31
October
2008
Promises, Promises…
by Sumayyah bint Joan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No two words can invoke as much hope and confidence as, “I promise.” As children we are taught that promises are unbreakable pledges which cannot be defaulted on under any circumstances. But, as we grow older, the old adage of, “promises were meant to be broken,” more often justifies the lack of commitment and follow-through placed behind these two words. Sometimes we forget that a promise, is like a pledge or a vow, and that it should be given only if we are absolutely sure that we can fulfill it.
As Muslims, our word should be our bond, and if we make promises, then we should also make sure that we keep them, for Allah says,
“…surely every promise shall be questioned about.” [17:39]
How many times have we heard brothers and sisters who have just gotten married talk of the promises they have made to each other? She promises that she will always look her best when he’s at home, that the house will be immaculate at all times and that she will be the model of obedience. He promises that he will help her maintain their home, help her with the children and that he will practically be the poster boy for “Great Husbands Inc.”
If we revisit these very couples six-to-eight months later, we find a much different picture than the one painted only a few short months ago. We often find neither of them living up to the promises that they made, and this is usually the cause of much conflict and tension in many new marriages. Brothers and sisters, we must be careful to guard the promises we make to each other for Allah says, “whoever fulfills his promise and guards (against evil), surely Allah loves those who guard (against evil).” [3:76]
Broken promises in a marital relationship can lead to many problems.
When promises are broken, it breaks down the fragile walls of trust and confidence that must be maintained in order for the relationship to flourish. Sisters, if you promised that the dinner would be ready by the time he got home, then make sure that it is. Brothers, if you promised to cut the grass, then make sure you do that, before you go off to do something else. What may seem like a little thing to you, may be something quite big to someone else. By guarding our promises, we also guard the integrity of our relationships. This in turn fosters a more secure sense of reliability, trust and confidence, and serves to diffuse tensions and conflicts.
Allah says,
“They fulfill vows and fear a day the evil of which shall be spreading far and wide.” [76:7]
Let us fulfill our vows with this fear in mind. Let us not forget that even though we are neglectful, our scribe angels are not. If a brother comes to you in the mosque and asks a favor of you, and you say yes, just because you said inshaAllah, that does not give you permission to break that verbal agreement. So many of us use inshaAllah, as a way to get out of implicit or explicit verbal agreements we have made with each other. Many of us use inshaAllah to say yes, when in our hearts we actually mean no. As Muslims, we are honour-bound to be truthful with each other, and we should always say what we mean, and mean what we say.
To no other group of individuals are broken promises more devastating, than to children. Children are like elephants, they almost never forget. If you promise a child something, they will remember that promise, even though they may not verbalize it to you. When a child knows that you are a person of your word, then it comes to trust and depend on you in a secure way. But, when a child finds out that you are not a person of your word, this can leave numerous hidden scars that can lead to a number of behavioral and disciplinary problems.
Abdullah said, ” Lies are of no use in either seriousness or jest. Also, it is not right for someone to promise something to his/her child/children and then fail to fulfill that promise.” Related by Abu Dawood.
By keeping our promises to our children, we are also teaching them the importance of honour and commitment. By keeping our word to them, they will in turn learn to keep promises made to us and to their peers. As parents, we must always remember that the old saying, “do as I say, not as I do,” does not work. Children model themselves after behavior, and they will always do what they see their parents doing. By keeping our promises to our children, we also reinforce in them a sense of importance and belonging, and a knowledge that their feelings count too.
Allah says,
“And whatever alms you give or (whatever) vow you vow, surely Allah knows and the unjust shall have no helper.” [2:270]
So, let us then not be among the unjust. Let us be always mindful of the vows and promises we make to each other, so that through them we can tighten the bonds that hold us together
Posted: Islamic Articles
14
May
2008
McCain’s spiritual guide and Islamophobia
5/13/2008 - Political Social - Article Ref: IV0805-3572
Number of comments: 11
Opinion Summary: Agree:3 Disagree:5 Neutral:3
By: Dr. Aslam Abdullah
Iviews* -
When Rev. John Hagee, the McCain supporter who said God created Hurricane Katrina to punish New Orleans for its homosexual “sins”, not many in the media questioned him and McCain did not feel the need to comment on his statement. Well now Rev. Rod Parsley, the televangelist mega-church pastor from Ohio has been embraced by the Republican nominee. Parsley is promoting hate and Islamophobia. According to David Corn of Mother Jones, Parsley has called on Christians in America to wage war against Islam, which he considers to be a “false religion.” In the past, Parsley has also railed against the separation of church and state, homosexuals, and abortion rights, comparing Planned Parenthood to Nazis. Parsley believes that America was given to white Christians primarily to destroy Islam.
