Some More Pieces of Wisdom and Admonition

1.     Yahya bin Mu’ad said:

Know that Dirham is a scorpion. The person who does not know its Ruqya (reading on an affected object), its poison will kill him.

He was asked: What is this Ruqya?

He replied: That it should be earned from a Halal source and be spent in a Halal way.

2.     Abu Hazim said:

Spend and do not be fearful about the future of your children. Because if they are ‘believers’, then Allah will give them without any count and if they are sinful, then you should not help them committing sins with your money.

3.     Yahya bin Muad Said:

One of us is always fearful of disgrace and poverty in this world but he is never fearful of the disgrace and poverty of the Hereafter. Does he not know that an impoverished person because of the lack of good deeds, would be more disgraceful and would in the Hereafter be ashamed to face the people that day.

So where do we stand?

4.     A man said to ‘Umar bin Abdul Aziz:

Give me a piece of admonition!

He said: Be careful when you sit with pious people and do not benefit from them OR you blame the sinful but do not escape sinning yourself OR you are among those people who curse the Satan openly while you obey him secretly.

5.     A man said to Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak:

Give me a piece of admonition!

He said: Leave unnecessary staring, you will be granted Khushu (humbleness & concentration). Leave unnecessary talk, you will be granted wisdom. Leave unnecessary eating, you will be granted opportunities to worship. Leave spying on the sins of the people, you will be granted a chance to glance at your own defects. Leave discussion about the nature of Allah, you will not be subjected to doubt and hypocrisy.

6.     The heart has six places in which it keeps on running. There is no seventh to it. 

Three of a low nature and three of a high nature.

The low nature ones are:

-        A glamorous world around him.

-        His own Nafs (self) which speaks to him.

-        His enemy who keeps on whispering to him.

So these are the places in which low types of souls keep on operating.

The three high places are:

-        Knowledge which gives light

-        Mind (intellect) which guides him

-        Allah whom he worships

                  So the hearts are occupied with these six places.

7.     To follow your desire and to be lured by long wishes are the main sources for all corruption. Because by following the desire, you become blind to see the truth. And by long wishes, you forget your Hereafter and stop preparing for it.

8.     The one who was invited but did not respond loses a day or night only.

-        The one who cultivated but did not reap, loses the whole year.

-        The one who did not read or write, loses half of his life.

-        But who did not work for his Hereafter loses both this world and the Hereafter.

 

9.     Ibn Al-Qayyim says:

The year is like a tree.

The months are its branches.

The days are like shoots.

The hours are its leaves.

The breaths are its fruits.

So the one whose breaths are occupied in obedience, it makes a blessed tree and the one whose breaths are occupied in sins, it grows only a colocynth (a very sour tree)

10.     Mustafa Al-Siba’i said:

Keep your honour in four places:

-        When you are studying with someone who is more knowledgeable than you.

-        When you are teaching someone who is older than you.

-        When you are disputing with someone who is stronger than you.

-        When you are arguing with someone who is more stupid than you.

Fatwa's during June

Question:
Aslamualakaum Does surah 19:19 show that isa is perfect and cannot commit any sin as it says faultless. He said, "I am only the messenger of your Lord to give you [news of] a faultless son." If so, then how do we relate this to the hadith that says that all sons of Adam commit sins.

Answer:
Assalam u Alaikum
The case of Isa , may peace be upon him, had a special  case. Like his miraculous birth,his life is different from other, his  faultless character is supported by this Hadith. Abu Huraira  narrated that the Messenger of Allah  said: No child is born except that it was pricked by the Satan, so the child is born with a cry because of this prick of Satan except the son of Maryam and his mother." Then Abu Huraira said: Read if you like ( the verse) " and I give her and her progeny in your shelter from the cursed Satan" ( sura Al Imran:26)
Wassalam

Question:
Aslamualakaum

i heard someone say that words in islam are split into technical and linguistically.
He said technically means that all the diffrent ulema from diffrent fields agreed to one meaning.
But then he later contradiuctns himself by saying that the word "sunnah" has diffrent meanings technically deepening if you are a muhadith or a faqeeh.
My question is, please can you define what the words technically menas?
What is a good definition. 

Answer:
Some words in Quran and Hadith have assumed the form of a technical  word. For Example Hajj, linguistically, means to aim at. But technically it means to go to Makkah in a specific season to perform a specific ritual. Same is applicable to Salah, Zakat and Saum. For example Zakat, literally means to grow. Only the Hadith tells us it's real  meaning

Question:

 Aslamualaakaum

I heard somone say that sharia is your worship, adab and bussiness transaction. He then later on said that sharia can be used interchangeable with aqeedah in some situations.

