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A Statement on: Calling for the Preservation of Brotherly Ties and the Rejection of Conflict and Disagreement
Author : The General Iftaa' Department
Date Added : 03-04-2014

A Statement on: Calling for the preservation of Brotherly Ties and Rejection of Conflict and Disagreement 

 

All praise is due to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds, peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions and all those who have followed in his footsteps until the Day of Resurrection:

 

Dear fellow believers!

 

Allah has warned us in the Glorious Quran against disagreement and conflict leading to failure, He Said (What means): "And obey God and His Messenger, and do not quarrel with one another, lest you falter and your strength fade; and be patient. Surely God is with the patient." [Al-Anfal/46].

 

Reprehensible disagreement and conflict lead to exchanging accusations, arousing sectarianism and widening disunity within the Muslim nation. This results in failures and weaknesses, and hinders society from progress and prosperity for all of these negative aspects are tantamount to corruption that is denied by any reasonable person.

 

Allah has urged the Muslim community to hold together and to cooperate just like one body; when one of the limbs suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever. Therefore, He warned against disagreements that end with quarrel and division, and commanded holding fast to His solid bond for He , The Most Exalted, Said (What means): "And hold fast to God's bond, together, and do not scatter; remember God's grace upon you when you were enemies, and He brought your hearts together so that by His grace you became brothers..." [Al-Imran/103].

 

When Muslims complied with this heavenly guidance, their hearts were brought together against all enemies, and whenever the enemies tried to scatter them, they remembered the Prophet`s saying: "Do not (become infidels) revert to disbelief after me by striking the necks (cutting the throats) of one another (killing each other)." [Agreed upon]. Therefore, all of us have to resort to constructive dialogue and advice to achieve the desired reform.                                                                                                                                            .

Dear fellow believers!

 

Abide by the above Hadith (prophetic saying) and the teachings of the Prophet (PBUH) and those of the Holy Quran for the Prophet (PBUH) says: "A Muslim is the one who avoids harming Muslims with his tongue or his hands." [Agreed upon]. He further says: "And anybody who believes in Allah and the Last Day should talk what is good or keep quiet. (I.e. abstain from all kinds of evil and dirty talk)." [Agreed upon].

 

It is incumbent upon us as Muslims to refrain from acts that cause conflict and division so as not to undermine the unity of our homeland. Instead, we should join forces to achieve all that is good to our religion, country, community, and nation. Allah Says in the Holy Quran (What means): "Help one another to righteousness and piety; do not help one another to sin and enmity. And fear God; surely God is severe in retribution." [Al-Ma`idah/2].     

  

Dear brothers!

 

We should be a cause for all that is good and a hindrance to all that is evil for the Prophet (PBUH) said in this regard: "Some people are a cause for all that is good and some are a cause for all that is evil; the former are blessed but the latter are disgraced." [Ibn Majah].

 

The General Iftaa` Department calls on all citizens to observe the teachings of Islam, discard all aspects of division, conflict and disagreement as well as all factors that incite to enmity and hatred among the people of the community, and to follow the advice of the Prophet: "I have left in you  that which will not lead you astray if you abide by it: The Holy Quran and the Prophetic tradition." [At-Tirmithi/ Graded it as a sound & strange Hadith (a strange one due to few narrators of the above Hadith].

 

We ask Allah, The Almighty, to safeguard our beloved country along with the rest of the Islamic countries, and praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds.

 

And peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you all.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible to offer an Udhiyah on behalf of the deceased?

In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Offering an Udhiyah (sacrificial animal) on behalf of a deceased person is permissible. This is the official position of the Hanbali school (as stated in Kashshaf al-Qina’ by al-Bahuti,Vol.6/P.428) and was also upheld by the prominent Shafi'i scholar Al-’Abbadi (mentioned in Bidayat al-Muhtaj by Ibn Qadi Shuhbah,Vol. 4/P.358). It has likewise been narrated as a valid view among some Maliki and Hanafi scholars.
 
In fact, Imam Abu Dawud dedicated an entire chapter in his Sunan collection entitled, "Chapter on Sacrificing on Behalf of the Deceased." In it, he recorded a narration from Hanash, who said: "I saw 'Ali sacrificing two rams, so I asked him, 'What is this?' He replied, 'The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded me to offer a sacrifice on his behalf, so I am sacrificing on his behalf.'"
 
Imam Abu Dawud also narrated from Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah, this is from You, for You, and on behalf of Muhammad and his Ummah (community). In the Name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest," and he then slaughtered the animal.
 