John McCain actively sought and received Parsley’s endorsement in the presidential race. McCain has called Parsley “a spiritual guide,”. Giving Mr. McCain the benefit of the doubt it is not certain whether he shares Parsley’s vicious anti-Islamic views but at the same we cannot be sure because the mainstream media refuses to ask.
But we cannot tolerate silence in the face of such blatant disregard of the founding principals of this nation. A Presidential candidate is openly embracing a religious figure who is promoting hate against 8 million Muslims in America and Muslims around the world. Many Muslim groups and organizations have not focused on this issue. If this is unchallenged, McCain’s election will give strength to Parsley and Hagee and impact the domestic policies towards Muslims and the civil liberties of all Americans.
What Parsley is saying is very clear. Don’t let Islam take roots in America. Don’t let Muslims be pat of this country. How many other groups of people is Mr. Parsley proposing to exclude from the American fabric?.
Muslim Americans and Interfaith leadership must write to the McCain campaign demanding an explanation of his endorsement of Parsley and Hagee. We have the following questions for McCain and all others who are seeking the office.
1. Do they believe that Islam is a threat to world civilization?
2. Do they believe that Muslim Americans promote violence?
3. Do they believe that Islam is a satanic cult?
4. Do they believe that Muslims are pagans or infidels?
5. Do they believe that America was established to destroy Islam?
6. Would they use their office to promote the agenda of Parsley and Hagee?
7. Would they attend churches that promote these types of ideas?
8. Would they use their office to discriminate against Muslims and other groups?
9. Do they consider Islam a mainstream American religion?
We must send these questions to every candidate running for Presidency, senate and congress and house assembly and senate etc. We should not take this type of attack lightly because it is due to a lack of measurable response against such bigotry that ignorance about Islam has taken hold in our country. The ignorance of the last eight years has led this country to elect a president who has been speaking the language of religious leaders like Falwell and Robertson.
Those Muslim Americans who are part of the Republican party must raise these issues with their party bosses. Additionally, Muslims must be prepared to take these questions to the Republican and Democratic Party conventions to seek clarification from the candidates and their supporters.
Silence is not an option we can afford for the future of our children and the greater wellbeing of our country.
Contact John McCain Campaign
Dr. Aslam Abdullah is Editor-in-Chief of the Muslim Observer, director of the Islamic society of Nevada, Las Vegas and acting president of the Muslim Council of America, a Washington-based newly formed groups of Muslim activists.
Posted: Islamic Articles
26
November
2007
Why I Chose Islam -
Jemima Goldsmith (Wife of Imran Khan)
The media presents me as a naive, besotted 21-year-old who has made a hasty decision without really considering the consequences—thus effectively condemning herself to a life of interminable subservience, misery and isolation. Although I must confess I have rather enjoyed the various depictions of a veiled and miserable “Haiqa Khan” incarcerated in chains, the reality is somewhat different. Contrary to current opinion, my decision to convert to Islam was entirely my own choice and in no way hurried.
Whilst the act of conversion itself is surprisingly quick—entailing the simple assertion that “there is only one God and Muhammad is His Prophet”—the preparation is not necessarily to speedy a process. In my case, this began last July, whilst the actual conversion took place in early February—three months before the Nikah in Paris.
During that time I studied in depth both the Qur’an and the works of various Islamic scholars (Gai Eaton, the Bosnian president Alia Izetbegovic, Muhammad Asad), thus giving me ample time to reflect before making my decision. What began as intellectual curiosity slowly ripened into a dawning realisation of the universal and eternal truth that is Islam. In the statement given out of week ago, I particularly stressed that I had converted to Islam entirely “through my own convictions”. The significance of this has been largely ignored by the press. The point is that my conversion was not, as so many have assumed, a pre-requisite to my marriage. It was entirely my own choice. Religiously speaking there was absolutely no compulsion for me to convert prior to my marriage. As it explicitly states in the Qur’an, a Muslim is permitted to marry from “the People of the Book”—in other words, either a Christian or a Jew. Indeed, the Sunnah—which describes the life of the Prophet—shows that the messenger of Islam himself married both a Christian and a Jew during his lifetime.
