’Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Shuraih رحمه الله on What a Person Should Choose for Himself
March 3, 2013 § Leave a comment
’Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Shuraih, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “If a person were to choose [something] for himself, he could choose nothing better than silence.”
Mowsu’ah Ibn Abid-Dunya, 5/222.
Uthaimeen on Why We Say, “[I ask You for] Your Forgiveness,” Upon Leaving the Toilet
March 2, 2013 § 1 Comment
Shaikh Uthaimeen, may Allaah have mercy on him, was asked about the statement of some scholars that the significance of a person’s saying, “[I ask You for] Your Forgiveness [غُفْرَانَكَ],” upon leaving the toilet is due to the fact that since he had been prevented from remembering Allaah at that time it is befitting for him to seek Allaah’s Forgiveness [for that upon leaving], is that correct?
He replied, “That is debatable, because the person [in question] has only been prevented from remembering Allaah due to an order from Allaah, and if it is due to Allaah’s order then he has not exposed himself to punishment, in fact [by doing so] he has put himself forward for a reward, that is why a menstruating woman does not pray or fast: when she then becomes clean is it a part of the Sunnah for her to seek Allaah’s forgiveness for not having prayed and fasted during her menstrual days? Absolutely not, no-one has ever said that.
Based upon this, it becomes clear that the significance [of saying, “[I ask You for] Your Forgiveness [غُفْرَانَكَ],” upon leaving the toilet] is that when a person has unburdened himself from something harmful to the body he calls to mind the harm of sinning, and so asks Allaah to lighten the harm done by sinning just as He has favoured him by lightening the harm to the body, and this is a meaning which is appropriate in terms of remembering a certain thing through another.”
Majmoo’ Rasaail wa Fataawaa ash-Shaikh Ibn ’Uthaimeen, 11/107.
A Bedouin was Told, “You’re Going to Die,” So he Said …
March 1, 2013 § Leave a comment
A Bedouin became ill so it was said to him, “You’re going to die.” He replied, “Where will I be taken?” He said, “To Allaah.” He replied, “So why should I hate going to the One from whom I have not seen good to have come except from Him?”
Mowsu’atu Ibn Abid-Dunya, 5/309.
“If You’re Not Pleased with Allaah, How Can You Ask Him to be Pleased With You?”
February 27, 2013 § Leave a comment
Yahya ibn Mu’aadh, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “If you’re not pleased with Allaah, how can you ask Him to be pleased with you?”
Sifatus-Safwah, 4/341.
The Master Reciter, The Shaikh of Islaam ’Abdullaah ibn Idrees [d. 192 ah]
February 25, 2013 § Leave a comment
Imaam adh-Dhahabi said, “’Abdullaah ibn Idrees ibn Yazeed ibn ’Abdur-Rahmaan, the Imaam, the Great Memoriser [Haafidh], the Master Reciter [Expert in the Dialects of the Quraan, Muqri’], the Exemplary, The Shaikh of Islaam, Abu Muhammad al-Awdi, al-Kufi [d. 192 ah] …
About him Hussain al-’Anqaziyy said, ‘When death came upon [’Abdullaah] Ibn Idrees, may Allaah have mercy on him, his daughter wept, so he said, “Don’t cry, O Daughter, for I have finished reciting the Quraan in this house four thousand times.’”
Siyar A’laam an-Nubalaa, vol. 7, p. 499.
Uthaimeen on Conforming to the Sunnah Being Better than an Abundance of Actions
February 23, 2013 § 1 Comment
Shaikh Uthaimeen, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “Conforming to the Sunnah is better than an abundance of actions; for example, performing a lot of supererogatory prayers [nafl] after the adhaan and before the iqaamah of the morning prayer [fajr] is not legislated: because he صلى الله عليه وسلم never used to do that. Likewise if someone wanted to lengthen the Sunnah rak’ahs of the fajr prayer by reciting for longer or making the bowing or prostration longer due to the fact that the time between the adhaan and the iqaamah is a meritorious time in which one’s supplication is not rejected, we would say, ‘You have opposed the Sunnah,’ because the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used to keep those two rak’ahs brief.”
Ash-Sharh al-Mumti, vol. 1, pp. 406-407.
