To this day I am using a bank where I have a loan and pay interest on it.
Also in the past I had a business that did not succeed, and was forced into bankruptcy, which meant that there were many people and businesses that were left unpaid, what is my Islamic duty in that case? I did make a sincere effort to pay all that I could but after the business went bad was not able to repay them.
It is wajib that you repent for each loan involving interest you took. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) cursed all involved in the interest, the recipient, the sponsor, and the one eating and the feeding it, as stated in the authentic hadith. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "The gold for the gold, the silver for the silver, wheat for wheat, barley for barley, date for date, salt for salt, similar for the like, and hand in hand. So whoever adds or seeks to add, then he has used riba. The recipient and the giver of the transaction are the same". (Reported by Muslim, #1584.)
On the authority of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) "cursed the one who consumes interest, the one giving it, the one bearing scroll, and the two witnesses to it". He said (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "they are all equal." (Muslim narrated it.)
If a Muslim wants to partake in a specific affair and he doesn't know it's ruling, then it is upon him to ask before he gets involved in it. Ignorance isn't an excuse for each and every situation. As far as the loans you borrowed, you are obligated to return the initial money borrowed only. If you are forced to pay riba, and that is the added amount with no way out, then we hope that you do your best in repenting to Allah to pardon you. We also hope that you remain consistent in your business and give sadaqa with what you are able to, in order to purify yourself and your wealth.
We ask Allah to enrich us with His halal and to avoid His haram.
Buying a house through the bank
Assalaam 'alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu.
Innal hamdalillaah was-salaat was-salaam 'alaa rasoolillaah.
Is it permissible to obtain a fixed rate mortgage from a british bank in order to purchase a house.
jazakallaahu khairaan
wasalaam
Innal hamdalillaah was-salaat was-salaam 'alaa rasoolillaah.
Is it permissible to obtain a fixed rate mortgage from a british bank in order to purchase a house.
jazakallaahu khairaan
wasalaam
Praise be to Allaah.
If the bank owns the house, then it is permissible for it to sell it to you for a fixed price, whether payment is deferred or made in installments, even if this will cost more than paying the full price for it immediately. This is according to the more sound opinion among the scholars.
But if the bank is involved in this transaction as the supplier or lender of funds, which you then have to repay with some extra, then this is clearly an interest-based transaction, which is undoubtedly haraam.
It may be almost impossible to avoid interest-based transactions when dealing with real estate in many countries, and one may hardly be able to find any halaal alternative, but the Muslim must bear this with patience and seek out halaal means. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (of every difficulty). And He will provide for him from (sources) he could never imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allaah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allaah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allaah has set a measure for all things.” [al-Talaaq 65:2-3]
May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.
He borrowed from his wife and wants to take a second wife
I have been married to my husband for 11 years and in that time he has borrowed from me 40,000 SR which he has signed a paper of debt with me to pay it back. My question is, he has been talking about getting married which I know costs alot and I would like my money returned if he has the means to get married he should repay me first. What is my right in this?.
Praise be to Allaah.
There is nothing to stop a wife asking for her money back from her husband. This is a right that belongs to her. But we would like to point out a few things.
1 – A wife should not make things hard for her husband just because he wants to take a second wife. The basic principle is that people – above all husbands and wives – should cooperate in righteousness and piety, and should not make things difficult for a person who seeks something that is permissible.
2 – The owner of the money should not ask for it back from a debtor who is in difficulty. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And if the debtor is in a hard time (has no money), then grant him time till it is easy for him to repay”
[al-Baqarah 2:280]
3 – It is not permissible for a debtor who has the money to pay off his debt to delay paying it off. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The rich person who delays paying back a loan is a wrongdoer.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2166; Muslim, 1564.
4 – We do not think that the husband should use his wife’s money to take a second wife, because this is upsetting to her. He has to pay back the money to his wife, then if he has enough left to get married, he may do so, otherwise he should not.
And Allaah knows best.
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