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Realism of Islamic Legislation
Author : Dr. Hassan Abu_Arqoub
Date Added : 09-03-2016

 

 

Realism of Islamic Legislation and its Different Aspects

 

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.

 

Realism of Islamic legislation means: "Observing the reality present in legislation and addressing its issues." [Introduction to Sharia and Fiqh, pp.110, Al-Qaradawi].

 

In each of its divisions, Islamic legislation is realistic since it is neither imaginary nor idealistic; rather, it copes with the nature of man whom Allah has entrusted with delivering the message of Islam.

 

This realistic nature is among the reasons that drove people to accept Islamic legislation, and it guaranteed its continuity and eligibility for every time and place.

 

The gradual legislation of provisions is one aspect of realism in Islamic legislation, which was revealed while the Arabs were following customs that it didn`t approve of. However, it didn`t ban them from those customs all at once so that they don`t turn away from it; therefore, they were prohibited gradually. This led them to accept this change in custom and behavior and become more inclined to adhere to Sharia without adamancy or hardship, [Introduction to Islamic Fiqh, pp.15, Madkour].

 

For example, wine, which the Arabs adored, was prohibited on gradual basis. The following verse was revealed in Makkah, it states (What means): "And from the fruit of the date-palm and the vine, ye get out wholesome drink and food: behold, in this also is a sign for those who are wise." [An`nahil/67]. As a result, Muslims used to drink it and it was permissible for them to do so.

 

Afterwards, the following verse was revealed, it states (What means): "They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: "In them is great sin, and some profit, for men; but the sin is greater than the profit." [Al-Baqarah/219]. As a result, some drank it, but others didn`t. After that, the following verse was revealed, it Says (What means): "O ye who believe! Approach not prayers with a mind befogged, until ye can understand all that ye say,- " [An-Nisa/43].

 

As a result, the number of drinkers decreased. Finally, the following verse was revealed, declaring that wine is prohibited as it Says (What means): "O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination, - of Satan’s handwork: eschew such (abomination), that ye may prosper. Satan’s plan is (but) to excite enmity and hatred between you, with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah, and from prayer: will ye not then abstain?" [Al-Mai`da/90-91].

 

After the revealation of the above verse, Omar Ibn Al-Khattab (May Allah Be Pleased with him) said: "Ooh Allah, sure we abstained." [Mafatih Al-Ghayb vol.6/pp.395].

 

Another aspect of realism in Islamic legislation is lifting religious difficulties because among the principles of legislation is that the responsible Muslim should be capable of performing the religious duties required from him, at first. However, when hardship arises from performing some of these duties, the Lawgiver enjoys the authority to lift them. Allah, The Almighty, Said (What means): "and has imposed no difficulties on you in religion." [Al-Hajj/78].

 

Al-Imam Ashatibi said: "Evidence supporting relieving the Muslim nation from the religious difficulties is conclusive." [Almowafakat Fi Osool Al-Sharia, vol.1/pp.213, Ash-shatibi].

 

Moreover, Islamic legislation draws up general rules for most transactions. For instance, most texts pertaining to the provisions governing different transactions are general, taking into consideration the change in people`s interests due to changes in time and place. However, religious texts (Quran and Sunna) introduced the general rules and left the details to the Ijtihad (Independent reasoning) of the scholars to address any new or sudden issues. For instance, forbidding Riba (Usury), cheating, eating up people`s property unjustly and the like.

 

In conclusion, realism is among the characteristics of Islamic legislation, and it has been manifested in three key aspects: gradualism, mitigation, lifting difficulties in religious duties, and drawing up general rules on various transactions. Being realistic in legislations and rulings (Lawful or unlawful) makes Islamic Sharia a blessing that Allah has bestowed upon Muslims because it aims to lead them to the path of righteousness to win His pleasure and enter paradise; therefore, we should be thankful to Allah and adhere to His Sharia in our word and deed.

 

And All praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds and may His Blessings and Peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions. 

 

The published article reflects the opinion of its author

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on making up the regular pre-Dhuhr *sunnah* (*al-sunnah al-rātibah al-qabliyyah*) for one who missed it in the Dhuhr prayer?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
Every timed supererogatory prayer (nāfilah) is recommended (mandūb) to be made up if its time passes. As for a nāfilah that precedes the obligatory prayer, performing it before the farḍ is a matter of proper etiquette (adab); if it is prayed after the farḍ, it is still considered adāʾ (performed within its time). If the time of the farḍ has ended, it is recommended to make up (qaḍāʾ) the nāfilah for one who did not pray it.
Whoever misses the sunnah before Dhuhr, whether with an excuse or without one, it is recommended for him to pray it after the obligatory Dhuhr prayer, within the time of Dhuhr, even at its end, and it counts as adāʾ, not qaḍāʾ. It is also recommended for one who missed the pre-Dhuhr sunnah to pray it before the post-Dhuhr sunnah, in observance of the proper order. It is stated in ʿUmdat al-Sālik wa ʿUddat al-Nāsik (Vol.1/p.60): "What precedes the obligatory prayer has the same time as the obligatory prayer, and performing it before the farḍ is a matter of etiquette; after it, it is adāʾ. What follows the farḍ has its time begin with the performance of the farḍ and end with the end of its time."
If the time of Dhuhr has ended, it is recommended for him to pray both the pre- and post-Dhuhr sunnahs, and they count as qaḍāʾ for both. It is stated in ʿUmdat al-Sālik (1/61): "Every timed nafl, such as the ʿĪd prayer, Duha, Witr, and the regular rawātib of the obligatory prayers, if it is missed, it is recommended to make it up forever." And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the waiting period ('Iddah) for a woman whose husband has passed away, and what is the ruling on her wearing gold?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The waiting period ('Iddah) for a woman whose husband has passed away is four months and ten days for one who is not pregnant. As for a pregnant woman, her waiting period lasts until she gives birth. It is obligatory for her to remain in the marital home, only leaving for a necessity. During this time, it is prohibited (Haram) to display any form of adornment on the body or clothing; this includes wearing kohl, gold, all types of perfume, and dyeing the hair. Likewise, it is prohibited to receive a direct marriage proposal or to marry during this period.
 
