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The Month of the Pious People
Author : Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh
Date Added : 31-05-2018

The Month of the Pious People

 

Answer: All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds, and may His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

Allah, The Almighty, has prescribed fasting on His believing slaves to raise them to the rank of the pious, so He, The Exalted, made piety the core of the verses addressing fast. As He The Almighty, said, at the beginning of these verses, (what means): "O you who believe, prescribed for you is the Fast, just as it was prescribed for those that were before you so that you might guard yourselves." [Al-Baqarah/183]. Besides, He, The Exalted, also Said (What means): "Thus doth God make clear His Signs to men: that they may learn self-restraint." [Al-Baqarah/187].

Allah, The Exalted, has prescribed acts of worship for a significant objective, and that is achieving piety in the souls of His believing slaves to raise them to the rank of the pious. He, the almighty, said, "O ye people! Adore your Guardian-Lord, who created you and those who came before you, that ye may have the chance to learn righteousness ." [Al-Baqarah/21]. This is what all the Prophets and the Messengers have invited their people to. Allah, The Almighty, Said, through the tongue of Noah (PBUH) (What means): "He said: "O my People! I am to you a Warner, clear and open "That ye should worship God, fear Him and obey me." [Nuh/2-3]. In addition, He, The Almighty, Said through the tongue of Hud (PBUH), (What means): "Behold, their brother Hud said to them: "Will ye not fear (God)?" [Al-Shu`ara`/124]. Moreover, He, The Exalted, Said through the tongue of Lut (PBUH), (What means): "Behold, their brother Lut said to them: "Will ye not fear (God)?" [Al-Shu`ara`/161]. Furthermore, Shu`aib`s (PBUH) invitation to his people, (What means): "Behold, Shu’aib said to them: "Will ye not fear (God)?" [Al-Shu`ara`/177]. And Allah, The Exalted Said through the tongue of Elias`s (PBUH) invitation, (What means): "So also was Elias among those sent (by Us). Behold, he said to his people, "Will ye not fear (God)?" [As-Safat/123-124].

The above reflects the virtue in all acts of worship. As for fasting, Allah, The Almighty, has privileged it with sublime virtues and stated that in the Noble Quran (What means): "O you who believe, prescribed for you is the Fast, just as it was prescribed for those that were before you so that you might guard yourselves." [Al-Baqarah/183].

Fasting encompasses the different elements of piety. When Ali Bin Abi Talib (May Allah be pleased with him) was asked about piety, he said: "It is fearing The Sublime, applying the rulings stated in the Holy Qur`an, being content with little and preparing for the day of departure from this life." [Subol Al-Huda Wa-r-Rashaad, vol.1/pp.421].

Fasting leads fear of Allah to grow in one`s soul because it (fasting) is a secret between the salve and His Lord. It also trains one to be content with little. As a result, the Muslim who used to unleash his desires for different lawful foods and drinks is satisfied, in Ramadan, with what`s little.

Preparations for departing from this worldly life are evident in Ramadan: the Muslim arrives at the conclusion that the body may survive with little food; whereas, spiritual life rests on piety, turning to Allah and being sincere to him. In other words, the truth doesn`t lie in material matters sought by many a man.

Undoubtedly, fasting involves the hardships of hunger, thirst and abstaining from desires and passions. However, the Muslim finds, in these, a sense of pleasure that makes him taste the sweetness of faith. Every human being on the face of this earth seeks the pleasure of the life of this world and the Hereafter, but the closest way to this end is piety.

Through fasting, Allah, the Exalted, wants to elevate His salves to the rank of the pious and Ramadan is a chance for every Muslim to do that and earn the best of ranks to be admitted to Janah (paradise). He, The Almighty Said (What means): "and for this let those aspire, who have aspirations." [Al-Mutaffifin/26]. Fasting contains all that is good for it disciplines the souls and the senses. It was narrated that Abu Um amah said: "I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, tell me of an action (I should do).' He said: 'Take to fasting, for there is nothing equal to it." [Sunan An-Nasa'i].

Allah, The Almighty, has privileged his pious slaves with miracles and abundant gifts. Some of these are:

They are the pious worshippers of Allah, the ones protected and supported by Him, and no fear shall befall them nor shall they grieve. Allah, The Almighty, Said (What means): "Behold! Verily on the friends of God there is no fear, nor shall they grieve; those who believe and (constantly) guard against evil;-" [Younis/62-63]. Ibn Katheer interpreted this verse as follows: "Allah informs that His pious worshippers are the ones who believed and feared Him. Whoever is pious is a friend of Allah`s. "there is no fear on them": as regards the horrors of the Day of Resurrection. "nor shall they grieve": for what they have left behind in worldly life." [Tafseer Al-Qur'an vol.4/pp.278].

