On the Duaa Said when Leaving the Bathroom
July 17, 2020 § Leave a comment
Ibn Baaz said, “The wisdom in saying, ‘I seek Your Forgiveness!’ when leaving the bathroom is that Allaah blessed the servant with the food and drink that He gave him and then He blessed him by allowing him to relieve himself [lit: by allowing the things that are harmful to leave him], and the slave [of Allaah] falls short in giving thanks so He ordained that when he relieves himself after having had the blessing of food and drink that he seek His Forgiveness, and He سبحانه loves that His Slaves thank Him for His Blessings and He loves that they seek His Forgiveness from their sins.”
Ibn Baaz and His Vacations
May 22, 2018 § Leave a comment
Shaikh Muhammad al-Musa said about Ibn Baaz, “He never knew vacations: His Eminence, may Allaah have mercy on him, never took a single vacation during his entire working life, which lasted more than sixty years! In fact, the work he would do on Thursdays and Fridays [which was the weekend in Saudi Arabia] and [his work] during official holidays [like Eed etc.] was probably more than his work during official working days.”
Jawaanib min Seeratil-Imaam Abdil-Azeez ibn Baaz, p. 162.
Ibn Baaz and Fajr
May 20, 2018 § Leave a comment
Shaikh Muhammad al-Musa said, “Ibn Baaz, may Allaah have mercy on him, would be the one to wake his children up for Fajr and also the people working for him in his house. And it was mentioned to me that he would call eleven phone numbers to wake them up for Fajr, and when one of them would answer he would give salaam and say:
الحَمْـدُ لِلّهِ الّذي أَحْـيانا بَعْـدَ ما أَماتَـنا وَإليه النُّـشور
‘All praise is for Allaah who gave us life after having taken it from us and unto Him is the Resurrection.’”
Jawaanib min Seeratil-Imaam Ibn Baaz, rahimahullaah, p. 74.
Ibn Baaz’s Ramadaan Advice in 1993
May 17, 2018 § Leave a comment
Questioner: What words of advice do you direct to the Islamic Ummah concerning the month of Ramadan?
Ibn Baaz: بسم الله، والحمد لله، وصلى الله على رسول الله، وعلى آله وأصحابه، ومن اهتدى بهداه، أما بعد
Concerning the beginning of the blessed month of Ramadaan for this year 1414H/1993 I advise my brother Muslims in all places to fear Allaah, and to race to all that is good, to exhort one another to truth and to be patient in that, cooperating upon righteousness and taqwaa, being wary of everything that Allaah has forbidden, of all sins in all places, especially during this precious month, for it is a great month in which righteous deeds are multiplied, and the sins of the people who fast and stand in prayer during it out of sincere faith and seeking its reward from Allaah are forgiven, due to the saying of the Prophet ﷺ, “Whoever prays during the night in Ramadaan out of sincere faith and seeking its reward from Allaah, will have all of his previous sins forgiven.” [Reported by Bukhaari and Muslim] And his saying ﷺ, “When Ramadaan begins, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained up.” And his saying ﷺ, “Fasting is a shield. When any one of you is fasting, he should neither indulge in obscene language nor raise his voice. If anyone reviles him or tries to quarrel with him he should say, ‘I am fasting.’” And his saying ﷺ, “Allaah the Exalted and Majestic said: ‘Every act of the son of Adam is for him, the reward of every (good) deed of a person is multiplied tenfold, except fasting which is (exclusively) for Me, and I will reward him for it. He has abstained from food and drink, and sexual pleasures for My sake. The one who fasts experiences two pleasures: he feels pleasure when he breaks his fast and he will be joyful when he meets his Lord, and surely the breath of someone fasting is better smelling to Allah than the fragrance of musk.”
And he ﷺ used to give his Companions the joyous news of Ramadaan’s arrival, saying to them, ‘The month of Ramadaan has come to you, a month of blessings, Allaah sends down Mercy in it, wipes away sins, answers supplications, boasts of you before His Angels, so show Allaah good from yourselves, for the wretched one is the one who is deprived of Allaah’s Mercy in it.’ And he ﷺ said, ‘Whoever does not give up evil and ignorant speech, and acting in accordance with it, then Allaah has no need of him giving up his food and drink,” reported by Bukhaari in his Saheeh and the hadiths about the excellence of Ramadaan and the encouragement to do extra [good] deeds in it are numerous.
