The first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah:

The first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah:

Days of virtue and righteous deeds

Praise be to Allaah Who has created Time and has made some times better than others, some months and days and nights better than others, when rewards are multiplied many times, as a mercy towards His slaves. This encourages them to do more righteous deeds and makes them more eager to worship Him, so that the Muslim renews his efforts to gain a greater share of reward, prepare himself for death and supply himself in readiness for the Day of Judgement.

This season of worship brings many benefits, such as the opportunity to correct one’s faults and make up for any shortcomings or anything that one might have missed. Every one of these special occasions involves some kind of worship through which the slaves may draw closer to Allaah, and some kind of blessing though which Allaah bestows His favour and mercy upon whomsoever He will. The happy person is the one who makes the most of these special months, days and hours and draws nearer to his Lord during these times through acts of worship; he will most likely be touched by the blessing of Allaah and will feel the joy of knowing that he is safe from the flames of Hell. (Ibn Rajab, al-Lataa’if, p.8)

The Muslim must understand the value of his life, increase his worship of Allaah and persist in doing good deeds until the moment of death. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty." [al-Hijr 15:99] The mufassireen(commentators) said: "‘The certainty’ means death."

Among the special seasons of worship are the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah, which Allaah has preferred over all the other days of the year. Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allaah than these ten days." The people asked, "Not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah?" He said, "Not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah, except in the case of a man who went out to fight giving himself and his wealth up for the cause, and came back with nothing." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 2/457).

Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father) also reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There is no deed more precious in the sight of Allaah, nor greater in reward, than a good deed done during the ten days of Sacrifice." He was asked, "Not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah?" He said, "Not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah, except in the case of a man who went out to fight giving himself and his wealth up for the cause, and came back with nothing." (Reported by al-Daarimi, 1/357; its isnaad is hasan as stated in al-Irwaa’, 3/398).

These texts and others indicate that these ten days are better than all the other days of the year, with no exceptions, not even the last ten days of Ramadaan. But the last ten nights of Ramadaan are better, because they include Laylat al-Qadr ("the Night of Power"), which is better than a thousand months. Thus the various reports may be reconciled. (See Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 5/412).

You should know, my brother in Islaam, that the virtue of these ten days is based on many things:

Allaah swears an oath by them, and swearing an oath by something is indicative of its importance and great benefit. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "By the dawn; by the ten nights" [al-Fajr 89:1-2]. Ibn ‘Abbaas, Ibn al-Zubayr, Mujaahid and others of the earlier and later generations said that this refers to the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah. Ibn Katheer said: "This is the correct opinion." (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 8/413)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) testified that these are the best days of this world, as we have already quoted above from saheeh ahaadeeth.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) encouraged people to do righteous deeds because of the virtue of this season for people throughout the world, and also because of the virtue of the place - for the Hujjaaj (pilgrims) to the Sacred House of Allaah.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us to recite a lot of Tasbeeh("Subhan-Allaah"), Tahmeed ("Al-hamdu Lillaah") and Takbeer ("Allaahu akbar") during this time. ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There are no days greater in the sight of Allaah and in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Him than these ten days, so during this time recite a great deal ofTahleel ("La ilaaha ill-Allaah"), Takbeer and Tahmeed." (Reported by Ahmad, 7/224; Ahmad Shaakir stated that it is saheeh).
These ten days include Yawm ‘Arafaah (the Day of ‘Arafaah), on which Allaah perfected His Religion. Fasting on this day will expiate for the sins of two years. These days also include Yawm al-Nahar (the Day of Sacrifice), the greatest day of the entire year and the greatest day of Hajj, which combines acts of worship in a way unlike any other day.
These ten days include the days of sacrifice and of Hajj.

Question: What must the Muslim avoid during these ten days if he wants to offer a sacrifice?

The Sunnah indicates that the one who wants to offer a sacrifice must stop cutting his hair and nails and removing anything from his skin, from the beginning of the ten days until after he has offered his sacrifice, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When you see the new moon of Dhu’l-Hijjah, if any one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, then he should stop cutting his hair and nails until he has offered his sacrifice." According to another report he said: "He should not remove (literally, touch) anything from his hair or skin." (reported by Muslim with four isnaads, 13/146)

The Prophet’s instruction here makes one thing obligatory and his prohibition makes another haraam, according to the soundest opinion, because these commands and prohibitions are unconditional and unavoidable. However, if a person does any of these things deliberately, he must seek Allaah’s forgiveness but is not required to offer (an extra) sacrifice in expiation; his sacrifice will be acceptable. Whoever needs to remove some hair, nails, etc. because it is harming him, such as having a broken nail or a wound in a site where there is hair, should do so, and there is nothing wrong with that. The state of ihraam is so important that it is permitted to cut one’s hair if leaving it will cause harm. There is nothing wrong with men or women washing their heads during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) only forbade cutting the hair, not washing it.

