Yasir Qadhi's Lectures (MP3)

Yasir Qadhi

1. How To Engage In A Conversation With Allaah?

2. Blessings Of Imaan

3. Why Do We Worship Allaah?

4. Perfect Justice - Debunking The Male Bias Myth

5. ISLAM - Intellectual Faith

6. Where Is The Satisfaction In Life?

7. Repentance

8. Story Of Ifk (Slandering Of 'Aishah radhiallaahu 'anha) part 1

9. Story Of Ifk (Slandering Of 'Aishah radhiallaahu 'anha) part 2

10. Usool Al Hadith part 1

11. Usool Al Hadith part 2

12. Usool Al Hadith part 3

13. Sciences Of Hadith part 1

14. Sciences Of Hadith part 2

15. Fruits & Benefits Of Imaan

16. Going Back To The Qur'an & Sunnah

17. Oh Allaah Forgive Me...

18. Tauhid Ar Rububiyah part 1

19. Tauhid Ar Rububiyah part 2

20. The Treaty Of Hudaybiyah

21. Du'a: Weapon Of The Believer

22. Oh My Dear Son

23. Current State Of The Ummah

24. Explanation Of The Two Shahadah part 1

25. Explanation Of The Two Shahadah part 2

26. Explanation Of The Two Shahadah part 3

27. Explanation Of The Two Shahadah part 4


28. Explanation Of The Two Shahadah part 5

29. Explanation Of The Two Shahadah part 6

Explanation (Sharah) Of Sheikhul Islam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab's Kitab At Tawheed

30. Chapter 1

31. Chapter 2-4

32. Chapter 5-7

33. Chapter 8-11

34. Chapter 12-16

35. Chapter 17-19

36. Chapter 20-23

37. Chapter 24-27

38. Chapter 28-30 

39. Chapter 31-33

40. Chapter 34-37

41. Chapter 38-41

42. Chapter 42-47

43. Chapter 48-49

44. Chapter 50-57

45. Chapter 58-60

46. Chapter 61-67

47. The Fiqh Of Ramadhan

48. Khalid Ibn Al Walid

49. Story Of Khadijah Binti Khuwaylid

50. The Power Of Du'a

51. Tafsir Of Surah At Takathur

52. Names And Attributes Of Allaah

53. Importance Of Following The Companions (new!)

Speaking About Allah Without Knowledge

By Jamal ud Deen al Zarabozo

Al-Qurtubee in his tafseer, he talks about such people who say when they read the Qur'an in my mind this comes to my mind, or my heart tells me this, and he concludes who reads the Qur'an and says, "ask your heart" or "my heart tells me," and so forth, they are speaking about Allah without knowledge ('ilm), which, as we will talk about, one of the greatest sins that we could commit, and that they are actually from zanaadiqa, those who have nothing to do with Islaam, and he said they should be killed as apostates (murtadeen).

When you go to the Qur'an and you read a verse from the Qur'an and you explain that verse without having the proper knowledge, without following the proper methodology, you might be and only Allah knows, actually following your own hawaa, following your own desires, you might be following an inspiration from the Shaytaan, you might be following dhann (conjecture), which Allah speaks about in many places in the Qur'an, or it might actually be some kind of inspiration from Allah , but most likely it is not the last case. And why is it not the last case? Because as we will talk about it later, you did not follow the proper methodology of talking about the Qur'an and if you did not follow a proper methodology of talking about the Qur'an, then you have committed a sin already. Just by talking about the Qur'an, without proper knowledge, by giving interpretation of the Qur'an, without proper knowledge, without proper background, without being qualified to do so, then you've already committed a sin. And since you are committing a sin, it is very unlikely in most cases that Allah will bless you through that sin to give you the right interpretation of the Qur'an.

When you say that Allah means this or Allah means that in a specific verse, you are actually speaking or saying something on behalf of Allah , you are actually speaking about Allah , and if you are speaking without knowledge, without 'ilm, this is one of the greatest sins that you could commit.

In fact, Ibn ul Qayyim said that it is the greatest sin. Ibn ul Qayyim said that speaking about Allah without `ilm is the greatest sin that you could commit. He bases it on this verse:

قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَالإِثْمَ وَالْبَغْيَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَأَن تُشْرِكُواْ بِاللّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا وَأَن تَقُولُواْ عَلَى اللّهِ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ

"Say: The things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are al-Fawaahishah (great evil sins, every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.), whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allah for which He has given no authority and saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge."
[The Noble Qur'an, 7:33]

In discussing this verse, he says, first of all there are some sins which are haraam li-dhaatihi, forbidden due to their own evil nature, and (others which are) haraam li ghairihi, which are forbidden because they lead to some evil or have some evil in them.

And he said with respect to this verse, all of these four, they are haraam in dhaatihi, they are haraam in their own essence, because of the evil in them. Continuing his discussion, he said that Allah first mentions al-fawaahishah, and he says this is the least of the sins that He mentions, after that He mentions the sins of trespasses against the truth; this is a greater sin that the first one that Allah mentioned.