So I advise my brother Muslims to remain steadfast during its days and nights and to compete [with each other] in all good deeds, amongst which is increasing in ones recitation of the Noble Quran with reflection and understanding and increasing how much one says Subhaanallaah … alhamdulillaah … Laa ilaaha illallaah … Allaahu Akbar … and astaghfirullaah and in how much one asks Allaah for Paradise and seeks refuge from the Fire and in all good supplications [in general].
Just as I also advise my brothers to increase in giving in charity, and in consoling the poor and needy, paying attention to producing one’s zakaah and giving it to those who deserve it, along with paying attention to calling to Allaah سبحانه, educating the ignorant, enjoining the good and forbidding evil with gentleness, wisdom and a good manner, whilst being careful of all sins and sticking to repentance and remaining steadfast upon the truth, doing so due to His Saying, ‘And turn to Allaah in repentance, all of you, O believers, that you might succeed,’ [24:31] and His Saying, ‘Indeed those who say, ‘Our lord is Allaah,’ and then follow the straight path there is no fear, nor shall they grieve. Those are the companions of Paradise, abiding eternally therein as reward for what they used to do.’ [46:13-14]
May Allaah grant everyone success in doing that which pleases Him, and may He grant refuge to all from trials that lead one astray, and from the whispers of the Devil, indeed Allaah is the Magnanimous, Most Generous.
Ibn Baaz on the Blessing of Even Reaching Ramadaan
May 17, 2018 § Leave a comment
Questioner: Are there any particular legislated acts a Muslim should do to welcome the [arrival of the] month of Ramadan?
Ibn Baaz: Ramadaan is the best month of the year because Allaah سبحانه وتعالى singled it out by making it obligatory to fast during it and made it the fourth pillar of Islaam, and He legislated that the Muslims pray during its nights as the Prophet ﷺ said, “Islaam is built on five (pillars): testifying to (the fact) that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah, that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, establishing the Prayer, paying the Zakaah, Pilgrimage to the House (Ka’bah) and fasting [the month of] Ramadan.” [Reported by Bukhaari and Muslim] And he ﷺ also said, “Whoever prays during the night in Ramadan out of sincere faith and seeking its reward from Allaah, will have all of his previous sins forgiven.” [Reported by Bukhaari and Muslim]
I don’t know of anything specific to welcome Ramadaan apart from the fact that a Muslim should do so with joy, happiness, delight and thanks [shukr] to Allaah that He has allowed him to reach Ramadaan, and that He has granted him success in allowing him to be from the people who are alive to see it and who are competing to perform good deeds during it—for [even] reaching Ramadaan is a tremendous blessing from Allaah and for this reason the Prophet ﷺ would give his Companions the joyous news of its advent, clarifying its excellence and the huge reward that Allaah has prepared for the people who fast and stand in prayer during it. And it is legislated that the Muslim welcomes this precious month with sincere repentance and by preparing to fast and stand to pray in it with a sincere intention and truthful resolve.
Selfies and Photos and Pictures …
May 11, 2018 § Leave a comment
Questioner: Is it allowed for a person to take pictures of himself to send to his family during Eed and such?
Ibn Baaz: There are numerous hadiths where the Prophet ﷺ forbade image-making [tasweer], cursed image-makers and threatened them with various types of punishment, so it is not allowed for a Muslim to take pictures of himself and of other living things except out of necessity for things such as passports, residency documents and so on.
Ibn Baaz Called Him, “My Shaikh in Tawheed.”
September 20, 2016 § Leave a comment
Shaikh Ibn Baaz said about Shaikh Taqiyud-Deen al-Hilaali, may Allaah have mercy on them both, “My Shaikh in tawheed.”
Sabeelur-Rashaad fi Hadyi Khairil-Ibaad, vol. 1, p. 27.
“A Person is in Need of Knowledge Right up Until He Dies.”