The wisdom behind this prohibition of the one who wants to offer a sacrifice from cutting his hair etc., is so that he may resemble those in ihraam in some aspects of the rituals performed, and so that he may draw closer to Allaah by offering the sacrifice. So he leaves his hair and nails alone until the time when he has offered his sacrifice, in the hope that Allaah will save him in his entirety from the Fire. And Allaah knows best.

If a person has cut his hair or nails during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah because he was not planning to offer a sacrifice, then he decides later, during the ten days, to offer a sacrifice, then he must refrain from cutting his hair and nails from the moment he makes this decision.

Some women may delegate their brothers or sons to make the sacrifice on their behalf, then cut their hair during these ten days. This is not correct, because the ruling applies to the one who is offering the sacrifice, whether or not he (or she) delegates someone else to carry out the actual deed. The prohibition does not apply to the person delegated, only to the person who is making the sacrifice, as is indicated in the hadeeth. The person who is sacrificing on behalf of someone else, for whatever reason, does not have to adhere to this prohibition.

This prohibition appears to apply only to the one who is offering the sacrifice, not to his wife and children, unless any of them is offering a sacrifice in his or her own right, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to sacrifice "on behalf of the family of Muhammad," but there are no reports that say he forbade them to cut their hair or nails at that time.

If a person was planning to offer a sacrifice, then he decides to go and perform Hajj, he should not cut his hair or nails if he wants to enter ihraam, because the Sunnah is only to cut hair and nails when necessary. But if he is performing Tamattu’ [whereby he performs ‘Umrah, comes out of ihraam and enters ihraamanew for Hajj], he should trim his hair at the end of his ‘Umrah because this is part of the ritual.

The things that are described above as being prohibited for the person who is planning to offer a sacrifice are reported in the hadeeth quoted above; the person is not forbidden to wear perfume, have marital relations, wear sewn garments, etc.

Concerning the types of worship to be performed during these ten days: one must understand that these days are a great blessing from Allaah to His slave, which is appreciated properly by the actively righteous. It is the Muslim’s duty to appreciate this blessing and make the most of the opportunity, by devoting these ten days to paying more attention to striving hard in worship. Among His blessings to His slaves, Allaah has given us many ways in which to do good and worship Him, so that the Muslim may be constantly active and consistent in his worship of his Lord.

Among the good deeds which the Muslim should strive to do during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah are:

Fasting. It is Sunnah to fast on the ninth day of Dhu’l-Hijjah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) urged us to do good deeds during this time, and fasting is one of the best of deeds. Allaah has chosen fasting for Himself, as is stated in the hadeeth qudsi: "Allaah says: ‘All the deeds of the son of Adam are for him, except for fasting, which is for Me and I am the One Who will reward him for it.’" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 1805).

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to fast on the ninth of Dhu’l-Hijjah. Hunaydah ibn Khaalid reported from his wife that some of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to fast on the ninth of Dhu’l-Hijjah, on the day of ‘Aashooraa’, on three days of each month, and on the first two Mondays and Thursdays of each month." (Reported by al-Nisaa’i, 4/205 and by Abu Dawud; classified by al-Albaani as saheeh in Saheeh Abi Dawud, 2/462).
Takbeer. It is Sunnah to say Takbeer ("Allaahu akbar"), Tahmeed ("Al-hamdu Lillaah"), Tahleel ("La ilaha ill-Allaah") and Tasbeeh ("Subhaan Allaah") during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah, and to say it loudly in the mosque, the home, the street and every place where it is permitted to remember Allaah and mention His name out loud, as an act of worship and as a proclamation of the greatness of Allaah, may He be exalted.

Men should recite these phrases out loud, and women should recite them quietly.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"That they might witness things that are of benefit to them (i.e., reward of Hajj in the Hereafter, and also some worldly gain from trade, etc.), and mention the name of Allaah on appointed days, over the beast of cattle that He has provided for them (for sacrifice)..." [al-Hajj 22:28]

The majority of scholars agree that the "appointed days" are the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah, because of the words of Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father): "The ‘appointed days’ are the first ten days (of Dhu’l-Hijjah)."

