Once upon a Friday (Jumu'ah)

It was a typical sunny Friday morning in the tropical city of Singapore. Ramlee was already up by 9 a.m. getting ready for Friday prayers. He’s a little more eager to go for prayers on that particular day as it would be the first time he would be going with his close elder cousin from Malaysia who came over a few days before and stayed at his house as they were both having their term break from tertiary studies.

 “Hey, wake up Afdlin, it’s already 9!” nudged Ramlee.

 “Yeah yeah, I’m already up. Just let me finish this last part of this nice dream I’m having..” with his eyes barely opened.

 “Oh, c’mon!” said Ramlee, and pushed Afdlin off his mattress.

 “Woii!” cried out Afdlin finally awake.

 After Afdlin got ready, they had a sumptuous brunch prepared by Ramlee’s mom and soon after they both set off to the nearby mosque. It was about half an hour before the call for prayer, when they reached the main hall of the mosque and it was already half-filled.

 Ramlee went about his usual manner as he reached the main hall. He saw two empty spots in the middle of an already filled area and suggested to Afdlin to go there. However, Afdlin declined saying,

 “Nah, we’ll just take one of the empty spaces behind this filled row of congregation.”

 Ramlee was a little hesitant but decided to agree with Afdlin’s suggestion after seeing two other people who had hurriedly stepped over some people in order to get to the two available spots. He then immediately sat down. He noticed his cousin, Afdlin starting to pray two units of prayer. He remained seated wondering what type of prayer his cousin was performing. He had noticed before, people performing at least two units of prayers similarly but never had the chance to ask about it.

 Up till that day, Ramlee had mostly performed Friday prayers without much knowledge and had merely followed as how he had observed the common actions of the congregation. He had only started going for Friday prayers when he was in Sec. 3 as most of his close Muslim friends would, leaving school a little earlier than usual with the permission of the school. He does have basic knowledge on how to perform solat though but that’s about it.

 The call for prayer finally came, and the Friday sermon started. In the middle of the sermon, Ramlee’s phone vibrated. There was a text message from his mom and it read,

 “Ibu: Lee, Ayah said he’s taking a half day off today and we’ll all go shopping at Orchard Rd. later after Friday prayers. So make sure the both of you come back ASAP.”

 Excited, Ramlee nudged Afdlin showing him the message. Afdlin only took a glance and went back to focus on the khutbah. Ramlee thought that Afdlin’s standoffish actions were a little weird.

The sermon finally reached its end where the Imam would start reading the general supplications. As the congragation started to raise their hands for the supplications, to Ramlee’s surprise, Afdlin didn’t raise his hands but only said “Aameen” instead.

 Ramlee’s curiousity grew and he decided to ask Afdlin about all that he had observed after the Friday prayers.

 As they headed back home, Ramlee began to ask,

 “Eh, can I ask you something?”

 “Yeah shoot!” Afdlin replied.

 “I observed some things as we went about our Friday prayers. Firstly, why didn’t you want to get to the empty spots as I suggested? Secondly, what type of prayers did you perform before sitting down? Thirdly, why didn’t you seem to bother when I showed you the SMS during the sermon? And the most weird of all, why didn’t you raise your hands while everyone else were raising theirs while supplicating?!”

 “Ma sha Allah.. good observation skills my dear cousin! Haha..” said Afdlin.

 “Haha..Nah, I’ve actually noticed these things from time to time but haven’t had the chance to ask anyone about it..”

 “I see, ok, as you may have already known, whatever we do in our Ibaadah, we must do it according to how our dear Prophet sallallaahu’alayhi wassalam had taught us. He is the practical reference for all Muslims. The Qur’an is the theory and the Prophet (peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) is our guide in all the practical matters in religion.

 About your first question, the reason is that the Prophet sallallaahu’alayhi wasallam had prohibited people from stepping over others who have sat in the mosque.[1] True, there were two empty spots but seeing that there was no way to get there other than to step over some people or separate between two, I suggested for us to seat at the empty spaces readily available instead.