September 17, 2016 § Leave a comment
Shaikh Ibn Baaz, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “A person is in need of knowledge right up until he dies.”
Majmoo al-Fataawa, vol. 6, p. 71.
A Sister Asking Ibn Baaz for Advice Concerning Finding the Quraan Difficult to Memorise
November 27, 2015 § 1 Comment
Host: Her last question which we put to you, she says, “I want to memorise the noble Quraan but I find it difficult, what advice and guidance do you have for me about this?”
Ibn Baaz: I advise you to seek Allaah’s Aid, and to humbly beseech Him by asking Him in sajdah and at the end of the tahayyaat [in the prayer], or at night, or at the end of the night, during the middle of the night, you ask Him سبحانه وتعالى to help you memorise it—being truthful and humble—[saying], “O Lord! Help me to memorise your Mighty Book! O Allaah! Help me to memorise it! O Allaah! Make it easy for me to memorise it!” And along with that honest du’aa you strive to do [the necessary] actions, you strive to memorise at the appropriate times which you are free in during the day and night.
You start with al-Baqarah or the mufassal surahs, and you read what you are able to every day, even if it is only a little—you read every day even if it is only a little—and you strive to study it, you repeat it until it becomes firmly established, carrying on like that until you finish it, inshaa Allaah.
Aspire to seek out the appropriate times during the night or day when your heart is not preoccupied, organising it bit by bit, a half, an eighth, an eighth, a page every day, two pages, whatever you are able with honesty and a with desire for what Allaah has, and while asking Allaah to grant you success and help you, [if you do that then] rejoice at the good [that will come your way], Allaah سبحانه وتعالى says, “And whoever fears Allah, He will make a way for him to get out (of every difficulty),” [Talaaq 2], “And whoever fears Allah, He will make a way for him to get out (of every difficulty). And He will provide for him from (sources) he never could imagine,” [Talaaq 2-3], so He سبحانه وتعالى is with His Allies by making things easy for them, making them correct, granting them success and helping them.
May Allaah make your situation easy for you, and may He help you and make both me and you and all the Muslims firm upon the truth and guidance.
A Sister Asking Ibn Baaz About Playing the Quran While Sleeping Due to Being Scared or Frightened
November 27, 2015 § Leave a comment
Host: A sister who has a question, she says that I feel scared and frightened sometimes when I sleep alone in my room and so I’m forced to play the Quraan in order to sleep while listening to its verses, is this allowed?
Ibn Baaz: I do not see any harm in that, because the Quraan is what the believer feels at ease with and it is the remembrance of Allaah عز وجل and thus listening to it is worship, so if a person needs to listen to it in order not to feel lonely and so that his heart can be at ease, then there is no harm in that and all praise is due to Allaah.
Al-Fawzaan’s Humility
September 7, 2015 § Leave a comment
Host: The questioner says, ‘Ahsanallaahu ilaikum. How can we attain the knowledge of Shaikh Ibn Baaz and knowledge like yours?’
Al-Fawzaan: I don’t have knowledge—Shaikh Ibn Baaz yes, he had knowledge, may Allaah forgive and have mercy on him—as for me, then I’m a miskeen like you.
But what is obligatory on us is to learn.
An Abandoned Sunnah: Seeking A Cure By Placing One’s Saliva and Some Earth on One’s Finger and Saying the Following
December 8, 2014 § Leave a comment
Aaishah رضي الله عنها narrated that Allaah’s Messenger ﷺ used to read in his ruqya:
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ
تُرْبَةُ أَرْضِنَا ورِيقَةُ بَعْضِنَا، يُشْفَى سَقِيمُنَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّنَا
Bismillāh.
Turbatu ʾArdinā, wa rīqatu badinā, yushfā saqīmunā, biʾidhni Rabbinā.
“In the Name of Allaah.
The earth of our land and the saliva of some of us cure our patient
with the permission of our Lord.”
[Al-Bukhaari, The Book of Medicine, nos. 5745 and 5746.]
An-Nawawi said, “The meaning of the hadith is that he took some of his own saliva on his index finger then placed it on the earth so that some of it stuck to it and then wiped it on the ailing or injured area whilst saying the above words as he wiped.” [Fathul-Baari, vol. 10, p. 208.]