The Takbeer may include the words "Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, la ilaaha ill-Allaah; wa Allaahu akbar wa Lillaahi’l-hamd (Allaah is Most Great, Allaah is Most Great, there is no god but Allaah; Allaah is Most Great and to Allaah be praise)," as well as other phrases.

Takbeer at this time is an aspect of the Sunnah that has been forgotten, especially during the early part of this period, so much so that one hardly ever hears Takbeer, except from a few people. This Takbeer should be pronounced loudly, in order to revive the Sunnah and as a reminder to the negligent. There is sound evidence that Ibn ‘Umar and Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with them) used to go out in the marketplace during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah, reciting Takbeer, and the people would reciteTakbeer when they heard them. The idea behind reminding the people to recite Takbeer is that each one should recite it individually, not in unison, as there is no basis in Sharee’ah for doing this.

Reviving aspects of the Sunnah that have been virtually forgotten is a deed that will bring an immense reward, as is indicated by the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "Whoever revives an aspect of my Sunnah that is forgotten after my death, he will have a reward equivalent to that of the people who follow him, without it detracting in the least from their reward." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 7/443; this is a hasan hadeeth because of corroborating asaaneed).

Performing Hajj and ‘Umrah. One of the best deeds that one can do during these ten days is to perform Hajj to the Sacred House of Allaah. The one whom Allaah helps to go on Hajj to His House and to perform all the rituals properly is included in the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "An accepted Hajj brings no less a reward than Paradise."
Doing more good deeds in general, because good deeds are beloved by Allaah and will bring a great reward from Him. Whoever is not able to go to Hajj should occupy himself at this blessed time by worshipping Allaah, praying (salaat), reading Qur’an, remembering Allaah, making supplication (du’aa’), giving charity, honouring his parents, upholding the ties of kinship, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, and other good deeds and acts of worship.
Sacrifice. One of the good deeds that will bring a person closer to Allaah during these ten days is offering a sacrifice, by choosing a high-quality animal and fattening it, spending money for the sake of Allaah. (more information to follow, in sha Allaah).
Sincere repentance. One of the most important things to do during these ten days is to repent sincerely to Allaah and to give up all kinds of disobedience and sin. Repentance means coming back to Allaah and foregoing all the deeds, open and secret, that He dislikes, out of regret for what has passed, giving it up immediately and being determined never to return to it, but to adhere firmly to the Truth by doing what Allaah loves.

If a Muslim commits a sin, he must hasten to repent at once, without delay, firstly because he does not know when he will die, and secondly because one evil deed leads to another.

Repentance at special times is very important because in most cases people’s thoughts turn towards worship at these times, and they are keen to do good, which leads to them recognizing their sins and feeling regret for the past. Repentance is obligatory at all times, but when the Muslim combines sincere repentance with good deeds during the days of most virtue, this is a sign of success, in sha Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "But as for him who repented, believed and did righteous deeds, then he will be among those who are successful." [al-Qasas 28:67]

The Muslim should make sure that he does not miss any of these important occasion, because time is passing quickly. Let him prepare himself by doing good deeds which will bring him reward when he is most in need of it, for no matter how much reward he earns, he will find it is less than he needs; the time of departure is at hand, the journey is frightening, delusions are widespread, and the road is long, but Allaah is ever watchful, and to Him will we return and render account. As the Qur’aan says (interpretation of the meaning):

"So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it,

And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it."

[al-Zalzalah 99:7-8]

There is much to be gained, so make the most of the opportunity afforded by these invaluable and irreplaceable ten days. Hasten to do good works, before death strikes, before one can regret one’s negligence and failure to act, before one is asked to return to a place where no prayers will be answered, before death intervenes between the hopeful one and the things he hopes for, before you are trapped with your deeds in the grave.

O you whose hard heart is as dark as the night, is it not time that your heart was filled with light and became soft? Expose yourself to the gentle breeze of your Lord’s mercy during these ten days, for Allaah will cause this breeze to touch whomever He wills, and whoever is touched by it will be happy on the Day of Judgement. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and all his Family and Companions. 