I believe that much of this hostility towards my marriage and conversion stems from widespread misconceptions about an alien culture and religion. Not only is there a huge gulf between the Western view of Islam and the reality, but there is in some cases also a significant distinction between Islam based directly on the Qur’an and the Sunnah and that practised by some Islamic societies. During the last year I have had the opportunity to visit Pakistan on three separate occasions and have observed Islamic family life in practice. Thus, to some extent I now feel qualified to judge for myself the true role and position of women in the religion. At the risk of sounding defensive, I would like to point out that Islam is not a religion which subjugates women whilst elevating men to the status of mini-dictators in their homes.I was able to see this first-hand when I met Imran’s sisters in Lahore: they are all highly educated professional women. His oldest sister, Robina, is an alumnus of the LSE and holds a senior position in the United Nations in New York. Another sister, Aleema, has a master’s degree in business administration and runs a successful business; Uzma is a highly qualified surgeon working in a Lahore hospital, whilst Rani is a university graduate who co-ordinates charity work. They can hardly be seen as “women in chains” dominated by tyrannical husbands. On the contrary, they are strongminded independent women—yet at the same time they remain deeply committed both to their families and their religion. Thus, I was able to see—in theory and in practice—how Islam promotes the essential notion of the family unit without subjugating its female members.
I am nevertheless fully aware that women are sometimes exploited and oppressed in Islamic societies, as in other parts of the world. Judging by some of the articles which have appeared in the press, it would seem that a Western woman’s happiness hinges largely upon her access to nightclubs, alcohol and revealing clothes; and the absence of such apparent freedom and luxuries in Islamic societies is seen as an infringement of her basic rights. However, as we all know, such superficialities have very little to do with true happiness. Besides, without in any way wishing to disparage the culture of the Western world, into which I was born, I am more than willing to forego the transient pleasures derived from alcohol and nightclubs; and as for the clothes I will be wearing, i find the traditional shawlar kameez (tunic and trousers) worn by most Pakistani women far more elegant and feminine than anything in my wardrobe.Finally, it seems futile to speculate on my chances of marital success. Marriage, as Imran’s father has been quoted as saying, is indeed “a gamble”. However, when I see that in a society based on family life the divorce rate is just a fraction of that in European or American society, I cannot see that my chances of success are any less than if I had chosen to marry a Westener. I am all too aware of the enormous task of adapting to a new and radically different culture. But with the love of my husband and the support of his family I look forward to the challenge wholeheartedly, and would like to feel that people wish me well. Whilst I do appreciate the genuine concerns of many, I must confess to feeling somewhat bewildered by all of the commotion.
Posted: Islamic Articles
26
November
2007
Islamic D’awah in a Changing World
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
The world we live in is changing from day to day. The Soviet empire has crumbled. The US
is seeking to reduce the scope of its military dominance of various regions of the world. The
Berlin wall has been demolished by the very people who built it. The Cold War has come to
an end. The superpowers have put their guns down, admitting that warfare is no solution to
human problems.
Western thinkers have coined a new term — `endism’, which means that all `isms’, all
ideologies, all systems, have exhausted their credibility as modern man’s ideal.
Muslims generally see these changes as going against them, as danger, in fact, to Islam. This
kind of thinking, as I see it, is quite wrong and is no doubt against the teachings of Islam.
The Quran say: with every difficulty there is relief (94:6). This means that difficulty and
relief inevitably coexist. They have been ordained inseparable.
Granted that modern changes have brought problem in their wake for Muslims, but these
changes have also created new opportunities. And fortunately the opportunities far exceed
the problems.
When we look at that matter from this angle we find many positive and hopeful aspects in
the situation, for although the modern world is witnessing great changes, those changes are
going mostly in favor of Islam. This is the most important aspect of our new world.
There are many examples which clearly indicate that the present changes greatly favor
Islam. Here, we shall give just two examples, the one, theoretical, and the other practical,
which should suffice to make the point.