 Secondly, the Messenger sallaallaahu’alayhi wassalam had recommended us to pray at least two units of prayer before sitting down in the mosque.[2]

 Thirdly, the Prophet sallallaahu’alayhi wassallam had prohibited us to engage in idle speech during the khutbah and to pay full attention to the contents of the sermon.[3]

 And lastly, I understand that most people raise their hands while supplicating, in fact, almost everyone, but I’m merely following one of the sunnahs of our dear Prophet sallallaahu’alayhi wassalam.[4] I’ll show you the references to the things I’ve said later ok!?"

 "Hmm, okay, I see I see.. but why do so many people or probably most do it differently than some of the things you have said?" Ramlee continued to ask.

 "I'm not really sure, they probably have their own reasons or their references. Why don't you ask them instead? Now let’s get back home.. Pak Long is on his way to fetch us!” was Afdlins' reply.

 "Yeah, can't wait to show you around Orchard Rd. Thanks for explaining!” Ramlee smiled as they both rushed back to Ramlee’s home.

 References:

 islamqa.info
 islamweb.net
 onislam.net

 [1] – Abu Dawood (1118) and Ibn Maajah (1115) narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Busr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: A man came and started stepping over the people one Friday when the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was delivering the khutbah, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him: “Sit down, for you have annoyed (people).” [Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.]

 Al-Bukhaari (883) and Muslim (657) narrated that Salmaan al-Faarisi said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever does ghusl on Friday, purifies himself as much as he can, uses (hair) oil or perfumes himself with the perfume of his house, then goes out (for the Jumu‘ah prayer) and does not separate between two (persons sitting together in the mosque), then prays as much as is decreed for him, then remains silent whilst the imam is speaking, his sins between the present and the last Friday will be forgiven for him.”

 [2] - Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullaah said: "Sulayk Al-Ghatafaani came on Friday when the Messenger of Allaah was delivering the Khutbah. When he (Sulayk) sat down, the Prophet said to him: "O Sulayk, stand up and observe two Rak’ahs and make them short." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

 Abu Qataadah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “When one of you enters the mosque, let him not sit down until he has prayed two rak‘ahs.” [Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1167; Muslim, 714]

 An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

The scholars are unanimously agreed that it is mustahabb to greet the mosque, and it is makrooh to sit down without greeting it with no excuse, because of the hadeeth of Abu Qataadah which clearly states that that is not allowed. [End quote from al-Majmoo‘, 3/544]

 [3] - It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If you say to your companion when the imam is preaching on Friday, ‘Be quiet and listen,’ you have engaged in idle talk.” [Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 892; Muslim, 851]

 This prohibition also applies to responding to a question about Islam, let alone any other kind of speech that has to do with worldly matters.

 It was narrated that Abu’l-Darda’ said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sat on the minbar and addressed the people, and he recited a verse. Ubayy ibn Ka’b was next to me, so I said to him: “O Ubayy, when was this verse revealed?” But he refused to speak to me, so I asked him again and he refused to speak to me, until the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came down (from the minbar). Then Ubayy said to me: “You have gained nothing from your Jumu’ah except idle talk.” When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had finished (the prayer), I went to him and told him (what had happened). He said: “Ubayy was right. When you hear your imam speaking, then keep quiet and listen attentively until he has finished.” [Narrated by Ahmad, 20780; Ibn Maajah, 1111; classed as saheeh by al-Busayri and al-Albaani in Tamaam al-Mannah, p. 338.]

 This indicates that it is obligatory to remain silent and listen attentively, and that it is forbidden to speak while the imam is delivering the khutbah on Friday.

 Ibn ‘Abd al-Baarr said:

 There is no dispute among the fuqaha’ of all regions that it is obligatory to remain silent and listen attentively to the khutbah, for those who hear it. [Al-Istidhkaar, 5/43.]

 [4] - Muslim (874) and Abu Dawood (1104) narrated that ‘Umaarah ibn Ru’aybah saw Bishr ibn Marwaan on the minbar raising his hands (Abu Dawood added: when he was making du’aa’ on Friday), and he said: “May Allaah make these two hands ugly. I saw the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) doing no more than this with his hand,” and he gestured with his forefinger.

