Articles

Glorifying the Prophet (PBUH) is an Obligation upon every Muslim
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 20-02-2023

 

The General Iftaa` Department in this Hashemite Arab Muslim country led by the Hashemites, the direct descendants of the Prophet Mohammad, blessings and peace be upon him, has the honor of following our Master Prophet Mohammad, blessings and peace be upon him. The Department reaffirms that it totally rejects any offence directed towards the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, or any member of his noble household, and doesn`t accept such an evil act from anyone no matter who that person is.

 

The Prophet blessings and peace be upon him, is of perfect human attributes whereas, Allah The Exalted Commended his character where He Said {What means}: "And thou (standest) on an exalted standard of character." {Al-Qalam/4}. He The Almighty also Commended his intellect as He Said {What means}: "Your Companion is neither astray nor being misled."{An-Najim/2}. He, The Most Exalted also Commended his sight because He Said {What means}: "(His) sight never swerved, nor did it go wrong!" {An-Najim/17}. He also Commended his tongue, for He Said {What means}: "Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire.' {An-Najim/3}. He also commended his heart where He Said {What means}: "The (Prophet’s) (mind and) heart in no way falsified that which he saw." {An-Najim, 11}. And commended His Teacher "Gabriel PBUH" where He Said {What means}: "He was taught by one Mighty in Power," {An-Najim/5}. The attributes that Allah Combined in His Apostle don`t exist in any other human being and He The Almighty Chose him to be His Prophet and Messenger for the virtues, competence and perfection that He the Exalted had instilled in him, blessings and peace be upon him. He The Almighty Says {What means}: "God knoweth best where (and how) to carry out His mission" {Al-Ana`am/124}.  In addition, Allah and His angels have sent blessings upon him in honor of him, and to show his merits. This is in addition to the fact that Allah has commanded the believers to send blessings upon him as a sign for glorifying his noble status. Allah Says {What means}: "God and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect." {Al-Ahzab/56}. Moreover, it is prohibited to favor any human being over the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and whoever denies this has transgressed big time.

 

The Prophet Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him, enjoys perfect attributes in terms of words and deeds, and a believer doesn`t attain complete faith unless he/she has deep conviction in that, and utters both testimonies of faith: (ASH-HADU ANNA LA ILAHA ILLA ALLAH

WA ASH-HADU ANNA MUHAMMADAN RASULU ALLAH/I bear witness that no one deserves to be worshiped except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah).

 

Since the era of the Companions (May Allah be pleased with them) until this day, Muslims have realized the praised status of the Prophet Mohammad, the Master of Creation, and this necessitates glorifying and revering him, blessings and peace be upon him. Allah The Almighty Says {What means}: "In order that ye (O men) may believe in God and His Apostle that ye may assist and honor Him, and celebrate His praise morning and evening." {Al-Fateh/9}. Therefore, scholars said that one who does any of the following has insulted the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: accusing him of a defect in his person, lineage, religion, characteristics, treating him with contempt, insinuating, cursing, reviling, criticizing, accusing him of unchaste behavior, and the like.

 

Allah The Almighty Has Warned the believers against disobeying the commands of His Apostle and Banned them from addressing him familiarly as they would address one another. This is to show his merits and his rights over them. Allah The Exalted Says {What means}: "Deem not the summons of the Apostle among yourselves like the summons of one of you to another: God doth know those of you who slip away under shelter of some excuse: then let those beware who withstand the Apostle’s order, lest some trial befall them, or a grievous penalty be inflicted on them." {An-Nur/63}.

 

Judge`s characteristics mentioned in the Magazine for Judicial Rulings ( Majalla al-Ahkam al-Adliyya) can exist in any human being; especially one who studied law and Sharia sciences. These aren`t amongst the attributes of Allah, as some have understood; rather, people of reason are agreed on them.

 

The General Iftaa` Department reaffirms that it is an obligation upon every Muslim to adhere to the rights of the Prophet blessings and peace be upon him over him/her. The first of these rights is loving him and following his Sunnah. Moreover, we remind Muslims that it doesn`t befit the noble status of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, to mention him in gatherings where vile language is used or while there is gossip and backbiting. At the same time, no room should be given to the vile and base people to talk about the status of the Prophet blessings and peace be upon him. This is to be cleared from liability Before Allah The Almighty, His Apostle, blessings and peace be upon him, and the believers. The Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) said: "A man utters a word pleasing to Allah without considering it of any significance for which Allah Exalts his ranks (in Jannah); another one speaks a word displeasing to Allah without considering it of any importance, and for this reason he will sink down into Hell." [Al-Bukhari]. 

 

In addition, it is highly unexpected that a true Muslim would belittle the Apostle of Allah and whoever did so should race to make repentance and Ask Allah for forgiveness. 

 

We pray that Allah Guides us to the right thing to say, do, and bless this country of ours and other Muslim countries with safety and security. And All perfect praise and blessings be to Allah The Lord of The Worlds.