Shaikh ’Uthaimeen, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “… specifying ‘the earth’ [mentioned in the narration] to be that of Medinah or the ‘some of us’ to be referring specifically to the Prophet ﷺ as Ibn Hajr said is something disputable, what is apparent is that this is something general and Allaah سبحانه وتعالى may place a cure in such things.” [Source.]
And the The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta’, at the head of whom was Ibn Baaz, confirmed that the hadith is general and not specific to Medina or the Prophet ﷺ, see here.
Ibn Baaz on Hajj—His Response when Told Not to Eat with The Poor and Needy
October 3, 2014 § Leave a comment
“There was no difference in his eyes between the rich and the poor, the noble and the lowly, an ambassador or minister, for they would all gather at his table, and everyone who ate with His Eminence would be looking here and there at the people’s faces due to the variety [of people present] and their differing languages, ranks and colours—so you would have an Arab, a foreigner, a black person, a white one, someone close, and another distant [and so on].
One time someone who knew the Shaikh said to him, ‘O Shaikh! Some of these people don’t know the manners of how to eat properly, and it’s not right/easy to sit with them, so if it would please you to sit away from them and put yourself at ease from them.’
So His Eminence, the Shaikh, may Allaah have mercy on him said, ‘I’m the one who put the food out for them, and they came to me, my comfort is in eating with them, and the Prophet ﷺ used to eat with his Companions and the poor until the day he died, and I have an example in him, and I will carry on like this until I die—and whoever can’t handle that and doesn’t want to sit with them, I excuse him and he can go to someone else.’
And the amazing thing was that the affairs of this clearly large number of people would become organised, and the area allotted to them would suffice them, and the transport allocated for them would take them, their food would be arranged, as would their drinks, their sleep, their ablution, prayer, leaving, coming—and the secret to that, and Allaah knows best, is the correctness of this man’s, this Imaam’s intention, and that is what is apparent and Allaah is the One who knows the [inner] reality.”
Jawaanib min Seeratil-Imaam ’Abdul-’Aziz ibn Baaz, pp. 101-102.
The Imaam of Ahlus-Sunnah on Hajj—Ibn Baaz and His Love of the Poor and Needy
October 3, 2014 § Leave a comment
“His Eminence would welcome the poor and would not be pleased that any harm come to them, he would not stand until he had asked, ‘Have they finished [eating]?’ fearing that if he did so he may have ended up rushing them, and he would always ask his attendants, ‘Hopefully they weren’t short of anything? I hope the food that was put out was enough for them? How many serving dishes were laid out?’ So when it was said to him that it was enough and that there was [even] some left over, he would say, ‘Laa ilaaha illallaah,’ and would be pleased, saying, ‘Look for some [more] of the needy, and give them the remaining food.’
And I never heard him say a harsh or crude word, in fact, he would show joy to the poor and needy even though some of them would crowd him, and maybe take meat or fruit from in front of him, and the Shaikh wouldn’t say a word and would not stand up until it was said to him, ‘They have finished eating.’
And when they had finished, they would raise their hands supplicating for His Eminence, and part of what they would say was, ‘We ask Allaah to allow you to eat from the fruits of Paradise, may Allaah forgive you and your parents.’
Jawaanib min Seeratil-Imaam ’Abdul-’Aziz ibn Baaz, p. 101.
Everyone Wanting to Sit and Eat with Ibn Baaz on Hajj
October 2, 2014 § Leave a comment
“The number of serving dishes that would normally be put out would be between forty to forty five, sometimes fifty. And when the food would be served, the guests would compete to sit at the Shaikh’s table even though it was no different to anyone else’s, they only did so to be close to His Eminence, crowding around him, and when told to move away or when prevented from swarming around him, they would say, ‘We love to be able to eat along with His Eminence, the Shaikh, we want to see him and hear what he says and take comfort in being near him,’ and they would say, ‘Have mercy on us, you always see him, this is our chance.’
Jawaanib min Seeratil-Imaam ’Abdul-’Aziz ibn Baaz, p. 100.
