Allah Almighty bestows favours and grants bounties upon His slaves, during all times, to help expiate their sins, elevate their ranks and make up for their shortcomings. Allah Almighty legislated for us a month during which we observe fasting, another which we perform pilgrimage in, and one or two extra days to fast during the remaining months. He also legislated prayer during the night and the Witr prayer, the Ud’hiyah (Eid sacrifice), and the ‘Aqeeqah, (birth sacrifice) and many other virtuous deeds. All of these are ways of opening different channels for righteous deeds and methods to energise us by shifting from one form of worship to another, and therefore, not become weary, but continue to worship Allah Almighty. This is indeed a great favour from Allah upon us.
Moreover, we find that any act of worship which causes the people to come closer to Allah Almighty is mentioned in His Book or in the Sunnah of His Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention). The problem is in those people who try to come close to Allah and gain His reward by looking outside these two sources, and thus, divert from the right path.
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said during his farewell pilgrimage, “I have left with you that, which if you adhere to, you will never go astray, the Book of Allah”.
And Allah Says (what means): “… And whatever the Messenger has given you – take; and what he has forbidden you – refrain from. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.” [Qur’an: 59:7]
Allah Almighty dispraised the Arabs during the pre-Islamic period because they interfered in that which they had no right in, and started changing what is lawful to unlawful, and what is unlawful to lawful, and recommending that which Allah Almighty did not. They used to shift around the times of the sacred months and change the names of the months because they did not want to wait for this long period to finish.
Ibn Katheer, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “Dealing with the legislations of Allah with one’s corrupt mind and reasoning, and changing the rulings of Allah according to their desires, and deeming lawful what is unlawful, were some of the things for which Allah dispraised the disbelievers.”
The Arabs had also forbidden upon themselves slaughtering certain animals, by setting some laws which Allah Almighty did not legislate, so Allah Almighty dispraised them for that. Thus we know that worshipping Allah Almighty is something which is not permitted except through that which He The Most High has legislated Himself and through His Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. Anyone who wants to draw closer to Allah and gain His reward, love and pleasure through other channels, will get the contrary result, because Allah Almighty does not accept from people except that which He legislated for them.
During the month of Rajab, which is one of the sacred months, some Muslims make some wrong practices through which they intend to come closer to Allah Almighty and gain His forgiveness, love and pleasure. But they seek that through acts of worship which He did not permit nor legislate, and although they are seeking something good, they do not achieve it.
The point is not only in having a sincere and good intention, but the deed itself must be legitimate, or else it will be rejected. Who dare say that a deed is rejected by Allah Almighty? Who told him that the deed is rejected? The one who told us this is the truthful Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, who said: “He who introduces any deed into our matter (Islam) which is not from it then it is rejected.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “He who performs any deed which is not according to what we are upon (i.e., the Prophet and his Companions) then it is rejected.” [Muslim] Therefore, any deed which is not in accordance with what Islam has come with is rejected.
One of the practices during the month of Rajab which was done during the pre-Islamic period, is to offer sacrifices and call it ‘Far’a and ‘Ateerah. The Muslims scholars may Allah have mercy upon them said Islam voided this practice. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “No Fara’. No ‘Ateerah.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Ar-Raghaa’ib prayer is another thing which people innovated which was never legislated by Allah nor His Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. The scholars may Allah have mercy upon them said: “There is no authentic Hadith regarding a special prayer during the month of Rajab, and all the narrations concerning Ar-Raghaa’ib prayer are fabricated lies.” They also said: “This prayer was innovated after the fourth century and was never known before that, and no one from the scholars during the first virtuous generations ever mentioned it.”
People fast all the month of Rajab although there is no authentic Hadith in this regard and so this practice should be abandoned. On the other hand, those who are in the habit of fasting regularly, even in during other months, may fast. Moreover, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, never fasted any month in full other than Ramadan, as narrated by ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, ‘The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, used to fast so much until we would think that he always fasts, and would stop fasting until we would think that he never fasts. I never saw the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, fast a full month except during Ramadan, and he never fasted more than fasting during the month of Sha’baan.’ [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
It was narrated that ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, used to hit men’s hands until they would start using them to eat during the month of Rajab, and he would say, ‘What is the virtue of Rajab? It is a month which the people during the pre-Islamic period used to honor, but when Islam came, people gave this up.’
Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him, saw his household preparing during the month of Rajab, and said to them, ‘Did you make Rajab like Ramadan?’. Then he threw the baskets and broke the cups.
Another innovation is what they call the Rajabiyyah, which is an ‘Umrah during Rajab which has no evidence proving it. As a matter of fact, the only month during which ‘Umrah would have a certain prescribed reward is the month of Ramadan. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “’Umrah during Ramadan equals performing Haj” , in another narration he said, “Equals Haj with me.”
Therefore, anyone who performs ‘Umrah during Rajab for the sake of Rajab has committed a mistake. Moreover, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, never performed ‘Umrah during Rajab even though he has performed ‘Umrah four times.
A Muslim should know that if he seeks the pleasure of Allah, and wants to adhere to obedience, he would find many acts to perform, so there is no need to add to what the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, instructed us to do; let us perform what he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, taught us, and he who does that, is guaranteed to succeed and prosper in this life and the Hereafter.
Ibn Mas’oud, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Imitate and do not innovate (in religion)’. Therefore, we should not add anything to the religion baselessly, and we should adhere to the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. Some of the scholars said, ‘Sunnah is like to Noah’s Ark, anyone who sticks to it would be rescued.”
Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/
Believers support each other
Islam came when people were separated into sects, factions and tribes. Allah The Almighty united people by Islam and brought their hearts together, as He The Almighty Says (what means): {And remember the favour of Allah upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favour, brothers.}[Qur’an 3:103] Islam teaches its followers to feel that they are individuals in a group and that they are part of this large group. Feeling that he is a part of the group, a Muslim likes for the other parts what he likes for himself. There are rights and duties that result from a Muslim belonging to the group, the greatest one being the way the believers support one another.
The importance of supporting one another in the Ummah
Supporting one another is of great importance in the life of this Ummah (Muslim nation), and without it the Muslim community is exposed before its enemy and is liable to any defeat. On the other hand, if the society members adhere to supporting Allah The Almighty and one another, then this would definitely lead to the Muslims gaining every good and victory over their enemy. This is a fulfilment of the promise of Allah The Almighty, for He Says (what means): {And Allah will surely support those who support Him.}[Qur’an 22:40]
The Muslims support their Lord The Almighty, and this is attained through obeying Him, not violating His limits and abstaining from disobedient acts. The Muslims support their brothers and sisters and this is achieved through helping them whenever they need it, warding off oppression if they are oppressed and deterring them if they are oppressors. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam (may Allah exalt his mention), said: “Support your brother whether he is an oppressor or is oppressed.” A man enquired,“O Messenger of Allah, I will support him if he is oppressed, but how can I support him if he is an oppressor?” He, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “You can prevent him from committing oppression, and that is how to support him.” [Al-Bukhari]
A novel concept of supporting one another
We notice that the aforementioned Hadith adds a new meaning to supporting one another with regards to supporting a brother who is an oppressor. The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, pointed out that this kind of support is attained by preventing and keeping him from oppression. This is real support, and not helping him to oppress others, and preventing him from this is supporting him against his self - which is a persistent enjoiner of evil - and its fancies that have deviated from the way of truth. It also supports him against the human and jinni devils and their enticements. Such support saves him from the punishment and torment of Allah The Almighty, rescues him from committing a crime and its lowness, and protects him from the filth of sin and aggression.
