Contents:

Social Problems

Ageing parents abandoned by their own children, infant children abused by parents, spouse abuse, infidelity, drug abuse, ….. the list seems endless. Our society is riddled with these social problems. Conferences and seminars have taken place to address these critical issues. Resolutions have been adopted. The problems, however, continue to escalate. The main reason is that most of the solutions offered are merely “symptomatic relief.” Until the root of the problem is not treated, there can be very little hope of purging our communities of the plague of social maladies that are increasing by the day.

A little anecdote may help to understand this point more clearly. A person complained to the doctor of severe pain in his stomach. While examining him the doctor enquired whether the patient had eaten anything? He replied, “Yes, I ate some toast but did not see that it was burnt.” The doctor terminated his examination, gave the patient some eye medication and presented the bill. The patient expressed his astonishment on being given eye medication for a stomach ailment. The doctor replied: “Your stomach will soon feel better. However, I have given you eye medication so that you will be able to see what you are eating and hence you will not have any stomach complaints.” The doctor was really treating the root of his problem.

 REVOLUTIONARY

While the endemic problems facing society today are severe indeed, they are not as bad as what the condition was in pre-Islamic Arabia. Today’s parent and child abuse, as serious as it is, cannot compare with the abuse of that time. Sons “inherited” their mothers upon the father’s demise and daughters were buried alive. Intoxicants were the order of the day. Other social problems were at a peak. Then came the light of Imaan which illuminated the hearts and developed therein a revolutionary force in the hearts of the people — the fear of Allah Ta’ala. No force of the law was required and no conferences and seminars were needed to remedy the situation. A nation that was steeped in the worst types of social problems became the most exemplary society that ever existed. The root cause of our problems is thus the weakness of Imaan.

 FEAR OF ALLAH TA’ALA

 Thus an effort on inculcating the fear of Allah Ta’ala in the hearts of the masses is necessary. Once this fear settles in the heart of a son, he will whole-heartedly serve his parents and regard it as an honor to do so. The verse of the Qur’an:“And we have commanded human beings to treat their parents kindly ” will become his guiding light in this regard. He will also be careful to save himself from the curse of Jibraeel (alaihis salaam) wherein he cursed the person whose parents reach old age but he fails to acquire Jannah by serving them. Indeed this will become a reality when the fear of Allah Ta’ala is inculcated in the heart. No legislation or any other force can stop a person from abandoning his parents in their time of need.

WIFE ABUSE    

Another aspect is wife abuse. Untold misery is the lot of many women due to the cruelty of their cowardly husbands. If the husband does not have that degree of love for his wife that makes him care for her and makes him want to keep her happy within the confines of Shariah, what force on earth can stop him from oppressing her? Legislation? Force of the law? Legislation and the force of the law will only ensure that a divorce does take place and the poor woman is freed from the misery of the cruel husband. But then what happens? … Another marriage … Allah forbid, possibly another cruel husband? … Again, the force of the law in action. … Another divorce. … More children torn between divorced parents!!! Has the misery truly ended? Thus the fear of Allah Ta’ala is necessary. Once the fear of Allah Ta’ala has been inculcated, the husband will live by the ayah of the Qur’an“And treat them (your wives) kindly.” He will be an embodiment of the Hadith of Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) which declares: “The best among you is the one who treats his wife the best (within the confines of Shariah.” The above does not infer that there is no use for legislation. Legislation will bring immediate relief from the excruciating pain, like any other “symptomatic treatment,” but it does not solve the root of the problem. Both husband and wife will have to become thoroughly acquainted with what DUTIES the Shariah has placed upon them with regard to their spouses. This knowledge together with the fear of Allah Ta’ala — which will translate the knowledge into action —  is the only solution. Once this fear of Allah Ta’ala settles in the heart, the cruelty will stop and numerous marriages will be saved.

DESTITUTE

Often in cases of divorce, a woman is left to fend for herself. Once the Nikah bond has been broken and the iddat (waiting period) is over, the ex-husband has no obligation in Shariah to provide any maintenance to the woman who was his wife. Where, then, does the woman go? If the fear of Allah Ta’ala was present in the hearts, the hapless woman would not be standing bewildered not knowing which way to turn. If her father is living and has the means, he is obliged to maintain her. While it is an obligation, he is nevertheless greatly rewarded for the same. Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) is reported to have said: “The best sadaqah is what you spend upon a daughter who has been returned to you (due to the death of her husband or due to being divorced).” In the absence of the father the brothers, uncles, sons or other male relatives all have a degree of obligation to care for her according to established Islamic principles. Should there be no male relative, or none of them have any financial means, the entire community is responsible to maintain her. If the fear of Allah Ta’ala was in the hearts of family members and relatives, numerous women in the above unfortunate situation would be saved from much misery.