For the concept of piety to materialize in the soul of every Muslim to become a pious worshipper, he/she should purify his/her soul through performing various acts of worship in their correct manner and intending to please Allah alone, because the commodity of Allah is precious, as stated by Prophet Mohammad (PBUH): "………Be on your guard that the commodity of Allah is precious. Verily the commodity of Allah is Jannah". [At-Tirmithi]. Moreover, a Muslim should intend coming closer to Allah as the sole objective of fasting. He should also abandon material desires out of sublimity. Fasting Ramadan should be the medium for reaching the rank of the pious. Therefore, whoever managed to train himself during Ramadan to abstain from what`s lawful, in compliance with the injunctions of Almighty Allah, will find it easier to abstain from what`s forbidden for the rest of the year.

We pray that Almighty Allah helps us fast 

Ramadan and make us amongst His sincere worshippers. Indeed, He hears and responds. And all praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it incumbent on a husband to pay the alimony of his wife if she had left him and stayed at her parent`s without his permission?

When a wife leaves her house, and stays at her parent`s without asking her husband, she is considered a Nashiz (wife who refuses to abide by her husband’s orders), and so she doesn`t deserve an alimony.

What should someone do whose gums are bleeding?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Whoever experiences bleeding gums while fasting must spit until his saliva runs clear — that is, until the bleeding has stopped — and then rinse his mouth to purify it.
If any of the blood enters his internal cavity (jawf) unintentionally, then his fast remains valid. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on compensating the patient in case of medical error on the part of the treating physician?

 
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The foundational principle is that every mistake issued by a physician that causes harm to another due to his negligence or lack of expertise obligates him to guarantee liability and compensate the harmed party. The Sharia maxim, in this regard, states: "The direct actor is liable."
 
Ibn Qudamah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "As for if he was skilled but his hand committed an error—such as exceeding the proper limit of incision, cutting in an incorrect site, cutting with an instrument that inflicts excessive pain, or cutting at an unsuitable time—he is liable, because it is destruction (Itlaf) whose liability does not differ between intent and mistake, thus resembling the destruction of property; and because it is a prohibited act, so he guarantees liability for its secondary effects." [Al-Mughni].
 
However, if the physician performed what was necessary in the most complete manner and took all measures of care and caution, but complications occurred that could not be avoided according to specialists, then no liability rests upon him.
 
Shaykh al-Islam Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "The cupper and the circumciser bear no liability if they have not been negligent, and likewise the veterinarian if he bleeds an animal and it perishes." [Rawdat al-Talibin].
 
Al-Khattabi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I know of no disagreement that if the practitioner transgresses and the patient perishes, he is liable. Anyone who undertakes knowledge or practice he does not know is a transgressor; so if perishing arises from his action, he is liable for the blood-money (Diyah) while capital retaliation (Qisas) is dropped from him, because he did not act independently without the patient's permission. And the physician’s offense in the view of the generality of jurists is borne by his agnates ('Aqilah*)."* [Ma'alim al-Sunan].
 
If negligence or transgression is established against the physician, it is necessary to compensate the patient or seek forgiveness from him. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on a fictitious marriage for the purpose of obtaining citizenship?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
There is no such thing in our noble sharīʿah as a "nominal" or "fictitious" marriage or divorce. Marriage and divorce are among the sacred ordinances of Allah, and it is not permissible to manipulate them or use them as a stratagem to obtain worldly gains.
The foundational purpose of a marriage contract is the permanence and continuity of the relationship between the spouses — to establish a family, and to bring forth righteous offspring. So sacred is this bond that Allah the Almighty Himself described it as a solemn covenant (mīthāq ghalīẓ), saying {what means}: "And if you wish to replace one wife with another and you have given one of them a great amount of wealth, do not take any of it back. Would you take it in injustice and manifest sin? And how could you take it while you have gone in unto each other and they have taken from you a solemn covenant?" [Al-Nisāʾ/ 20–21]
Accordingly, it is not permissible to resort to manipulation and deception in contracts that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has described as a "solemn covenant" — all for the sake of material and worldly benefit. Marriage is built upon permanence and does not admit of a fixed time limit. If a time limit is stipulated in the contract, the contract is rendered invalid by the consensus of the jurists. Similarly, marriage is impermissible when there exists a mutual, concealed intention to limit its duration — even if no time limit is explicitly mentioned in the contract — for this constitutes a form of unlawful circumvention of the sharīʿah. This is to say nothing of the lying and deception that such conduct involves, the prohibition of which needs no elaboration. Lying, deception, and fraud for the purpose of obtaining worldly gains are among the gravest of sins.
If, however, the marriage contract is first concluded in a valid sharʿī manner and then registered civilly, it is sound and fully valid. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

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