Umm Faatimah Zainab: Teacher of Ibn Kathir’s Mother-In-Law and His Wife, and the One Whose Questions Ibn Taymiyyah Would Prepare For
February 22, 2013 § Leave a comment
The great explainer of the Quraan, Imaam Ibn Kathir, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “And on the Day of ’Arafah did pass away the Shaikhah, the righteous one, the worshipper, the pious one: Umm Zainab Faatimah the daughter of ’Abbaas ibn Abil-Fath ibn Muhammad al-Baghdaadiyyah on the outskirts of Cairo, a huge number of people attended her funeral, and she was from the virtuous scholars, enjoining the good and forbidding the evil and standing against the Ahmadiyyah [a Sufi sect] and their association with women and boys, and she would refute their condition and the foundations of the people of innovations and others, and of that she would do what men were not able to.
And she used to attend the gatherings of the Shaikh [of Islaam] Taqiyuddin Ibn Taimiyyah and benefitted from him and others, and I heard Shaikh Taqiyuddin [i.e., Ibn Taymiyyah] praise her and describe her as having nobility and knowledge and he mentioned that she was able to recall [i.e., had memorised] much or most of Al-Mughni and that he [i.e., the Shaikh of Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah himself] would prepare for her due to the numerous matters [that she would discuss] and the excellent nature of her questions and the speed of her understanding, and she was the one who caused many women to finish memorising the Quraan, from them was my mother-in-law ’Aaishah bint Siddeeq the wife of the Shaikh Jamaalud-Deen al-Mizzee, and she is the one who taught her daughter, my wife, Amatur-Raheem Zainab, how to recite the Quraan, may Allaah have mercy on them all and be bountiful to them with His Mercy and His Paradise, Aameen.”
And As-Safadi said, “Faatimah the Daughter of ’Abbaas ibn Abil-Fath: the Shaikhah, the Female Scholar Capable of Giving Religious Verdicts [Muftiyyah], the Scholar of Fiqh [al-Faqeehah], the One Who Abstained from the Dunya [az-Zaahidah], the [Devoted] Worshipper [al-’Aabidah], Umm Zainab al-Baghdaadiyyah, al-Hanbaliyyah, the Admonisher.
She would ascend the minbar and exhort the women, and thus would they return [to righteousness] due to her admonition and leave off evil, groups of women benefitted from her exhortations and, after having been hard, their hearts softened towards obedience … and Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy on him, would be amazed at her actions and would praise her intelligence, her devoutness [khushoo] and her crying.
More than one person related to me that Shaikh Taqiyuddin Ibn Taymiyyah said, ‘I remained concerned about an issue related to her for she ascends the minbar [to exhort the women] and I wanted to prevent her, so I fell asleep one night and I saw the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in a dream and so I asked him about her, and he replied, ‘A righteous woman,’ or he said something similar …’
And she, may Allaah the Most High have mercy on her, passed away on the Day of ’Arafah in the year 714 ah [1314ce].”
Al-Bidaayah wan-Nihaayah of Ibn Kathir, vol. 14, p. 82 and A’yaanul-Asr wa A’waanun-Nasr of as-Safadi, vol. 4, p. 28.
Ibn al-Qayyim on the Severest Type of Punishment
February 21, 2013 § Leave a comment
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “No servant has been struck with a punishment greater than the hardness of the heart and being distant from Allaah.”
Fawaaidul-Fawaaid, p. 262.
Upon Entering the Mosque Pray Two Rak’ahs When the Adhaan is Being Called or Wait Till the Muadhin Finishes?
February 17, 2013 § Leave a comment
Shaikh Uthaimeen, may Allaah have mercy on him, was asked, “If I enter a mosque and the muadhin is making the call to prayer do I have to follow the muadhin [i.e., repeat what he is saying after him] or should I perform the [two rak’ahs which have to be performed upon entering the mosque which are called] tahaiyyatul-Masjid?
So he replied, “Apart from the second adhaan of the [day of] Jumu’ah , when a person enters [the mosque] and the muadhin is making the call to prayer he should answer the muadhin [i.e., repeat after him as is reported in the Sunnah] and then when he finishes he can perform the [two rak’ahs of] tahaiyyatul-Masjid.
As for the second adhaan on Friday then he does not follow the muadhin but prays the [two rak’ahs of] tahaiyyatul-Masjid so that he can finish and be free to listen to the sermon, because listening to the sermon is obligatory and answering [i.e., repeating after] the muadhin is a sunnah.”
Fataawaa Nurun-alad-Darb, CD.
Shaikh Abdul-Muhsin al-Abbaad’s Website Newly Opened (Arabic)
February 15, 2013 § Leave a comment
Shaikh Abdul-Muhsin al-Abbaad’s Arabic website was opened the other day and can be found here:
Ibn al-Qayyim on the Fact that Wasting Time is More Severe than Death
February 6, 2013 § Leave a comment
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “Wasting time is more severe than death, for wasting time cuts you off from Allaah and the Abode of the Hereafter, whereas death cuts you off from the dunyaa and its people.”
