Research on bid’ah and shirk in Detailed

[Abu Sarah]

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Research on bid’ah and shirk in Detailed

main points

Detailed discussion of bid’ah and shirk (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=42186&postcount=2)
Bid'ah Hasanah ("Good Innovations") (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=42196&postcount=3)
saying something that is bid’ah Doesn't make one an innovator (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=42203&postcount=4)
Mocking innovators (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=42205&postcount=5)

Some Examples of bid’ah


‘Umrah in the month of Rajab (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=452924&postcount=40)
Fasting in the month of Rajab (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=452921&postcount=39)
Al-‘Ateerah and rulings thereon (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=452933&postcount=43)
bid’ah in Laylat al-Nusf min Sha’baan (the middle of Sha’baan) (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=452929&postcount=42)

Salaat al-Haajah (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=42214&postcount=6)
salaat al-raghaa’ib (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=42217&postcount=7)
Salaat al-Naariyah (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=42218&postcount=8)
Salaat al-Tasaabeeh (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=42221&postcount=9)
uttering the intention (niyyah) in acts of worship (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=42223&postcount=10)
celebrating the Prophet’s birthday (al-Mawlid al-Nabawi) (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=42229&postcount=11)
Celebrating completing the Qur’aan (khatm al-Qur’aan) (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=48775&postcount=12)
Celebrating the night of the Isra’ and Mi’raaj (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=48776&postcount=13)
Celebrating innovated festivals (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=48777&postcount=14)
celebrating Mother’s Day (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=48778&postcount=15)
Celebrating birthdays (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=48779&postcount=16)
Celebrations commemorating some of the scholars (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=49096&postcount=38)
celebrating ‘Aashooraa’ or taking it as a day of mourning (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=48782&postcount=17)
wearing one's adornment on the Day of Aashooraa (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=48785&postcount=18)
gathering to read Qur’aan together on the occasion of the death of ‘Ali (RA) (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=48786&postcount=19)
a strange Sufi way of worship (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=48801&postcount=20)
Specifying a number of times to recite dhikr or du’aa’ that is not narrated in sharee’ah (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=48805&postcount=21)
Fasting in the month of Rajab (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=48807&postcount=22)
Umrah in the month of Rajab (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=48809&postcount=23)
‘ataaqah or reading Qur’aan for the dead (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=48812&postcount=24)
al-waneesah (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=48817&postcount=25)
Ending the year with prayers for forgiveness and fasting (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=49020&postcount=26)
Reciting du’aa’ for forgiveness in unison following prayer (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=49022&postcount=27)
Making du’aa’ after the obligatory prayers (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=49024&postcount=28)
Dhikr recited in unison following the prayers (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=49025&postcount=29)
Qur’aan on Fridays and du’aa’ before Fajr (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=49026&postcount=30)
Making du’aa’ narrated in the Qur’aan & Sunnah, reciting them a certain number of times (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=49029&postcount=31)
The myth that visiting the grave of ‘Ali equals seventy Hajj (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=49031&postcount=32)
Saying “ ‘Ali karrama Allaah wajhahu (Ali, may Allaah honour his face)” (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=49032&postcount=33)
Red Dot on woman's forehead (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=49033&postcount=34)
Munkar actions during mourning ceremonies (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=49036&postcount=35)
saying Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah when parting from one’s friend (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=49079&postcount=36)
The bid’ah of Eid al-Abraar (the “festival of the righteous”) (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showpost.php?p=49093&postcount=37)
Saying "sadaq Allaahul-'Adtheem" after finishing reading the Qur'ân (http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13252)
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<wasalam>

[Abu Sarah]

bid’ah (innovation) and shirk (polytheism, association of others with Allaah).

A. Bid’ah.
This issue may be divided into three topics:
1. Definition of bid’ah 2. Categories of bid’ah 3. Rulings on one who commits bid’ah – does that make him a kaafir or not?
1. Definition of bid’ah.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “According to sharee’ah, the definition is ‘Worshipping Allaah in ways that Allaah has not prescribed.’ If you wish you may say, ‘Worshipping Allaah in ways that are not those of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or his rightly guided successors (al-khulafaa’ al-raashidoon).’”

The first definition is taken from the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“Or have they partners with Allaah (false gods) who have instituted for them a religion which Allaah has not ordained?” [al-Shooraa 42:21]
The second definition is taken from the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who said:

“I urge you to adhere to my way (Sunnah) and the way of the rightly-guided successors (al-khulafa’ al-raashidoon) who come after me. Hold fast to it and bite onto it with your eyeteeth , and beware of newly-invented matters.”

So everyone who worships Allaah in a manner that Allaah has not prescribed or in a manner that is not in accordance with the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or his rightly-guided successors (al-khulafa’ al-raashidoon), is an innovator, whether that innovated worship has to do with the names and attributes of Allaah, or to do with His rulings and laws.


With regard to ordinary matters of habit and custom, these are not called bid’ah (innovation) in Islam, even though they may be described as such in linguistic terms. But they are not innovations in the religious sense, and these are not the things that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was warning us against.
And there is no such thing in Islam as bid’ah hasanah (good innovation).”
(Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, vol. 2, p. 291)

.................................................. ........
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid said:

The root of the word bid’ah in Arabic means initiating something without any precedent. For example, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

[I]“The Originator of the heavens and the earth…” [al-Baqarah 2:117]

In the terminology of sharee’ah, bid’ah means something that has been introduced into the religion of Allaah that has no general or specific basis to support it.

For example, the innovated adhkaar (dhikr) such as saying the name of Allaah on its own (“Allaah…Allaah… Allaah”) or the pronoun (“Hu… Hu… Hu…”, meaning “He… He… He…”). This is a new thing that has been innovated in the religion, intended as worship of Allaah, but there is no evidence for this, either specific or general… so it is bid’ah

.................................................. ....


2. Categories of bid’ah
Bid’ah may be divided into two categories:
(i) bid’ah which constitutes kufr
(ii) bid’ah which does not constitute kufr
If you ask, what is the definition of bid’ah which constitutes kufr and that which does not constitute kufr?
The answer is:
Shaykh Haafiz al-Hukami (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The kind of bid’ah which constitutes kufr is when one denies a matter on which there is scholarly consensus, which widely-known, and which no Muslim can have any excuse for not knowing, such as denying something that is obligatory, making something obligatory that is not obligatory, or making something haraam halaal, or making something halaal haraam; or believing some notion about Allaah, His Messenger and His Book when they are far above that, whether in terms of denial of affirmation – because that means disbelieving in the Qur’aan and in the message with which Allaah sent His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Examples include the bid’ah of the Jahamiyyah, who denied the attributes of Allaah; or the notion that the Qur’aan was created; or the notion that some of the attributes of Allaah were created; or the bid’ah of the Qadariyyah who denied the knowledge and actions of Allaah; or the bid’ah of the Mujassimah who likened Allaah to His creation… etc.
The second category, bid’ah which does not constitute kufr, is defined as that which does not imply rejection of the Qur’aan or of anything with which Allaah sent His Messengers.
Examples include the Marwaani bid’ahs (which were denounced by the greatest Sahaabah who did not approve of them, although they did not denounce them as kaafirs or refuse to give them bay’ah because of that), such as delaying some of the prayers until the end of the due times, doing the Eid khutbah before the Eid prayer, delivering the khutbah whilst sitting down on Fridays, etc.
(Ma’aarij al-Qubool, 2/503-504)
3- The ruling on one who commits bid’ah – is he regarded as a kaafir or not?
The answer is that it depends.
If the bid’ah constitutes kufr, then the person is one of the following two types:
(i) Either it is known that his intention is to destroy the foundations of Islam and make the Muslims doubt it. Such a person is definitely a kaafir; indeed, he is a stranger to Islam and is one of the enemies of the faith.
(ii) Or he is deceived and confused; he cannot be denounced as a kaafir until proof is established against him, fair and square.
If the bid’ah does not constitute kufr, then he should not be denounced as a kaafir. Rather, he remains a Muslim, but he has done a gravely evil action.
If you ask, how should we deal with those who commit bid’ah?
The answer is:
Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “In both cases, we have to call these people – who claim to be Muslim but who commit acts of bid’ah which may constitute kufr or may be less than that – to the truth, by explaining the truth without being hostile or condemning what they are doing. But once we know that they are too arrogant to accept the truth – for Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning), ‘And insult not those whom they (disbelievers) worship besides Allaah, lest they insult Allaah wrongfully without knowledge.’ [al-An’aam 6:108] – if we find out that they are stubborn and arrogant, then we should point out their falsehood, because then pointing out their falsehood becomes an obligation upon us.
With regard to boycotting them, that depends upon the bid’ah. If it is a bid’ah which constitutes kufr, then it is obligatory to boycott the person who does it. If it is of a lesser degree than that, then it is essential to examine the situation further. If something may be achieved by boycotting the person, then we do it; if no purpose will be served by it, or if it will only make him more disobedient and arrogant, then we should avoid doing that, because whatever serves no purpose, it is better not to do it. And also in principle it is haraam to boycott a believer, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘It is not permissible for a man to forsake [not speak to] his brother for more than three [days].’”
(Adapted from Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, vol. 2, p. 293)
B. Shirk, its types and the definition of each
Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:
“Shirk is of two types, major shirk which puts a person beyond the pale of Islam, and lesser shirk.”
The first type, major shirk, is “Every type of shirk which the Lawgiver described as such and which puts a person beyond the pale of his religion” – such as devoting any kind of act of worship which should be for Allaah to someone other than Allaah, such as praying to anyone other than Allaah, fasting for anyone other than Allaah or offering a sacrifice to anyone other than Allaah. It is also a form of major shirk to offer supplication (du’aa’) to anyone other than Allaah, such as calling upon the occupant of a grave or calling upon one who is absent to help one in some way in which no one is able to help except Allaah.
The second type is minor shirk, which means every kind of speech or action that Islam describes as shirk, but it does not put a person beyond the pale of Islam – such as swearing an oath by something other than Allaah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that whoever swears an oath by something other than Allaah is guilty of kufr or shirk.”
The one who swears an oath by something other than Allaah but does not believe that anyone other than Allaah has the same greatness as Allah, is a mushrik who is guilty of lesser shirk, regardless of whether the one by whom he swore is venerated by people or not. It is not permissible to swear by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or by the president, or by the Ka’bah, or by Jibreel, because this is shirk, but it is minor shirk which does not put a person beyond the pale of Islam.
Another type of minor shirk is showing off, which means that a person does something so that people will see it, not for the sake of Allaah.
The ways in which showing off may cancel out acts of worship are either of the following:
The first is when it is applies to an act of worship from the outset, i.e., the person is not doing that action for any reason other than showing off. In this case, the action is invalid and is rejected, because of the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah which was attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which says that Allaah said, “I am so self-sufficient that I am in no need of having an associate. Thus he who does an action for someone else’s sake as well as Mine will have that action renounced by Me to him whom he associated with Me.”
(Narrated by Muslim, Kitaab al-Zuhd, no. 2985)
The second is when the showing off happens later on during the act of worship, i.e., the action is originally for Allaah, then showing off creeps into it. This may be one of two cases:
The first is when the person resists it – this does not harm him.
For example, a man has prayed a rak’ah, then some people come along during his second rak’ah and it occurs to him to make the rukoo’ or sujood longer, or makes himself weep, and so on. If he resists that, it does not harm him, because he is striving against this idea. But if he goes along with that, then every action which stemmed from showing off is invalid, such as if he made his standing or prostration long, or he made himself weep – all of those actions will be cancelled out. But does this invalidation extend to the entire act of worship or not?
We say that either of the following must apply:
Either the end of his act of worship was connected to the beginning (with no pause); so if the end of it is invalidated then all of it is invalidated.
This is the case with the prayer – the last part of it cannot be invalidated without the first part also being invalidated, so the whole prayer is invalid.
Or if the beginning of the action is separate from the end of it, then the first part is valid but the latter part is not. Whatever came before the showing off is valid, and what came after it is not valid.
An example of that is a man who has a hundred riyals, and gives fifty of them in charity for the sake of Allaah with a sound intention, then he gives fifty in charity for the purpose of showing off. The first fifty are accepted, and the second fifty are not accepted, because the latter is separate from the former.”
Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, and al-Qawl al-Mufeed Sharh Kitaab al-Tawheed, vol. 1, p. 114, 1st edition