Is this true.   

Answer:

Sharia does cover all aspect of our Deen including worship, belief, etc. but  in the context of law , it covers different branches of life where rulings are given I.e the legal aspects of the  actions of the people . So it covers  Muslim personal law, financial obligations and dealings and the Penal code.

Questioning on the Day of Judgement

Questioning on the Day of Judgement

There seem to be two contradictory statements about this issue.

1.     One set of Ayat approves the questioning as follows:

(Surah Al-A’raf 7:6)

Then We will surely question those to whom [a message] was sent, and We will surely question the messengers.

(Surah Al-Hijr 15:92)

So by your Lord, We will surely question them all

(Surah Al-Imran 3:106)

On the Day [some] faces will turn white and [some] faces will turn black. As for those whose faces turn black, [to them it will be said], "Did you disbelieve after your belief? Then taste the punishment for what you used to reject."

(Surah As-Saffat 37:24)

And stop them; indeed, they are to be questioned."

2.     The other set of Ayat which negate the questioning:

(Surah Al-Rahman 55:39)

Then on that Day none will be asked about his sin among men or jinn.

(Surah Al-Qasas 28:78)

He said, "I was only given it because of knowledge I have." Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before him of generations those who were greater than him in power and greater in accumulation [of wealth]? But the criminals, about their sins, will not be asked.

The negation is of a questioning of the nature of finding the facts and knowing something which is not known. As Allah Al-Mighty knows  

everything, He is in no need of asking. He has already encompassed everything.

(Surah al-Mujadilah 58:6)

On the Day when Allah will resurrect them all and inform them of what they did. Allah had enumerated it, while they forgot it; and Allah is, over all things, Witness.

The first sets of verses which speak about questioning are that of the nature of scolding someone and holding him blameworthy.

Doesn’t a father address his son in front of the whole family who was caught committing an evil act: “Ask him, what he has done?”

Similarly, this question is addressed to that baby who was buried alive:

(Surah At-Takwir)

For what sin she was killed

Here the scolding is not directed to her, but to the person who committed that heinous act. Similr to this is the questioning of the Messenger of Allah in the verse of Surah Al-A’raf:

(Surah Al-A’raf 7:6)

Then We will surely question those to whom [a message] was sent, and We will surely question the messengers.

Here the scolding is directed to those who rejected the call of the Messengers.

In the verse of Surah Al-Rahman, the matter is further clarified. Why should they be questioned? They are already known by their marks

(Surah Al-Rahman 55:41)

The criminals will be known by their marks, and they will be seized by the forelocks and the feet.

Fatwa: Story of Musa

 QUESTION:

Asalaamu alaikum

When i read the story of Musa un Surah 20 and Surah 28, somethings to my mind don't match up. Let me explain.

When Musa said "stay here indeed i have seen a fire", after this both phrses in each surah are different, one says that "perhaps i will bring you from there [some] information or burning wood from the fire that you may warn yourselves."

The other says

"perhaps i can bring you a torch or find at the fire some guidance."

Then moving on

When it come to the staff

in surah 28 it says "throw down your staff", but in surah 20 it says "throw it down oh moses."

then in surah 28 Allah says

"seize it and fear not: we will return it to it's former condition."

then this also occurs with the part of putting his hand in his pocket.

I am confused as to this. It's causing big doubts. Can you refute it.

It's basically why in two stories of the same situation are narrated differently in terms of Allah saying his said two different things and musa (as) said two different things each time. Please please pelase refute and reply.

ANSWER:

Asalaamu alaikum

With reference to your email dated 07/04/2015, please note the following:

1.     The variance of the narration is not only found in the Prophet Musa (AS)’s story but also in other stories as well. See for example the story of Adam and Iblis which has been mentioned in different Surahs with variety of narrations. It is because the Quran is not a chronicle which goes by the date of each event. It is a book of admonition and guidance. In each reference, it adds something new to give a particular meaning. Please refer to Lesson 1 of the study of Al-Quran, which is one of our publications.

2.     The narration about the Prophet Musa’s own words is an Arabic rendering of the Hebrew language spoken by Musa and Bani Israil. The Arabic is famous for its wide and rich vocabulary. For example there are many expressions of the dates according to its different stages through which they pass to grow and ripe. For wine and lion, Arabs have coined a great number of names. Hence the word Qabas (a flame of fire) in Surah 20, Shihab Qabas (inflamed fire) in Surah 27, Jadhwa Min Nar (burning coal of fire) in Surah 28, all of the expressions convey the same meaning for a single Hebrew word which must have been spoken by the Prophet Musa (AS).