 Al-Nawawi said:

 This indicates that the Sunnah is not to raise the hands during the khutbah, This is the view of Maalik and our companions and others.

 In Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi it says:

 This hadeeth indicates that it is makrooh to raise the hands on the minbar when making du’aa’. As it is not prescribed for the khateeb to raise his hands, the members of the congregation are like him because they follow his lead.

 Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked:

 What is the ruling on raising one's hands when the imam is delivering the khutbah on Friday? He replied:

 Raising the hands when the imam is delivering the khutbah on Friday is not prescribed in sharee’ah. The Sahaabah denounced Bishr ibn Marwaan when he raised his hands during the Friday khutbah. But an exception is made in the case of prayers for rain (istisqaa’), because it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) raised his hands when praying to Allaah for rain during the Friday khutbah, and the people raised their hands with him. But apart from that one should not raise one's hands when making du’aa’ during the Friday khutbah. [Fataawa Arkaan al-Islam, p. 392.]

 And Allaah Almighty knows best.

Responsibility in Knowledge and Da’wa

‘Alî b. Abî Tâlib – Allah be pleased with him – said: Narrate to people what they can understand; do you want Allah and His Messenger to be disbelieved? Quoted by Al-Bukhârî, Al-Sahîh, Chapter about a person preferring some people with certain knowledge to the exclusion of others.

Ibn Hajr said in Fath Al-Bârî, “[In this narration] there is evidence that ambiguous knowledge should not be mentioned amongst the general public.”

Shaykh Muhammad b. Sâlih Al-‘Uthaymîn – Allah have mercy on him – explained this very important and often misunderstood point beautifully. After mentioning the narration of ‘Alî, he states: It is therefore an aspect of wisdom in da’wah (calling others to Allah) that you should not surprise people with things they are not able to comprehend. Rather, you should call them in stages, bit by bit until their minds settle…”

He goes on to say: “[The statement of ‘Alî] ‘Do you want Allah and His Messenger to be disbelieved?’ is a rhetorical question, posed as a criticism of such behavior. It means: by narrating to people things they cannot understand do you want Allah and His Messenger to be disbelieved? This is because in such cases when you say, “Allah said, and His Messenger said” they will say you have lied if their minds cannot comprehend what you are saying. Here, they are not disbelieving Allah and His Messenger, but they are disbelieving you because of this speech that you have attributed to Allah and His Messenger. Thus they will end up disbelieving Allah and His Messenger – not directly – but by way of the one who transmits this knowledge (i.e. you).

Now if it is said: Should we stop telling people things they cannot understand even if they need to know?

The answer is: No, we do not leave this knowledge altogether, but we should tell them in a way that they will be able to understand. This is done by telling them stage by stage, bit by bit until they can accept the speech we want them to know and they can feel comfortable with it. We do not abandon knowledge that people cannot understand and just say ‘this is something they will reject or dislike so we will not speak about it.’

The same is the case with acting upon a Sunnah that people are not used to and which they might find objectionable. We should act by this Sunnah, but only after informing people about it, such that they will be able to accept it and feel comfortable about it.

We learn from this narration (of ‘Alî) that it is important to employ wisdom in calling to Allah, and that it is incumbent upon anyone who calls to Allah to consider the level of understanding of those he is inviting, and that he should put everyone in their proper place. [Majmû’ Fatâwâ Ibn ‘Uthaymîn Vol.10 p140.]

I'm a Muslim and I'm having a hard time to pray

I've decided to do my own transcript (there's already one, which inspired me to do this) of this video which I feel is a really important topic to focus on and for all of us to ponder upon, as it revolves around the topic of Solaat, the 5 obligatory daily prayers for Muslims.

 Something, which many have taken lightly about its importance in our lives as Muslims. Check out the video, just over 6 mins long.

 
 ------------------------------------------------

Questioner: "Hi can you give me advice? I'm a new Muslim but I can't seem to pray 5 times a day. It's been a year now but does God really care if I pray 5 times as long as I'm doing good?" 

Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan answered: "Two things here. There are actually two different statements which are two different problems in the question.

