thefinalmessage|THE FRIDAY NOTE
Weekly Hadith – Living
a Simple Life
Umar ibn Khattab (RadiAllahu ‘anhu) said: ‘I entered the Messenger’s house and I found him
sitting on a mat. He had a leather pillow stuffed with fibres. He had a pot of
water by his feet, and there was some clothes hung on the wall. His side had
marks due to the mat that he lay on’. Umar wept when he saw this, and the
Messenger (salAllahu’alayhi wasallam) asked him: ‘Why do you weep?’ Umar said:
‘O Prophet of God! Khosrau (Persian emperior) and Caesar enjoy the best of this
world, and you are suffering in poverty?!’ He said: ‘Aren’t you pleased that
they enjoy this world, and we will enjoy the Hereafter?’
[Bukhari]
Simplicity and
abstinence from extravagance is highly recommended in Islam. While living in
luxury is not prohibited for a Muslim, it is at most ‘mubah’, or permissible
(not encouraged). As we are aptly reminded through the above narration, the
promise of the Afterlife far exceeds anything that this world has to offer. The
Prophet (salAllahu'alayhi wasallam) demonstrated this through the way he lived
his life despite having the option of excessive comfort, and constantly
reminded his Companions (radi'Allahu'anhuma) to follow his example. Hence we
should be mindful of this and instead of indulging in flamboyance, we should put
to good use what all Allah (Subhna wa ta'aala) has given us through the belief
that we are investing in our Aakhirah and therefore the best is yet to come
insha'Allah.
Pearls of Wisdom;
It is reported that Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal
(rahimuhullah) said: ‘As-Shafi’I saw me sitting in his circle, and there
was some ink on my shirt that I was trying to hide. He said, “ Young man, why
are you trying to hide it? Having ink on the clothes is the sign of lofty
conduct; to the sight it is black, but to the insight it is white (with the
light of knowledge).”’
Weekly Q&A;
It is not permissible to
foresake Muslim because of differences in point of view?
Praise be to Allaah.
In the Name of
Allah, the most Merciful,
It is not permissible to forsake a Muslim, because the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “It is not
permissible for a man to forsake his Muslim brother for more than three days,
each of them turning away from the other when they meet. The better of them is
the one who gives the greeting of salaam first.”
[Narrated by al-Bukhaari,
5727; Muslim, 2560]
This applies
especially if the believer is a relative, such as a brother, nephew, uncle or
cousin, because in such cases forsaking is an even worse sin.
This applies unless the person is committing a sin and
there is an interest to be served by forsaking him, i.e., that it will make him
give up the sin. In that case there is nothing wrong with it, because this
comes under the heading of removing evil. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever among you sees an evil action, let him
change it with his hand [by taking action]; if he cannot, then with his tongue
[by speaking out]; if he cannot then with his heart [by hating it and feeling
that it is wrong], and that is the weakest of faith.”
[Narrated by
Muslim, 49]
The basic principle is that it is haraam for a Muslim to
forsake his fellow-Muslim, unless there is a reason to allow it.
[See Fataawa
Manaar al-Islam, by Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, vol. 3, p. 732.]
Wali al-Deen al-‘Iraaqi said:
This prohibition applies in cases where the forsaking is
caused by anger with regard to something permissible that has nothing to do
with religion. With regard to forsaking someone for a religious reason, such as
his committing sin or bid’ah, there is no prohibition on that. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded (his companions) to
forsake Ka’b ibn Maalik, Hilaal ibn Umayyah and Maraarah ibn al-Rabee’ (may
Allaah be pleased with them). Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said: This hadeeth of Ka’b indicates
that it is permissible for a man to forsake his brother if he commits some act
of bid’ah or immorality, in the hope that forsaking him may discipline him and
serve as a rebuke to him. Abu’l-‘Abbaas al-Qurtubi said: With regard to
forsaking a person because of sin or bid’ah, it should be continued until he
repents from that and does not go back to it. Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr also said: The
scholars are unanimously agreed that it is not permissible for a Muslim to
forsake his brother for more than three days, unless there is the fear that
speaking to him and keeping in touch with him will affect one’s religious
commitment or have some harmful effect on one's spiritual and worldly
interests. If that is the case, it is permissible to avoid him, because peaceful
avoidance is better than harmful mixing.
[Tarh al-Tathreeb,
8/99 ]
What you should do, if your brother has done something
haraam, is to advise him and explain that this thing is haraam and is not
permitted, and remind him of Allaah. If you see that he is persisting in his
sin and you think that forsaking him will serve a purpose, then it is
permissible to do so, as stated above. But if he has simply done something that
you do not agree with, or it is the matter of different points of view, then
you should explain to him that you do not agree with what he has done, or with
his mistaken point of view. But if you make forsaking him the sign of your
disagreeing with him, this may lead to him rejecting your view completely, let
alone the fact that this is not a legitimate shar’i justification for forsaking
him for more than three days. We have seen above in the fatwa of Shaykh Ibn
‘Uthaymeen that the basic principle is that it is haraam for a Muslim to
forsake his fellow-Muslim, unless there is a reason to allow it.
The Muslim must be forbearing and sincere towards his
brothers, he must be tolerant towards them and overlook their mistakes. He
should not hasten to adopt a solution that may cause division and haraam kinds
of forsaking.
May Allaah help us all to do that which He loves and
which pleases Him. May Allaah send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad.
And Allaah knows best.
Weekly Suggested Good Deed – Character, The Forgotten Trait;
The Messenger of
Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I was sent to
perfect good character." [Muwatta, Imam Malik
rahimihullah]
All things take effort
to improve upon. While most of us are able to focus our energies on improving
our practise and knowledge of Islam, it's very easy to neglect the other parts
like character and personality. There is no harm in striving to be a good
person and although it may be difficult at first if we're explicit and
conscious about nurturing our relationships and our behaviour toward others and
our surroundings, eventually it will become effortless and second nature.
Indeed it is a part of our Deen to perfect our character, and this cannot be
overlooked.
Dua of the Week;
One invocation for Qunut in the Witr prayer:
Transliteration:
“Allaahum-mahdinee
feeman hadayta, wa 'aafinee feeman 'aafayta, wa tawallanee feeman tawallayta,
wa baarik lee feemaa 'a'atayta, wa qinee sharra maa qadhayta, fa'innaka taqdhee
wa laa yuqdhaa 'alayka, 'innahu laa yathillu man waalayta, [wa laa ya 'izzu man
'aadayta] , tabaarakta Rabbanaa wa ta'aalayta.
Translation:
O Allah , guide me with those whom You have guided , and
strengthen me with those whom You have given strength. Take me to Your care
with those whom You have taken to Your care. Bless me in what You have given
me. Protect me from the evil You have ordained. Surely, You command and are not
commanded, and none whom You have committed to Your care shall be humiliated
[and none whom You have taken as an enemy shall taste glory] . You are Blessed
, Our Lord , and Exalted.
Email: thefridaynote@gmail.com
Email: thefridaynote@gmail.com
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