[Abu Sarah]

There is no such thing as bid’ah hasanah in Islam

Firstly, we should know what "bid'ah" means according to Islamic teaching.

It is defined as: any invented way in religion that is aimed at worshipping or drawing closer to Allaah. This means anything that is not referred to specifically in Sharee'ah, and for which there is no evidence (daleel) in the Qur'aan or Sunnah, and which was not known at the time of the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his Companions. At the same time, it is quite obvious that this definition of religious inventions or innovations, which are condemned, does not include worldly inventions [such as cars and washing machines, etc. - Translator]

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid saied :
There is no such thing as bid’ah hasanah in Islam for the following reasons


[1] The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated repeatedly that: "Every newly-invented thing is a bid'ah (innovation), every bid'ah is a going astray, and every going astray will be in the Fire."
(Reported by al-Nisaa'i in al-Sunan, Salaat al-'Eedayn, Baab kayfa al-Khutbah).
Reports with the same meaning were narrated via Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) by Ahmad, via al-'Irbaad ibn Saariyah by Abu Dawud and via Ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) by Ibn Maajah.


[2] The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say, when beginning a khutbah (sermon): "… The best of speech is the Book of Allaah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The worst of things are those which are newly-invented, and every innovation is a going astray…"
(reported by Muslim, no. 867)


[3] If every bid'ah is a going astray, how can some people then say that there is such a thing in Islam as "bid'ah hasanah"? By Allaah, this is an obvious contradiction of the statement and warning of the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated that whoever innovates something new in the deen (religion) will have his deed rejected, and Allaah will not accept it, as is stated in the hadeeth narrated by 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), who said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours that is not a part of it will have it rejected.'" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath al-Baari, no. 2697).

How can anybody then say that bid'ah is acceptable and it is permitted to follow it?

When a person innovates something and adds to the deen something that does not belong to it, he is implying a number of bad things, each worse than the last, for example:

(1) That the religion is lacking, that Allaah did not complete and perfect it, and that there is room for improvement. This clearly contradicts the statement in the Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning): "… This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion…" [al-Maa'idah 5:3]

(2) That the religion remained imperfect from the time of the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) until the time when this innovator came along and completed it with his own ideas.

(3) That the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was "guilty" of either of two things: either he was ignorant of this "good innovation," or he knew about it but concealed it, thus letting his ummah down by not conveying it.

(4) That the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), his Companions and the righteous salaf (early generations) missed out on the reward of this "good innovation" - until this innovator came along and earned it for himself, despite the fact that he should say to himself, "If it was truly good, they would have been the first to do it."


(5) Opening the door to bid'ah leads to changing the deen (religion) and opens the way for personal whims and opinions, because every innovator implies that what he is introducing is something good, so whose opinion are we supposed to follow, and which of them should we take as a leader?

(6) Following bid'ah leads to the cancelling out of sunnah practices and the ways of the salaf. Real life bears witness that whenever a bid'ah is followed, a sunnah practice dies out; the reverse is also true.
...End Quote..

We ask Allaah to save us from the misguidance of personal whims and from all trials whether they are open or secret. And Allaah knows best

[Abu Sarah]

Question:
If a scholar says something that is bid’ah or he agrees with those who follow bid’ah concerning a particular innovation, is he one of them?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
This question was put to Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him), who said:

The question may be examined from two angles:

If a scholar says something which is bid’ah or follows the path of bid’ah with regard to a particular issue, is he counted as being one of them?
The answer is no, he is not counted as being one of them and is not to be described as such. If he agrees with them on one particular issue then he has agreed with them on that issue, but it is not correct to say that he is one of them in absolute terms.

For example, there may be someone who follows the madhhab of Ahmad (i.e., Hanbali) but with regard to a particular issue he follows the view of Imaam Maalik – is he to be counted as a Maaliki? No.

Similarly, if a faqeeh follows the madhhab of Abu Haneefah (i.e., Hanafi) but with regard to a particular issue he follows the madhhab of al-Shaafa’i, do we say that he is a Shaafa’i? No.

So if we see a scholar who is known to be sincere following something that is the view of the people of bid’ah, it is not correct for us to say that he is one of them or is following their way.

Rather we should say that because we know that they are following the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and that they are sincere in advising people, if they err with regard to this issue, that error stems from ijtihaad, and the mujtahid in this ummah will have two rewards if he reaches the right conclusion, and if he makes a mistake then he will have one reward.

Whoever rejects the whole truth (to which that person is calling people) because of one mistaken word is misguided, especially if the thing that he thinks is a mistake is not actually a mistake. Some people, if anyone disagrees with them, say that he is mistaken. They may describe him as being mistaken or misguided, or even as being a kaafir – Allaah forbid. This is an extremely bad way of judging people.


The one who regards people as being kaafirs for any reason or for any sin, is following a way that is even harsher than the way of the Khawaarij, because the Khawaarij used to regard the one who committed a major sin as being a kaafir, not just the one who committed any sin. So if there is anyone who regards the Muslims as kaafirs for any sin, then he is misguided and is going against the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and is more extreme than the Khawaarij whom ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib fought against. The Muslims differed as to whether they were to be regarded as kaafirs. Some described them as kaafirs (disbelievers) and some described them as evildoers and extreme wrongdoers.
Does not Allaah say (interpretation of the meaning):
“If you avoid the great sins which you are forbidden to do, We shall expiate from you your (small) sins, and admit you to a Noble Entrance (i.e. Paradise)”
[al-Nisaa’ 4:31]

By avoiding major sins, a person may be forgiven for minor sins, so long as he does not persist in those minor sins. But if he persists in them, then the scholars said that persisting in a minor sin makes that a major sin. No doubt the view of those who label people as kaafirs because of their sins is misguided, and the one who says that the Muslims should be regarded as kaafirs because of their sins should note that the Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever calls his brother a kaafir – when that is not the case – it will come back on him.”
This is what the Messenger said, so even if that person is not regarded as a kaafir in this world, he may become a kaafir in the sight of Allaah.


Al-Liqaa’ al-Shahri, 15 by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him)

[Abu Sarah]

Mocking the kaafirs for their kufr or the innovators for their innovations (bid’ah) is permissible because they enjoy no sanctity or protection with regard to their sin and evildoing in which they regard as permissible that which Allaah and Islam have forbidden.

But this is only so long as the mocking does not go beyond the framework of dignity and truth, and it is not taken as a usual habit, and the jokes do not outweigh one's seriousness. But what we are warning against has become the habit of many people.


If one is to mock them, it should be for their going against the Sunnah, not for their different ways of dressing, walking, etc.

But is it a sin?

The correct view is that it is not a sin, rather this is something that it is permissible to talk about and joke about. The fact that the sin that we are mocking does not constitute kufr that puts a person beyond the pale of Islam makes it even more appropriate to joke about their sin, because by forsaking the truth and following falsehood, they have mocked the sanctity of Allaah.

Al-Laalkaani narrated, with isnaads, some reports from some of the salaf concerning such cases:

- He narrated from al-A’mash that Ibraaheem said:
“There is no gheebah concerning one who follows bid’ah.”

- He narrated that al-Hasan al-Basri said:
“There are three who have no protection from gheebah, one of whom is the one who follows bid’ah and is extreme in his bid’ah.”

- He narrated from Hishaam that [B]al-Hasan said:
“There is no gheebah in the case of one who follows bid’ah and one who commits evil.”

- He narrated that al-Hasan said:
“There is no gheebah in the case of the people of bid’ah.”

- He narrated that Katheer Abu Sahl said:
“It is said that there is no sanctity for the people who follow their whims and desires.”
(I’tiqaad Ahl al-Sunnah, 1/140).

The example which is mentioned in the question, which is, “Oh, we don’t have to pray, it’s in your heart, remember?” is not kufr because the one who says it does not intend to mock the prayer, rather he intends to mock these words that go against sharee’ah, and to show that they are false.

The point is that making fun of something that the innovators say is not haraam and does not constitute kufr.

But we do not encourage denouncing the innovators by mocking them; rather we should debate with them in the way that is best. Your concern when debating with them should be to guide them to the Straight Path.

Allaah said to Moosa and Haroon when He sent them to Pharaoh (interpretation of the meaning):
“And speak to him mildly, perhaps he may accept admonition or fear (Allaah)”
[Ta-Ha 20:44]
And Allaah knows best.