Islam Q&A 

Be Careful From Who You Take Your Deen From ! – Shaykh Ahmad ibn Bazmool

Be Careful From Who You Take Your Deen From !
Shaykh Ahmad ibn Bazmool
Transcription by: Umm Yusuf min Sri Lanka

The shaykh hafidhahullah then stated that this issue of knowing merely the groups and the likes is a very important subject. It is taken from the statement of Muhammad ibn Sareeh rahimahullah this is a matter or this knowledge is a matter ofdeen, so be careful who you take your deen from. This matter is a matter of deen, so be careful who you take yourdeen from. So this is how important this issue is. Is that the knowledge when o­ne takes from someone or o­ne hears from someone or o­ne learns from someone that knowledge is going to be deen something that is going to weighty o­n the Day of Judgment something that he is going to meet Allaah with so it is important that he takes his knowledge o­nly from those who are known to have knowledge. And who are known to have taqwa and who are known to be upon righteousness, because what he takes is going to be his path to the Hereafter so look to who you take your deen from means that a Muslim must look and takes his deen from Ahlus sunnah, the salafiyoon the o­nes who follow the salaf us salih and secondly that the o­ne that he takes his deen from is someone who has knowledge, known for knowledge, known for being upright and known for having taqwa. This knowledge is a matter of deen so be careful who you take your deen from.

Then the shaykh Ahmad bin Bazmool hafidhahullah ta’ala stated that Imaam Malik rahimahullah mentions in the introduction of Saheeh Imaam Muslim that there was in Madinah a hundred men that were pointed to by the people as being worshippers and being people who were righteous and being people having abstinence from the dunya but no o­ne would take knowledge from them. This statement by Imaam Malik rahimahullah is saying, that it is not enough for a person to be known for worship and being known for having abstinence from the dunya and being known for the outward expression of his worship that you take from him. That these people were known for that and these people pointed to them for that but no o­ne would take their affairs from them because it was not from their affair. Their affair was worshipping and righteousness but their affair was not knowledge. He said that if we would understand that any of us who would see a brother who has histhobe properly clad and the length of his beard is long we would think that he is a scholar of his time of the mufti of his area and this is a great mistake.

Then the shaykh Ahmad bin Bazmool hafidhahullah ta’ala states that there is no doubt that is obligatory upon the people to learn ilmi shar’ee, Islamic knowledge and this is based o­n the Quraanic verse, Allaah subhana wata’alah says “Ask the people of knowledge if you do not know.” And it is based upon the statement of Prophet Muhammad salallahu alaihi wa sallam “that seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim”. And a man came to Imaam Malik rahimahullah and said, “I want to seek knowledge” and Imaam Malik rahimahullah told him start with that which you needfor your night and your day because he means that the areas of knowledge are many and extensive and what is important is what you need is for your night and your day. And of course the first thing that you need is Tawheed, because it is the basis for all actions. And then you need taharah the proper way to purify yourself and then you need the proper manner of how to makesalaah and like this.

So this is understood and this has been explained, it is clear that that man needs what he needs for his day and his night ofTawheed and of taharah purification of salaah. Then we can see the mistake of those who want that the Muslims get involved or start without knowledge in siyaasah or political issues upon the methodology of the hizbiyyah or partisanship or defending the people who are upon shirk and bid’ah. We see that these people who call to these types of issues are not individuals from whom we should take are knowledge from.

Shaykh Ahmad bin Bazmool hafidhahullah ta’ala then went o­n to say that in reality the weakness of this ummah and the humiliation of this ummah is because of the ignorance of the ummah regarding this deen. It is not like some people say that the weakness of the ummah is because it does not have the physical strength or the weakness of the ummahis due to the fact that the disbelievers are conspiring against it. The shaykh says no, the weakness of the ummah is from inside the ummah, that the ummah does not have knowledge of deen . This ummah does not support Allaah so Allaah does not support it. As Allaah says in the Qur’aan, “If you support Allaah, Allaah will support you and will make your foothold firm. He said that the scholars say, that supporting Allaah means learning the deen, the ahkam the regulations of the deen, acting upon the deen and studying the deen. He says it is not like those people think that what we need to do is concentrate o­n the materialistic issues and if we knew about the strategies and conspiracies of the disbelievers and their political plans and we had a system arranged with all sort of leaders and the like that that will solve our problems. He said no, it is clear that humiliation comes from ourselves. Based o­n the hadith of Prophet salallahu alaihi wa sallam that if you deal in eena which is an illegal transaction a form of usury which means a Muslim will enter into which is forbidden regarding transaction and you follow the tails of the cows meaning will give in to agriculture and these type of issues and get them more importance than the Hereafter and you leave Jihaad neither do you establish Jihaad nor do you for Jihaad forJihaad he said has two types of preparations Roohi wa Maddi, Roohi meaning spiritual preparation and Maddi meaning material preparation. And this is why you see the mistake of Usaamah bin Laden among many reasons for his mistakes he is wrong and incorrect is he thinks that Jihaad is o­nly the materialistic preparation and he has totally forgotten about the spiritual preparation and he has totally forgotten about many issues in Islaam. And that which he is doing is nothing to do with the sunnah and which he is doing has nothing to do with Islaam and he is in ignorance of these issues and the scholars have responded against him. So it is the issue that the Muslims, the ummah will not learn the deen and will get involved intijaarah and forbidden trading transaction and will leave Jihaad and will become pleased with the dunya, then Allaahsubhana wata’alah will send upon him humiliation. And He will not lift this humiliation off from them until they return to their deen. The scholars say return to the deen is learning the deen, acting upon the deen and spreading the deen. He says it is not through explosions and bombings and harming individuals who had no hand in any evil and this type of thing but it is returning to the deen of Allaah learning it, practicing it and spreading it.