 The FIRST problem is, I can't pray 5 times a day. I can't do it. Now, I don't believe you. Whoever said I can't do it, I don't believe you. You know why? Because I believe Allah. Now, I didn't say I believe in Allah, I said I believe Allah. There's a difference, right? I believe in Allah means I believe Allah exists, I believe in Him. But when I say I believe Allah, it means I believe what He says.

He says, subhaanahu wata'aala: {Laa yukallifulLahu nafsan illaa wus'ahaa..} [Al-Baqarah 2:286]

Allah will not burden anyone unless they are able to carry that burden. That's what Allah said. Allah said He does not burden anyone with any responsibility, unless they are capable of living up to that burden. This is what He said. 

You're saying you are not able to live up to a responsibility that Allah gave you, isn't that true? You're saying I can't pray 5 times, it's too much! And Allah is saying yes you can!

So I have a choice in believing you and believing Allah, and perhaps if you didn't realize this maybe you're lying to yourself..Maybe you've convinced yourself because of your laziness, because of your lack of will, that you don't want to pray 5 times. I can't judge you, I don't know what the problem is, but the problem maybe you're ashamed to pray in front of non-Muslims. People can take 15 minute cigarette breaks at work. They can take a break and just go hang out do whatever, you can't pray 5 times a day? Subhanallah.

 I mean in this part of the world, you know, I used to work in New York City, I would see Muslims praying all over the place. In the middle of 5th Avenue, on the curb, the guy is making solaah cos it's time. Or you know, in the university, you open the copy machine room in the library and there's like three guys praying right there. Muslims will pray, if it's time, we're gonna pray, that's it! So there's no excuses.

 So that's the first thing, Allah said you can. So if Allah gave this burden upon you and He did in fact, then you can. Convince yourself of that. And rely on Allah and He'll make it easy for you. 

 The SECOND question is, does He really care? Does He even care if I pray or not? Now this question is actually more about does He need my prayer or not?

 You're forgetting that the prayer isn't for Allah. It's for you. It's not for Allah. If all the people in the world, all they did in their life was pray to Allah, it would not make Him any richer. And it wouldn't add to His Kingdom cos He owns all of Kingdom. And if no one mentioned Allah, ever again, it doesn't diminish His Dominion, His Kingdom, His Glory, in any way. 

 He doesn't need us. We need Him.. We need Him. 

 So the question is, do you feel like you need to pray? Do you feel like that's a need in your life? And if it's not, and you feel you're free of, you know, begging Allah for His help, turning to Allah and submitting before His commandments, then that's a serious problem with your faith.

It has become weak and this question only came up because you've been distanced from Allah for so long, that shaitan can come to you and say, "Yeah I know you used to feel bad about not praying, let's just get rid of that bad feeling, and replace it with, Well why do I have to pray anyway?". That's the next phase of that disease. 

 The first part was at least, it was diagnosed, but at least you had some bad feeling, guilt was still there, that's a gift from Allah. When that guilt even goes away, and you say,"Aaah, Allah doesn't need my prayer, it's all good. So long as I'm doing good. And that's the last part that I wanna talk about, this so long as you're doing good part.

 Who defines what's good? There are two kinds of good in this world, please remember this ok? There're two kinds of good.

 1) There's ethical good. I'm good to my neighbour, I'm honest at work, I'm nice to people, I don't steal, I don't cheat, you know. These are ethics. Basic ethics, right.. I tell the truth, I'm honest, I pay my taxes, bla bla bla, these are ethical truths.

 2) Then there are religious goods. I go to Hajj, I give zakaat, I pray 5 times a day, I fast in the month of Ramadhan. These aren't ethical realities, these are religious goods.Good deeds that are religious and good deeds that are ethical, moral in nature.

 What happens a lot of times with Muslims, and non-Muslims, especially it happens with Muslims.. Is that we make a distinction between these two things. So in the Muslim world, you find people that are morally good. They're nice to their family, they take care of their kids, they're responsible in their household, they're nice to their neighbours, they're honest at work.. Good people. But guess what? No religion. I don't need religion to be good, that's what they say.

 And on the other extreme, you have people that pray, go to hajj, give zakaah, have a long beard, dress in a very religious garment, and yet, terrible to their family, cheating people in business.. Highly immoral and unethical.