And then He mentioned making shirk, and finally He mentioned saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge. He is saying that Allah is going from from the lesser to the greater. And the reason he says is that this last sin of saying about Allah without 'ilm, which is actually what you do when you make tafseer without the proper background, without the proper methodology, he says it involves and it includes many things even more than what committing shirk involves. He says it involves and it includes:

1. Ascribing something falsely to Allah
2. Changing or altering the religion of Allah
3. Denying what He has confirmed or
4. Confirming what He has denied,
5. Affirming something declaring false or
6. Declaring something false as true, and it also includes
7. Supporting something that Allah dislikes or opposes,
8. Supporting something that Allah dislikes or opposes, and
9. Liking something that Allah dislikes.

In other words, when you are speaking without 'ilm, in the religion, in things which are related to the religion, then in fact you are changing the religion of Allah. And in fact, if you continue what he wrote - this is right from "Madaarij us Saalikeen", 1:372-3 - you find that in fact speaking without `ilm is actually the real source of all kufr and shirk.

He said, for example, the polytheists claim what they are worshiping instead of Allah was something to take them closer to Allah , so the cause of their shirk was saying something about Allah without `ilm, something they did not know about Allah.

Similarly today, the greatest kufr that we have nowadays, among Muslims, but especially among non-Muslims, is secularism and the basis for that is saying that Allah doesn't really care about what we do in worldly affairs, or hasn't really given us guidance for worldly affairs, or the Deen that He sent is not meant for daily affairs; all of this is speaking about Allah without knowledge.

So in fact, it is one of the greatest sins, and Ibn ul Qayyim even included that it is in fact the greatest sin. And he also mentioned that every bid'ah, every innovation, also is based on some statement that has no support from the Qur'an and Sunnah, in other words every bid`ah also is based on some statement which is actually made without `ilm.

To think about this point even further, about just going to the Qur'an, and saying, I am a believer I am pious, I can go to the Qur'an, and read the Qur'an, and get its own meaning, if there was any people in the history of mankind who could have said that - maybe we could accept this from them - would be the Companions of the Prophet (saw), for many reasons:

• They witnessed the revelation of the Qur'an itself,
• They witnessed the events it was referring to, they were living the events that it was referring to,
• The Qur'an was revealed in their language, the language of their time,
• Allah chose them to be the Companions of the Prophet (saw),
• and he described them as the best generation.

So if anyone could actually make that claim that he has such a pure heart and such a close relationship to Allah or such a good understanding of Islaam, that he can go to the Qur'an and interpret the Qur'an simply by what his heart tells him or what they used to call ra'ee (personal opinion) - after the Sufis it became "What the heart tells you," but originally it was called ra'ee or personal opinion, it would be the Sahaaba, but if we go to the Sahaaba we see that what they understood and what they learned from the Prophet (saw) in fact is the complete opposite. What they learned is that it is absolutely forbidden to speak about the Qur'an without proper knowledge.

And they made such statements. For example, Abu Bakr one time said,

"What earth would give me place to live and what sky would shade me if I should speak about the Qur'an with my opinion or by something I do not know."

And `Umar ibn al Khattaab, he also said,

"Beware of using your opinion in religious matters."

And Ibn `Abbaas, the one who the Prophet (saw) made du`aa for him to understand the Qur'an, to get the understanding of the Deen, and to be given by Allah the ta`weel or the understanding of the Qur'an, he also said,

"All that there is to follow and obey is the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. Whoever makes any statement after these two according to his opinion, then I do not know if you'll find among his good deeds or among his sins."

This is the style of Ibn `Abbaas, that he made in many statements. Meaning that even if what you did was something good, looks like something good, you will find it among your sins. And at- Tirmidhee, in his Sunan, he said it has been related from some of the people of `ilm, people of knowledge, the Sahaaba of the Prophet (saw) and others, that they that they were very strict when it came to speaking about the Qur'an without `ilm.

Obeying the Prophet is Obeying Allaah

by Shariffa Carlo

I received an email the other day that was responding to another email wherein the writer had made reference to the large number of hadiths available to prove his point and how we could possibly ignore this body of evidence. The response in the second email was essentially that the problem was not the number of hadiths, but rather how we could possibly disobey a command from our beloved Prophet in even one sahih hadith.

I was struck by this. We spend so much time arguing with each other over the issues of Islam that I sometimes wonder if the purpose is just to argue. We have forgotten that being Muslim means SUBMITTING. We are supposed to submit to Allah. We are supposed to also submit to the commands of our beloved Prophet, because Allah ordered us to do so. We can not take one without the other. For instance, Allah orders us to pray. We do not know what is involved in the prayer except by the commands and actions of our beloved Prophet. So, if we obey the command in the Quraan, but ignore the sunnah, our prayer is invalid. We will pray as we feel like praying, omitting the obligatory actions and words in salat.