Fawaaidul-Fawaaid, p. 458.
The Last of The Companions to Die
February 5, 2013 § Leave a comment
Shaikh Uthaimeen, may Allaah have mercy on him said, “The last of all of the Companions to die was ’Aamir ibn Waathilah al-Laithi in the year 110 AH. The last of them to die in Medinah was Mahmood ibn ar-Rabi’ in 99 AH. In Damascus, Syria, the last of them to die was Waathilah ibn al-Asqa’ in 86 AH. The last of them to pass away in Basrah was Anas ibn Maalik in 93 AH. In Homs it was ’Abdullaah ibn Busr al-Maazini in 98 AH; in Kufah, ’Abdullaah ibn Abi Awfaa al-Aslami in 87 AH and the last of them to pass away in Egypt was ’Abdullaah ibn al-Haarith in 89 AH.” [May Allaah be pleased with them all]
Mustalah al-Hadith, p. 55.
Ibn al-Qayyim, “Seek Out Your Heart in Three Places …”
February 3, 2013 § Leave a comment
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “Seek out your heart in three places: when listening to the Quraan, in the gatherings of [Allaah’s] remembrance, and when [alone] in privacy, and if you do not find it in these places, then ask Allaah to grant you a heart – for verily, you do not have one.”
Fawaaidul-Fawaaid, p. 479.
Uthaimeen on Visiting the Sick
February 3, 2013 § Leave a comment
Shaikh Uthaimeen, may Allaah have mercy on him said, “It is fitting that someone who visits an ill person reminds him of repentance and of the obligation upon him of having a will and that he should fill his time with Allaah’s remembrance, the Mighty and Majestic, because a person who is ill is in need of such things, and if he is at death’s door and the person who is by him is certain that death is upon him, then it is right that he should prompt him to say, ‘Laa ilaaha illallaah,’ as the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ordered.”
Fataawaa fis-Salaati wal-Janaa‘iz, vol. 2, p. 72.
Ibn al-Qayyim on Being Content
January 26, 2013 § 1 Comment
Ibn al-Qayyim said, “Contentment is the paradise of this world.”
Fawaaidul-Fawaaid, p. 172.
Shaikh Fawzaan Asked About the Ruling on Entering Mosques with Mobile Phones that have Ringtones, Pictures and Music?
January 26, 2013 § Leave a comment
Questioner: What is the ruling about entering a mosque with mobile phones that have ringtones, pictures and music?
Al-Fawzaan: That is not allowed, not in a mosque or elsewhere, but [doing so] is even more severe in a mosque, because it is obligatory to respect it, it is a place of worship and remembrance of Allaah سبحانه وتعالى, [a place of] prayer and recitation of the Quraan, and the Angels and Muslims assemble in it. So these wrong actions [munkaraat] are not permitted in it, not the ringtones, not the music and nor the pictures.
Al-Farq Bainan-Naseehah wat-Tajreeh, p. 39.
The Muhaddith of Yemen, Shaikh Muqbil, on Whether The Friday Bath [Ghusl] is Obligatory for a Woman
January 26, 2013 § 2 Comments
Questioner: Whether she prays at home or in the mosque, is the Friday bath [ghusl] obligatory for a woman?
The Muhaddith of Yemen, The Allaamah, Shaikh Muqbil ibn Haadi al-Waadi’ee [d. 2001], may Allaah have mercy on him, replied, “What is apparent is that it is obligatory [waajib], because it has been reported in the Saheeh [Bukhaari no. 858 and Muslim that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم] said, “Ghusl (taking a bath) on Friday is compulsory for every Muslim reaching the age of puberty,” and it has also been reported that, “It is a right upon the Muslims that they should take a bath every week …” or something with that meaning [i.e., the Shaikh is quoting from memory so he is saying maybe the exact wording of the hadith is different; here is the wording from Bukhaari which the Shaikh was referring to, “It is Allaah’s right on every Muslim that he should take a bath (at least) once in seven days,” no. 898].”
Ghaaratul-Ashritah ‘alaa Ahlil-Jahl was-Safsatah, vol. 2, p. 500.
Uthaimeen on How to Submit to Allaah’s Commands
January 26, 2013 § Leave a comment
Shaikh Uthaimeen, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “Good manners with Allaah is that you receive His Legislative Judgements with contentment and submission, that you have no discomfort towards them and that you are not fed up with them. So when Allaah, the Most High, orders you to pray, to give zakaah, to fast and other such things, then you accept that with an open heart [lit. expanded breast].”