 So what has happened is, we have seperated the two dimensions of goodness. Moral goodness (Ethical goodness) and Religious goodness.

 What Allah does in the Qur'an is, fuses them together, in that aayah, there's one aayah, it's called aayaatul birr. [Refer to soorah Al-Baqarah 2:177] Aayah of goodness. What does it mean to be good. If you study that aayah, it's a combination of two things. It's a combination of ethical principles, like fulfilling your promises; being patient, perseverence and also religious goodness; establishing prayer, giving the zakaah. So it's a combination of both of those things in one place. 

 So if you think you are in a position to define what good is, most likely you're sticking to moral goodness. And you're undermining religious goodness, like the rituals that Allah taught us.

 But what Allah wants is for us to have both at the same time. This is when a person is truly good. Otherwise, you're not really good. You have defined goodness for yourself, and you've rejected Allah's definition of it.

 But we turn to Allah for guidance because we can't define things for ourselves, we want Him to define for us. Insha Allahu Ta'aala.

 -----------------------------------

 {وَأَنَا اخْتَرْتُكَ فَاسْتَمِعْ لِمَا يُوحَى - إِنَّنِى أَنَا اللَّهُ لا إِلَـهَ إِلا أَنَاْ فَاعْبُدْنِى وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَوةَ لِذِكْرِى} 

{And I have chosen you. So listen to that which will be revealed (to you). Verily, I am Allah! There is no God but Me, so worship Me, and perform Salah for My remembrance.''} [Taa-Haa 20: (13-14)]

the Prophet (peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) said,

((The first matter that the slave will be brought to account for on the Day of Judgment is the prayer. If it is sound, then the rest of his deeds will be sound. And if it is bad, then the rest of his deeds will be bad."))

[Recorded by al-Tabarani. According to al-Albani, it is sahih. Al-Albani, Sahih al-Jami, vol.1, p. 503.]

Excerpt from Fahd Al-Kandari's 'Traveling with the Quran'

Sheikh Fahad interviews a young blind boy on his life as he grew up memorizing the Quran. What the Sheikh did not expect was that the Boy would end up teaching him and over a Million others a valuable lesson in how we should treat this invaluable book, The Quran.

The Life of Sultaan Muhammad al-Faatih

‎"The Sultan entered the city on horse-back, he dismounted, lay prostate, praising God. Then he entered Aghia Sophia Church and granted the people of Constantinople safety and insured protecting them and their possessions and religious freedom. Sultan Mohammad Al-Fatih let them practice their rituals, but he turned half the Churches of Constantinople into mosques. As a matter of fact, what Sultan Mohammad did was nothing compared to what the European kings had done on conquering Muslims' lands. They even destroyed all the mosques in Andalusia, killed all its Muslim believers be them men or women, young or old, and burned many Islamic books!.. the attitude of Sultan Muhammad astounded the European historians who had always been fanatic and malicious. They could not believe the Sultan was forgiving, fair and tolerant towards the Christians."

 

Tests from Allah

Article from islamtoday.com

Sheikh Khalid Husayn 
Thurs, 01/01/2004 

 Allah tells us that we will be tested. He also makes it clear to us what is expected from us when we undergo these trials and what our reward will be if we are successful.  He says: “Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods, lives and the fruits (of your toil) but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. Those who, when misfortune strikes them, say: ‘Indeed we belong to Allah and to Him is our return. Those are the ones upon whom are blessings and mercy from their Lord and it is those who are rightly guided.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 155]

 The Prophet (peace be upon him)said: "No fatigue, illness, anxiety, sorrow, harm or sadness afflicts any Muslim, even to the extent of a thorn pricking him, without Allah wiping out his sins by it." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]

 In another narration, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “No Muslim is afflicted by harm, whether it is but the prick of a thorn or something worse, without Allah expiating his evil deeds on account of it and his sins falling away from him like leaves off a tree.'" [Sahîh al-Bukhârî]

 The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "When Allah desires good for someone, He tries him with hardships." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî]

 The Muslim may be tested by all sorts of difficulties like sickness, lack of income, and disobedience from his children. In fact, the many afflictions that may beset a person are incalculable. This is the point that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was stressing when he mentioned: “fatigue, illness, anxiety, sorrow, harm or sadness …even to the extent of a thorn pricking him”.