We have many examples of things which have been made obligatory or haram by hadith only, like 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ood quoted this saying of the Prophet (hadith) while he was delivering a sermon: "May Allah curse the women who tattoo their bodies and those who pluck their eyebrows; those who separate their teeth to make them look more pretty and those who try to change the creation of Allah." A woman named Umm Yaqub from the tribe of Banu Asad came to know of these words. She approached Ibn Mas'ood and said: "O Abu 'Abd ar-Rahman! It was reported to me that you have cursed such and such women." He said: "Why should I not curse those whom the Prophet, peace be upon him, cursed and who are cursed in the Book of Allah as well." She said: "I have read whatever is contained between the two covers (i.e. the whole Qur'an)." Had you been a good reader, you would have discovered it. Did you not read the following verse? "So take whatever the Messenger gives you and keep away from what he forbids you." [Surah Al-Hashr :7]

Here the principle is firmly established by the companion of Rasul Allah. He shows us what the Prophet said and explains to us that the commandment of the Prophet is equal to a commandment from Allah. This is not the only place this is written, Allah has commanded us in many places in the Quraan to obey the Messenger. A few of these are:

"O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those charged with authority among you; and if you differ in anything among yourselves, then refer it to Allah and the Messenger if you do believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is best and most suitable for final determination."
[Surah An Nisaa': 59]

Obey Allah and the Messenger; but if they turn back, then surely Allah does not love the unbelievers.
[Surah Ali Imran: 32 ]

And obey Allah and the Messenger; that you may obtain mercy.
[Surah Ali Imran: :132]

Those are limits set by Allah: those who obey Allah and His Messenger will be admitted to Gardens with rivers flowing beneath, to abide therein (for ever) and that will be the supreme achievement. But those who disobey Allah and His Messenger and transgress His limits will be admitted to a Fire, to abide therein: And they shall have a humiliating punishment.
[Surah An Nisaa': 13-14]

How serious is this command? It is the most serious. Think about the one act that we can not stop doing -- whether the phone rings, your mom calls or anything short of a threat occurs. It is salat. When we begin salat, we should not stop unless there is a dire emergency. Yet, we have an example which shows that the call of the Prophet is and was more important than completing the salat.

Narrated Abu Said Al-Mualla: While I was praying, the Prophet passed by and called me, but I did not go to him till I had finished my prayer. When I went to him, he said, "What prevented you from coming?" I said, "I was praying." He said, "Didn't Allah say"O you who believes Give your response to Allah (by obeying Him) and to His Messenger" (8.24)...
[Sahih Bukhari: Volume 6, Book 60, Number 226.]

Here we can clearly see the importance of obeying the Prophet. Knowing this, how do we apply it?
* First, we need to clear our minds of the misconception that we must fully understand everything in Islam.
** Second, we acknowledge that we are supposed to blindly follow ONLY Allah and His Prophet. Blindly follow?

This does not sound like Islam, does it? It is Islam. We can try to understand Islam, and one of the beauties of this religion is that we can understand so much, but we have to come to the realization that in all matters, after all the rationalizations are done, after all the angles have been explored, after all the rhetoric has been spun, we MUST obey Allah and His messenger, whether we understand it or not. There is no other way.

An example of this is the saying of Ali (raa). He stated (what means) that if Islam were by logic, we would not wipe over the feet in wudhu', we would wipe under them.

Not everything is clear for us. At some point, we have to just say, Labaik! and submit. At some point we have to recognize that if we are truly believers in Allah, that He is the Most Wise, the All knowing, that Allah is the Truth then we have to concede our own inadequacies and submit to Him completely, even when it defies our limited logic to do so.

The best generation was the generation of the companions of our beloved Prophet because when they heard a command, the acted immediately. Two examples of this are

Narrated Abu Sa'id al-Khudri: I heard Allah's Messenger (peace_be_upon_him) addressing in Medina. He said: O people, Allah is giving an indication (of the prohibition) of wine, and He is probably soon going to give an order about it. So he who has anything of it with him should sell that, and derive benefit out of it. He (the narrator) said: We waited for some time that Allah's Messenger_be_upon_him) said: Verily Allah, the Exalted, has forbidden wine. So who hears this verse and he has anything of it with him, he should neither drink it nor sell it. He (the narrator) said: The people then brought whatever they had of it with them on the streets of Medina and spilt that. Sahih Muslim: Book 9, Number 3835:

and

Narrated Safiya bint Shaiba: 'Aisha used to say: "When (the Verse): "They should draw their veils over their necks and bosoms," was revealed, (the ladies) cut their waist sheets at the edges and covered themselves with the cut pieces." Sahih Bukhari: Volume 6, Book 60, Number 282

They spilt the wine. They covered themselves. No excuses. No questioning. No disobedience.