Ibn Baaz and His Guests on Hajj
October 1, 2014 § Leave a comment
“His Eminence [Ibn Baaz] used to try his utmost to take the feelings of his guests into consideration, he used to ask about them a great deal, would give many recommendations concerning them, and on numerous occasions would say to those working with him, ‘Have mercy on them, if they had found other people to go to they wouldn’t have come to you.”
Jawaanib min Seeratil-Imaam ’Abdul-’Aziz ibn Baaz, p. 100.
Ibn Baaz Teaching Patience
October 1, 2014 § Leave a comment
“[During Hajj] the Shaikh’s attendants used to be unable to bear the large number of people coming, the confined space, and the fear of embarrassing anyone, suffering severely because of that, since they wanted to accommodate the desire of the Shaikh and his approach in receiving people and not turning any of them away, and between upholding the rights of the delegates coming to see him in that confined space and among those huge numbers.
So if we said to His Eminence, ‘O Shaikh! Everyone wants to do Hajj with you, whether those resident here or those coming from abroad, and you know that the cars aren’t enough and that the area allocated to you isn’t enough,’ he would say, ‘Allaahul-Musta’aan. It’s only for some hours and then everything is over. Have patience, and hope for the reward from Allaaah, be happy about the ample reward, and what do you know—maybe we will not do Hajj after this year of ours, things will soon become easy and everything will end well.’
Jawaanib min Seeratil-Imaam ’Abdul-’Aziz ibn Baaz, p. 100.
Ibn Baaz and the People Doing Hajj with Him
October 1, 2014 § Leave a comment
“And every Hajj it was from Shaikh Ibn Baaz’s habit that large numbers of men and women would perform Hajj along with him, most of whom were poor and non-Saudis, so he would say to everyone who asked His Excellency to be able to perform Hajj with him or who asked someone to ask him on their behalf, “Hayaahullaah,” and he wouldn’t ask about who would be going with him, nor how many they were in number, nor about how tight or not the places were.
The number of pilgrims doing Hajj with His Excellency and who would accompany him in his camp and the place where he would stay during Hajj would be about 800.
And the number of men and women for whom food would be provided in Mina and ’Arafah would range from 800 to 1000 pilgrims. But that is not what is surprising, what is surprising is the fact that food which was meant for 500 people would be enough for them all, but the blessing in his food was evident for all to see, the ones who saw that can testify to it, every time the numbers increased we thought it would not be enough for them, yet despite that it would and some of it would be left over. The number of people who would have lunch with him in Makkah was between 3 and 400. And I don’t know of a time when the food given to them didn’t suffice.”
Jawaanib min Seeratil-Imaam ’Abdul-’Aziz ibn Baaz, pp. 99-100.
Ibn Baaz: It Could Be You Next Unless You Help Each Other #Gaza #Palestine
August 4, 2014 § Leave a comment
The Imaam of Ahlus-Sunnah, Ibn Baaz, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “How can the Muslims remain silent today about what is happening to their brothers in terms of genocide and different types of torture and punishments in numerous places around the world? And let each group and ummah which doesn’t do anything to help its sister nation for the sake of Allaah be aware of the fact that they themselves are on the verge of being struck with a calamity like the affliction that they hear about and see which is tearing apart the limbs of those Muslims—and then they will not find anyone who will come to their aid or do anything to remove the oppression and torment from them.”
Ibn Baaz Asked Over and Over to Have His House Bought for Him, so He Said …
February 25, 2014 § Leave a comment
“I came to him one day and tried to approach him [concerning the forthcoming issue], asking and trying to get him to please agree for me to try and buy the house which he was living in in Makkah, because it was rented and not his. I tried to convince him and told him that I don’t need anything but for you to agree and the rest is on me.
So he said, ‘Turn your attention away from this issue. Anything that you need from me in order to help or intercede for the Muslims, then do not hesitate [to ask me]—but about anything for me, then no.’”
Imaamul-’Asr, p. 73.
Ibn Baaz and Time: How He Would Spend Time on an Airplane
February 21, 2014 § Leave a comment
“Shaikh Muhammad al-Musa said, ‘The Shaikh wouldn’t let a single minute go to waste when resident or travelling. When he wanted to travel from Riyadh to Taif or Jeddah or elsewhere, then from the moment he got on the plane he would begin utilising his time. We would take turns reading to him, three or four of us, and would become fatigued, weary and worn out while he would, as usual, be patient, full of endurance and vigour.’
