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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

What is the ruling if a postpartum woman becomes pure before forty days; are acts of worship obligatory upon her, and is she permissible for her husband?

If the postpartum woman becomes definitely pure before forty days, she must perform the ritual bath and perform acts of worship as a pure woman does. What was prohibited for her also becomes permissible, so she becomes permissible for her husband after her bath. The minimum duration for postpartum bleeding is a moment (an instant), and its usual maximum is forty days. Reaching forty days is not a condition; rather, it is sufficient for the blood to stop or to see the white discharge (qassa bayda'). And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What are the Sunnahs and etiquettes recommended for the person offering the Udhiyah?

 
In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
There are several Sunnahs (prophetic traditions) and etiquettes that are highly recommended for the person offering an Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) to observe:
 
First:
It is a Sunnah for anyone intending to offer a sacrifice to refrain from cutting or removing any of their hair or nails once the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah begin. This is based on the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "When the ten days [of Dhul-Hijjah] begin and one of you intends to offer a sacrifice, let him not touch any of his hair or skin." (Narrated by Muslim)
 
However, if someone does happen to remove any hair or nails, they have not committed a sin, and their sacrifice remains perfectly valid.
 
Second:
The person offering the sacrifice should ideally slaughter the animal themselves. If they are unable to do so, they should at least witness its slaughter. This is drawn from what our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), said to Lady Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her):
 
"Stand up and witness your sacrifice, for with its very first drop of blood, every sin you have committed will be forgiven." (Narrated by Al-Tabarani in his Mu'jam, Al-Hakim in his Mustadrak, and Al-Bayhaqi in his Sunan)
 
Third:
Face the Qiblah (the direction of prayer) at the time of slaughtering, as the Qiblah is the most honorable of directions.
 
Fourth:
Pronounce the name of Allah (Tasmiyah) at the moment of slaughter by saying: "Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim" (In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful). Even if one forgets to say it, the meat remains lawful (Halal) to eat. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, says:
 
"So eat of that [meat] upon which the name of Allah has been mentioned." (Al-An'am: 118)
 
It is also recommended to send blessings upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and to follow it with the Takbeer (Allahu Akbar).
 
Fifth:
Supplicate for acceptance by saying: "Allahumma hadhihi minka wa ilayka, fa-taqabbal minni" (O Allah, this is a blessing from You and is offered back to You, so please accept it from me). This means: This sacrifice is a blessing that originated from You, and I am offering it to draw closer to You. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

My father has debts and asked me to repay them years ago, and I promised him I would do so upon his death — is it permissible for me to go back on my promise given that I am unable to repay them, especially since he refuses to contribute to repayment on the grounds that the debt has become my responsibility by virtue of my promise?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The established principle is that a father's debt is to be repaid from his own wealth, if he possesses sufficient means. As for the promise made by the son to repay it on his father's behalf, fulfilling such a promise is strongly recommended, and breaking it is considerably disliked. Shaykh al-Islām Imām al-Nawawī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "Fulfilling a promise is emphatically recommended, and breaking it is severely disliked. The evidences for this from the Qurʾān and the Sunnah are well known." [Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn,Vol. 2/P.278] Shaykh al-Islām Imām Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī, may Allah have mercy upon him, further states: "The reason fulfilling a promise is not obligatory and breaking it is not forbidden is that a promise is in the nature of a gift, and a gift does not become binding except upon receipt." [Asnā al-Maṭālib fī Sharḥ Rawḍ al-Ṭālib,Vol. 2/P.487]
Given that the son does not possess the financial means to fulfil his promise to his father, breaking this promise falls beyond his capacity — and Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear. Since the father himself possesses sufficient wealth to settle his own debt, repayment must be made from his own funds. Should he pass away before doing so, the debt is to be settled from his estate. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

A man insulted the Divine Essence; is it obligatory for him to perform Ghusl?

 
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Insulting or blaspheming the Divine Essence (Dhat al-Ilahiyyah) constitutes apostasy (Riddah). The perpetrator of this grave sin must immediately repeat the two testimonies of faith (Shahadah) and sincerely repent to Allah the Exalted. It is recommended (Sunnah) for them to perform a ritual bath (Ghusl), though it is not a mandatory condition [for the validity of their return to Islam]. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

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