In short, we have to stop taking excuses when we hear the book of Allah or the statements of the Prophet Even, when we follow our madhabs, we need to recognize that only Allah is perfect, and we can only take the Quraan and the statements of His beloved Prophet without questioning them. Anyone else can make mistakes. Our Prophet was protected by Allah from making mistakes in this deen. Allah says,

"(The Prophet) does not speak of his own desire. It is no less than Inspiration sent down to him."
[Surah An Najm: 3-4]

Everyone else can make mistakes, and when we find that they have made a mistake, we must go back to the most authentic evidences from the Quraan and the Sunnah without hesitation. Our great scholars have confirmed this:

Imam Abu Hanifah was asked: "What do we do if we find a saying of yours opposing the Book of Allah?" He replied: "Leave my saying and stick to the Book of Allah (Qur'an)." The questioner asked: "What if it contradicts a saying of the Prophet?" Abu Hanifah said: "Leave my saying in the face of the Prophet's saying." Again he was asked: "What if it goes against the saying of a Companion?" Again he said: "Leave my saying in the face of the Companion's saying." (Reported in Al-Qawl al-Mufeed by Shawkani.)

Imam Abu Hanifah also declared:"My way (Arabic: madh-hab) is whatever hadith (saying of the Prophet) that is proved to be authentic." (Shami 1:50, Al-Fulani in Iqaz, p. 62.)

Imam Malik ibn Anas said: "The saying of any person can be accepted or rejected, except for the Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him." (Reported by Ibn 'Abd al-Barr and Ibn Hazm. Also in Al-Yawaqeet wa Al-Jawahir 2:96.)

He (Reported by Al-Fulani in Iqaz, p. 72.) also said: "I am just a mortal; sometimes I am wrong, sometimes I am right - so check my opinions. Whatever agrees with the Book (i.e. the Qu'ran) and the Sunnah, accept it; whatever disagrees with them, reject it."

Once Imam Shafi'i narrated a saying of the Prophet (hadith). Someone from the audience said: "Do you say so as well?" On hearing this, the Imam was enraged. His face turned pale and he said: "Woe to you! Which earth would carry me, which sky would shelter me if I narrate a saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and do not hold the same view! Do you see a zunnar (belt worn by non-Muslims) on me? Or have you noticed me coming out of a church? How can I report something from the Prophet, peace be upon him, and not agree with ?!!"

Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: "Do not follow me or Malik or Shafi'i or Auza'i or Thawri, but take from where they took (i.e. from the Qu'ran and authentic Sunnah)." (Reported by Al-Fulani and Ibn al-Qayyim.) He also said: "He who is on the verge of destruction rejects a saying of the Messenger of Allah, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him." (Reported by Ibn al-Jauzi.)

Sunnah does not simply mean that which is not obligatory. That is one of the meanings, but the sunnah is in essence the sayings, approvals, disapprovals, commands, and characteristics of the Prophet. So, within the sunnah we have the "sunnah" (those we have a choice about) acts and the "fard" (those we have no choice about) acts. We can not be like the Christians and the Jews and take our religion like a buffet, "I'll take a little of this and a little of that -- but I don't want any of that..." We have to accept the words of Allah and the Commands of our Prophet as they come, no picking and choosing. Islam is not for us to design, it is complete.

Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah said:

"I have left among you two things; you will never go astray as long as you hold fast to them: the Book of Allah and my Sunnah."
(Reported by Haakim.)

Brothers and sisters, I adjure you and I adjure myself, do not allow the shaytan to keep you from a commanded act. Fear Allah, Love Allah and Obey Allah. Do not be caught up with this scholar or that scholar or " we have been informed that the scholars disagree...".

Please, if you know that the scholars disagree, but you have Quraan or sahih hadiths in front of you, obey the sahih hadiths and forget the disputes. In the end, if you obeyed the Prophet, and it turned out the act was only sunnah, not fard, you will find with Allah two rewards, one for the act and another for simply obeying. Is that not infinitely better than to find two sins, one for not performing the act, and the other for disobeying? Think about it. Allah has made His signs clear. The religion is easy. We do not have to obey but Allah and His Messenger, and since the Messenger never speaks from himself, it is essentially only obeying Allah. Since Allah is the Most Wise, most Merciful, can we go wrong when we obey Him? Impossible.

Brothers and sisters. There are some acts which are not in dispute, except by those who would have us disputing among ourselves in this century. Salat is fard, zakat is fard, hajj is fard, hijab is fard, riba is haram, alcohol and all intoxicants are haram, gambling is haram, there are more, but the point is clear.

Please, if you ask a question of a "scholar" and be careful in choosing your scholars, make him or her work. Don't accept, "It is disputed or disagreed upon." as an answer. Demand evidences from your teachers! Ask, "Who disagrees", "What is their evidence?", " Is there a verse or a hadith to back him/her up?"

Anyone can say that halal is haram or haram is halal based on their logic, but this is not Islam. Islam is submission to Allah and His messenger, whether we can understand it or not. Don't let anyone fool you, we humans do not know everything. There are some things which Allah has not revealed to us. There are some things we do as Muslims that we can not explain, we do them because we obey Allah, that's it! End of story. If you think have to explain everything or you do not have to do it, then you do not believe Allah's Wisdom is greater than yours. In English, Islam can be summarized with one word, submission. Allah commands, the Muslim submits. The prophet commands, the Muslim submits.

Ya Allah! make us Muslims.

Ya Allah! Make us submit to your authority and keep us from worshiping our own selves over You!

