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God Loveth not the Wasters
Author : Mufti Dr. Radwan Al-Sraira
Date Added : 05-11-2024

God Loveth not the Wasters

 

Praise be to Allah, Who has legislated for us a religion that ensures the well-being of both this life and the Hereafter. "He is the One Who Does, He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the Acquainted?" [Al-Mulk/14]. He sent His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, as a mercy to the worlds.

Since Allah The Almighty wanted us to enjoy a balanced system of life, He didn`t approve for us to indulge in acts of extravagance nor to be extravagant ourselves. Rather, He Praised His believing servants in His words (What means): "And those who, when they spend, do so not excessively or sparingly but are ever, between that, [justly] moderate." [Al-Furqan/67]. Extravagance means to exceed the permissible limit. According to the Quran, among those who are not engaged in sin, the extravagant are of two types 

First Type: The Extravagant in Worship

Allah The Almighty forbids excessiveness in acts of worship and burdening oneself beyond its capacity, so that one does not become like the "Munbat" or exhausted traveler who is cut off and unable to reach his destination, as described by the Prophet (PBUH): "This religion is solid, so apply it gently, and do not make Allah's worship loathsome to yourself, for the exhausted traveler neither reaches his destination nor spares his mount." [Al-Bayhaqi].

Allah The Almighty Says (What means): "And He it is who produces gardens trellised and untrellised, and dates and crops of different kinds of food and olives and pomegranates, similar yet different. Eat of their fruit when they bear fruit and give [Allah’s] due on the day of harvest. And do not be extravagant; indeed, He does not love the extravagant." [Al-An'am/141]. Ibn Kathir explains this as meaning: "And do not be extravagant in giving (in charity/Zakah) – to give beyond what is prescribed."

It is reported that this verse was revealed regarding Thabit Ibn Qais Ibn Shammas (may Allah be pleased with him), who harvested dates and said: "No one shall come to me today but I will feed them." So, he fed until evening without leaving any fruit for himself. Then Allah revealed (What means): "And do not be extravagant; indeed, He does not love the extravagant." The wisdom behind this is that a person does not deprive those under his care, as they are his responsibility for provision.

When Sa’d Ibn ‘Ubada (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to give away all his wealth in charity, the Prophet (PBUH) forbade him, permitting him to give only a third, saying: "A third, and a third is much. It is better for you to leave your heirs wealthy than to leave them dependent, begging from people." [Al-Bukhari].

Moreover, here is the Mother of the Believers, Zaynab Bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her), who tied a rope in the mosque between two columns to support herself during night prayers. When the Prophet (PBUH) saw it, he ordered it to be removed, saying: "Untie it; let one of you pray as long as he feels energetic, and when he tires, let him sit down." [Ibn Majah].

Second Type: The Extravagant in Clothing, Food, and Drink

Likewise, Allah The Almighty forbids extravagance in clothing, food, and drink, so that a person does not become a slave to his desires, indulging every wish, which may lead him to fall into prohibited actions if he is unable to satisfy these desires. Allah Says (What means): "Indeed, the soul is ever inclined to evil." [Yusuf/53].

By curbing his desires, a person develops a sense of responsibility toward those in need, in devotion to Allah. It has been said: "Whoever eats everything he desires is extravagant.” Allah Says (What means): "O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not extravagant. Indeed, He does not like the extravagant." [Al-A’raf/31].

Adornment refers to clothing without extravagance or arrogance, and to eating and drinking what is lawful, as the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Eat, drink, wear clothing, and give in charity, without arrogance or extravagance, for Allah loves to see His blessings on His servant." [Ahmad].

Ibn Abbas (May Allah Be Pleased with him) said: "Eat what you like, and wear what you like, as long as you avoid two qualities: extravagance and arrogance." This, while remembering that Allah loves to see the effect of His blessing on His servant.