‘… from the time he boarded the plane and when it would begin to move along the runway and [then] begin to take-off, and while in the air until it landed, and the doors were opened to exit—[all this time] we would be reading to him continually, issues [that needed his judgement], cases, books, religious issues … all of that, each one of us clerks would have a load of papers and books under his armpits, ever ready waiting for his turn to read to the Shaikh!’”
Imaamul-’Asr, p. 41.
When Ibn Baaz Lost his Eyesight, His Mother was Sitting Next to him Crying, upon Seeing that the Prince’s Wife told Her to …
February 20, 2014 § Leave a comment
“Shaikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Humoodi mentioned a story to me about His Eminence, Shaikh ’Abdul-’Aziz ibn Baaz’s mother, so I asked him to write it which he did and for which I am grateful, dated 11/10/1421. Here is the text of the letter:
الحمد لله وحده، والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعده
Thereafter, at the request of my brother ’Abdul-Aziz ibn ’Abdullah as-Sadhaan that I write down for him the story of what happened to our father, His Eminence, Shaikh ’Abdul-’Aziz ibn Baaz, may Allaah’s Mercy be on him, and on our parents and all Muslims, [I present the following].
’Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Naasir ibn Jaabir from Riyaadh told me that the Shaikh, may Allaah have mercy on him, lost his eyesight at the prime of his youth. His mother’s residence, and she was from the family of Huzaim, was in a district called Dikhnah, to the east of al-Hakm Palace. She used to have a neighbour who was the wife of Prince ’Abdul-’Aziz ibn Turki Aal-Su’ood.
[One time] the Prince’s wife visited her and Shaikh ’Abdul-’Aziz [then only a youth] was sitting beside his mother who was crying over him. So she asked her, ‘Why are you crying, Yaa Umm ’Abdil-’Aziz?’ So she replied that ’Abdul-’Aziz [Ibn Baaz] has lost his eyesight and that who [now] would look after his affairs?
So she said to her, ‘Crying will not bring anything back. Instead, seek Allaah’s Aid and perform ablution and pray two rak’ahs to Allaah and ask Him that just as He has taken his sight that He give him knowledge [in its place] which will benefit him and the Muslims.’
And Allaah answered his mother’s supplication.
And Allaah is the One who grants success.
Was-Salaamu ’alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu.
Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Hamoodi.’”
Al-Imaam Ibn Baaz, Duroos wa Mawaaqif wa ’Ibar, p. 114.
What King Fahd said About Ibn Baaz
February 20, 2014 § Leave a comment
“King Fahd said, ‘Shaikh ’Abdul-’Aziz ibn Baaz advised my father, then my brother Su’ood, then my brother Faisal, then me. And I ask that Allaah gives him a long life so that he can advise the one after me.’”
Al-Imaam Ibn Baaz, Duroos wa Mawaaqif wa ’Ibar, p. 123.
A Lecture Given by Ibn Baaz in 1959 in the Haram in Makkah [Arabic]
February 19, 2014 § Leave a comment
Have You Heard the Story of The Man Who Hit Ibn Baaz on His Head?
February 18, 2014 § Leave a comment
“And Shaikh ’Ali al-’Imraan, may Allaah grant him success in all that is good, related to me [the following], saying that, ‘Shaikh Sa’eed ibn ’Ayaash al-Ghaamidi, the Chief Judge of the Courts in Khamis Mushait, now retired, said, ‘I used to be Shaikh ’Abdul-’Aziz [Ibn Baaz’s] clerk in Al-Dulam and the Shaikh would never leave until the final case, and this would always delay us.
One time, we had closed all the records and wanted to leave and then a Bedouin came in and so the Shaikh said, ‘We’ll sit and listen to what he wants.’ So I said, ‘O Shaikh, the shift is over.’ He said, ‘We will listen to the man.’ So I said, ‘It’s three o’clock.’ He said, ‘We’ll listen to what he wants, maybe he has come from far away.’