Ya Allah, guide us, teach us and protect us from ourselves and from Your Wrath.

Ya Allah! Give us wisdom and knowledge and make us always of those who turn to You. Ameen.

I leave you with some more verses about obeying the Prophet:

"And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, these are with those upon whom Allah has bestowed favors from among the prophets and the truthful and the martyrs and the good, and a goodly company are they! "
[Surah An Nisaa' :69]

"The answer of the believers, when summoned to Allah and His Messenger in order that he may judge between them, is no other than this: they say, 'We hear and we obey'. It is such as these who will attain success."
[Surah An Nur :51]

"But no, by your Lord! (O Muhammad) They cannot be believers until they make you judge in all disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance against your decisions, but accept them with the fullest submission."
[Surah An Nisaa' :65]

"Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and beware (of evil): if you turn back, know that it is Our Messenger's duty to proclaim (the message) in the clearest manner. "
[Surah Al Maidah :92]

"They ask thee concerning (things taken as) spoils of war. Say: "(such) spoils are at the disposal of Allah and the Messenger: So fear Allah, and keep straight the relations between yourselves: Obey Allah and His Messenger, if you believe."
[Surah Al Anfal: 1]

"O ye who believe! Obey Allah and His Messenger, and turn not away from him when ye hear (him speak). "
[Surah Al Anfal: 20]

"O you who believe! answer (the call of) Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life; and know that Allah intervenes between man and his heart, and that to Him you shall be gathered. "
[Surah Al Anfal: 24]

"So take whatever the Messenger gives you and keep away from what he forbids you."
[Surah Al-Hashr :7]

"You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for anyone whose hope is in Allah."
[Surah Al Ahzab: 21]

"He who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah."
[Surah An Nisaa': 80]

Why Are We So Divided?

Because of Shirk, Bid'ah (innovations) and leaving the Sunnah

All Praise is for Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) Lord of all the creation and May His peace and Blessings be upon is last Prophet Muhammad (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) and upon the Prophet's (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) family and upon the companions and on all those who follow the path of guidance until the last day.

The Muslim Ummah is in a divided and fragmented state and that this division is prohibited in Islam. Rather Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has enjoined upon us to hold onto the rope of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala), which we established is the Qur'an and the Sunnah as understood by the Companions. But how did we reach this state in the first place, what causes disunity?

Shirk - Associating partners in worship with Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala)

Without doubt one of the major causes for people splitting up the religion and leaving holding on to the rope of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) is shirk. This is the grave sin of ascribing partners with Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) in worship. Today throughout the world there are numerous examples of shirk amongst the Ummah, such as those who call upon the dead in the grave. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:

"And invoke not besides Allah anything that will neither profit you nor hurt you, but if (in case) you did so, you shall certainly be one of the Dhal (polytheists and wrong-doers)."
[Surah Yoonus 10:106]

Verily Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has created us to worship Him alone, as He (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:

"And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)."
[Surah adh-Dhaariyaat 51:56]

So the one who gives worship to other than Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has he not committed the most severe sin. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:

"Verily! Allah forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners (in worship) with Him, but He forgives whom He wills sins other than that."
[Surah an-Nisaa 4:116]

It is reported that Ibn Masood (radhi-Allaahu 'anhu) asked the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam):

"Which is the Greatest sin?" The Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said: "That you set up a rival for Allah, While He is the one who created you."
[Bukhaaree]

O noble reader it will not be hidden from you that throughout the world Muslims are stooped in such practices of calling upon the dead saint in the grave, asking him to remove their difficulty whether it be Abdul Qaadir al Jeelanee or al Badawee or other people who's graves have been made places of worship. How can unity be achieved amongst the Muslims when some Muslims cannot unify their worship for Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) alone? O noble reader consider the following, how many Muslims:

Wear Amulets and charms, despite the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) saying:

"Whoever wears an amulet has committed shirk."
[Ahmad]

Read astrology in magazines or go to fortune tellers, despite the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) saying:

"Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him something and believes in his words, will have his prayers rejected for forty days."
[Muslim]

So while all these non-Islaamic beliefs and practices are present amongst the Muslims how can unity take place? Is not our first obligation to give da'wah to those Muslims who are stooped in these practices? Thereby calling to tawheed as all 124,000 Prophets from Aadam (alayhi-salam) to the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) did. They all began their call to the people with Tawheed - worshipping Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) alone.

Having incorrect beliefs

Another major reason for disunity is the wide range of beliefs prevalent amongst the Muslims. Despite us having the same Qur'an and the same Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), Muslims still have different beliefs. Why is this? If we all are referring back to the Qur'an and the Sunnah in every matter then why the differences. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:

"(And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), if you believe in Allah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination."
[Surah an-Nisaa 4:59]

So verily O noble reader, imagine if every Muslim acted upon this ayah - would there be any differences then? NO, except maybe in the issues of fiqh, such as the prayer. But our beliefs and methodology would be one, so why is this not the case? It is because many Muslims today do not refer every issue back to Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) and His Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), rather they ask their local Imaam or their parents or refer it back to their madhab.