Extravagance in these matters can lead to arrogance, which Allah detests, and to the depletion of resources without any benefit to all people. A prime example of this is what happens at banquets, where much more food is discarded than is consumed. One is accountable before Allah for this, as He, The Most Exalted Says (What means): "Then you will surely be asked that Day about pleasure." [At-Takathur/8].

Praise be to Allah, who made us a balanced nation, with no extravagance nor miserliness. We ask Him to continue His blessings upon us, to preserve our security and well-being, and to grant us righteous endings. May Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and companions.

 

 

The published article reflects the opinion of its author

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Summarized Fatawaa

A pregnant woman has iron deficiency. When she showers, she becomes very tired and feels cold. What is the ruling on tayammum in this situation?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
One should not resort to tayammum (dry ablution) as a substitute for the obligatory ghusl (ritual bathing) so long as it remains possible to use water — for example, by heating the water, warming the place where the bathing takes place, or taking other similar precautions. However, if such measures prove ineffective, or are simply not possible to carry out, and performing ghusl [with cold water] would result in severe harm, then tayammum becomes permissible in that case, due to genuine inability to use water on account of the harm that would result, as described in the question. That said, she must make up (qaḍā') the prayers she performed using this tayammum.
It is stated in Bushrā al-Karīm: "One should not perform tayammum on account of cold unless warming the limbs fails to remove the aforementioned harm, and no means are available to heat the water — such as a vessel, firewood, or fire — and one fears [that using cold water would result in] any of the harms mentioned earlier in the discussion on illness: danger to life, loss of function in a limb, the onset or worsening of an illness, delayed recovery, or the [visible bodily] blemish mentioned in that discussion on illness. In such a case, tayammum becomes permissible due to the harm involved, but the prayer must still be made up afterward (qaḍā'). If, however, warming the body proves effective, or the means to heat the water are available, or none of the aforementioned harms are feared — then tayammum is not permissible, even if using the water causes some degree of discomfort or pain, since mere discomfort alone does not permit resorting to tayammum." And Allah, the Exalted, 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.

What is the ruling on someone who dies while having missed fasts?

● If a person dies before having the opportunity to make up the missed fasts—such as someone whose excuse (e.g., illness) persisted until their death—then no makeup fast (qada), fidyah, or sin applies to them.
● However, if they had the ability to make up the fasts but did not do so before passing away, the missed fasts must be compensated by giving a mudd of food for each missed day from their estate.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever dies while having a month’s fast due, one needy person should be fed per day on their behalf." [Narrated by At-Tirmidhi]
Additionally, a guardian (wali) may fast on their behalf, as the Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever dies while having missed fasts, their guardian should fast on their behalf." [Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
In another narration: "If they wish." This indicates that both feeding the needy and fasting on behalf of the deceased are permissible options.

What is the correct point at which to raise the hands when standing up for the third rak‘ah (after the middle tashahhud)?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Raising the hands while saying the takbīr [when rising for the third rak‘ah] is a recommended sunnah, and omitting it does not affect the validity of the prayer. The proper time for this is after rising from the middle tashahhud, once one has fully stood up.
It is stated in I‘ānat aṭ-Ṭālibīn (Vol.1/P.158): "His statement, 'and rising from the first tashahhud' — meaning, this manner [of raising the hands] is also a sunnah when he rises from the first tashahhud, that is, when he stands upright from it.
Consider [the question]: when precisely does the raising of the hands begin? Is it at the very start of rising from the first tashahhud, or after he has reached the minimum position of rukū‘ [i.e., once fully upright]? The apparent, [correct] view is the latter — even though the outward wording [of the text] might suggest the former — because at the very start of his rising, he is still relying on both hands [to push himself up, and therefore cannot yet raise them]."
It is stated in ‘Umdat as-Sālik (p. 53): "If his prayer extends beyond two rak‘ahs, he sits after them in the iftirāsh position, recites the tashahhud, and sends blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ alone, without [mentioning] his family [at this point]. He then stands while saying the takbīr, supporting himself with his hands; and once he has stood upright, he raises them level with his shoulders." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

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