So I became extremely angry and hit the Shaikh on his head with the register and fled.
After a few days I came back to the Shaikh and apologised to him and he accepted my apology as though nothing had happened. Then I sought knowledge and studied until I became a judge and then became the Chief Judge of Khamis Mushait Court.
I learnt many things from the Shaikh, like patience with the people whose cases were brought forward and bearing their harm.
One time, a person came in after the end of the day’s shift, and the clerk had closed the register, so I asked him to open it and listen to what the man had to say, so he became angry and said, ‘The shift is over.’ So I said to him, ‘We will listen to the man, maybe he has come from far away.’
Before I knew it I felt the clerk hit me on the head with the register—and so I recalled what I had done to the Shaikh, may Allaah have mercy on him, [when I was a clerk]—and the man fled from the court.
After a few days I sent after him and told the messenger to tell him that I had forgiven him.’’”
Al-Jaami li-Ahkaam al-Hajj wal-’Umrah, pp. 277-278.
Ibn Baaz Asking, “Have You Got Any Money on You?”
February 17, 2014 § Leave a comment
“No beggar would stand in the mosque asking the people for something except that Ibn Baaz would give him, and if he didn’t have anything with him to give he would take from the person next to him and give it to the beggar, and this happened on a number of occasions:
A beggar once stood up in the mosque asking the people so the Shaikh said to his attendant, ‘Do you have anything on you?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ So he said, ‘Give him fifty riyals.’ Another time a beggar stood up, so the Shaikh turned to the mu’adhhin and said, ‘Do you have any money on you?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ So he said, ‘Give him twenty riyals and I will give it back to you later.’ So the mu’adhhin got up and gave the beggar twenty riyals and then forgot about it and thought that due to how busy the Shaikh was and due to his responsibilities and duties he too would forget.
And then [lo and behold later] the Shaikh sent his representative searching for the mu’adhhin who then gave him the twenty riyals, saying, ‘This is from the Shaikh.’
And he, may Allaah have mercy on him, was repeatedly asked about stopping beggars from begging in the mosque and he would say, ‘No, for Allaah, the Most High, said, “And repulse not the beggar.” [ad-Duhaa 93:10].”
Imaamul-’Asr, p. 155.
Ibn Baaz and Having a Good Opinion of Others
February 17, 2014 § Leave a comment
“One of the greatest and most beautiful things you would see in this Shaikh was the good opinion [husn adh-than] he would have of Muslims, having a good opinion was his foundation, he didn’t like arousing doubts about a single Muslim or to cause distrust of him, or to say things that weren’t pleasing about him even if it reached him that a person may have personally wronged or maligned him, in fact, that would make him not care about the issue even more.
Some students of knowledge came to him and complained about someone to him and explained his mistakes and infractions, so the Shaikh started to dictate an answer to reprimand, advise, and direct him, whilst doing so one of the people [present] said, ‘And he, O Shaikh, speaks ill of you and slanders you.’
So the Shaikh said to his scribe, ‘Stop.’ And he left off dictating fearing that it would be said, ‘The Shaikh seeks revenge for himself.’”
Imaamul-’Asr, p. 149.
The Story of the Opening of Ibn Baaz’s Mosque in Makkah
February 17, 2014 § Leave a comment
“What is more amazing than all of this is that the Shaikh would not set himself above others even though people’s hearts were overflowing with love for him, and their intellects compliant to his opinion, and ready to carry out his orders. [On the contrary] he would walk amongst the people as though he was one of them, never boasting of his knowledge, nor looking at others with contempt, and he would not look at his great rank and the various titles that he had.
As an example, the Shaikh, may Allaah have mercy on him, always used to pray in the first row directly behind the Imaam, but if, due to something unexpected, he was slightly late in getting to the first row, he would not allow the person sitting in front of him to get up from his place for him and he would become angry if that did happen.
An amazing story which shows the Shaikh’s distance from distinguishing himself from others is that when any mosque was built the Jumu’ah prayer would not be held in it until a fatwa had been issued from His Eminence [Ibn Baaz]. So when we set up his Jaami’ mosque in Makkah al-Mukarramah I asked for his permission to hold Jumu’ah there, so he said, ‘No, not until the fatwa is issued!’