Know O noble reader that the first thing that all the Prophets called to was the rectification of the beliefs, before calling to the Islaamic state or to Jihad, the first thing was purifying the beliefs of the Muslim. So how can we have unity while there are Muslims who believe:

That Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) is everywhere, despite Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:

"They fear their Lord Who is above them, and they do what they are commanded."
[Surah an-Nahl 16:50]

That the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) was not human and was made from light, despite Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:

"Say (O Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam): 'I am only a human being like you. It is revealed to me that your Ilaah (God worthy of being worshipped) is One Ilaah (God)."
[Surah Fussilat 41:6]

That the saying of an Imaam should be acted upon over the hadeeth, despite Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:

"And let those who oppose the Messenger's (Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) commandment (i.e. his Sunnah) beware, lest some Fitnah (trials i.e. shirk) should befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them."
[Surah an-Noor 24:63]

That Imaan does not increase or decrease, despite the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) saying:

"Imaan has seventy odd or sixty odd branches. The most virtuous of them is the statement, 'There is none worthy of worship except Allah, and the slightest of them is to remove something harmful from the road. And hayaa is a branch of Imaan."
[Bukhaaree and Muslim]

Bid'ah - Innovations in the religion

Another cause for disunity and not holding fast to the rope of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) is the occurrence of innovations in this Ummah.

Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has informed us in the Qur'an that He has completed this religion of Islam for us as He (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:

"This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion."
[Surah al-Maa'idah, 5:3]

Since the religion is complete how can it be that we need to add new things and ways of worship to Islam? Whatever was not part of the religion at the time of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) cannot be accepted as a part of the religion now. The Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) has warned us against adding new things to the religion when he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said:

"Whoever Innovates in this affair of ours that which is not from it will have it rejected."
[Muslim]

The people who propose unity at all costs have a saying that 'An innovation (bid'ah) that unites us is better than a Sunnah which divides'.

SubhanAllaah look at such a statement O noble reader, innovations are grave and serious and a cause for entering the fire as he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said:

"... and every bid'ah (innovation) is misguidance and all misguidance is in the Hellfire."
[Reported by an-Nasaa'ee (1/224)]

So if someone said to you look there is a fire over there, lets all hold hands and unify and then go in to it, you would think they were crazy! So how can we come together upon something as dangerous as innovations, such as the innovations of mystics, who practice all kinds of weird and innovated invocations, which at times involve switching off the lights or chanting one of Allah's name so that after some time what they are chanting is unrecognisable as a name of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala). Or the innovations of those who take their scholars as 'spiritual leaders' giving their allegiance to them and 'selling' themselves to these 'scholars' obeying everything they say. How O noble reader can unity occur amongst all the Muslims as long as these practices, which have nothing to do with Islam, keep occurring?

Blind following and Partisanship

This is one of the most evil of occurrences today and a major cause for disunity. Muslims are following their madhahab or their scholars over and above the Sunnah of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) despite Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:

"And whosoever opposes the Messenger (Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination!"
[Surah an-Nisaa 4:115]

When you tell Muslims that 'you should do this because it says so in the Qur'an and the Sunnah', they reply 'well that's not what it says in my madhab' or 'that's not what my Shaykh says'. SubhanAllaah, O noble reader why did Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) send us His final Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) if it was not to teach us the religion of Islam.

Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:

"But no, by your Lord, they can have no Imaan (Faith), until they make you (O Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission."
[Surah an-Nisaa 4:65]

No Muslim will openly say I am disobeying the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), but how many of us ask for the proof on issues of beliefs and practices and look to see what is the truth.

Another problem is the setting up of groups and parties with members, then being loyal only to that party, believing in the beliefs and aims of that party - not questioning it. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has warned against this:

"And be not of Al-Mushrikoon (polytheists). Of those who split their religion, and became sects, each group rejoicing in that which is with it."
[Surah ar-Room 30:31-32]

Setting up groups is a cause for disunity and spreads hatred amongst the Muslims so that a Muslim from one group will not give salaam to a Muslim from another group just because they belong to different groups. Or a group from one masjid will not like Muslims from another masjid to come and pray in their mosque. All this stems from partisanship and it divides the Ummah. Unity will not occur whilst Muslims are in this state rather unity will occur when an end is put to partisanship (hizbiyyah) and Muslims love each other because they are all have the same aims, beliefs and practices.

The Means for Revival

Having looked at the reason why we are so divided, the question now arises as to what the means for reviving this Ummah are. Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has given us the means for the revival of this Ummah, when He (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:

"Verily! Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves."
[Surah ar-Ra'd 13:11]

The Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) also said:

"When you involve yourselves in interest bearing business transactions, and you hold on to the tails of cows, and you are pleased with agriculture (i.e. the land) and you abandon making Jihad in the Cause of Allah, Allah will send humiliation down upon you. He will not remove it from you until you return back to your Religion."
[Abu Dawood and al-Bayhaqee]

So this humiliation that Muslims are under will not be removed from us until we return back to the religion of Islam. So what is the religion of Islam if not Tawheed, having the correct Aqeedah, worshipping Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) correctly? So should we not start our revival with these issues.