 All of these afflictions, if endured patiently by the believer, are a means of attaining Allah’s forgiveness as well as His reward.

 Every one of us is being tested by Allah. He tests us all in different ways. We should not assume that the difficulties that we face in life are punishments or are signs that Allah is displeased with us. Likewise, we should never construe the success and pleasures that others enjoy as signs that Allah is pleased with them or that they are privileged. Sometimes, quite the opposite is true.

 The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If Allah wants good for his servant, He hurries on His punishment in this world, and if He wills ill for a servant, he holds back punishing him for his sin so He can give it to him in full on the Day of Resurrection.”

 Allah makes it clear that everything in our lives – the good and the bad of it– is a trial for us. How will we cope in the situation that Allah has placed for us? Will we be grateful in prosperity and patient in affliction or will we be arrogant and disobedient?

 Allah says: “Every soul shall taste of death. And We will test you with evil and with good by way of trial. And to Us is your return.” [Sûrah al-Anbiyâ’: 35].

 Allah says: “Know that your wealth and your children are but a trial and that Allah has with Him a mighty reward.” [Sûrah al-Anfâl: 28]

 Many people do not realize that they are tried just as severely with the good that they are given as they are by the misfortunes that befall them.

Allah says: “And as for man, whenever his Lord tries him by honoring him and makes him lead an easy life, he says: ‘My Lord honors me’. But when He tries him by straitening his means of subsistence, he says: ‘My Lord has disgraced me’.” [Sûrah al-Fajr: 15-16]

 Some people are blessed to be born and raised in good Muslim families then turn their backs on Islam, while others are born and raised in non-Muslim countries to unbelieving parents and grow up to be among the best of Muslims.

 We are tried with wealth as well as poverty. If we are wealthy, will we hoard our wealth or spend in charity? Will we use it for lawful purposes or squander it in vice? Will we trust in Allah in our investments, or will our avarice and fear of losing our wealth make us take recourse to unlawful means to preserve it and increase it?


 If we are poor, will we be content and patient and seek lawful means to attain our sustenance or will we resort to unlawful means to meet our needs? Will we accept the fact that Allah gives more to some people than he does to others, or will we grow hateful and vindictive? 

 We are tested with health as well as sickness. A man with good eyesight is tested with regards to his use of it. Will he use the blessing of his sight to good purpose or to gaze at unlawful things? His good eyesight may be what takes him to Hell. A blind man is tested whether he will bear patiently with his disability. His patience in affliction may be what earns him his place in Paradise.

Our goal is the Hereafter and we are all being tested. Allah says: “It is He who created death and life that He may try you as to which of you is best in deeds.” [Sûrah al-Mulk: 2]

 We may also be tested through others. We know from experience that even a small child can experience suffering as well as a person who is mentally handicapped to such a degree that he cannot understand the concepts of Islam and is not legally accountable. Though it may not be that such a person is not undergoing tests of his own; however his plight may very well be a test for those his life affects. How will they treat him? Will they care for him, respect him, and give him his rights?

 We may not be able to fathom the wisdom behind why Allah decrees what He does for us or for others of His creatures. However, we must know that Allah does everything in accordance with His wisdom and bear our trials patiently.

 Ultimately, we must remember the words of Allah in the Qur’ân: “He cannot be questioned for what He does but they will be questioned.” [Sûrah al-Anbiyâ’: 23]

Deeds

Refraining from doing good deeds for fear of showing off

article from Islamqa.com

What are the guidelines on refraining from doing good deeds for fear of showing off?

Praise be to Allaah.

It should be noted that the Shaytaan is keen to make the Muslim fall into one of two things: either to make him do a good deed in order to show off and for the sake of his reputation, and not sincerely for the sake of Allaah, or to make him refrain from doing the good deed altogether.