Shaykh Ahmad bin Bazmool hafidhahullah ta’ala went o­n to say so we know and understand this. There is a very important point that we must understand and that is that it is forbidden for anyone who does not have knowledge to talk. That is if he is jaahil ignorant is forbidden to talk in the matters of the deen. And this is something very clear from the Qur’aanic verses in which Allaah says, “Do not talk about those matters which you have no knowledge, verily regarding the hearing, the heart and the talk all of these matters a person will be questioned about.” And then Allaah subhana wata’alahmentions the forbidden matters after mentioning al fawaahish outwardly and inwardly and mentioning other matters and He says and to ascribe to Allaah that which he has no authority or that you commit shirk and then He says and you speak about Allaah when you have been forbidden that you speak about Allaah when you have no knowledge. He said that the scholars have got from this that speaking about Allaah without knowledge is worse than shirk. Speaking about Allaah without knowledge is worse than shirk, for two reasons o­ne is that this speaking about Allaah tabarakta wat’ala without knowledge is something that is general something that it will affect everybody but the state of the something he has done regarding himself. So it is forbidden for anyone to speak about Allaah without knowledge. And there is the narration of the Prophet salallahu alaihi wa sallam in which some of his companions was with o­ne of his companions o­n a journey and he got injured and when he got injured he also fell into sexual defilement, state of junub and it was a very dark cold night and he wanted to know if he should take wudhu or tayammum and he asked them if it is possible to do this and they said no you must take a ghusl you must take a full ghusl, so when he did this, he died. So when this reached the Prophet salallahu alaihi wa sallam he said, “they killed him they killed him, may Allaah kill them. Why did they not ask if they were ignorant? Verily the cure for ignorance, is asking.” So this shows that it is forbidden for someone who does not know, to talk.

So Shaykh Ahmad bin Bazmool hafidhahullah says if we have understood from what has preceded, the o­ne being questioned if he does not know, if he cannot answer it is haraam for him to answer. He must also know that the Muslim who does not know it, is forbidden for him to ask someone who does not know. It is forbidden for him in matters of deen to ask someone who does not know. Rather he has to ask an aalim a scholar someone who has knowledge and this is what Muhammad ibn Sar’ee rahimahullahu meant when he said this matter is a matter of knowledge of deen so be careful who you take your deen from.

He said also in our daily life we had a medical situation or whatever, will we go to a mechanic ?, and if we had a problem with our car will we go to a farmer? and if we wanted to construct a house will we go to someone who is a specialist in cleaning?. No, we will go to each individual who has a specialty in which they are specialist in. So when it comes to an issue of deen we must go to the ulemaa we must go to the scholars. And it is not right to say ask anybody or to do what everybody else is doing this is a major mistake also. As comes in a narration of Abu Darda raliallahu anhu in this in the khilafa of Uthmaan raliallahu anhu in the time of Uthmaan raliallahu anhu when he went to the masjid and he prayed and he saw some tabi’een praying but they were not praying according to the sunnah. There salaah was not the salaah according to thesunnah. Abu Darda went home angry. And when Umm Darda raliallahu anha saw him she said, “What has made you angry, what has caused you to get angry.” He said, “By Allaah I don’t see anything that we were doing in the time of the Prophetsalallahu alaihi wasallam that the Muslims are doing except that they pray together. Meaning that many of the sunan many of the practices that they were doing in the time of the Prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam that individuals were not doing it and what was left was that they were just praying together. This is Abu Darda’s statement while he is at the period which is close to the Prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam and there were a lot of sahabahs still alive and there were many tabi’een so what about now o­ne thousand four hundred years after that are the people the general masses upon sunnah? Are the general masses upon knowledge? Are the general masses people that we should follow? No! but we should follow the ulemaaRabbaniyeen, the scholars who know the deen of Allaah tabarakta wata’la we should not follow what our mothers were upon our fathers were upon our relatives are upon but we should follow that which the scholars are upon. These people are not right that they follow the general masses but we should follow the Prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam and the o­ne who directs us to the right. In fact what the Prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam was upon are the scholars.