[Abu Sarah]

Salaat al-Haajah is mentioned in four hadeeths, two of which are fabricated. In one hadeeth Salaat al-Haajah has twelve rak’ahs and in the other it has two. The third hadeeth is da’eef jiddan (very weak) and the fourth hadeeth is da’eef (weak). In the last two hadeeths the prayer has two rak’ahs.

The first hadeeth .
It is narrated from Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Twelve rak’ahs that you pray by night or day and recite the tashahhud between each two rak’ahs. When you recite tashahhud at the end of the prayer, then praise Allaah and send blessings and peace upon the Prophet, and recite the Opening of the Book seven times whilst you are prostrating, and say: Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd was huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no god but Allaah alone with no partner or associate, His is the Dominion, to Him be praise, and He has power over all things) ten times. Then say: “O Allaah, I ask You by the glory of Your Throne and the Mercy of Your Book and Your greatest name and Your highest majesty and Your perfect words,” Then ask for what you need, then raise your head and say salaam right and left. Do not teach it to the foolish for they will pray and will be answered.”
Narrated by Ibn al-Jawzi in al-Mawdoo’aat (2/63) via ‘Aamir ibn Khadaash from ‘Amr ibn Haroon al-Balkhi.
Ibn al-Jawzi narrated from Ibn Ma’een that ‘Amr al-Balkhi was a liar, and he said: It is narrated in saheeh reports that it is forbidden to recite Qur’aan when prostrating.
See: al-Mawdoo’aat (2/63) and Tadreeb al-Mawdoo’aat by al-Dhahabi (p. 167).


There is a difference of opinion among the scholars about saying the phrase “I ask You by the glory of Your Throne” in du’aa’, depending on what is meant by the phrase, which is not narrated in sharee’ah. Some scholars said that it is not allowed to say this in du’aa’, such as Imam Abu Haneefah, because it is an innovated form of tawassul (seeking to draw close to Allaah). Others regarded it as permissible because they believe that it is seeking to draw close to Allaah by virtue of one of the attributes of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, not because it is permissible in their view to draw close to Allaah by virtue of created things.


Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
I say: But the report referred to is false and is not saheeh (sound). It was narrated by Ibn al-Jawzi in al-Mawdoo’aat and he said: This is undoubtedly a fabricated (mawdoo’) hadeeth, and al-Haafiz al-Zayla’i agreed with him in Nasab al-Raayah (273). So it cannot be taken as evidence. If someone were to say: “I ask You by the glory of Your Throne”, it is seeking to draw close to Allaah by virtue of one of the attributes of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, so it is tawassul that is acceptable in Islam, on the basis of other evidence, so there is no need for this fabricated hadeeth.

Ibn al-Atheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “I ask You by the glory of Your Throne”, means, by the attributes which made it glorious, or it may mean, by the location of the glory in the Throne. The correct meaning is by the glory of Your Throne. The companions of Abu Haneefah regarded it as makrooh to use this phrase in du’aa’.
Based on the first meaning, i.e., the attributes that made the Throne glorious, it is tawassul by virtue of one of the attributes of Allaah, may He be exalted, so it is permissible. But based on the second meaning, i.e., the location of the glory in the Throne, then it is tawassul by virtue of a created thing, so it is not permissible. Whatever the case, the hadeeth does not deserve further research or interpretation because it is not proven, so the above is sufficient for us. End quote from al-Albaani.
Al-Tawassul wa Anwaa’uhu wa Ahkaamuhu (p. 48, 49)

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Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) said:
This is a hadeeth which is somewhat strange, as the questioner noted, because it enjoins reciting al-Faatihah in a position other than standing, namely when bowing and prostrating, and doing that repeatedly, as well as saying “I ask You by the glory of Your Throne” etc. All of these are strange things. So the questioner should not act upon this hadeeth. There are sufficient saheeh ahaadeeth which are proven to be from the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and concerning which there is no confusion; these point to naafil acts of worship and prayers which are good and which are sufficient in sha Allaah. End quote.
Al-Muntaqa min Fataawa al-Shaykh al-Fawzaan (1/46).

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It is proven that the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade reciting Qur’aan whilst bowing and prostrating.
It was narrated that ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade me to recite Qur’aan when bowing or prostrating. Narrated by Muslim (480).


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The second hadeeth narrated concerning salaat al-haajah is as follows:

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Jibreel (peace be upon him) came to me with some du’aa’s and said: When some worldly matter befalls you, say these words first, then ask for what you need: O Creator of the heavens and the earth, O possessor of majesty and honour, O helper of those who cry for help, O helper of those who seek help, O reliever of calamity, O most merciful of those who show mercy, O answerer of the call of the one who is in distress, O God of the universe, so You I tell my need, You know best about it so fulfil it.”
Narrated by al-Asbahaani, as stated in al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb (1/275). Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Da’eef al-Targheeb (419) and al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah (5298) that it is mawdoo’ (fabricated).

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The third hadeeth is as follows:
It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Awfa said: The Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Whoever has a need from Allaah or from one of the sons of Adam, let him do wudoo’ and do it well, then let him pray two rak’ahs, then let him praise Allaah and send blessings and peace upon the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Then let him say: There is no god but Allaah, the Forbearing, the Most Generous. Glory be to Allaah the Lord of the Mighty Throne. Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. O Allaah, I ask You for the means of Your Mercy and forgiveness, the benefit of every good deed and safety from all sins. I ask You not to leave any sin of mine but You forgive it, or any distress but You relieve it, or any need that is pleasing to You but you meet it, O most Merciful of those who show mercy.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (479) and Ibn Maajah (1384).
Al-Tirmidhi said: This is a ghareeb hadeeth, and there is some problem in its isnaad.
Al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) stated in Da’eef al-Targheeb (416): it is a very weak (da’eef jiddan) hadeeth.

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The fourth hadeeth is as follows:
It was narrated from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O ‘Ali, shall I not teach you a du’aa’ which, if some worry or distress befalls you, you may call upon your Lord with it and you will be answered by Allaah’s leave and you will be granted relief? Do wudoo’ and pray two rak’ahs, and praise and glorify Allaah, and send blessings upon your Prophet, and ask for forgiveness for yourself and the believing men and women, then say: O Allaah, You judge between Your slaves concerning that in which they differ, there is no god but Allaah, the Most High, the Almighty, there is no god but Allaah, the Forbearing the Most Generous. Glory be to Allaah, the Lord of the seven heavens and the Lord of the Mighty Throne. Praise be to Allaah the Lord of the Worlds. O Allaah, reliever of distress and worry, answerer of the call of the one who is in distress when he calls upon You, Most Compassionate and Most Merciful in this world and in the Hereafter, have mercy on me in my need and meet it, mercy that will leave me with no need of the mercy of anyone other than You.”
Narrated by al-Asbahaani, as stated in al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb (1/275). It was classed as da’eef by al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) in Da’eef al-Targheeb (417). He said: Its isnaad is weak and contains narrators who are not known. See also al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah (5287).

Conclusion: There is no saheeh hadeeth about this prayer, so it is not prescribed for the Muslim to offer it. What is narrated in the saheeh Sunnah of prayers, du’aa’s and adhkaar is sufficient for him.

[Abu Sarah]

Salaat al-raghaa’ib is one of the innovations (bid’ahs) that have been introduced in the month of Rajab. It is done on the night of the first Friday in Rajab, between Maghrib and ‘Isha’, and is preceded by fasting on the first Thursday of Rajab.

Salaat al-raghaa’ib was first introduced in Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) in 480 AH. There is no report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did it, or any of his companions, or any of the best generations or imams. This alone is sufficient to prove that it is a reprehensible innovation, and it is not a praiseworthy Sunnah.
The scholars have warned against it and pointed out that it is innovation and misguidance.

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Majmoo’ (3/548)
The prayer which is known as salaat al-raghaa’ib, which is twelve rak’ahs that are offered between Maghrib and ‘Isha’ on the night of the first Friday in Rajab, and praying one hundred rak’ahs on the night of Nusf Sha’baan (halfway through Sha’baan) are both reprehensible innovations. No one should be deceived by the fact that they are mentioned in Qoot al-Quloob and Ihya’ ‘Uloom al-Deen, or by the hadeeth which is quoted in these two books, because all of that is false. No one should be deceived by some of those imams who were confused about the ruling on these prayers and wrote essays stating that they are mustahabb, for they are mistaken in that. Imam Abu Muhammad ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Isma’eel al-Maqdisi wrote a valuable book showing that they are false, and he did well in that, may Allaah have mercy on him. End quote.


Al-Nawawi also said in Sharh Muslim:

May Allaah curse the one who fabricated and introduced that, for it is a reprehensible innovation, one of the innovations which constitute misguidance and ignorance, and it involves obvious evils. A number of imams have written valuable works explaining that those who offer this prayer and the one who invented it are misguided, and they quoted a great deal of evidence to show that it is wrong and false, and that those who do it are misguided. End quote.


Ibn ‘Aabideen said in his Haashiyah (2/26):

It says in al-Bahr: Hence we know that it is makrooh to gather for salaat al-raghaa’ib, which is done on the first Friday of Rajab, and that it is an innovation.
The scholar Noor al-Deen al-Maqdisi wrote a good essay on this topic which he called Rad’ al-Raaghib ‘an Salaat al-Raghaa’ib, in which he covered most of the comments of earlier and later scholars among the four madhhabs. End quote.

Ibn Hajr al-Haytami (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: Is it permissible to offer salaat al-raghaa’ib in congregation or not?
He replied:

Salaat al-raghaa’ib is like the prayer that is known as laylat al-nusf min Sha’baan (half way through Sha’baan). These are two reprehensible innovations and the hadeeth which speaks of them is mawdoo’ (fabricated). It is forbidden to offer these prayers either individually or in congregation.” End quote.
Al-Fataawa al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kubra, 1/216


Ibn al-Haaj al-Maaliki said in al-Madkhal (1/294):
Among the innovations that have been introduced in this noble month (i.e., Rajab) is that on the night of the first Friday thereof, they pray salaat al-raghaa’ib in the mosques, and they gather in some mosques and do this innovation openly in the mosques with an imam and congregation, as if it is a prescribed prayer… the view of Imam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) is that it is makrooh to do this prayer, because it was not done by those who came before, and all goodness is to be found in following them (may Allaah be pleased with them). End quote.



Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
As for innovating a prayer which is done regularly with a certain number of rak’ahs, with a certain recitation and at a certain time in congregation, like these prayers that are being asked about here – such as salaat al-raghaa’ib on the first Friday of Rajab, and halfway through Sha’baan, and the night of the twenty-seventh of Rajab, and so on – these are not prescribed in Islam, according to the consensus of the imams of Islam, as was stated by the reliable scholars. No one established such a thing but those who are ignorant and innovators. Things like this open the door to changing the laws and rituals of Islam and becoming like those who instituted things which Allaah has not ordained. End quote.
Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 2/239


Shaykh al-Islam was also asked about it and he said:

This prayer was not offered by the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or by any of the Sahaabah or the Taabi’een or the imams of the Muslims. The Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not enjoin it and neither did any of the salaf or imams. They did not suggest that this night has any virtue for which it should be singled out. The hadeeth which is narrated concerning that from the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is false and fabricated, according to scholarly consensus. Hence the scholars said that it is forbidden and not mustahabb. End quote.
Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 2/262


It says in al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah (22/262):
The Hanafis and Shaafa’is stated that praying salaat al-raghaa’ib on the first Friday of Rajab, or on Laylat al-nusf min Sha’baan, in a specific manner or with a specific number of rak’ahs, is a reprehensible innovation.

Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi said: Salaat al-raghaa’ib is a fabrication that is falsely attributed to the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). They stated that these payers are a bid’ah and are forbidden for a number of reasons. There is no report from the Sahaabah, Taabi’een or imams about these two prayers. If they were prescribed in Islam then the salaf would not have been unaware of them. Rather they were introduced in the 400s (fifth century AH). End quote

[Abu Sarah]

Salaat al-Naariyah

“Allahumma salli salaatan kaamilatan wasallim salaaman taamman ‘ala sayyidina muhammadin alladhi(allathi in some prose) tan’hil bihi il uq’ad· watatafarrij bih il karb· wataq’dhi bih il hawaa’ij· wa tanaal bih ir raghaa’ib· wa hasan al khawaayitam wa yastasq il ghamaam bi wajhih il kareem wa ‘ala ‘aalihi wa sah’bihi fee kulli lamhatin wa nafs”

The above recitation is called salaat un naaria in india and recited 4444 times whenever a calamity falls in a house by bringing many students and the chief of a madhrasaa.

1. The words of this innovated prayer are clear enough, but there is nothing wrong with explaining them further.

“obstacles are removed” means, a way out is found from whatever obstacles and difficult matters one is faced with.

The phrase may also mean “by virtue of whom anger is calmed.”

“distress is relieved” means anxiety and grief are taken away.
“needs are met” means one gets what one is trying to achieve.

“desires are fulfilled and a good end may be achieved” means his wishes are fulfilled whether that is in this world or in the Hereafter, one of which is that one meets a good end.

“by virtue of whose noble face clouds may be sent” means that he is asked to pray to Allaah to send rain.


2. This so-called prayer includes things which clearly go against Islam, such as the following:

(i) It is supposed to be said at times of calamity. This is a contrived reason for an innovated act of worship.

(ii) It is supposed to be recited a set number of times, 4444 times. This is a contrived amount for an innovated act of worship.

(iii) It is supposed to be recited in a communal fashion. This is a contrived method for an innovated act of worship

(iv) It contains phrases which go against Islam, which constitute shirk and which are an exaggeration about the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It attributes to him actions which cannot be attributed to anyone other than Allaah, such as meeting people’s needs, relieving distress, fulfilling their desires and granting a good end. Allaah commanded His Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):
“Say: ‘It is not in my power to cause you harm, or to bring you to the Right Path’”
[al-Jinn 72:21 – interpretation of the meaning]

(v) It ignores what is taught in the sharee’ah, and makes up a contrived prayer and supplication. This implies that one is accusing the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) of failing to explain everything that the people need, and that one is trying to fill gaps in the sharee’ah.

The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours (Islam) that is not a part of it, will have it rejected”
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2550; Muslim, 1718).

According to a report narrated by Muslim (1718), he said: “Whoever does any action that is not in accordance with this matter of ours (Islam) will have it rejected.”

Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “This hadeeth represents one of the most important basic principles of Islam. It is like a yardstick for measuring the outward appearance of actions, just as the hadeeth ‘Actions are but by intentions’ is a yardstick for measuring the inward nature of actions. Just as actions which are not done for the sake of Allaah bring no reward to the one who does them, so too actions which are not done in accordance with the command of Allaah and His Messenger are rejected and thrown back at the one who does them. Everyone who innovates something in the religion for which Allaah and His Messenger have not granted permission, that action has nothing to do with the religion.”(Jaami’ al-‘Uloom wa’l-Hukam, 1/180)


Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “This hadeeth is one of the most important basic principles of Islam and is one of the most comprehensive sayings of the Prophet:saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It is a clear rejection of bid’ah and innovations. The second report adds a further idea, which is that some people may persist in doing some innovated action (bid’ah) for which there is a precedent, and when the first report – ‘Whoever innovates anything…’ – is quoted as proof, such a person may say, ‘But I did not innovate anything. Then the second report – ‘Whoever does any action…’ – may be quoted, which clearly states that all innovated actions are rejected, whether the one who does them invented them or they were previously invented. This hadeeth is one of those which should be memorized and used in denouncing evil actions, and it should be propagated widely.”
(Sharh Muslim, 12/16)

[Abu Sarah]

There are ahaadeeth concerning Salaat al-Tasaabeeh which are attributed to the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and which were classed as hasan by some of the scholars, but may scholars said that they are da’eef (weak) and that this prayer is not prescribed in Islam.

The Standing Committee was asked about Salaat al-Tasaabeeh, and they answered:

Salaat al-Tasaabeeh is a bid’ah (innovation) and the hadeeth concerning it is not proven, rather it is munkar. Some of the scholars mentioned it among the mawdoo’ (fabricated) ahaadeeth.
See Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, vol. 8, p. 163


Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: Salaat al-Tasaabeeh is not prescribed, because the hadeeth is da’eef (weak).

Imaam Ahmad said there is no sound evidence for it.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said it is a fabrication, and he said that none of the imaams recommended it. He (may Allaah have mercy on him) spoke the truth, because whoever examines this prayer will find that it is odd in the way it is performed … Moreover, if it were prescribed, it would have been something that was reported in many reports because of its great virtue and reward. Since there are no such reports and none of the imaams described it as being recommended, we know that it is not proven. The oddness in the way in which it is performed is as described in the hadeeth narrated concerning it, which says that it is to be performed once every day, or once every week, or once every month, or once every year, or once in a lifetime. This indicates that these reports are not sound; if it were prescribed, it would be something to be done on a regular basis, and one would not be given such a variety of options.
On this basis, people should not do this prayer. And Allaah knows best.
Fataawa Manaar al-Islam, 1/203

[Abu Sarah]

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah was asked about the intention when starting to do an act of worship such as praying etc., do we need to utter it verbally, such as saying, “I intend to pray, I intend to fast”?
He replied:

Praise be to Allaah.

The intention of purifying oneself by doing wudoo’ ghusl or tayammum, of praying, fasting, paying zakaah, offering kafaarah (expiation) and other acts of worship does not need to be uttered verbally, according to the consensus of the imaams of Islam. Rather the place of intention is the heart, according to the consensus among them. If a person utters something by mistake that goes against what is in his heart, then what counts is what he intended, not what he said.


No one has mentioned any difference of opinion concerning this matter, except that some of the later followers of al-Shaafa’i expressed approval of that, but some of the leaders of this madhhab said that this was wrong. But in the dispute among the scholars as to whether it is mustahabb to utter one’s intention, there are two points of view.

Some of the companions of Abu Haneefah, al-Shaafa’i and Ahmad said that it is mustahabb to utter the intention so as to make it stronger.
Some of the companions of Maalik, Ahmad and others said that it is not mustahabb to utter it, because that is a bid’ah (innovation).

It was not narrated that the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or his Sahaabah did it or that he commanded anyone among his ummah to utter the intention. That is not known from any of the Muslims. If that had been prescribed then the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions would not have neglected it, as it has to do with worship which the ummah does every day and night.


This is the more correct view. Indeed, uttering the intention is a of irrational thinking and falling short in religious commitment. In terms of falling short in religious commitment, that is because it is bid’ah (an innovation). In terms of irrational thinking, that is because it is like a person who wants to eat some food saying, “I intend to put my hand in this vessel, take out a morsel of food, put it in my mouth and chew it, then swallow it, and eat until I have had my fill.” This is sheer foolishness and ignorance.


Intention is connected to knowledge. If a person knows what he is doing then he has obviously made an intention. It cannot be imagined, if he knows what he wants to do, that he has not formed an intention. The imaams are agreed that speaking the intention out loud and repeating it is not prescribed in Islam, rather the person who has made this a habit should be disciplined and told not to worship Allaah by following bid’ah and not to disturb others by raising his voice.
And Allaah knows best.


Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 1/214, 215

[Abu Sarah]

Celebrating the Prophet’s birthday (al-mawlid) is an innovation (bid’ah), and doing special acts of worship on this day such as saying tasbeeh and tahmeed, observing i’tikaaf, reading Qur’aan and fasting is an innovation for which a person will not receive any reward, for these are all rejected.

It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2550; Muslim, 1718.

According to a version narrated by Muslim (1718) he said: “Whoever does an action that is not in accordance with this matter of ours will have it rejected.”

Al-Faakihaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
I do not know of any basis for this mawlid in the Qur’aan or Sunnah, and there is no report that any of the scholars of this ummah, who are examples in matters of religion and adhere to the path of those who came before, did this. Rather it is an innovation (bid’ah) which was introduced by those who have nothing better to do, and it is a means for them to have fun and eat a lot.
Al-Mawrid fi ‘Aml al-Mawlid, quoted in Rasaa’il fi Hukm al-Ihtifaal bi’l-Mawlid al-Nabawi, 1/8, 9

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Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
If celebrating the Prophet’s birthday was prescribed, then the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have told his ummah of that, because he is the most sincere of people and there is no Prophet after him who could explain anything he did not speak about. He :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the Seal of the Prophets and he explained to the people what he had to explain of the truth, such as loving him and following his sharee’ah, sending blessings and salaams upon him and other rights of his that are explained in the Qur’aan and Sunnah. He did not tell his ummah that celebrating the day of his birth was something prescribed so that they would do that. He :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not do that during his lifetime and his companions :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who were the dearest of people to him and the most knowledgeable of his rights did not celebrate that day, neither did the Rightly-Guided Caliphs or any others. Then those who followed them in truth of the best three generations did not celebrate this day either.