“No” to pre-Islamic tribal bigotry
The prevalent concept of supporting one another in the pre-Islamic era was tribal or familial support, whether this support was for a truthful cause or for falsehood. Therefore, whenever disputes arose between two individuals, the tribe of each would support the one who belonged to it, even if he was an aggressor and an oppressor. However, when Islam came, it abolished this bigoted concept which contradicted the primary bases upon which good morals are built. It substituted it with a noble moral concept that is represented in supporting the oppressed against the oppressor, even if the oppressor is a relative while the oppressed is not. This sublime concept of support in Islam is found in many verses. For example, Allah The Almighty Says (what means):
{And when you testify, be just, even if [it concerns] a near relative.}[Qur’an 6:152]
{O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm for Allah, witnesses in justice, and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just} [Qur’an 5:8]
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, ordered his Ummah to support the oppressed, regardless of colour and race, as Al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, ordered us to do seven things and forbade us from seven: He ordered us to visit the sick; to follow funeral processions; to respond to a sneezer with ‘Yarhamuk-Allah [may Allah have mercy on you]’ when he says ‘Al-hamdulillaah [praise be to Allah]’; to help the oppressed…”[Al-Bukhari and Muslim] The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, clarified that the bond of brotherhood is what attaches Muslims, and that supporting one another is one of its prerequisites; he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Every Muslim is inviolable to the Muslim; they are two brothers supporting each other…” [An-Nasaa’I and Ibn Hibbaan, Al-Albaani - Hasan]
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, encouraged Muslims to support each other, clarifying that each good deed will have an equal reward; he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Any person who forsakes a Muslim in a situation in which his inviolability is breached and his honour is defamed, Allah The Almighty will forsake him in a situation where he would like Him to support him. Anyone who supports a Muslim in a situation in which his inviolability is breached and his honor is defamed, Allah The Almighty will support him in a situation where he would want Allah The Almighty to support him.” [Ahmad, Al-Albaani - Hasan]
The Messenger of Allah supported the oppressed
According to the terms of the Hudaybiyah peace treaty, everyone had the choice to enter into an alliance and pay allegiance to either the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, or the Quraysh.
As a consequence, Banu Bakr paid allegiance to Quraysh, and Khuzaa‘ah paid allegiance to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. There were wars between Banu Bakr and Khuzaa‘ah during the pre-Islamic era, and during the treaty between them, Nawfal ibn Mu‘aawiyah, from Banu Bakr, led a group of men from his people and headed to the tribe of Khuzaa’ah. They reached Khuzaa‘ah at night and killed a man called Munabbih. Thereupon, the people of Khuzaa‘ah woke up and started fighting them. Quraysh provided Banu Bakr with weapons and some of them fought with Banu Bakr at night. When the war ended, ‘Amr ibn Saalim, may Allah be pleased with him, went to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and when he reached him, while he was sitting in the mosque, he said some poetic verses describing the attack and the breaching of the treaty. He sought the support of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. Ibn Is’haaq, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “The Messenger of Allah said to him: ‘O ‘Amr ibn Saalim, you are supported.’ This was the cause of the conquest of Makkah.” [Fat’h Al-Baari 592/7]
The righteous advise each other to support the oppressed
When Ibn Muljim, may Allah curse him, stabbed ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, he entered his house and called Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn, may Allah be pleased with them, and some of his advice to them was, “Be opponents of the oppressor and support the oppressed.”
Abu Bakr At-Tartooshi, may Allah have mercy upon him, visited Al-Afdhal ibn Ameer Al-Juyoosh while he was the ruler of Egypt, and admonished and advised him. Some of what he said was, “Open your door and tell your guards to make it easy for people to enter, support the oppressed and relieve the grieved. May Allah help you to support the oppressed, make you a resort for the grieved, and a means of safety for those who are afraid.”
Finally, supporting the oppressed and preventing the oppressor in light of taking into consideration the circumstances, knowing the Islamic jurisprudence of changing and referring to the scholars lead to the safety and success of society.
Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/
Are there meritorious characteristics specific to Rajab?
Question: What is special about the month of Rajab? How authentic are the Hadiths stating that actions are raised to Allah in this month?
Answer: Rajab is one of the sacred months about which Allah Almighty Says (what means): {Indeed, the number of months with Allah is 12 [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred.} [Qur’an 9: 36]
Rajab, which is called ‘Rajab The Single’, does not occur in sequence with the other three months that come in succession of one another (Thul-Qa‘dah – Thul-Hijjah - Muharram). Rajab is also called “Rajab of Mudhar” because the tribe of Mudhar used to venerate and respect it so much. It is narrated on the authority of Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said:
“Time has turned back to the same as it was on the day when Allah created the heavens and the earth. The year is 12 months, of which four months are sacred, three thereof come consecutively and these are Thul-Qa’dah, Thul-Hijjah and Muharram. Then, the fourth month is Rajab of Mudhar, which comes between Jumadah and Sha’ban. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
In Pre-Islamic era of ignorance, people used to offer sacrifices during this month as an act of worship towards their idols. This type of sacrifice was called “‘Ateerah”. When Islam came, it cancelled such a practice. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “No Fara’, No ‘Ateerah!” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] Also, there is no authentic evidence to support the observance of specific acts of worship in the month of Rajab, as believed by some people.