The Muslim who is sincere in his intention will not pay any attention to the whispers that the Shaytaan tries to impart to him concerning his action, or his suggestion that it is not for the sake of Allaah. He will not pay attention to the whispers of the Shaytaan suggesting that he should refrain from doing the good deed for fear of showing off. The sincere heart is equally at ease both when doing good deeds in secret and when doing good deeds openly.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked:

A woman is asking: I am so afraid of showing off that that I cannot advise some people or tell them not to do certain things such as backbiting, gossiping, and so on. I am afraid that that will be showing off on my part, and I am afraid that people will think that I am showing off. So I do not give them any advice (naseehah). I tell myself: They are educated people, they do not need any advice. What do you suggest?

He replied:

This is one of the traps of the Shaytaan, by means of which he prevents people from calling others to Allaah and from enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil. One of the ways in which he does this is to make them think that this is showing off, or that people will think that it is showing off. You should not pay any attention to that, rather what you should do is go ahead and advise your sisters and brothers in faith, if you see them falling short in any duty or committing haraam actions such as gossiping, bucketing, or not covering in front of men.

Do not be afraid of showing off, rather do it solely for the sake of Allaah, be sincere in your intention and receive glad tiding of goodness. Ignore the tricks and whispers of the Shaytaan. Allaah knows what is in your heart, your intention and your sincerity towards Him and your sincerity towards His slaves. 

Undoubtedly showing off is shirk and is not permissible, but it is not permissible for a believing man or woman to refrain from doing something that Allaah has enjoined, such as calling people to Him or enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, for fear of showing off, so they should beware of that. They should do what they are obliged to do among men and women, and men and women are equal in this regard. Allaah has stated that in His Holy Book where He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“The believers, men and women, are Awliyaa’ (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another; they enjoin (on the people) Al‑Ma‘roof (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid (people) from Al‑Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); they perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah), and give the Zakaah, and obey Allaah and His Messenger. Allaah will have His Mercy on them. Surely, Allaah is All-Mighty, All-Wise”

[al-Tawbah 9:71]

Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 6/403

It was narrated that Husayn ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan said: I was with Sa’eed ibn Jubayr and he said: “Which of you saw the star that fell last night?” I said, “I did.” Then I said: “I wasn’t praying, but I had been stung…”

Narrated by Muslim, 220.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:

He said this (may Allaah have mercy on him) lest anyone think that he was praying qiyaam and praise him for something that he had not done. This is unlike what some people do, when they are happy that the people think that they were praying qiyaam, but that is contrary to Tawheed.

What Husayn said does not come under the heading of showing off, rather it comes under the heading of good deeds. It is not like one who refrains from doing good deeds for fear of showing off, because the Shaytaan may toy with a man and make the idea of refraining from doing good for fear of showing off appear attractive to him. Rather you should do the good deed, and try to avoid showing off to people.

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 9/85, 86.

And Allaah knows best

Will Allah punish me? So many are doing far worse..

Questioner: I'm having a hard time giving up sex with my girlfriend. As long as I give her da'wah is it ok? Will Allah punish me? So many people are doing far worse..

Are we the best that we could be?

Enlightening lecture by Mufti Ismail Menk of Zimbabwe explaining the importance of good character and the best social conduct practices for a Muslim.

Have we been trying to be the best that we could be in all aspects of our lives?

"All people are good but shaytan is bad. So those who allow shaytan to get the better of them, the worst of them will remain (what is worst in them will stay). And those who disallow shaytan from taking that which is good, insha Allah the good will remain."

"O Son of Adam, when you were born, you came into this world crying. And those around you were smiling in happiness. So live your life in such a way that when you die, you would leave this world smiling and those around you will be crying at their loss"

The coolness of our eyes..

Be patient and listen attentively till the end of the lecture. I agree with what the person who posted the video wrote regarding this.

"Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan takes a very unique approach to an important aspect of our Deen, well I don't want to give away what this lecture is all about because the audience will get to know that at the very end of the lecture.

I thought that he will be speaking about the importance of the relationship between the spouses and the children because of the dua in surah Al-Furqan verse 74 being mentioned. Well he kind of touched on that subject as well but that is not what the lecture is all about. Overall a very classy approach to the issue at hand."