So I said, ‘O Shaikh, you are the Mufti [of all of Saudi Arabia].’ He said, ‘Even so, this process must follow its official due course and must go before the council just like any other mosque does.’ So we followed his order.
[Then] on the Friday of the week in which the mosque had opened, hoards of people arrived successively to the mosque thinking that the Friday prayer would be held there [i.e., when a mosque is initially opened in Saudi, the regular daily prayers are held there but to start the Jumu’ah khutbah consent is needed], since it was the mosque of the Mufti and [thus] it’s not possible that there would be a delay caused by waiting until a fatwa was issued allowing the Friday prayer.
So when I left half an hour before the [start of the] Friday prayer, [on my way] I saw that the mosque was jammed with people and so I felt very perturbed and went straight to the mosque in which the Shaikh was going to pray Jumu’ah, and it was his habit to go early for the Friday prayer, he would go about two hours before it, so [when I got to the mosque he was in] I crossed the rows to get to him, may Allaah have mercy on him, and said, ‘O Shaikh! The mosque is jammed with worshippers—they opened the doors and went in, so what should be done?’
He said, ‘Go and tell them to go to another mosque.’ So I said, ‘Yaa Shaikh, it’s [very] awkward! What do you think if I were to give them a short sermon to ease this difficult situation for them?’ So he said, ‘The fatwa [for the permission to hold the Friday sermon] hasn’t been issued yet. Go and apologise to the people.’
So I went back carrying a mountain of grief on my back, Yaa Allaah, a very difficuly situation, people ready [for prayer], perfumed, ready and waiting for the new Imaam to ascend [the pulpit] and delight their ears with a khutbah, and now I was to stand in front of them saying, ‘Jumu’ah prayer will not be held,’ I almost fled and left it, but then I worried about the negative effects that would have, so there was no option but to carry out the Shaikh’s order.
So I stood before the people and said to them, ‘Yaa ikhwaan, apologies, Jumu’ah prayer will not be held here because the fatwa has not been issued yet, so go to another mosque close by, and your reward is with Allaah the Most High.’
So they stood up, losing their temper in my face and raising their voices and one of the Shaikhs there said, ‘I will lead you in the Jumu’ah prayer, call the iqamah, call the iqaamah for the prayer.’
So I said, ‘Yaa ikhwaan, these are not my words nor my opinion, this is the order of His Eminence Shaikh ’Abdul-’Aziz ibn Baaz!’
And so all of a sudden the situation calmed down, the people settled, the red faces disappeared and the voices became humbled so that you could just hear a whisper, and they departed in peace and with good.
And all praise is for Allaah.”
Imaamul-’Asr, pp. 106-108.
Ibn Baaz and Jumu’ah
February 17, 2014 § Leave a comment
“It was his habit to go early for Jumu’ah prayer, most of the time he would go two hours before it …”
Imaamul-’Asr, p. 107.
Ibn Baaz the Generous Teenager
February 17, 2014 § Leave a comment
“Shaikh Muhammad al-Musa said to me, ‘Shaikh Ibn Baaz had a relative whose name was Sa’d ibn ’Abdul-Muhsin and he was a hundred years old, His Eminence [Shaikh Ibn Baaz] used to say that this man was ten years older than him.
This [old] man told me about Shaikh [Ibn Baaz’s] generosity and that it was something implanted in his nature from when he was young, he said, ‘When Ibn Baaz was a teenager he would attend the lessons of His Eminence, the Shaikh, the ’Allaamah Muhammad Ibn Ibrahim, may Allaah have mercy on him. After the lesson would be over and he would be on his way home, if he would find someone on his way, a student of knowledge, or a stranger/foreigner [who was new to the area], or a guest, or a neighbour, then he would insist on him coming in and ask him to eat despite being poor and despite the sparsity of food [that he had].’
And he continued with his amazing generosity, may Allaah have mercy on him, for all his life and would in fact feel pain if he did not find guests to share his food with him.”
Imaamul-’Asr, p. 100.
Also see here.
Gifts of Knowledge 