So just as the condition of the Arabs during the Days of Ignorance (Jaahiliyyah) was not rectified except by the coming of their Prophet Muhammad (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) with revelation from the heavens, which aided them in this world and which will save them in the next, then know O noble reader the foundation that the Islamic revival must be built upon in this time, is nothing else but the return to the Qur'an and the Sunnah, as implemented by the noble companions.

We know from the Book of Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) and the Sunnah of His Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) that the way towards realising this revival is only one way, and it is the way which Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) has mentioned in His (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) saying:

"And verily, this is My Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His Path."
[Surah al-An'aam 6:153]

The Messenger of Allah (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) explained this to his Companions. Thus, one day he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) drew a straight line for them on the ground and then drew short lines on the sides of it. Then, while his (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) noble finger moved up and down the straight line, he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) recited the aforementioned verse. Then he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) pointed to the lines that were drawn on the sides of the straight line and said:

"This is the Path of Allah and these are the (other) paths. At the top of each of these (other) ways, there is a devil calling towards it."
[Authentic hadeeth, graded in Dhilaal-ul-Jannah fee Takhreej-is Sunnah(16-17)]

Furthermore, Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says:

"And whosoever opposes the Messenger (Muhammad sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination!"
[Surah an-Nisaa 4:115]

In this ayah there is profound and extensive wisdom, for Allah (subhaanahu wa ta'aala), has connected the "the believers' way" to what the Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) came with. The Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) has (also) indicated this point in the hadeeth about the splitting up of the Ummah into sects. When he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) was asked concerning the saved sect, he (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) responded: "That which (adheres to what) I and my companions are upon today."

What then is the wisdom behind Allah's mentioning of "the believers' way" in this ayah? And what is the significance in the Messenger of Allah's (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) linking of his companions to himself in the previous hadeeth?

The answer is: These noble Companions (radhi-Allaahu 'anhum) were the ones who received the two revelations (i.e. the Qur'an and Sunnah) from the Messenger of Allah (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), having that explained to them by him (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) directly, without there being any intermediary. They best knew how to implement the Sunnah, so after knowing this O noble reader can any Islaamic revival take place when the way of the Companions (radhi-Allaahu 'anhum) is abandoned and not adhered to, rather No it can not. For us to revive Islam and bring unity to the Muslims we must adopt the way and example of the Noble Companions (radhi-Allaahu 'anhum).

Imaam Maalik (rahima-hullaah) said:

"The latter part of this Ummah will not be rectified except by that which rectified its former part."
[ash-Shifaa of Qaadee 'Iyyaadh, (2/676)]

So it will be clear to the reader that the only way to revive the Ummah is to return every affair of the Muslim back to the Qur'an and the Sunnah as understood and implemented by the best generation, the Companions (radhi-Allaahu 'anhum). To believe as they believed, to worship as they worshipped, to look like them, to give da'wah in the way they gave it. Then only will we be united and have a true Islaamic revival.

So dear noble brothers and sisters your Lord (subhaanahu wa ta'aala) says....

"Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe to be affected by Allah's Reminder (this Qur'an), and that which has been revealed of the truth."
[Surah al-Hadeed 57:16]

Ibrahim Zidan's Lectures (MP3)

Ibrahim Zidan

1. The Difference Between The Methodology Of The Early Generations And People Of Innovation (new!)

Riad Ourzazi's Lectures (MP3)

Riad Ouarzazi

1. The World Of Jinn part 1 (new!)

2. The World Of Jinn part 2 (new!)

Muhammad Al Jibaly's Lectures (MP3)

Muhammad Al Jibaly

1. The Correct Way Of Practicing The Religion - Sunnah

2. The Correct Way Of Practicing The Religion - Bid'ah

3. The Correct Way Of Practicing The Religion - Q&A

4. The Way To Paradise

5. The Quest For Love & Mercy Between Spouses (new!)

[E-Book] Explanation Of A Summary Of Aqeedat Hamawiyyah (Salih Al Uthaymeen)

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2. View @ Scribd

[E-Book] The Critical Analysis Of The Modernists & Hadeeth Rejecters (Sajid A. Kayum)

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[E-Book] Exposing Shaytan (Shawana A. Aziz)

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[E-Book] Eeman & Its Components (Shawana A. Aziz)

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[E-Book] The Ruling Concerning Mawlid An Nabawi (Shaikh Salih Fawzan)

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Mercy

The Most Merciful shows mercy to those who have mercy on others

By Shaikh Muhammad Musa Nasr

Rasulullaah (salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam) once kissed Al-Hasan Ibn ‘Ali (r.a.) while Al-Aqra’ Ibn Haabis was in his presence. So Al-Aqra’ said to him: “You kiss your children. I swear by Allaah, I have ten children and I never kissed any one of them!” So Rasulullaah (salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam) said:

“He who doesn’t show mercy (to others) will not be shown mercy (by Allaah).”

Verily, mercy – in our religion – encompasses this world and the hereafter, as well as mankind, animals, birds, and the surrounding habitats.