At the beginning of the present century, a British scientist once gave a public lecture on
astronomy. He described how the earth orbits around the sun and the sun, in turn, orbits
around center of a vast collection of stars called our galaxy. At the end of the lecture, a little
old lady at the back of the room got up and said: What you have told is rubbish. The world
is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise. The scientist gave a superior
smile before countering with “What is the tortoise standing on?” ” You’re very clever,
young man, very clever,” said the old lady, “but it’s turtles all the way down.”
This picture of our world as an infinite tower of tortoises was seen by the scientists as
ridiculous. But the alternatives presented by them were also a kind of infinite tower with the
difference that the tortoises were replaced by causes. The scientists’ assumption was that
there was always a cause behind every event, and so on. Thus the chain of causes is infinite
in length.
Then came the theory of the big bang. With this, the theory of an “infinite tower of causes”
lost its validity, as this theory suggested that a sudden explosion had marked the beginning
of the universe rather than an infinitely continuing process of causes and effects.
Stephen W. Hawking, a well-known scientist of modern times, has calculated the rate of the
expansion of the universe after the big bang. Providing details of this calculation, he writes:
“The rate of expansion would have had to be chosen very precisely for the rate of
expansion still to be so close to the critical rate needed to avoid recollapse. This means
that the initial state of the universe must have been very carefully chosen indeed if the hot
big bang model was correct right back to the beginning of time. It would be very difficult
to explain why the universe should have begun in just this way, except as the act of a God
who intended to create beings like us” (p.134).
This means that the scientific study of the universe has strengthened religious belief rather
than weaken it. Such discoveries have opened up opportunities for performing Islamic
d’awah with far greater effectiveness.
Now take the practical aspect of the changes. Here also we find clear indications that the
present changes are only paving the way for Islamic d’awah on an unprecedented scale.
Let us see for instance, what is happening in the socialist world. In one of his writings, Karl
Marx had said that religion was the opiate of the masses. But today, the socialist Russians
are themselves saying that Marxism itself was the worst kind of opiate for the mind created
by Karl Marx.
Just a few years ago, it was well-nigh unthinkable to carry a copy of the Quran inside the
Soviet Union. But, today, Aeroflot has been engaged to airlift one million copies of the
Quran from Jeddah to Moscow.
In its March 1990 issue, Time magazine gave detailed report on the religious position in the
Soviet Union. It said: “Some 55 million Soviet Muslims enjoy the fruits of new religious
tolerance.” The strange but meaningful title of this report was “Karl Marx makes room for
Mohammad.”
I do not feel the need to go into further details. I should only like to say that the present
changes taking place in the world today have opened up for us great new scope for Islamic
d’awah. But we must remain very alert in order not to miss these opportunities.
The foregoing arguments suffice to show that the changes taking place in the present world
have opened up new vistas to Islamic d’awah. These changes have made it possible for
Islam to be presented more forcefully and effectively to the world. The most important task
ahead of us is to have a thorough understanding of these changes and then to avail of them in
an organized and disciplined way.
I would propose for this the formation of a committee of scholars who would be entrusted
with going into the matter in depth, and then carving out a well-planned scheme. All
possible resources should be utilized towards this end.
This is undoubtedly a historic task. History awaits the advance of certain dedicated
individuals towards this goal so that it can give them resounding credit for having spread the
message of Islam to mankind in this modern age. Those who can prove themselves worthy
of such historic credit will be the most fortunate of men.
Posted: Islamic Articles
11
November
2007
Socialization with Non-Muslims: Permissible?
Question:
Are we ever allowed to socialize with non-Muslims? How do we tell our non-Muslim friends that we cannot be their friends anymore, without hurting their feelings?
Answer by Mufti Sheikh Ahmad Kutty:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear brother in Islam, we highly appreciate your interesting question and seize the chance to shed light on some of the Islamic teachings that are mostly misconceived. We implore Allah Almighty to help us serve His cause and render our work for His Sake.
First of all, Muslims are allowed to socialize with non-Muslims within limits. Muslims should have good relations with all people of every religion. At school, at work, in the neighborhood, et cetera, a Muslim should be kind and courteous to everyone. Islam teaches its adherents to interact with all people and cooperate for the good and betterment of the whole mankind. Muslims are taught to care for all people regardless of their faith or their opinions. In their relation with non-Muslims, Muslims should be aware of and observe their religious duties.