Do you think that all these people were ignorant of his rights or fell short with regard to them, until the later generations came and made up for this shortfall and made the truth complete? No, by Allaah. No wise man who understands the nature of the Sahaabah and how they followed the truth would say this. If you understand that the celebration of the Prophet’s birthday was unknown at the time of the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the time of his companions and the time of their earliest followers, you will realize that it is an innovation that has been introduced into the faith, and it is not permissible to do it, approve of it or advocate it, rather we must denounce it and warn people against it.
Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 6/318, 319

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Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid saied:

acts of worship in Islam are based on an important principle, which is that no one is permitted to worship Allaah in any way except that which Allaah has prescribed in his Book or which was taught by His Messenger Muhammad :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Whoever worships Allaah by doing something that Allaah and His Messenger have not enjoined, Allaah will not accept that from him. The Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us of that, as it was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “The Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours [i.e., Islam] that is not part of it will have it rejected.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-Sulh, 2499).


Acts of worship include festivals. Allaah has prescribed two festivals or Eids for us to celebrate, and it is not permissible for us to celebrate any others.

With regard to celebrating the day on which the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was born, it should be noted that he :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not tell us to celebrate this day, and he himself :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not celebrate it, nor did his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them). They loved the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) far more than we do, yet despite that they did not celebrate this day. Hence we do not celebrate this day, in obedience to the command of Allaah Who has commanded us to follow the commands of His Prophet.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad) gives you, take it; and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it)”
[al-Hashr 59:7]

And the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I urge you to adhere to my Sunnah [way] and the way of the Rightly-Guided khaleefahs. Adhere to it and cling tightly to it. And beware of newly-invented matters [in religion], for every newly-invented matter is an innovation and every innovation is a going-astray.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, al-Sunnah, 3991; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, no. 3851).

The extent to which a person loves the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is to be seen in how he follows him with regard to all that he commanded or forbade. That includes following him in not celebrating the day on which he was born.


Whoever wants to venerate the day on which the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was born should follow the alternative that is based on Islamic evidence, which is that one should fast on Mondays, not just the day that he was born but every Monday.

It was narrated from Abu Qutaadah al-Ansaari (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about fasting on Mondays. He said, “On that day I was born and on that day the Revelation came to me.” (Narrated by Muslim, 1978).
On Thursdays deeds are taken up and shown to Allaah.

Conclusion: celebrating the Prophet’s birthday was not prescribed by Allaah or by the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so it is not permissible for the Muslims to celebrate his birthday, in obedience to the command of Allaah and the command of His Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
We ask Allaah to guide you to the Straight Path.
And Allaah knows best.

[Abu Sarah]

Celebrating the completion of memorizing the Qur’aan is not Sunnah, because nothing of that nature was narrated from the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or from any of his Sahaabah. Doing this on the grounds that it is part of religion is bid’ah. But people do it as a customary expression of joy for the blessing of having memorized Qur’aan, like celebrations for the return of one who has been away, or for finding work, or for moving to a new home. If the celebration for completing the Qur’aan is of this nature, then there is nothing wrong with it. If a passage from the Qur’aan is recited, from the beginning or the end, without having to recite a specific soorah or recite in a particular way such as joining the end to the beginning, then this is fine, because reciting from Qur’aan is the best thing that can be done in a gathering and it is a reminder for those who are present. With regard to making du’aa’ when completing the recitation of the Qur’aan, it was reported with a saheeh isnaad from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that when he completed the Qur’aan, he would gather his family together and make du’aa’ with them. If the reader makes du’aa’ when he completes the Qur’aan, and those who are present say “Ameen” to his du’aa’, this is fine.

that there is no reason not to have the celebration you have described. There is no need to read from the end of the Mus-haf and then join it to the beginning. Doing something in this manner requires evidence (daleel), because reading Qur’aan is an act of worship, and acts of worship must be done only in the manner in which the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did them, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

Indeed in the Messenger of Allaah (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the Meeting with) Allaah and the Last Day, and remembers Allaah much” [al-Ahzaab 33:21]

Written by Shaykh ‘Abd-Al-Rahmaan al-Barraak

.................................................. ...........

There is a hadeeth about the person who stops for a rest immediately carrying on, which was narrated by al-Tirmidhi (may Allaah have mercy on him) from Ibn ‘Abbaas. According to this hadeeth, a man said, “O Messenger of Allaah, which deed is most beloved to Allaah? He said, “Al-haal al-murtahil.” The man said, ‘What is al-haal al-murtahil?” He said, “The one who starts from the beginning of the Qur’aan until he reaches the end, and when he stops for a rest, he immediately carries on.”

But this hadeeth is da’eef (weak), as al-Tirmidhi (may Allaah have mercy on him) says after he quotes it: this is a ghareeb (strange) hadeeth which we only know from Ibn ‘Abbaas with this isnaad, and this isnaad is not strong.

Hence Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-I’laam (p.289, part2), after he mentioned this hadeeth: Some of them understood from this that when a person has finished reading the whole Qur’aan, he should then read al-Faatihah and three verses of Soorat al-Baqarah, because he stopped when he completed it, and he continued when he started again. But none of the Sahaabah or Taabi’een did this, and none of the imaams regarded it as mustahabb (encouraged). What is referred to in the hadeeth is when a person returns from one military campaign and immediately joins another, or every time he completes one good deed, he starts another which he completes as he did the first one. But what some readers do is not what was meant in the hadeeth at all.

..........................................
Rather what is narrated from the salaf is to make du’aa’ after completing the Qur’aan, without stipulating any specific du’aa’ or any particular way of doing it. So if the Muslim completes the Holy Qur’aan, whether in Ramadaan or at other times, it is mustahabb for him to raise his hands and call upon Allaah, asking Him for the best in this world and in the Hereafter.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked:

Is there a specific du’aa’ for completing the Qur’aan?

He said:

There is no evidence that there is a specific du’aa’ for this as far as I know. Hence it is permissible for a person to make du’aa’ as he wishes and to choose beneficial supplications such as praying to be forgiven, to be granted Paradise and to be saved from Hell, seeking refuge with Allaah from fitnah (temptation, tribulation), asking for help to understand the Qur’aan in the manner that Allaah is pleased with and to act upon it and memorize it, etc., because it was proven that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) used to gather his family when he completed the Qur’aan and make du’aa’.

Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 11/358.

With regard to reciting that over food and distributing it, and doing that when someone dies and on Thursdays, all of that is bid’ah (innovation).

The Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has commanded us to adhere to his Sunnah and the way of the Rightly-Guided caliphs, and he has forbidden us to introduce innovations into the religion. He has told us that this is misguidance, and that bid’ahs will be rejected and thrown back at the one who does them, and he will not be rewarded for them.

Abu Dawood (4607) narrated from al-‘Irbaad ibn Saariyah that the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever among you lives after I am gone will see great differences. I urge you to adhere to my Sunnah and the way of the Rightly-Guided caliphs. Adhere to it and cling firmly to it. And beware of newly-innovated matters, for every newly-innovated matter is a bid’ah, and every bid’ah is a going-astray.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 3851.


The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does any action that is not in accordance with this matter of ours (Islam) will have it rejected.”
Narrated by Muslim, 1718

[Abu Sarah]

There is no doubt that the Isra’ and Mi’raaj (the Prophet’s Night Journey and Ascent into heaven) are two great signs of Allaah which point to the truthfulness of the His Messenger Muhammad :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the greatness of his status before Allaah. They are also signs of the great power of Allaah, and of His exalted position above His creation.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allaah) [above all that (evil) they associate with Him]

Who took His slave (Muhammad) for a journey by night from Al‑Masjid Al‑Haraam (at Makkah) to Al‑Masjid Al‑Aqsa (in Jerusalem), the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him (Muhammad) of Our Ayaat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.). Verily, He is the All‑Hearer, the All‑Seer”

[al-Isra’ 17:1]

There are mutawaatir reports from the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that he was taken up into the heavens, and their gates were opened for him, until he passed beyond the seventh heaven, where his Lord spoke to him as He willed, and enjoined the five daily prayers upon him. At first Allaah, may He be exalted, enjoined fifty prayers, but our Prophet Muhammad :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) kept going back and asking Him to reduce it, until He made them five, so they are five obligatory prayers but fifty in reward, because each good deed is rewarded tenfold. To Allaah be praise and thanks for all His blessings.

With regard to this night on which the Isra’ and Mi’raaj took place, there is nothing in the saheeh ahaadeeth to indicate that it is in Rajab or in any other month. Everything that has been narrated concerning a specific date for these events cannot be proven to have come from the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) according to the scholars of hadeeth. Allaah has wise reasons for causing the people to forget it. Even if the date were proven, it would not be permissible for the Muslims to single it out for particular acts of worship, and it is not permissible for them to celebrate it, because the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did not celebrate it and they did not single it out in any way. If celebrating it was something that is prescribed in Islam, the Messenger would have told his ummah about that, either in word or in deed. If any such thing had happened, it would have been well known, and his companions would have transmitted the information to us. They narrated from their Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) everything that his ummah needs to know, and they did not neglect any aspect of the religion, rather they were the first ones to do anything good. If celebrating this night had been prescribed in Islam, they would have been the first people to do so. The Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the most sincere of people, and he conveyed the message to the people in full, and he fulfilled the trust. If venerating and celebrating this night were part of the religion of Allaah, then the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have done that and would not have concealed it. Since no such thing happened, it is known that celebrating it and venerating it is not part of Islam at all. Allaah has perfected this ummah’s religion for it and has completed His favour upon them, and He condemns those who introduce things into the religion which Allaah has not ordained. Allaah says in His holy Book, in Soorat al-Maa’idah (interpretation of the meaning):

“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”

[al-Maa’idah 5:3]

And Allaah says in Soorat al-Shoora (interpretation of the meaning): “Or have they partners with Allaah (false gods) who have instituted for them a religion which Allaah has not ordained?”

[al-Shoora 42:21]

In the saheeh ahaadeeth it is proven that the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned against bid’ah (innovation) and stated clearly that it is misguidance, so as to show the ummah how serious the matter is and put them off it.