Allaah says: “And My Mercy encompasses every thing.”

Allaah has described Himself with mercy and He has also described His prophets and righteous servants with it. Allaah says:

“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah (salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam) and those who are with him are severe against the disbelievers and merciful to one another.”

Allaah has made his sending forth of Rasulullaah (salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam) as a mercy to all of creation, as He says:

“And We have not sent you (O Muhammad [salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam]) except as a mercy to the worlds.”

The word “worlds” (‘aalameen) is general and thus includes the world of the humans, the world of the jinn, the world of the animals and the world of the birds, as well as the nations found on land and the nations found on sea.

And indeed Allaah has commanded that mercy be applied to every thing and in every action. So even when you slaughter your sacrificial animal, you show mercy to it by saying Bismillaah and by sharpening your sword (so that it will be a quick and painless death). Rasulullaah (salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam) said:

“Verily Allaah has prescribed Ihsaan (goodness) for everything. So when you slaughter, then slaughter in a good manner, and when you kill (in war), then kill in a good manner. And let each of you sharpen his blade and let him spare the animal he slaughters from suffering.”

And Allaah indeed forgave one prostitute from the Jews who showed mercy to a dog that was dying from thirst. She filled her shoe with water and then taking hold of the dog’s mouth, she gave it the water to drink. So Allaah was thankful to her for what she did and forgave her sins.

And once our Rasulullaah (salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam) saw one of his Companions grab the baby of a lark, and it began screeching over the heads of the Companions. So Rasulullaah (salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam) said:

“Who bereaved this (lark) of her child? Return her children back to her!”

The more weak and poor a human being is, the more required we are of showing mercy to him. And being gentle with him is what is most incumbent. This is why our Lord has forbidden us from oppressing the orphan. Allaah says:

“Therefore, treat not the orphan with oppression. And do not repel the beggar.”

Rasulullaah (salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam) said:

“The person that looks after and supports the widow and the needy one is like the mujaahid (one who makes Jihaad) in the Cause of Allaah.”

And Rasulullaah (salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam) would rub the head of the orphan and say:

“I and the guardian of an orphan will be like this in Paradise – and Rasulullaah (salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam) gestured with his index and middle finger.”

Indeed Rasulullaah (salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam) commanded us to take care of the children and the women and the elders. Thus, in his last words to his Companions and his nation, he said:

- “The prayer and what your right hands possess.”

- “Take good care of the women (i.e. wives).”

And Rasulullaah (salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam) said:

- “The best of you is the best to his wives. And I am the best amongst you with my wives.”

Mercy is something innate, which Allaah has placed into the hearts of (all) His creatures, even the lions – the most dangerous of them – for they are merciful to their children. Yet Allaah is more merciful to His creation than a mother is to her child. That is why on the day that He created mercy, He created one hundred parts to it. And He left ninety-nine parts with Him, by which He will show mercy to His servants on the Day of Judgement, and sent down one single part of mercy to earth, which humans and animals share amongst themselves.

Rasulullaah (salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam) has condemned the person that is void of any mercy and who doesn’t attain a large amount of it. This is why Rasulullaah (salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam) condemned the one who breaks family ties. Rasulullaah (salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam) said:

“Kinship is connected to the Throne (‘Arsh). It says: ‘Whoever severs me, then break (away from) him. And whoever maintains me, then keep connected to him.”

And in one narration:

“Verily, the kinship will be connected to the Throne of the Most Merciful on the Day of Judgement. It will say: ‘This is the place for the one who sought refuge in You from the severing (of family ties).’ So Allaah will say to it: ‘Will it please you that I connect those who maintained you and that I cut off those who severed you?’ And it will say: ‘I will be pleased (with that), my Lord.’”

And Rasulullaah (salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam) condemned the oppressive leaders who do not show mercy to their people, by saying:

“The worst leaders are al-hutamah.”

And Allaah has named Himself Ar-Rahmaan and Ar-Raheem, so He is the Most Merciful of this world and the Hereafter (i.e. Ar-Rahmaan) and the bestower and giver of mercy (i.e. Raheem). This is why He has commanded it in every place and in every situation. The Muslim begins his action by saying Bismillaahir-Rahmaanir-Raheem so that Allaah can bless him in his action.

So every action that is void of mercy, then there is no blessing in it, nor any good. And the servants of Allaah showing mercy towards one another is a cause for Allaah sending His Mercy down on them.

Rasulullaah (salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam) said:

“The Most Merciful shows mercy to those who have mercy on others. Show mercy to those on earth, and the One above the heaven will show mercy to you.”

O Allaah, have mercy on us above the earth and below the earth and on the Day when our deeds will be presented to us. And cause us to be merciful to one another just as the Companions of Your Prophet Rasulullaah (salallaahu 'alayhi wasallaam) were. And have mercy on our dead ones and put those who have mercy from amongst Your servants in charge over us Ya Rahmaan Ya Raheem!

Al-Asaalah Magazine Issue 21, pg. 17