Then Shaykh Ahmad bin Bazmool hafidhahullah stated that the people are of two types. The awwam or the general laymen who have no knowledge and the tullabul ilm, al ulemaa they are together, tullabul ilm students of knowledge and the ulemaa. Now the ulemaa and the students are of two types. The ulemaa who are not in reality scholars and those are the o­nes who have hizbiyyah or innovation or partisanship or politics or this movement oriented overthrowing governments and blowing up things and things of this nature and bid’ah and mistakes in their aqeedah and their manhaj. These individuals should never be taken from whatsoever. The second is the tullabul ilm and the ulemaa who are upon thesunnah, salafiyeen upon the way of the salaf us saalih . They are upon the way of the sunnah and o­n the way of the salaf us saalih. These individuals the scholars are the source that you go to. The students of knowledge are actually made a (unclear ) source. They are individuals that you benefit from but you are never to take their statements over the statements of theulemaa, of the scholars. So if we reiterate this point, the awwam the general masses don’t take anything from them but rather they should be taught, for they are ignorant.And those people who are considered scholars but their methodology is incorrect, their a qeedah and manhaj is incorrect they are involved in siyasah or politics or hizbiyyah or matters that are secretive and things of this nature they should not be taken from for they are in reality they are part of the seventy two groups that are promised the Hellfire.

Rather the o­ne that should be taken from are the tullabul ilm and ulemaa who are upon the sunnah and who are upon the way of the salaf us saalih. But the distinction must be made that we take the words of the ulemaa over the words of the student of knowledge. For instance Kibar ulemaa the Great body of Scholars like Shaykh Rabee for example says something then we take what he has said and what they have said because they are the greater scholars. And it is not right to take what a student of knowledge says just because he is salafee unless he has some clear evidence that he has stated that the scholars have missed. But if generally speaking the people have of taking the students of knowledge because he issalafee over the scholars is a great mistake.

Shaykh Ahmad bin Bazmool hafidhahullah said this issue of importance of returning to the people of ilm , returning in going to the people of knowledge as a source in going back to them we have two stories from the Prophet Muhammad salallahu alaihi wasallam regarding this issue. o­ne is the story regarding the man from before us from Bani Israel who had killed 99 individuals and he wanted to get to Allaah tabarakta wata’la so he found an aabid a worshipper, he said notice an aabid a worshipper not an aalim a scholar. A worshipper who was worshipping in seclusion and he said to him, “I have killed 99 individuals, is there any means for me to repent to Allaah to make Taubah”. So this aabid who was ignorant said, “No”. So he killed him and he completed a hundred individuals. So then he went to a scholar and saying to the scholar I have killed a hundred individuals is there any means for me to repent. The aalim said what is(unclear)between you and makingTaubah to Allaah. Of course you can make taubah but you are in a land that is evil and it is upon you to go to such and such land where there are righteous people who worship Allaah so you go there and worship Allaah with them.” So this shows you the issue of going to the scholar verses going to someone who is ignorant.

The second story is about two individuals, o­ne who was righteous and the other was a sinner. And every time the righteous o­ne would pass by the sinner he would correct him and advice him but he would not accept. So o­ne day the righteous person said to him, “By Allaah, Allaah will not forgive you.” So Allaah tabarakta wata’la said, “Who is it who is bold enough to go over Me or above Me, verily I have forgiven him and I have made your deeds nothing.” So this is the righteous person because he was ignorant he led him to go into the area that was described by Allaah tabarakta wata’la that he would not forgive o­ne of His creatures. So Allaah tabarakta wata’la wiped away or made nothing the deeds of the obedient o­ne and forgave the disobedient o­ne. So this shows us the importance of knowledge number o­ne and that we should acquire it and the importance of returning to the ulemaa. Don’t ask anyone and everyone but ask Raazikeena fil ilmthose who are well grounded in knowledge.

In closing Shaykh Ahmad bin Bazmool hafidhahullah that someone might say what is wrong with taking knowledge from the hizbiyeen and mubtadiyah (One who commits bid’ah), if they have something beneficial to give. I’ll just take the good and I will leave the bad. He said there were several issues wrong with this.

o­ne, is that the Prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam warned against the ulemaa as soo or al jahaal, taking from the evil scholars or the ignorant. And this is in a hadith in which he said, “That Allaah tabarakta wata’la does not take the knowledge after having given it by taking it away from your hearts but by the death of the religious learned men, the scholars, until there will remain nothing but the ignorant people who will contort it and will give verdicts according to their opinions and they will mislead others and they will go astray and will lead others astray.