For example, it is narrated in al-Saheehayn from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected.” In a report narrated by Muslim it says: “Whoever does any action that is not part of this matter of ours will have it rejected.”

In Saheeh Muslim it is narrated that Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say in his khutbah on Friday: “The best of speech is the Book of Allaah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The worst of matters are those which are newly-invented, and every innovation is a going astray.”
Al-Nasaa’i added with a jayyid isnaad: “and every going astray will be in the Fire.”

In al-Sunan it is narrated that al-‘Irbaad ibn Saariyah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) delivered an eloquent speech to us which melted our hearts and caused our eyes to flow with tears. We said: O Messenger of Allaah, it is as if it is a farewell address, so advise us. He said: “I advise you to fear Allaah, and to listen and obey, even if a slave is appointed over you. Whoever among you lives will see many differences, so I urge you to adhere to my Sunnah and the way of the rightly-guided caliphs who will come after me, and cling firmly to it. Beware of newly-invented matters, for every newly-invented matter is an innovation and every innovation is a going astray. And there are many ahaadeeth with a similar meaning.

Warnings against bid’ah (innovation) have been narrated from the companions of the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and from the righteous salaf after them, because this is no more than adding things to the religion and instituting a religion that Allaah has not ordained, and it is an imitation of the enemies of Allaah, the Jews and the Christians, in their additions to their religions and introducing into them things that Allaah had not ordained. It also implies that there is something lacking in Islam, and that it is not complete, and it is well known that this leads to great mischief and evil, and goes against the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”

[al-Maa’idah 5:3]

It also goes against the ahaadeeth of the Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which warn against innovation (bid’ah).

I hope that the evidence we have quoted will be sufficient to convince the seeker of truth that this bid’ah is wrong, i.e., the innovation of celebrating the night of the Isra’ and Mi’raaj, and that it is not part of the religion of Islam at all.

Because Allaah has enjoined being sincere towards the Muslims and explaining what Allaah has prescribed for them in their religion, and because it is haraam to conceal knowledge, I thought that I should point out this innovation, which is so widespread in many regions that people think it is part of the religion, to my Muslim brothers. Allaah is the One Whom we ask to set the affairs of all the Muslims straight, and to bless them with knowledge of Islam, and to help us and them to adhere steadfastly to the truth, and to forsake everything that goes against it, for He is able to do that. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon His slave and Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad (:saw:) , and his family and companions.


Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him).

[Abu Sarah]

Firstly: ‘Eid (festival) is the name given to something which returns (ya’ood), and is used to describe gatherings which happen repeatedly, on a yearly, monthly or weekly basis, etc. So an ‘eid includes a number of things, such as a day which comes regularly, e.g., ‘Eid al-Fitr and Friday; gatherings on that day; and actions such as acts of worship and customs which are done on that day.

Secondly: any of these things which are intended as rituals or acts of worship aimed at drawing closer to Allaah or glorifying Him in order to earn reward, or which involve imitating the people of Jaahiliyyah or any other groups of kaafirs, is a prohibited bid’ah, an innovation which comes under the general meaning of the hadeeth: “Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours (Islam) that is not part of it, will have it rejected.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim).

Examples of that include Mawlid al-Nabi (the Prophet’s birthday), Mother’s Day and national holidays, because in the first case there are innovated acts of worship which Allaah has not prescribed, and because it involves imitation of the Christians and other kaafirs. And in the second and third cases there is imitation of the kuffaar. But in cases where the intention is to organize work to serve the interests of the ummah and to put its affairs straight, or to organize programs of study, or to bring employees together for work purposes etc., which in and of themselves do not involve acts of worship and glorification, then these are a kind of benign innovation which do not come under the meaning of the hadeeth, “Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours (Islam) that is not a part of it will have it rejected.” So there is nothing wrong with such things, indeed they are allowed by sharee’ah.

And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad (:saw:) and his family and companions, and grant them peace.



Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 3/59

[Abu Sarah]

Celebrating Mother’s Day is an innovated matter which the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did not do. It is also an imitation of the kuffaar from whom we have been commanded to differ. Hence it is not permissible to celebrate it or to obey one's mother in that, because the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no obedience if it involves sin; obedience is only in that which is right and proper.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 7257; Muslim, 1840.

He should continue to honour her and treat her with kindness, and keep trying to convince her that this celebration is a newly invented innovation. The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The worst of matters are those which are newly-invented, and every innovation is a going-astray.” Narrated by Muslim, 867; al-Nasaa’i, 1578. Al-Nasaa’i’s report adds the words: “And every going astray will be in the Fire.”

The mother is entitled to respect and honour, and upholding of the ties of kinship throughout her life, so what is the point of singling out a particular day to honour her?

Moreover, this innovation has come to us from societies in which disobedience towards parents is widespread, in which mothers and fathers can find no refuge except old people’s homes, where they are left alone and no one visit them, and they spend their time in pain and sorrow. So they think that honouring their mothers for one day will erase the sin of their disobedience towards her during the rest of the year.

But we Muslims have been commanded to honour our parents and uphold the ties of kinship, and we have been forbidden to disobey our parents. In our religion mothers have been given something which has not been given to them in any other religion; the mother’s rights take precedence over those of the father, as al-Bukhaari (5514) and Muslim (4621) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: A man came to the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allaah, who is most deserving of my good company?” He said: “Your mother.” He said: “Then who?” He said: “Your mother.” He said: “Then who?” He said: “Your mother.” He said: “Then who?” He said: “Then your father.”

Honouring one's mother does not come to an end even when she dies, for she is honoured in life and in death. That is done by offering the funeral prayer for her, praying for forgiveness for her, carrying out her last wishes and honouring her family and friends.

Let us adhere to this great religion and follow its etiquettes and rulings, for in it is sufficient guidance and mercy.

Shaykh ‘Ali Mahfouz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, explaining how this celebration (Mother’s Day) is an imitation of the kuffaar:

Explaining the seriousness of celebrating festivals other than the Islamic Eids, the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated that some peoples or groups in his ummah would follow the People of the Book in some of their rituals and traditions, as is narrated in the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “They will follow the ways of those who came before them, handspan by handspan, cubit by cubit, until even if they entered a lizard’s hole they will follow them.” We said: “O Messenger of Allaah, (do you mean) the Jews and Christians?” He said: “Who else?”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim…

Love of imitation, even if it is something that exists in people’s hearts, is forbidden in sharee’ah if the one who is being imitated differs from us in his beliefs and thinking, especially is what is being imitated is religious beliefs or acts of worship, or it is a ritual or tradition. When the Muslims became weak in this time, their imitation of their enemies became more widespread and many western traditions and customs became widespread, whether that has to do with consumer goods or attitudes and behaviour. One of these customs is the celebration of Mother’s Day. End quote.

Shaykh Muhamamd ibn Saalih ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about celebrating Mother’s Day and he replied:

All celebrations which differ from the Eids prescribed in Islam are innovated festivals which were not known at the time of the righteous salaf, and may also have come from the non-Muslims, in which case as well as being an innovation (bid’ah) they are also an imitation of the enemies of Allaah. The festivals which are prescribed in Islam are well known to the Muslims: they are Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, and the weekly “Eid” of Jumu’ah. There is no other festival in Islam apart from these three. All the festivals that have been invented apart from these are to be rejected because they are innovations and are false according to the laws of Allaah, because the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected,” i.e., it will be thrown back at him and will not be accepted by Allaah. According to another version: “Whoever does any deed that is not part of this matter of ours will have it rejected.”

Once this is clear, then it is not permissible to show any of the signs of festivity on the celebration mentioned in the question, namely Mother’s Day. It is not permissible to show joy and happiness, or to offer gifts, and so on.

The Muslim should feel proud of his religion and adhere to the limits set by Allaah and His Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in this religion, which Allaah has chosen for His slaves, and he should not add anything or take anything away. What the Muslim should also do is to not to follow every new idea that comes along, rather his character should be in accordance with the sharee’ah of Allaah so that he will be a leader and example, not a follower, because the sharee’ah of Allaah – praise be to Allaah – is complete in all ways as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”

[al-Maa'idah 5:3]

A mother’s right is greater than having just one day in the year to be honoured, rather the mother’s right over her children is that they should take care of her and obey her, so long as it does not involve disobedience towards Allaah, at all times and in all places.

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 2/301

[Abu Sarah]

The evidence in the Qur’aan and Sunnah indicates that celebrating birthdays is a kind of bid’ah or innovation in religion, which has no basis in the pure sharee’ah. It is not permitted to accept invitations to birthday celebrations, because this involves supporting and encouraging bid’ah. Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Or have they partners with Allaah (false gods) who have instituted for them a religion which Allaah has not allowed…?”
[al-Shoora 42:21]

“Then We have put you (O Muhammad) on a plain way of (Our) commandment. So follow that, and follow not the desires of those who know not. Verily, they can avail you nothing against Allaah (if He wants to puish you). Verily, the zaalimoon (wrongdoers) are awliyaa’ (protectors, helpers, etc.) to one another, but Allaah is the Wali (Protector, Helper) of the muttaqoon (pious).”
[al-Jaathiyah 45:18-19]

“Follow what has been sent down unto you from your Lord, and follow not any awliyaa’ (protectors, helpers, etc.) besides Him. Little do you remember!” [al-A’raaf 7:3]

According to saheeh reports, the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does something that is a not part of this matter of ours (i.e., Islam) will have it rejected”
(reported by Muslim in his Saheeh)

; and “The best of speech is the Book of Allaah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The most evil of things are those which have been newly invented (in religion), and every innovation is a going astray.” There are many other ahaadeeth that convey the same meaning.

Besides being bid’ah and having no basis in sharee’ah, these birthday celebrations also involve imitation of the Jews and Christians in their birthday celebrations. The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, warning us against following their ways and traditions: “You would follow the ways of those who came before you step by step, to such an extent that if they were to enter a lizard’s hole, you would enter it too.” They said, “O Messenger of Allaah, (do you mean) the Jews and Christians?” He said, “Who else?” (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”


Fataawa Islamiyyah, 1/115

[Abu Sarah]

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked this question and he replied as follows:

‘Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. Nothing to that effect has been reported in any saheeh hadeeth from the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or from his Companions. None of the imaams of the Muslims encouraged or recommended such things, neither the four imaams, nor any others. No reliable scholars have narrated anything like this, neither from the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), nor from the Sahaabah, nor from the Taabi’een; neither in any saheeh report or in a da’eef (weak) report; neither in the books of Saheeh, nor in al-Sunan, nor in the Musnads.