It was narrated by Umm 'Atiyyah that the Prophet ﷺ said: 'We were forbidden to mourn for a deceased person for more than three days, except for a husband, for whom the mourning period is four months and ten days. During this time, we were not to use kohl, nor wear perfume, nor wear dyed clothing except for garments made of 'Asb (coarsely dyed yarn). We were, however, granted a concession at the time of purification—when one of us bathed following her menses—to use a small amount of Kust (costus) or Azfar (fragrant substances). We were also forbidden from following funeral processions.' (Narrated by Al-Bukhari). And Allah the Exalted knows best."

What should one do if they see someone deliberately eating or drinking openly during Ramadan?

They must enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. If they fear harm from that person, they should disapprove of it in their heart but avoid sitting with them if possible. It is also preferable to seek the help of the authorities to prevent them from doing so.

What is the ruling on performing the night prayer (*qiyām al-layl*) between the first and second adhān of Fajr? And which is better: delaying the prayer until shortly before the Fajr adhān, or performing it earlier than that?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The time for night prayer (qiyām al-layl) begins after the Maghrib prayer and lasts until the second adhān of Fajr. The best time for it is the last third of the night, and best of all are the fourth and fifth sixths of the night. If the night is divided into two halves, the latter half is better.
Whoever intends to pray at night is encouraged to delay the Witr until he has prayed the night prayer. If he knows that he will not wake up, it is better for him to pray and perform Witr before sleeping, so that he does not miss both the night prayer and the Witr.
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vpl.1/p.462): “I say: The voluntary prayer of the night, that is, the absolute voluntary prayer (al-nafl al-muṭlaq), is better than the absolute voluntary prayer of the day, because of the report in Muslim: ‘The best prayer after the obligatory prayer is the night prayer.’ In another narration of his: ‘In the night there is an hour that no Muslim man meets while asking Allah for any good of this world and the next except that He gives it to him, and that is every night.’ It is also because the night is a time of heedlessness. I restricted the voluntary prayer to the absolute kind following the commentator, although what the ḥadīth and the underlying meaning require is that the night rawātib be preferred over the day rawātib, since the jurists preferred the two rakʿahs of Fajr over everything except Witr. The middle of the night is better than its two ends if it is divided into thirds, because heedlessness is greatest then and worship is hardest. If he wishes to pray during some third, the best is the fourth and fifth sixths, based on the ḥadīth in the two Ṣaḥīḥs: ‘The most beloved prayer to Allah the Exalted is the prayer of Dāwūd: he would sleep half the night, stand for a third of it, and sleep for a sixth.’ Then the latter part is better than the first if he divides it into two halves, because of the saying of Allah the Exalted: ‘And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness’ [al-Dhāriyāt: 18], and the report of the two Shaykhs: ‘Our Lord, Blessed and Exalted, descends,’ meaning His command descends, ‘to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, and says: Who calls upon Me, that I may answer him? Who asks of Me, that I may give him? Who seeks My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?’”
It is also stated in ʿUmdat al-Sālik (p. 60): “It is better to perform it [the Witr] immediately after the sunnah of ʿIshāʾ, unless he has tahajjud, in which case it is better to delay it so that he performs Witr after it. If he performs Witr and then wishes to pray tahajjud, he prays two rakʿahs at a time and does not repeat the Witr, nor does he need to cancel it with a single rakʿah before the tahajjud. It is recommended that he not deliberately pray after it.”
Qiyām al-layl is a term applied to any prayer performed at night. Tahajjud, on the other hand, refers to the night prayer that follows sleep, whether it is prayed after Maghrib or after ʿIshāʾ, or the prayer performed after ʿIshāʾ without sleep. On this basis, the Witr is also called tahajjud, since it is only prayed after ʿIshāʾ.
It is stated in al-Majmūʿ (Vol.4/p.84): “The sound position, as stated in al-Umm and al-Mukhtaṣar, is that the Witr is called tahajjud.”
It is stated in Nihāyat al-Zayn (Vol.1/p.114): “Among the absolute voluntary prayers is qiyām al-layl. If it is performed after sleep, even during the time of Maghrib and after having prayed ʿIshāʾ early (taqdīman), it is called tahajjud.”
And it is stated in Ḥāshiyat al-Bujayrimī ʿalā al-Khaṭīb (Vol.1/p.418): “His statement: ‘(the night prayer)’: the genitive construction (iḍāfah) carries the sense of fī, meaning a prayer in the night. His statement: ‘(it would be more fitting)’: the reason it is more fitting is that the night prayer includes both tahajjud and other prayers.” And Allah Almighty knows best.

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