Sharh al-Arba’een an-Nawawiyyah, p. 324.
Ibn al-Qayyim on the Aayah, “… and We Made for Him Light by Which to Walk Among the People …”
January 25, 2013 § Leave a comment
“And is one who was dead and We gave him life and made for him light by which to walk among the people like one who is in darkness, never to emerge therefrom?” [An’aam 6:122]
Ibn al-Qayyim said, “His Saying, “… and We made for him light by which to walk among the people …” encompasses a number of issues.
One of them is that he walks among the people with light while they are in darkness, so his example and theirs is like that of a people whom the night encompassed and who became lost and who could not find the way, and the other has light with which he walks along the path and sees it and sees what he should be wary of.
The second is that he walks among them with his light, and so they take from him due to their need of light.
The third is that he walks with his light on the Day of Resurrection over the Siraat [bridge] when the people of polytheism [shirk] and hypocrisy remain in the darkness of their polytheism and hypocrisy.”
Fawaa’idul-Fawaa’id, p. 159.
More Reward if You Lengthen the Sunnah of Fajr or Keep them Short?
January 25, 2013 § Leave a comment
Shaikh Uthaimeen, may Allaah have mercy on him said, “Conforming to the Sunnah is better than an abundance of actions: [so] if, for example, someone were to say, ‘I want to lengthen the two Sunnah rak’ahs of the Fajr prayer due to the excellence of that time and to increase [my] actions.’ We would say to him, ‘You are not correct, because the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used to keep them short.’”
Fataawa fit-Tahaarah was-Salaah, vol. 1, p. 172.
Uthaimeen on Those Who Add Acts of Worship to the Religion Which Allaah has Not Legislated
January 24, 2013 § Leave a comment
Shaikh Uthaimeen, may Allaah have mercy on him said, “Worship is not taken except from the revelation given to the Prophets by Allaah and for this reason Allaah criticised those other than Himself who legislate [things to be a part of worship] and [He] made that a type of shirk, saying, “Or have they partners who have ordained for them a religion to which Allaah has not consented?”” [Ash-Shuraa 42:21]
Majaalis Shahr Ramadaan, p. 11.
Uthaimeen on Celebrating the Prophet’s Birthday
January 23, 2013 § Leave a comment
Shaikh Uthaimeen, may Allaah have mercy on him said, “Taking the night of the [Prophet’s] birthday [صلى الله عليه وسلم] as a celebration [eed], repeated every year in which the virtues of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم are mentioned and [differing] characteristics and forms of salaah are innovated [is something which] is not from his guidance, nor his sharee’ah, nor the guidance of his Companions–and this innovation is an abominable act [munkar] which it is obligatory upon the Muslims to be on their guard against and to be distant from.”
Fataawaa Nurun ala-Darb, CD.
Very Useful Website for Searching Many Hadith Collections With Keywords in Arabic or English and Indonesian
September 8, 2012 § 3 Comments
I was forwarded a link to this website today, where one can search through many hadith collections using keywords in English or Arabic and Bahasa Indonesian [under progress] as well, seems like a marvellous resource.
Ibn Taymiyyah on How to Acquire Knowledge
September 7, 2012 § Leave a comment
The Shaikh of Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “Purifying the soul, acting upon knowledge, and fearing Allaah have a tremendous effect on obtaining knowledge.”
Mowqif Ibn Taymiyyah minas-Soofiyyah, vol. 1, p. 357.
Uthaimeen’s Advice Concerning Friends
September 6, 2012 § Leave a comment
Shaikh Uthaimeen, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “Beware of friends, don’t incline towards them until you know the truthfulness of their advice and affection.”
Tafsir Surah as-Saaffaat, p. 125.
What at-Tilimsaani Said on His Deathbed
September 6, 2012 § 1 Comment
Talking about the Sufi at-Tilimsaani who was referred to in this post, the Shaikh of Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy on him, said:
“As for the open/wicked sinner [faajir] at-Tilimsaani, he is the filthiest of the people and the deepest of them in disbelief [kufr] …”
“A trustworthy person told me that the faajir at-Tilimsaani used to say, ‘All of the Quraan is shirk, there is no tawhid in it—tawhid is only found in what we say.’”