In his response to your question Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
“It is not all correct or accurate to say that we are not allowed to socialize with non-Muslims at all. Therefore, instead of saying that all forms of socialization with non-Muslims are forbidden, we should be more specific, and make distinctions and say: while there are some types of socialization that are considered either permissible or recommended, while there are others that are considered impermissible and still there are certain others that are considered undesirable.
Islam encourages Muslims to cooperate with everyone regardless of his/her religion or creed in all projects that are virtuous or beneficial to humanity or other creatures of God; so we must cooperate with everyone on projects intended to restore justice, peace and betterment of humans or God’s creation. We learn from the sources that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as well as his Companions never stayed away from forging such relations with the non-Muslims. In fact, the Prophet fondly cherished his memories of a pact he had entered during the pre-Islamic times, which was related to siding with the oppressed against the oppressors and restoring the rights of those who have been victimized. His words in this context are almost axiomatic: “If I were to be invited to a similar pact by anyone, I would certainly hasten to join it!” We also learn from his seerah (biography) that he entered into a relationship of mutual cooperation and partnership with the Jews of Madinah. Although later on, they broke their part of the covenant, he never initiated such a breach.
So ask yourself what kind of socialization you are talking about. If it falls in the above category of virtue, piety or even things that are beneficial for worldly and other-worldly considerations, then we are certainly allowed to join in solidarity with them. Allah says, “Cooperate on virtue and God-consciousness and do not cooperate on sin and aggression.” (Al-Ma’idah: 2)
If, on the other hand, by socialization you mean joining them in drinking, dancing, or any such activities that are considered unlawful, then we can never do so regardless of whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims. To think that we may do so with Muslims and not with non-Muslims is sheer ignorance, for haram shall remain haram, no matter who practices it, and halal shall remain halal, no matter who practices it.
Then there is yet another type of socialization which also falls under the forbidden or undesirable category. If, for instance, you are a weak Muslim and you are afraid of losing or compromising your values and morals while socializing with the non-Muslims, then you must not do so out of love for preserving your religion intact.
In light of the above, let me conclude by saying: We should consider our actions as well their effects carefully before we embark on them.
It is important for us Muslims to join with our fellow citizens in all laudable and beneficial projects that are intended for the betterment of the country and people. To do so is not only our duty as citizens but a religious duty since, as Muslims, we must always serve as instruments of goodness, mercy and compassion to all people and to all of Allah’s creation. Among such noble and laudable projects we can include the following: working to eradicate poverty and homelessness; to save the children; to make our streets free of drugs, alcoholism, prostitution and homosexuality; to fight cruelty against animals; and to work for a cleaner environment, et cetera. We must never have any hesitation or reservation about cooperating with our non-Muslim neighbors for such causes.
As a matter of fact, this is our mandate as Muslims, for Allah states in the Qur’an, “O you who believe! Bow down, prostrate and worship your Lord and do good works in order for you to prosper.” (Al-Hajj: 77)”
Allah Almighty knows best.
Posted: Islamic Articles
11
November
2007
To Kill a Mocking Tongue
By: Sheikh Muhammad Alshareef | As-Sahwah.com
Al-Ma’roor ibn Suwayd narrates that he once saw Abu Dharr – radi Allaahu ‘anhu – wearing a beautiful shawl. His slave standing next to him was wearing a shawl exactly like it, warm and beautiful.
Ma’roor said to Abu Dharr, “Perhaps you could take the shawl of your servant and give him another (less expensive) one.”
“Never,” said Abu Dharr, “for I once had a servant whose mother was not Arab and I cussed him and his mother. That servant went to the Messenger of Allah – sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam – complaining of the words I had said.
“When Rasul Allaah – sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam – saw me he commented, ‘O Abu Dharr, you are a man who still has Jahilliyyah (Pre-Islamic Ignorance) in him.’”
Because of these painful words, Abu Dharr – may Allah be pleased with him - would always dress his servants in the exact same garments that he would wear.
Dear brothers and sisters, Allah is disobeyed most with our tongues. There is a sin that sweeps amongst us, a sin that many take lightly, a sin that is laughed at, a sin that could very well pull someone to Hellfire: It is the sin of insulting others.