The textual evidence here lies in the fact that our Master, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), offered a sacrifice on behalf of his entire community—and it is well-established that his community includes those who have already passed away.
 
Furthermore, there is an abundance of sacred texts demonstrating that the rewards of righteous deeds reach the deceased. For instance, it is permissible to fast on behalf of a deceased person who passed away with missed obligatory fasts, and it is equally permissible to perform Hajj on their behalf, both of which are firmly established in authentic Hadiths. Therefore, if the reward of fasting (which is a purely physical act of worship) and Hajj (which is a joint physical and financial act of worship) can reach the deceased, then the reward of an Udhiyah reaches them with greater reason (by way of A Fortiori argument). This is because it is a purely financial act of worship, falling under the general category of charity (Sadaqah).
 
Additionally, scholars have reached a consensus (Ijma') that the rewards of charity reach the deceased, and since the Udhiyah is inherently an act of charity, it falls under the same ruling. Consequently, based on all the aforementioned evidence, we hold the view that offering a sacrifice on behalf of the deceased is entirely permissible. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

In the Sharia-compliant viewing  at a prospective bride (*al-naẓrah al-sharʿiyyah*), is it permissible for the man to see the woman without a veil (*ḥijāb*)?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is sunnah for the suitor to see the woman he is seeking to marry within the limits the Sharīʿah permits, namely looking at the face and the hands (palms and backs), based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “Look at her, for it is more likely to bring about harmony between you.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhī.
The suitor may also ask one of the women to look at the woman he is seeking to marry. In that case, she is permitted to see of her what she is normally permitted to see, which is not limited to the face and hands, and she then describes these matters to the suitor. It is narrated on the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Umm Sulaym to look at a girl, and said: “Smell her breath, and look at her heels.” Narrated by Aḥmad in his Musnad.
It is stated in Tuḥfat al-Muḥtāj (Vol.7/p.192): “For one who cannot easily look, or does not wish to look himself, it is sunnah to send someone who is permitted to look at her, to observe her and describe her to him, even regarding what he himself is not permitted to look at. He thereby gains through the sending what he would not gain through looking. Because of the added need for this, it is excepted from the prohibition of a woman describing another woman to a man.”
The permissibility of looking is conditional upon his resolve to marry her once he is able to, his predominant assumption that his proposal will be accepted, and his assumption that the woman is free of marriage and of a waiting period (ʿiddah). Otherwise, looking is forbidden.
Accordingly, it is not permissible for the suitor to look at anything other than the face and hands. He may ask one of his maḥram women, such as his mother or sister, to see the woman unveiled, and the Sharia-compliant viewing (of a prospective bride) must take place in the presence of one of the woman’s maḥrams. And Allah Almighty knows best.

Is it obligatory to have the intention for each day of fasting, or is one intention sufficient for the whole month?

The intention is obligatory for each day of Ramadan because each day is an independent act of worship separate from the others.
The intention must be made at night before the break of dawn, as the Prophetﷺ said: "Whoever does not intend fasting at night, there is no fast for him." [An-Nasa’i] 
And he also said: "Whoever does not firmly resolve to fast before dawn, there is no fast for him." [At-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, and An-Nasa’i]
Whoever wakes up and eats Suhoor while mindful of fasting has made the intention. Likewise, one who firmly intends at any moment during the night to fast the next day has also fulfilled the intention.

A man wishes to offer more than one uḍḥiyah (sacrificial offering), and intends by these sacrifices "on behalf of everyone whom Allah and His Messenger love." Is this intention valid?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The uḍḥiyah (sacrificial offering) is not valid with this intention, because if the sacrificial animal is from sheep or goats, it suffices for one person only; and if it is from cattle or camels, it suffices for seven persons.
However, one may sacrifice it on his own behalf, and then gift the equivalent of its reward to whomever he wishes.
Imam ar-Ramlī (raḥimahullāh) says: "Ash-Shāfi‘ī (raḍiyallāhu ‘anh) said: It is within the vastness of Allah's bounty, the Exalted, that He rewards the one giving charity as well. From this, the scholars of the madhhab said: it is recommended for a person to intend the charity on behalf of his parents, for example — for Allah, the Exalted, will reward them, without this diminishing his own reward in any way." He then relates, as the relied-upon position, the permissibility of saying: "O Allah, convey the reward of what I have recited specifically to so-and-so, and to the Muslims generally." Az-Zarkashī said: "For reward varies in degree — its highest form is what one designates specifically, and its lowest form is what one dedicates generally [alongside others]." [End of quote from Nihāyat al-Muḥtāj]. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

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