Thus an effort has to be made to treat the root cause of the problem. The strength of Imaan has to be acquired. This will be achieved by joining the company of those who have this great wealth. It will be achieved by being in the environment of Deen. The learning and teaching of Deen must become a daily commitment in every home. The sunnats of Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) must be learnt, taught and practiced. The agents of Shaaitaan, the television and videos, and other Shaitaani media must be expelled from the home. Salaah, tilawaat of the Quran, recitation of Durood Shareef and zikr must become the daily practices of every member of the family. Constant encouragement should be given to one another towards Deen. This will insha-Allah treat the malady from the root and result in a more peaceful and just society.

 

Stock Taking

It is once again stock-taking time. The question that flashes in the mind throughout this exercise is: “How much profit did I make?” There could also be the nagging fear: “Will the balance sheet reflect a loss?” With modern day technology the answers come quickly. The news of massive profits is greeted with jubilation. The message of  having just broken even may bring mixed feelings – relief at not having run at a loss and sadness considering that no profit was made. A loss may lead to depression and dejection.

However, no matter what the end result is, the joys and sorrows are all short-lived. People have been afflicted with calamities in the midst of celebrating their success while some have received totally unexpected fortunes while brooding over their financial misery. In any case, death is sure to come and all the worldly joys and sorrows will suddenly come to an end. What happens thereafter depends on the result of the stock-taking in the grave and on the Day of Judgment. When the stock-taking of the grave and the Day of Judgment will take place, by then the business (life) would have already closed down. It is therefore wise to take stock now while the doors are still open. If the results show a loss, steps should be taken to remedy the situation immediately.

1440 MINUTES DAILY

There are various aspects to take stock of. For example, one should take stock of one’s daily time. There are 1440 minutes in a day. On average, calculate how many minutes are spent in Salaah, recitation of Quran, zikr, dua, learning and teaching Deen, sincerely serving others and making an effort to uplift Deen. Thereafter, take stock of the amount of time that is spent on the necessities of life in accordance to the Shariah. One’s time spent in one’s business or at one’s job, the time spent eating, sleeping, etc., will also form part of the “profit” provided that the laws of Shariah are not transgressed and the Sunnah of Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) was implemented. However, if the business or job became an obstacle from performing Salaah on time, with jama’ah, or haraam merchandise is stocked, interest transactions take place, customers are cheated, employees are not paid their due, the time and work one is employed for is not fulfilled, etc., this would become a “loss” factor.

Then take stock of the time wasted doing things of no benefit, or worse, things which are unlawful in Shariah. One will get an idea in which direction one is heading. Similarly, take stock of the other obligations of Deen such as zakaat, Haj, kindness to parents, implementation of social etiquette, etc. In short, take “stock” now and make amends if necessary before your “stock” is taken.

Q&A: Evolution

Question:

 My son is in a Muslim school in grade seven. Part of the History syllabus deals with the theory of evolution, in such a manner as if the said theory was a fact. The History teacher, a Muslim , taught the aspects of evolution as discussed in the text book. This discussion left some degree of confusion in my son. When I discussed the matter with the teacher, his only comment was that since it is a compulsory part of the syllabus, he has to teach it. What advice can you give in this regard.

Answer:

 The fallacy of evolution, which propagates the silly baseless belief that human beings evolved from apes, denies the fundamental aqeeda (belief) of Muslims with regard to the creation of man. Allah Ta’ala created the first human being on earth, Hazrath Adam (alaihis salaam), from dust. This is clearly explained in the Quran. All human beings are the progeny of Hazrath Adam (alaihis salaam). Thus to adopt the belief of evolutionists will lead to kufr since their belief rejects several aayaat (verses) of the Quran. Something of such a delicate nature cannot be just taught because “it is part of the syllabus.” The only aspect that may be taught about evolution is what a silly joke it is. It is not even worth writing a refutation of such baseless ideas. Nevertheless, if you wish to know more about the reason for the invention of this fallacy and what a great deception it is, refer to the book “Evolution Deceit” by Harun Yahya.

Thread of the Spider

The Dinopis spider has a great skill for hunting. Rather than weaving a static web and waiting for its prey, it weaves a small yet highly unusual web that it throws on its prey. Afterwards, it tightly wraps up its prey with this web. The entrapped insect can do nothing to extricate itself. The web is so perfectly constructed that the insect gets even more entangled as it gets more alarmed. In order to store its food, the spider wraps the prey with extra strands, almost as if it were packaging it.