Read carefully this following verse. It is a commandment of Allah that begins with a call to those who claim to have Eemaan. Allah ta’ala says in the Qur’an (49/11):
O you who believe let not one group of people make fun of another, perhaps the (one’s being made fun of) are better then them. And let not women make fun of other women perhaps the (woman being made fun of) is better then them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by (offensive) nicknames. Wretched is the name (i.e. mention) of disobedience after (one’s) faith. And whoever does not repent – then it is those who are the Dhaalimoon (the wrongdoers).
Perhaps the one that is being made fun of is more beloved to Allah. Subhaan Allah, let us remember this if we ever try to make fun of someone, perhaps Allah loves them and does not love us. Didn’t the Mushrikeen make fun of Rasul Allah – sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam – and we know Allah loved him and not them. Didn’t the Munaafiqeen make fun of the Sahaabah – and we know Allah loved the Sahaabah and not them.
Rasul Allah – sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam – said, “Verily a person will speak words from those that Allah hates, paying no heed to what he is saying, and with those words he will plummet in to hellfire.” – Bukhari
There are different reasons why a person would want to insult, make fun of and ridicule other community members:
Firstly: They have weak Eemaan and their fear of Allah is poor. This is one of the major reasons.
Secondly: They spend a lot of their time in gatherings that bring no benefit.
Thirdly: They themselves may want others to praise them. Sadly, when there is a student or a community member that insults others, often it is they that want to be the ‘cool’ one. How can they be ‘cool’ if they are doing something that Allah and His Messenger hate?
Fourthly: They forget the punishment for those that make fun of others. Imam Al-Bayhaqee narrates in Shu’ab al-Eemaan, that Rasul Allah – sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam – said, “Verily those people that make fun of people – for them a gate of Jannah will be opened. It will be said to them: Come (and enter). That person will come with all their anguish and depression – but when he gets close, the gate will be closed in his face. Then another gate (to Jannah) will be opened and it will be said: Come (and enter). So that person comes with all his anguish and depression. But when he gets close, the gate will be closed in his face. This will keep happening to him until it gets to the point where it will be said: Come (and enter), and he will not come from the despair of ever entering paradise.”
Fifthly: Those that make fun of others may do so out of love for the Kuffaar and a love to imitate them. How many times do we see the comedians mocking people and everyone laughing? Indeed, mocking others and insulting them is a characteristic of Jaahiliyyah and kufr, and it is never a characteristic of a believer.
Allah ta’ala shows us in Surah Al-Mutaffifeen (83/29) how this characteristic of laughing at others is a characteristic of the Kuffaar:
Indeed, those who committed crimes used to laugh at those who believed.
The seriousness of this sin varies in accordance to the subject being insulted:
On the highest level of seriousness is to make fun of Allah or His Ayaat or His Messenger – sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam.
A group of Munaafiqeen started joking one day about their Qurr’aa, i.e. the Companions of Allah’s Messenger. They described in ridiculing terms that they were large in stomachs, having lying tongues and being cowardly. Allah ta’ala tells us in the Qur’an (9/65-66): And if you ask them, they will surely say, “We were only conversing and playing.” Say, “Is it Allah and His verses and His Messenger that you were mocking?” / Make no excuse; you have disbelieved (i.e. rejected faith) after your belief. If We pardon one faction of you – We will punish another faction because they were criminals.
To ridicule and make fun of the Sahaabah
In the incident just mentioned, the comment that the Munaafiqeen was actually directed at the Sahaabah. The Qur’aan shows us that this was a direct ridicule of Allah, His verses, and His Messenger.
Shaykh Al-Uthaymeen – rahi mahullaah – said: Thus it is understood that someone who curses and ridicules the Companions is a Kaafir. This is because cutting their honor is in reality an attempt at ridiculing Allah and His Messenger and His Sharee’ah.
To ridicule the pious believers
For example, if someone were to ridicule a pious believer because of his practice of the Deen, such as ridiculing a brother’s beard or to mock a sisters Hijaab, etc. Doing this – i.e. mocking a Muslim because of his Islam – may very well expel someone from the fold of Islam.