3.     In these Surahs there is a variation concerning: “let me bring you a flame of fire” then “or find at the fire some guidance” (Surah 20). In other two Surahs: “stay here, I have seen a fire, perhaps I bring you from there some news”, then: “or I bring a burning coal, so that you may warm yourself” (surah 27 & 28).

The message is the same but there is variation in the order of the two things mentioned one after the other.

In Surah Taha (No.20). Huda (Guidance) comes later because:

                        I.         Rhyme with the last word of each verse like Taha, Tashqa, Yakhsha, Al-Ula, Istawa, Al-Thara, Akfa and so on and so forth.

                      II.         In Surah Taha, the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is addressed, right from the beginning. The Quran is declared as an admonition, not a source of any misery for him. So it was quite appropriate to emphasise on the element of “Guidance” by narrating the story of Musa (AS) and how he had been guided even through his travelling.  It was a cold night. Musa (AS) had lost his way and when he saw the fire from a distance, he asked his family to stay where there were and let him go. Because there was a fire, there might have been some people around it as well. So he could ask them for guidance or at least bring some of the fire wood to warm them.

                    III.         In the other two Surahs (Al-Naml, A-Qasas), the rhyming word is (nun) like Yuqinun, Akhsarun and it matches the word Ysatalun (to warm up). So it goes into the order other than that in Surah Taha.

4.     “Throw it down O Moses!”(Surah Taha). “Throw your staff” (Surah An-Naml), “O Moses! I am Allah, the creator of the worlds, And throw your staff” (Surah Al-Qasas)

I do not see even any variation. In all three places the word “Alqi” Throw is used.

In Surah Taha, the verse is preceded by a discussion of the staff which was in the hand of Musa. So there was no need to mention it again. It simply said “Throw it down”. Whereas in the other two Surahs, there had been no discussion about the staff, so it was mentioned specifically. As we said earlier, this is a narration of an event in past history and it could be described with variation in the wording.

5.     “(Allah) said, "Throw it, O Moses!" He threw it, and behold! It was a snake, active in motion. (Allah) said, "Seize it, and fear not: We shall return it at once to its former condition". (20:19-21).

The narration in Surah Taha of this particular event is very short. Just “Grasp it and fear not” but then adds: “we shall return it to its former condition”.

The second part is not mentioned in the other two Surahs: Surah Al-Naml (No 27) simply says: "O Moses!" (it was said), "Fear not..” (27:10)

Surah Al Qasas "Draw near, and fear not..” (28:31)

So by combining all the verses, you can have the complete picture i.e. He was asked to throw his staff, it turned into a snake which was moving, it looked like a Jinn(demon). At this sight Musa was so frightened that he turned his back and fled. He did not even look back.  So he was asked to come forward, “do not have any fear as Allah was going to bring it to its former shape”. And that is how the Quran gives in each Surah, an additional expression for various reasons. For example, in Surah Al-Naml (No 27) it has been added “..Fear not: truly, in My presence, those called as messengers have no fear,” "But if any have done wrong and have thereafter substituted good to take the place of evil..” (27:10-11)

6.     "Now draw thy hand close to thy side: It shall come forth white (and shining), without harm (or stain),- as another Sign,” (20:22)

"Now put thy hand into thy bosom, and it will come forth white without stain (or harm): (these are) among the nine Signs (thou wilt take) to Pharaoh and his people: for they are a people rebellious in transgression." (27:12)

There are three different words that occur in these three narrations:

                        I.         “Wadmum yadaka ila janahika..” –“Now draw thy hand close to thy side..”

                      II.         “Waadkhil yadaka fee jaybika..” –"Now put thy hand into thy bosom..’’

                    III.         “Osluk yadaka fee jaybika..”- “"Move thy hand into thy bosom..”

Last two are the same. In the view of the first expression, the meaning would be like this: Draw your hand close to thy side in a way that it reaches your bosom. And once you withdraw it you will find it white (i.e. shining) without a stain. Once again we have to say that the Arabic version of the Hebrew expression can take different forms. The message given in all these passages is the same but it has been conveyed through different words in accordance with the style of the Quran as mentioned earlier.

I hope that you will be satisfied with this explanation.

Wasalaam

Suhaib Hasan