No hadeeth of this nature was known during the best centuries, but some of the later narrators reported ahaadeeth like the one which says “Whoever puts kohl in his eyes on the day of ‘Aashooraa’ will not suffer from eye disease in that year, and whoever takes a bath (does ghusl) on the day of ‘Aashooraa’ will not get sick in that year, etc.”

They also narrated reports concerning the supposed virtues of praying on the day of ‘Aashooraa’, and other reports saying that on the day of ‘Aashooraa’ Adam repented, the Ark settled on Mount Joodi, Yoosuf returned to Ya’qoob, Ibraaheem was saved from the fire, the ram was provided for sacrifice instead of Ismaa’eel, and so on. They also reported a fabricated hadeeth that is falsely attributed to the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which says, “Whoever is generous to his family on the day of ‘Aashooraa’, Allaah will be generous to him for the rest of the year.”

(Then Ibn Taymiyah discussed the two misguided groups who were in Koofah, Iraq, both of whom took ‘Aashooraa’ as a festival because of their bid’ah).

The Raafidi group made an outward show of allegiance to the Ahl al-Bayt although inwardly they were either heretics and disbelievers or ignorant and bound by whims and desires. The Naasibi group hated ‘Ali and his companions, because of the troubles and killings that had occurred.

It is reported in Saheeh Muslim that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “In (the tribe of) Thaqeef there will be a liar and an oppressor [???].” The liar was al-Mukhtaar ibn Abi ‘Ubayd al-Thaqafi, who made an outward show of allegiance to and support of the Ahl al-Bayt, and killed ‘Ubayd-Allaah ibn Ziyaad, the governor of Iraq, who had equipped the party that killed al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with them both); then he (al-Mukhtaar) made it clear that he was a liar, by claiming to be a prophet and that Jibreel (peace be upon him) brought revelation to him. People told Ibn ‘Umar and Ibn ‘Abbaas about this, and said to one of them, “al-Mukhtaar ibn Abi ‘Ubayd is claiming to receive revelation [annahu yanzilu ‘alayhi].” He said, “He is telling the truth, for Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Shall I inform you (O people) upon whom the shayaateen (devils) descend [tanazzalu]? They descend upon every lying, sinful person.’ [al-Shu’ara’ 26:221].” [Translator’s note: the words translated as “receive revelation” and “descend” both come from the same root in Arabic]. They said to the other: “Al-Mukhtaar is claiming that he receives inspiration.” He said, “he is telling the truth. ‘… And certainly, the Shayaateen (devils) do inspire their friends (from mankind) to dispute with you…’ [al-An’aam 6:121 – interpretation of the meaning].”

As for the oppressor , this was al-Hajjaaj ibn Yoosuf al-Thaqafi, who was opposed to ‘Ali and his companions. Al-Hajjaaj was a Naasibi and al-Mukhtaar was a Raafidi, and this Raafidi was a greater liar and more guilty of fabrication and heresy, because he claimed to be a prophet…

There was much trouble and fighting between these two groups in Kufa. When al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with them both) was killed on the day of ‘Aashooraa’, he was killed by the sinful, wrongdoing group. Allaah honoured al-Husayn with martyrdom, as He honoured other members of his family, and raised his status, as He honoured Hamzah, Ja’far, his father ‘Ali and others. Al-Husayn and his brother al-Hasan are the leaders of the youth of Paradise. High status can only be attained through suffering, as the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him said, when he was asked which people suffer the most. He said, “The Prophets, then righteous people, then the next best and the next best. A man will suffer according to his level of faith. If his faith is solid, he will suffer more, but if his faith is shaky, he will suffer less. The believer will keep on suffering until he walks on the earth with no sin.”
(reported by al-Tirmidhi and others).

Al-Hasan and al-Husayn achieved what they achieved and reached the high status they reached by the help and decree of Allaah. They did not suffer as much as their forefathers had, for they were born and raised during the glory days of Islam, and the Muslims respected and honoured them. The Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died when they were still young, and Allaah blessed them by testing them in such a manner that they would be able to catch up with the rest of their family members, as those who were of a higher status than them were also tested. ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib was better than them, and he was killed as a shaheed (martyr). The killing of al-Husayn was one of the things that caused fitnah (tribulation) among the people, as was the killing of ‘Uthmaan, which was one of the greatest causes of fitnah, because of which the ummah is still split today.

Thus the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are three things, whoever is saved from them is truly saved: my death, the killing of a patient khaleefah, and the Dajjaal (‘antichrist’).”

Then Shaykh al-Islam (may Allaah have mercy on him) mentioned a little about the biography of al-Hasan and his just character, then he said:

“Then he died, and Allaah was pleased with him and honoured him. Some groups wrote to al-Husayn and promised to support and help him if he went ahead and declared himself khaleefah, but they were not sincere. When al-Husayn sent his cousin [son of his paternal uncle] to them, they broke their word and gave help to the one they had promised to defend him against, and fought with him against [al-Husayn’s cousin]. Those who were wise and who loved al-Husayn, such as Ibn ‘Abbaas and Ibn ‘Umar and others, advised him not to go to them, and not to accept any promises from them. They thought that his going to them served no useful interest and that the consequences would not be good. Things turned out just as they said, and this is how Allaah decreed it would happen. When al-Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with him) went out and saw that things were not as he had expected, he asked them to let him go back, or to let him join the army that was defending the borders of Islam, or join his cousin Yazeed, but they would not let him do any of these things unless he gave himself up to them as a prisoner. So he fought with them, and they killed him and some of those who were with him, and he was wrongfully slain so he died as a shaheed whose martyrdom brought him honour from Allaah, and so he was reunited with the good and pure members of his family. His murder brought shame on those who had wrongfully killed him, and caused much mischief among the people. An ignorant, wrongful group – who were either heretics and hypocrites, or misguided and misled – made a show of allegiance to him and the members of his household, so they took the day of ‘Aashooraa’ as a day of mourning and wailing, in which they openly displayed the rituals of jaahiliyyah such as slapping their cheeks and rending their garments, grieving in the manner of the jaahiliyyah. But what Allaah has commanded us to do when disaster strikes – when the disaster is fresh – is to bear it with patience and fortitude, and to seek reward, and to remember that all things come from Allaah and we must return to Him,
as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“… but give glad tidings to al-saabiroon (the patient ones), who, when afflicted with calamity, say: ‘Truly, to Allaah we belong and turly, to Him we shall return.’ They are those on whom are al-salawaat (the blessings) (i.e., who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones.”
[al-Baqarah 2:155-157] .

It is reported in al-Saheeh that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “he is not one of us who strikes his cheeks, rends his garments and prays with the prayer of Jaahiliyyah.” And he said: “I have nothing to do with those who strike [their cheeks], shave [their heads] and rend [their garments].” And he said: “If the woman who wails does not repent before she dies, she will be raised up on the Day of Resurrection wearing trousers made of tar and a shirt of scabs.”

In al-Musnad, it is reported from Faatimah bint al-Husayn, from her father al-Husayn, that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no man who suffers a calamity, and when he remembers it, even if it is old, he says ‘Innaa Lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji’oon (Truly, to Allaah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return),’ but Allaah will give a reward equal to the reward He gave him on the day he suffered the calamity.”

This is how Allaah honours the Believers. If the disaster suffered by al-Husayn, and other disasters, are mentioned after all this time, we should say “Innaa Lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji’oon (Truly, to Allaah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return),” as Allaah and His Messenger commanded, so as to be given the reward like that earned on the day of the disaster itself. If Allaah commanded us to be patient and steadfast and to seek reward at the time of the disaster, then how about after the passing of time? The Shaytaan made this attractive to those who are misled, so they took the day of ‘Aashooraa’ as an occasion of mourning, when they grieve and wail, recite poems of grief and tell stories filled with lies. Whatever truth there may be in these stories serves no purpose other than the renewal of their grief and sectarian feeling, and the stirring up of hatred and hostility among the Muslims, which they do by cursing those who came before them, and telling many lies, and causing much trouble in the world. The various sects of Islam have never known any group tell more lies or cause more trouble or help the kuffaar against the Muslims more than this misguided and evil group. They are even worse than the Khawaarij who went beyond the pale of Islam.

They are the ones of whom the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “They will kill the people of Islam and will leave alone the people who worship idols.”

This group cooperated with the Jews, Christians and mushrikeen against the members of the Prophet’s household and his believing ummah, and also helped the mushrik Turks and Tatars to do what they did in Baghdaad and elsewhere to the descendents of the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), i.e., the ‘Abbaasid rulers and others, and the believers; the Turks and Tatars killed them, enslaved their women and destroyed their homes. The evil and harm that they do to the Muslims cannot be enumerated by any man, no matter how eloquent he is. Some others – either Naasibis who oppose and have enmity towards al-Husayn and his family or ignorant people who try to fight evil with evil, corruption with corruption, lies with lies and bid’ah with bid’ah – opposed them by fabricating reports in favour of making the day of ‘Aashooraa’ a day of celebration, by wearing kohl and henna, spending money on one's children, cooking special dishes and other things that are done on Eids and special occasions. These people took the day of ‘Aashooraa’ as a festival like Eid, whereas the others took it as a day of mourning. Both are wrong, and both go against the Sunnah, even though the other group (the Rafidis) are worse in intention and more ignorant and more plainly wrong… But Allaah commands us to be just and to treat others well.


The Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Those of you who live after my death will see many disputes. I urge you to adhere to my Sunnah and the sunnah of my rightly-guided successors (al-khulafa’ al-raashidoon) who come after me. Hold onto it as if biting it with your eyeteeth. Beware of newly-innovated matters, for every innovation is a going astray.”

Neither the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) nor his rightly-guided successors (the khulafa’ al-raashidoon) did any of these things on the day of ‘Aashooraa’, they neither made it a day of mourning nor a day of celebration.

But “when the Prophet:saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to Madeenah, he saw the Jews fasting on the day of ‘Aashooraa’. He said, ‘What is this?’ They said, ‘This is the day when Allaah saved Moosa from drowning, so we fast on this day.’ He said, ‘We have more right to Moosa than you,’ so he fasted on that day and commanded [the Muslims] to fast on that day.”