Allah ta’ala says in Surah Al-Mutaffifeen (29-30):
Indeed, those that committed crimes used to laugh at those who believed
As reported in Tafseer At-Tabaree, the Munaafiqeen were once sitting back watching the charity that the believers were giving. To those that gave much, like AbdurRahmaan ibn ‘Owf, they said, ‘he only gave it to show off’ . For those that gave little, they said, ‘Verily, Allah has no need for his petty offering.”
And so Allah ta’ala revealed in Surat At-Tawbah (9/79):
Those who criticize the contributers among the believers concerning their charities and (criticize) the ones who find nothing (to spend) except their effort, so they ridicule them – Allah will ridicule them, and they will have a painful punishment.
To ridicule humans in general
This applies to the God-fearing and the Fussaaq, a believer should not humiliate people and or use derogatory nicknames for them, nor should they ridicule their creation.
Allah ta’ala says 49/11:
O you who believe let not one group of people make fun of another
And Rasul Allah – sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam – said, “It is enough sin for a person that they would ridicule their Muslim brother.”
Abdullaah ibn Mas’ood – radi Allaahu ‘anhu – used to say, as narrated by Ibn Abee ‘Aasim, “By Allah whom there is no god but He, there is nothing more worthy of a prolonged incarceration then one’s tongue.”
Part II
Abu Moosa – radi Allaahu ‘anhu – said: I asked Allah’s Messenger, ‘Who out of the Muslims is the best?’ He replied, “Those whom the other Muslims are safe from his tongue and hands.” – Agreed Upon
The mockingbird, native to the western hemisphere, has a very interesting name. The mockingbird gets its name from its ability to mimic the sounds of other animals. It combines song notes of it’s own with sounds from other birds, doing so in almost a mocking way. It is an endangered species, and we hope - in sha Allah – that the mocking it got its name after will become endangered in our communities too.
Al-Hasan Al-Basree – rahimahullaah – said, “Whoever does not guard the slips of their tongue has not understood their Deen.”
Dear brothers and sisters, one of the saddest things is to see the regulars of the masjid, or the leaders of the Muslim youth, being the ones who mock others. So many youth groups and Halaqahs around North America are built on this notion that in order to be cool you must ridicule and mock others.
In other places, I know personally people that abandoned the local Masjid because they did not want to be ridiculed by the Muslims. They felt more comfort and compassion in the character of the disbelievers. What will Allah ta’ala think of someone that does this to the Muslims, someone who is an obstacle for others to come closer to Allah?
If we find a gathering of Muslims to be like this, it is our duty to command the good and forbid the evil and demand that this ridiculing stop once and for all.
In conclusion, the questions that begs to be asked is: What is the cure for this disease of the tongue?
One: We should know that it is a major sin. In fact, a person may make a single statement – not paying any heed to it – by which he may slip in to Hellfire.
Two: We should follow what our tongues are saying and not allow ourselves to stoop to vain talk.
Three: We should distance ourselves from those long useless gatherings where nothing is done for hours except laughing and chatting. Instead, we should replace our gatherings with the remembrance of Allah and good speech.
Four: We must glorify this Deen and make enormous in our hearts the commandments of Allah ta’ala. If Allah says do not make fun of one another, our reply should be nothing more then: ‘we hear and we obey’.
Five: We should warn others of the sin of insulting other people and making fun of them. Let us not allow ourselves to be as a silent Shaytaan listening to others being insulted. Let us speak up and say it clearly that this is not something loved by Allah and His Messenger. Say that if Allah and His Messenger hate it, then so do I.
Six: If you feel yourself that you just have to insult someone, ask Allah to protect you from the Shaytaan and this satanic act. As Allah ta’ala says (7/200): And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is Hearing and Knowing.
Seven: And of course, if anyone of us should fall into this sin, we should be swift in turning back to Allah in Towbah. Say Astaghfirullaah wa ‘atoobo ilayh, O Allah I ask You to forgive me and I return to You.
Allah ta’ala says in the Qur’an (49/11): And whoever does not repent – then it is those who are the Dhaalimoon (the wrongdoers).
Finally, if there is one thing that you remember from this khutbah let it be this following commandment of Allaah ta’ala, memorize it and teach it to at least one other person:
O you who believe let not one group of people make fun of another
Posted: Islamic Articles