The second matter is that Allaah tabarakta wata’la and the Prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam‘s order of hizbudeen , preserving o­nes deen. And the person who goes and sits with the innovator or hizbee is not preserving his deen.

Thirdly, is that taking from the hizbiyeen or the innovators is that they are from the asaaghir, the small o­nes and we have been forbidden or the Prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam indicated that from the signs of the hour is that the people will take their knowledge from the asaaghir. And he said that the asaaghir are the innovators.

Fourthly is that the mubtadih you cannot forsake from the fact that he will not oppose you. You will think that he is giving you the best, but he will take you step by step until he pulls you and that is the way it has been amongst the past (unclear).

And the fifth matter is that the person who is going there saying “I will get the good and leave the bad” is ignorant. So he cannot protect himself from falling into a fitnah. So he can’t protect himself from falling into a fitnah. So for all these reasons above and more it is important that you take o­nly from the scholars who are known for the knowledge who are well grounded in their knowledge and we do not ask or take from anyone else. And then he said hadha wa salallahu wa nabiyinah Muhammad.

http://salaf-us-saalih.com/2012/03/29/transcription-be-careful-from-who-you-take-your-deen-from-shaykh-ahmad-ibn-bazmool/

Conditions of permissible joking

22170: Conditions of permissible joking

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WHAT are the conditions for joking to be permissible?

Praise be to Allaah.  

1 – It not should not INVOLVE any element of making fun of Islam. 

That is ONE of the things that nullify a person’s Islam. Allaah says (interpretation of the MEANING): 

“If you ask them (about this), they declare: ‘We were only talking IDLY and joking.’ Say: ‘Was it at Allaah, and His Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger  that you were mocking?’

MAKE no excuse; you disbelieved after you had believed”

[al-Tawbah 9:65-66] 

Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Making fun of Allaah, His Signs and His Messenger is kufr (disbelief) and the one who does that disbelieves thereby after he had believed.” 

The same applies to making fun of some Sunnahs, an action which is widespread, such as making fun of the beard and the hijaab, or of shortening one’s garment, etc. 

Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen said in al-Majmoo’ al-Thameen, 1/63: 
 “The matters of Divine Lordship, Prophethood, Revelation and religion are sacred matters which are to BE venerated. It is not permissible for anyone to show disrespect towards them, whether by MOCKING them to make others laugh or to poke fun at them. If anyone does that, he is a kaafir, because this is indicative of his disrespect towards Allaah and His Messengers, Books and LAWS. Whoever does that has to repent to Allaah for what he has done, because that is a kind of hypocrisy. So he has to repent to Allaah, seek His forgiveness, mend his ways and develop fear of Allaah, veneration towards Him and love for Him in his heart. And Allaah is the Source of strength. 

2 – The jokes should only be truthful. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Woe to the one who tells lies to make people laugh, woe to him.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood). 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, warning against this kind of behaviour which some jokers are accustomed to: “A man may say something to make his companions laugh, and he will fall into Hell as far as the Pleiades because of it.” (Narrated by Ahmad). 

3 – Not SCARING people 

Especially those who are very energetic or strong, or who are holding a weapon or a piece of iron, or who take advantage of the darkness and people’s weakness to use that as a means of scaring and alarming them. It was narrated that Abu Layla said: “The companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that they were travelling with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and a man among them fell asleep. Some of them got a rope and tied him up, and he got SCARED. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘It is not permissible for a Muslim to frighten another Muslim.’” (Narrated by Abu Dawood). 

4 – Mocking people by winking behind their backs or making snide remarks 

People vary in their ability to understand things and in their characters. Some weak people, those who like to make fun of others and wink behind their backs or make snide remarks, may FIND A PERSON to be an object of fun for them and the butt of their jokes – Allaah forbid. Allaah has forbidden such behaviour in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): 

“O you who believe! Let not a group scoff at another group, it may be that the latter are better than the former. Nor let (some) women scoff at other women, it may be that the latter are better than the former. Nor defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames. How bad is it to insult one’s brother after having Faith”

[al-Hujuraat 49:11] 

Ibn Katheer said IN his Tafseer: “What is meant HERE is looking down on them, belittling them or making fun of them. This is haraam and is counted as one of the characteristics of the hypocrites.” 