“And likewise one of our companions told me from someone I know who has a connection with these people that at the time of his death, the faajir at-Tilimsaani changed and became confused/perturbed. [The person relating what happened] said, ‘I entered [the place where he was] when he was dying and found that he was moaning/wailing, so I said to him, ‘What are you wailing over?’ So he said, ‘The fear of time elapsing [without having done what one should have].’ So I said, ‘Subhaanallaah! And do people like you fear time elapsing [without having done what you should have] when you make the faqir enter seclusion and then make him reach Allaah in three days?’ So he said words to the effect:
‘All of that has vanished. I have not found any of that to be real.’”
Majmoo’atur-Rasaa’il of Ibn Taymiyyah, vol. 1, p. 11, vol. 4, p. 45 and vol. 4, p. 91.
The Sufi Abdullaah at-Tilimsaani and the Most Vile Things He Said About Allaah
September 3, 2012 § 2 Comments
Sulaimaan bin Ali bin Abdullah at-Tilimsaani d. 690AH. He is highly revered among Sufis. The Shaikh of Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah said about him, “He used to make all forbidden things lawful. To such an extent that some of the reliable people reported that he said:
‘The daughter, the mother, all (foreign) women – all of them are one and the same – there is nothing forbidden in that for us. It is only the ones who are veiled that say that that is haraam. So we in reply say to them: ‘It is haraam for you (not us).'”
Majmoo’atur-Rasaa’il , 1/184.
This Sufi at-Tilimsaani once passed by a mangy, scabby dead dog on the street whilst he was talking to his companion about Wahdatul-Wujood [the Sufi belief that everything is Allaah and Allaah is everything]. So his companion said to him:
“Is this also the Essence (Dhaat) of Allaah?” pointing to the dead dog.
So at-Tilimsaani replied:
“Yes. Everything is His Essence. There is nothing that is outside His Essence (Dhaat).”
High is Allaah above what the Sufis ascribe to Him!
Majmoo’atur-Rasaa’il of Ibn Taymiyyah, 145.
An Abandoned Sunnah: Performing Tayammum to Return Salaam While Resident
August 29, 2012 § 2 Comments
It was reported from Abdur-Rahmaan bin Hurmuz, from Umair, the freed slave of Ibn Abbaas that he heard him saying, “I went with Abdullaah bin Yasaar, the freed-slave of Maimunah, the wife of the Prophet, to Abul-Juhaim bin Al-Haarith bin As-Simmah Al-Ansaari. Abul-Juhaim said, ‘The Messenger of Allaah came [to us once] from the direction of the well of Jamal. A man met him and gave him salaam, but the Messenger of Allaah did not return the salaam until he came to a wall and wiped his face and hands [i.e., performed tayammum]. Then he returned the salaam.’”
Authentic | Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawud, no. 329
In al-Muhalla, Ibn Hazm said, “And this, i.e., to perform dry-ablution [tayammum] to return salaam while one is resident, is a recommended [mustahab] action, and a group of the Salaf stated that.” Al-Muhalla, 2/156.
And Ibn Khuzaimah gave a chapter the title, ‘Chapter: The Recommendation to Perform Dry-Ablution [Tayammum] While Resident to Return the Greeting of Salaam Even if Water is Present.’ Saheeh Ibn Khuzaimah, 1/139.
Which is Better, Fasting the Six Days of Shawwaal or Fasting Mondays and Thursdays?
August 26, 2012 § 1 Comment
Shaikh Uthaimeen, may Allaah have mercy on him, was asked, “Which is better, fasting the six days of Shawwaal or fasting Mondays and Thursdays?” So he replied, “Each of these days has its merit. So fasting the six days of Shawwaal–when a person fasts Ramadaan and then follows it up with these six days he will be like someone who has fasted a lifetime, and this is a merit which is not obtained by fasting Mondays and Thursdays. But if a person fasted the Mondays and Thursdays of the month of Shawwaal and through that intended that it was part of the [fasting of] the six days of Shawwaal too, he will obtain the reward.”
Fataawaa Nurun-alad-Darb, CD.
Uthaimeen Asked About Someone Who Missed Months of Ramadaan and then Started Practicing, Should He Make Up Those Months?
August 24, 2012 § Leave a comment
Shaikh Uthaimeen, may Allaah have mercy on him, was asked that if a person never fasted Ramadaan for months after having reached the age of responsibility but then he started practicing, is it then incumbent upon him to make up those missed Ramadaans? So he replied, “The strongest opinion from the statements of the people of knowledge is that it is not incumbent upon him to make up those months which, without an excuse, he had left, based upon the fact that worship is scheduled [to be performed at certain times] and when a person delays it beyond its legislatively appointed time, then it is not accepted from him, and making it up later will not benefit him at all.”
Fiqhul-Ibaadaat, pp. 256-257.