 

 

 

  

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Summarized Fatawaa

The Jurisprudential Significance of the Ḥadīth: "Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr Prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking..."
"Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking: 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-ḥamdu yuḥyī wa yumītu wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr' ten times — ten good deeds will be recorded for him, ten bad deeds will be erased from him, he will be raised ten levels, he will spend that day in protection from everything disliked and guarded from the devil, and no sin will be able to befall him on that day except associating partners with Allah" — does this noble ḥadīth apply to the imam, and what is meant by "extraneous speech"?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite, immediately after the final salām, the specific remembrance reported in the sunnah to be said before turning away from one's place of prayer. The imam then leaves his praying spot, and the act of "turning" is fulfilled when the imam faces the congregation — even without physically leaving his spot — by positioning his right side toward them and his left side toward the qiblah, and this applies even while he is engaged in supplication.
Al-ʿAllāmah Ibn Qāsim al-ʿAbbādī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Tuḥfah (Vol.2/P.105): "It is most virtuous for the imam, once he has given the salām, to rise from his place of prayer immediately afterward." He adds that an exception must be made for the remembrances that are specifically required to be recited before he turns away. He then notes, citing Sharḥ al-ʿUbāb: "Yes, an exception to this rising immediately after the salām applies to the Fajr prayer, due to the authentic report that the Prophet ﷺ, when he prayed Fajr, would remain seated until the sun rose." He further cites, from al-Khādim, the ḥadīth concerning one who recites, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer while still in the position of crossing his leg to rise: "Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah..." and the rest of the well-known ḥadīth. He comments that this makes explicit that this particular remembrance is to be recited before the worshipper turns his legs to leave, and the same applies to Maghrib and ʿAṣr, as reported in those contexts as well.
What is meant by "speech" in the relevant ḥadīth is extraneous worldly speech that is not called for after the prayer and for which there is no legitimate excuse. The remembrances reported to be recited upon concluding the prayer, however, do not fall under this category of extraneous speech, since they are themselves required by the sharīʿah.
Al-ʿAllāmah ʿAlī al-Shabrāmalsī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Nihāyah (Vol.1/P.551): "If someone greets a person with salām while he is occupied with reciting this remembrance [i.e., 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh...'], should he return the greeting — without this causing him to forfeit the promised reward, since he is engaged in an obligatory matter — or should he delay returning the greeting until he finishes, this being a legitimate excuse for the delay?" He continues: "I say: the more likely view is the former, and the prohibition on speech is to be understood as applying to extraneous speech for which there is no legitimate excuse. Based on this, should the worshipper give precedence to this remembrance ('Lā ilāha illā Allāh...') or to reciting Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ ('Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad')? This requires consideration, though it is not unlikely that the remembrance takes precedence, given that the Lawgiver urged hastening to it through his words 'while crossing his leg.' This is not considered ordinary speech, since it is not extraneous to what is required after the prayer."
Accordingly, it is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite this remembrance and to give it precedence over the other remembrances of the prayer, ensuring it is said before they move from their place. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

 I`m keeping a plot of land (10 Dunums) for my children. Is it liable for Zakah?

Praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds.

Land that is purchased with the intention of ownership and personal benefit—meaning to retain it for use and not for trade—is not subject to zakāh, as such property is not considered from trade commodities (ʿurūḍ al-tijārah).
 
It is stated in Al-Ḥāwī al-Kabīr:
“If it is property and one intends it for trade, then zakāh is due upon it; but if he intends it for personal possession, then no zakāh is due upon it.” And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

 

What is the ruling of Islamic Law regarding one who slaughters a ewe and it turns out to have been pregnant, and is it permissible to slaughter the ewe if one knows it is pregnant?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
If a person slaughters a ewe and it turns out to have been pregnant, the fetus becomes lawful (ḥalāl) by virtue of its mother's slaughter (tabaʿan li-ummihā).
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.6/P.158): "A fetus found dead [after the mother's slaughter], or found alive but in a state resembling that of a slaughtered animal [i.e., dying shortly after], becomes lawful — whether or not it had grown fur — provided it is found in the womb of a mother that was lawfully slaughtered, whether her slaughter was by cutting the throat, or by an arrow or hunting dog sent after her. This is based on the ḥadīth: 'The slaughtering of the fetus is [effected by] the slaughtering of its mother' [narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who graded it ḥasan, and by Ibn Ḥibbān, who graded it ṣaḥīḥ] — meaning that the slaughter which rendered the mother lawful renders the fetus lawful as well, by virtue of following her; and because the fetus is one of her constituent parts, and her slaughter renders lawful all of her parts."
This ruling differs, however, from the case of one who knows from the outset that the ewe is pregnant [and intends to sacrifice her specifically as the udḥiyah while pregnant] — in which case, according to the Shāfi'ī school, she does not fulfill the requirement of a valid sacrifice.
It is stated in Ḥāshiyat al-Bujayrimī 'alā al-Khaṭīb (Vol.4/P.335): "A pregnant animal does not fulfill the requirement [of a valid sacrifice], and this is the authoritative position (al-mu'tamad), because pregnancy diminishes the quality of the meat. As for why such an animal is nevertheless counted as complete [i.e., fully valid] in matters of zakāh, that is because the intent there is reproduction (nasl), not the quality of the meat.". And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

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.