How does this spider make a web so excellent in its mechanical design and chemical structure? It is impossible for the spider to have acquired such a skill by coincidence – as is claimed by evolutionists. The spider is devoid of faculties such as learning and memorising and does not have even a brain to perform these things. Obviously, this skill is bestowed on the spider by its creator, Allah, who is exalted in power.

Very important miracles are hidden in the thread of the spiders. This thread, with a diameter of less than one thousandth of a millimetre, is 5 times stronger than a steel wire having the same thickness. This thread has yet another characteristic of being extremely light. A length of this thread long enough to encircle the world, would weigh only 320 grams. Steel, a substance specially produced in industrial works, is one of the strongest materials manufactured by mankind. However, the spider can produce in its body a far firmer thread than steel. While man produces steel, he makes use of centuries-old knowledge and technology. So which knowledge or technology, then, does the spider use while producing it’s thread?

Thus we see that all technological and technical means at the disposal of mankind lag behind those of a spider. (Evolution Deceit —  Harun Yahya)

Discharging Rights without Taqwa

The relationship created by the institution of  Nikah is so unique and delicately sensitive in its nature that its rights cannot be discharged nor its blessings attained, unless the couple have Allah’s fear. We learn from experience that it is not possible for people, husband and wife in particular, to discharge their mutual rights and fulfil their commitments, unless they have in their hearts Allah’s fear — fear of being called to account by Allah for each and every act and movement of theirs in the most august presence of Allah. It is not possible to have mutual rights and liabilities settled among persons, through the legal process, by which one may manage to escape from one’s responsibilities. However this will not be possible before the presence of the All-Knowing, All-Powerful Allah on the Day of Resurrection when all good and bad deeds will be laid open to be evaluated and rewarded or punished, as the case may be. These important injunctions are, therefore, brought to the newly wedded couple that they may each become aware of the great responsibilities and liabilities that have been placed on their shoulders by this new union.

 (From the discourses of Hazrath Mufti Taqi Uthmani Saheb)

Ten days of Zul Hijjah

The first ten days of Zul Hijjah have been accorded  great virtue in Islam. Thus one should exert oneself in Ibadah in these days.

Hazrath Ibn Abbas (R.A.) narrates that Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: “On no other days are good deeds more liked by Allah than on these days (first ten days of Zul Hijjah).” The Sahaaba (R.A.) asked: “ O Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) not even Jihad in the way of Allah?” Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) replied: “Not even Jihad in the way of Allah, except for that person who goes out to fight with his life and wealth and does not return with anything.”  (Bukhari).


 LAYLATUL QADR 

In another hadith Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) is reported to have said: “On no days is the worship of Allah more desirable and pleasing to Him than in the first ten days of Zul Hijjah. The fast of each of these days is equal to the fast of a whole year and the Ibadah of each of these nights is equal to the Ibadah of Laylatul Qadr” (Tirmizi). Similarly it is related from Hazrath Ibn Abbas (R.A.) that Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam)  said: “No days are so weighty by Allah and so much liked by Him in terms of good deeds than the first ten days of Zul Hijjah. So in these days increasingly read: Tasbeeh (Subhanallah), Tahleel (La-Ilaaha-Illalla), Tahmeed (Alhamdulillah) and Takbeer (Allahu Akbar)” (Tabrani).

Faqihul Ummah: Da`wah despite Faults

SUMMARY OF LETTER:

Bismihi Ta’ala

Respected Mufti Saheb

As Salaamu Alaikum

Due to my own weakness and faults, I feel ashamed to talk to others about Deen and to engage in Da’wah (inviting towards Deen). I therefore opt to remain silent and regard this as better for me due to my condition. Please guide me in this regard.

SUMMARY OF REPLY:

Bismihi Ta’ala

Respected Brother

As Salaamu Alaikum

To think in the above manner is a natural weakness. The crux of this type of reasoning is that a person thinks thus: “If I invite others towards Deen, it would mean that I am better than them and more practical upon aspects of Deen, whereas the opposite is true!” This reasoning is incorrect. When giving Da’wat have the intention of fulfilling the command of Allah Ta’ala and have trust in the help of Allah Ta’ala. In fact inviting others will become a means of removing your weakness and bringing Deen even more firmly into your own life. Furthermore, due to your Da’wat whoever will practice upon Deen, you will receive a full share of the rewards.( Tarbiyatut Taalibeen)