Some people make fun of a person’s appearance, manner of walking or vehicle. But there is the fear that Allaah may requite the one who makes fun of others because of that. The PROPHET (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Do not express malicious joy towards your brother’s misfortune, for Allaah may have mercy on him and you may be stricken by the thing you made fun of.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi). 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) WARNED against mocking people and hurting their feelings, because that is the path that leads to hatred and grudges. He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The Muslim is the brother of another Muslim, he does not wrong him, let him down or look down upon him. Taqwa (piety, awareness and fear of Allaah) is here” – and he pointed to his chest three times – “It is sufficient evil for a man to look down upon his Muslim brother. Every Muslim is sacred to another Muslim, his blood, his property and his honour.” (Narrated by Muslim) 

5 – The jokes should not be excessive. 

Some people joke too much and it becomes a habit for them. This is the opposite of the serious nature which is the characteristic of the believers. Joking is a break, a rest from ongoing seriousness and STRIVING; it is a little relaxation for the soul. ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Fear joking, for it is folly and generates grudges.” 

Imaam al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The kind of joking which is forbidden is that which is excessive and persistent, for it leads to too much laughter and hardening of the heart, it DISTRACTS from remembrance of Allaah, and it often leads to hurt feelings, generates hatred and causes people to lose respect and dignity. But whoever is safe from such dangers, then that which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do is permissible for him.” 

6 – Acknowledging people’s status 

Some people may joke with everyone indiscriminately, BUT scholars and the ELDERLY have rights, so you have to be aware of the character of the person with whom you are dealing. You should not joke with ignorant people, fools or people whom you do not know. 

With regard to this matter, ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez said: “Fear joking, for it UNDERMINES chivalry and manliness.” 

Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqaas said: “Set a limit to your jokes, for going to extremes makes you lose respect and incites the foolish against you.” 

7 – The amount of joking should be like the amount of salt in one’s food. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not laugh too much, for laughing too much deadens the HEART.” (Saheeh al-Jaami’, 7312) 

‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be PLEASED with him) said: “Whoever laughs too much or jokes too much loses respect, and whoever persists in doing something will be known for it.” 

So beware of joking, for it “causes a person to lose face after he was thought of as respectable, and it brings him HUMILIATION after esteem.” 

8 – It should not involve backbiting. 

This is a foul sickness. Some people think that they can talk about others, and say that this is by way of joking, but it is included in the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “[Backbiting is] your mentioning about your brother something that he dislikes.” (Narrated by Muslim) 

9 – Choosing appropriate times for joking. 

Such as when YOU are taking a trip in the countryside, or attending a party in the evening, or when meeting a friend, you may relax and enjoy some GENTLE anecdotes, nice stories or light jokes, in order to generate friendship and instill happiness in the heart; or when family problems are taking their toll and one of the spouses is angry, some gentle joking may relieve the tension and cheer people up. 

O Muslim, 

A man said to Sufyaan ibn ‘Uyaynah (may Allaah be PLEASED with him), “Joking is not right, it is to be denounced.” He replied, “Rather it is Sunnah, but only for those who know how to do it and do it at the appropriate time.”  

Nowadays, although the ummah needs to increase the love between its individual members and to relieve itself of boredom, it has gone too far with regard to RELAXATION, laughter and jokes. This has become a habit which fills their gatherings and wastes their time, so their lives are wasted and their newspapers are filled with jokes and trivia. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much.” In Fath al-Baari it says: “What is meant by knowledge here has to do with the might of Allaah and His vengeance upon those who DISOBEY Him, and the terrors that occur at death, in the grave and on the Day of Resurrection). 

Muslim men and women have to be inclined to choose righteous and serious friends in their lives, who will HELP them to make good use of their time and strive for the sake of Allaah with seriousness and steadfastness, good and righteous people whose example they can follow. Bilaal ibn Sa’d said: “I saw them [the Sahaabah] jokingly pretending to fight over some goods, and laughing with one another, but when night came they were like monks.” 

Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) was asked, “Did the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) laugh?” He said, “Yes, and the faith in their hearts was like mountains.” 

So you have to follow the example of such people, who were knights by day and monks (i.e., devoted worshippers) by night. 

May Allaah keep us, you and our parents safe on the Day of the Greatest Terror, those to whom the call will go out on that great Day: 

“ENTER Paradise, no fear shall be on you, nor shall you grieve”

[al-A’raaf 7:49 – interpretation of the MEANING] 

MAY Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and all his family and companions. 

By ‘Abd al-Malik al-Qaasim.