Shaykhul Islam, Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “There is no authentic statement by the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, about the virtue of worship in Rajab. Rather, most of the hadiths in this regard are false.” Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy upon him, says, “There is no authentic Hadith that can be used as evidence of a special merit of the month of Rajab, of fasting it, of fasting certain days thereof, or of offering Qiyam (voluntary night prayer) prayer on a certain night thereof.”
However, there is nothing wrong if a Muslim, during Rajab, observes the fasts that he regularly observes during other months. Examples include Mondays, Thursdays, the 13th, 14th, and 15th of every lunar month, and the habit of fasting every other day, provided that this is not done in this month in specific.
Allah Knows best.
Source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/
Knowledge is the foundation of true fear
Fear is the sensation that results from the anticipation of an expected harm; it is also felt when a person loses, or expects to lose something he cherishes. It is the exact opposite of security and can be applied to worldly matters as well as those of the Hereafter. Fear is a state of disturbance of the heart from an evil or harm that may befall a person, or, it can be the sensation it feels when missing out on something that is beloved to it.
Imam Ibn Qudamah (may Allah have mercy upon him) said:
“Fear is no more than the pain and burning that one finds in his heart due to an expected harm; it is like the example of one who committed a crime and was subsequently caught; such a person will fear being sentenced to death, and the pain which his heart will suffer is dependent on how certain he is that he will (or will not) be sentenced, depending on the severity of his crime … sometimes one fears the ruler due to the power of the latter. Thus, when one realises the power of Allah and knows that if Allah wished to destroy all His creation it would not affect Him, nor could anyone stop Him from doing so, and therefore, one would fear Allah to the extent of the sins that he has committed. This is the fear of warning.”
There is a certain type of fear that is experienced only by the knowledgeable, and it is called Khashyah in Arabic, as Allah The Almighty Says (which means):
{“…Only those among His servants fear Allah who have knowledge…”} [Qur’an, 35: 28]
This is fear that is based on knowledge. Ordinary believers experience a general fear of Allah The Almighty whilst Khashyah is only experienced by the devout believers and the scholars from among them; the more knowledge one has regarding Allah The Almighty, the more he will fear Him. When one fears a person who may or may not apprehend him then this is an ordinary fear, whereas if he is absolutely sure that this person can seize him and inflict harm upon him, then it is Khashyah.
Fear, with its various different meanings, is mentioned in many places in the Qur’an, and its causes are varied:
n Fear of being killed or defeated; Allah The Almighty Says (what means):
{“And when there comes to them something [i.e., information] about [public] security or fear…”} [Qur’an, 4:83]
nFear during war and hostility; Allah The Almighty Says (what means):
{“… And when fear comes, you see them looking at you, their eyes revolving like one being overcome by death. But when fear departs, they lash you with sharp tongues…”} [Qur’an, 33: 19] ‘Fear’ in this verse refers to war.
nFear resulting from knowledge, as Allah The Almighty Says (which means):
{“But if one fears from the bequeather [some] error…”} [Qur’an, 2 :182]
Allah The Almighty also Says (what means): {“…Unless both fear that they will not be able to keep [within] the limits of Allah…”} [Qur’an, 2: 229] ‘Fear’ in this verse is due to one’s knowledge.
nFear due to decrease in numbers, as Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {“Or that He would not seize them gradually [in a state of dread].”} [Qur’an, 16: 47] This is the fear that people feel regarding a decrease in their numbers, which would be the result of them being killed, or facing death in any other way.
nFear of punishment, as Allah The Almighty Says (what means):
{“…They [i.e., the believers] supplicate their Lord in fear…”} [Qur’an, 32: 16]
Imam Ibn Qudamah, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “Know that fear is the whip by which Allah controls His slaves so that they may continue exerting effort in order to come close to their Lord; fear is the light which illuminates the heart and enables it to distinguish good from evil.” When a person fears another, he will attempt to flee from him, and this is the case for everyone except Allah; one escapes from Him by fleeing to Him.
Fear does not depart from one’s heart except that it causes its ruin, because when fear is present in one’s heart, it burns all desires and expels the pleasures of this life from it. Fear causes a person to wake up from his heedlessness and puts him back on the right path after he has diverted from it. Being fearful is not an objective in itself, meaning, we do not feel fear due to any contentment that comes with being afraid, but rather, it should be a means to rectify our condition.
Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/