Quraysh also used to venerate this day during the Jaahiliyyah. The day on which people were ordered to fast was just one day. When the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to Madeenah it was Rabee’ al-Awwal, and the following year he fasted ‘Aashooraa’ and commanded the people to fast.

Then in that year fasting in Ramadaan was made obligatory and fasting on ‘Aashooraa’ was abrogated. The scholars disputed as to whether fasting on that day (‘Aashooraa’) was waajib (obligatory) or mustahabb (encouraged).

Of the two best known opinions, the more correct view is that it was waajib, then after that whoever fasted it did it because it was mustahabb. The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not tell ordinary Muslims to fast on ‘Aashooraa’, but he used to say, “This is the day of ‘Aashooraa’; I am fasting on this day and whoever wishes to fast on this day may fast.” And he said: “Fasting on ‘Aashooraa’ expiates for the sins of one year and fasting on the day of ‘Arafaah expiates for the sins of two years.”

When, towards the end of his life, the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) heard that the Jews took the day of ‘Aashooraa’ as a festival, he said, “If I live until next year, I will certainly fast on the ninth”
– to be different from the Jews, and not to resemble them in taking the day as a festival.

There were some of the Sahaabah and scholars who did not fast on this day and did not regard it as mustahabb, but thought it makrooh to single out this day for fasting. This was reported from a group of the Koofiyeen (scholars of Kufa).

Some other scholars said that it was mustahabb to fast on this day. The correct view is that it is mustahabb for the one who fasts on ‘Aashooraa’ to fast on the ninth day [of Muharram] too, because this was the ultimate command of the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as he said: “If I live until next year, I will certainly fast on the ninth as well as the tenth.”

This was reported with a variety of isnaads. This is what is prescribed in the Sunnah of the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

As for the other things, such as cooking special dishes with or without grains, or wearing new clothes, or spending money on one’s family, or buying the year’s supplies on that day, or doing special acts of worship such as special prayers or deliberately slaughtering an animal on that day, or saving some of the meat of the sacrifice to cook with grains, or wearing kohl and henna, or taking a bath (ghusl), or shaking hands with one another, or visiting one another, or visiting the mosques and mashhads (shrines) and so on… all of this is reprehensible bid’ah and is wrong. None of it has anything to do with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or the way of the Khulafa’ al-Raashidoon.

It was not approved of by any of the imaams of the Muslims, not Maalik, not al-Thawri, not al-Layth ibn Sa’d, not Abu Haneefah, not al-Oozaa’i, not al-Shaafa'i, not Ahmad ibn Hanbal, not Ishaaq ibn Raahwayh, not any of the imaams and scholars of the Muslims.

The religion of Islam is based on two principles:
that we should worship nothing besides Allaah Alone, and that we should worship Him in the manner that He has prescribed, not by means of bid’ah or reprehensible innovations.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“… So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord.”

[al-Kahf 18:110].

Righteous deeds are those which are loved by Allaah and His Messenger, those which are prescribed in Islam and in the Sunnah.

Thus ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) used to say in his du’aa’: “O Allaah, make all of my deeds righteous and make them purely for Your sake, and do not let there be any share for anyone or anything else in them.”

(The above is summarized from the words of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah – may Allaah have mercy on him. Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, part 5).

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

[Abu Sarah]

It is not permissible for you to wear fancy clothes or anything else on Aashooraa because that may make ignorant people or those with ulterior motives think that the Sunnis are happy about the killing of al-Husayn ibn Ali (may Allaah be pleased with them both), Allaah forbid that that happened with the approval of the Sunnis.

With regard to your interactions with them by backbiting about them and praying against them, and other kinds of actions which are indicative of hatred, this serves no purpose. What we have to do is to strive to call them (to Islam) and to influence them and reform them. If a person is unable to do that, then he or she should turn away from them and leave the dawah activities for those who are able to do them, and not do anything that may put obstacles in the path of dawah.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Because of the killing of al-Husayn, the Shaytaan started to spread two kinds of bidah (innovation) amongst the people: the bidah of grieving and wailing on the Day of Aashooraa, striking the cheeks, screaming, weeping and reciting eulogies ; and the bidah of expressing happiness and joy. So some express grief and others express joy, so they started to like the idea of wearing kohl, taking a bath, spending on their families and preparing special kinds of food on the day of Aashooraa and every bidah is a going astray; none of the four imams of the Muslims or others approved of either of these things (either expressing grief or expressing joy)

(Minhaaj al-Sunnah, 4/554-556).

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

[Abu Sarah]

The action is an innovation (bid’ah), because there is no doubt that the people who are doing this are doing it as an act of worship by which they seek to draw closer to Allaah, and every action which is done as an act of worship must have evidence from the Qur’aan or Sunnah to show that it is prescribed, otherwise it is an innovation.

With regard to those who ask, how can reciting Soorat al-Faatihah be wrong?

It should be noted that innovations in religion are of two types:

1 – New innovations which have no basis in sharee’ah, such as those who invent a new prayer in a manner that has not been narrated in sharee’ah. This is an innovation for which Allaah threatens the one who does it with Hell.

2 – Innovations where something new is added to an action that has a basis in sharee’ah. For example, there are adhkaar (dhikr) which are prescribed following the prescribed prayers, which are well known, and no Muslim disagrees with this. But if a group of people comes along and says that so long as dhikr is prescribed following the prayer then we will remember Allaah together and recite dhikr in unison, this is bid’ah. We say to them, either you think that this way of reciting dhikr is better than the way of the Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and therefore that you are following a way that is more guided and better than his :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – which no Muslim would say who testifies that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah – or this is wrong and is an innovation, so they should give it up.

Hence it is clear that regarding this matter as bid’ah does not mean at all that reciting al-Faatihah is wrong, rather what is wrong is reciting it in the manner mentioned in the question. We do not love the Sahaabah any more than those who came after them (the Taabi’een), and the Sahaabah were the people who had the greatest love for Allaah and His Messenger :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and it is not narrated that they did that for their Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he died. All goodness is to be found in following them and their way, and all evil is to be found in going against them and shunning their way. Moreover, the fact that these people single out ‘Ali and do this on the occasion of his death implies that they are exaggerating about him.
This may be one of the blameworthy innovations of Shi’ism, which is to be avoided altogether.

May Allaah make us and you steadfast in adhering to the Sunnah and avoiding bid’ah. Ameen.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

[Abu Sarah]

a sufistic Qadriyanni belief in which they belief the Prophet Mohammed S.A.W was a Noor and a human. A Sufi Alim who is a Mufti gave them a type of Ibadah style book written in Urdu and Dua's in Arabic he told him to do this Ibadah in particular every single day and with Your children who are able to recite Quran and your wife loudly together.

The form of Ibadah goes as following before starting he told us to recite the words
"Allahumma Salliallah Muhamadin Wa'lihi Wa Itratihi beadadikuli malumilaka he refers to it as Darud Qadri
then he told us to recite these words 100 times "Subhanallahi wabihamdihi Subhanallahhilazeem Astagfirullahalazimalazi La Illaha Illa huwalhayalqayoom wa atoobu alayhi"
then he told us to recite 7 times surah fatiha
then he told us to recite 100 times "Allahumma Salliallah Muhamadin Wa'lihi Wa Itratihi beadadikuli malumilaka he refers to it as Darud Qadri
the he told us to recite 79 times Surah allamnashra
then recite surah Ikhlas 100 times
then recite 100 times these words "allahuma ya qadiyal hajate
then recite 100 times these words "allahuma ya dafi al balayati"
then recite 100 times "allahuma ya ah lal mushkalati
then recite 100 times "allahuma ya kafiyal muhimati
then recite 100 times "Allahuma ya mujeebadawati
then recite 100 times "allahuma ya shafi mar da'"
then recite 100 times "Allahuma ya khayranaseereena"
then recite 100 times "Bihrahmatikaya ya arhamarahimeen
then recite 100 times "Allahuma ameen"
the 2nd part to this Ibadah is the same thing accept some things changed around such as starting off with the words "hazbunallahu" 500 times and following it through the same way acept without Surah Allahmnashra or Ikhlas

after they do this supplication which is that i recite Surah 105 in the Quran and when it gets to a part where you say tarmihim to say tarmeem and take these rocks one by one bouncing them off of a metal bowl turned upside down covered with a red sheet to represent blood. and ask allah to strike down on the enemies of ours killing them off or something close to that
..............end Quoted of ther a strange Sufi way of worship..........





The purpose for which we were created is to worship Allaah alone with no partner or associate, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And I (Allaah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)”

[al-Dhaariyaat 51:56]

Allaah has not left us each to choose his own way of worship, rather He has sent His Messenger :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and revealed His holy Book, to show people the way and guide them. So there is nothing that is worship and goodness and guidance that Allaah loves, but it has been explained by the Messenger :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

No two Muslims dispute that Muhammad :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the best and most pious of mankind, the one who worshipped Allaah and turned to Him the most. Hence the one who is truly guided is the one who follows his path and walks in his footsteps.

Adhering to the path of the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is not something that is optional, rather it is an obligation that Allaah has enjoined upon His slaves, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad) gives you, take it; and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it). And fear Allaah; verily, Allaah is Severe in punishment”

[al-Hashr 59:7]

“It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allaah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allaah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed into a plain error”

[al-Ahzaab 33:36]

“Indeed in the Messenger of Allaah (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the Meeting with) Allaah and the Last Day”

[al-Ahzaab 33:21]

The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated that every innovated kind of worship would be rejected and thrown back at the one who does it, no matter what it is. He said: “Every action that is not in accordance with this matter of ours [i.e., Islam] will be rejected.”
Narrated by Muslim, 1718, from the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her).

No deed will be accepted unless it is done sincerely for the sake of Allaah and in accordance with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This is what is meant by the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):

“that He may test you which of you is best in deed”

[al-Mulk 67:2]

Al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyyaad said: (This means) that which is most sincere and most correct. They said, O Abu ‘Ali, what most sincere and most correct? He said: If a deed is not sincere and not correct, it will not be accepted. If it is correct but is not sincere, it will not be accepted unless it is both sincere and correct. Sincere means that it is done for the sake of Allaah and correct means that it is in accordance with the Sunnah.

Whoever wants to attain the pleasure of Allaah, he has to adhere to the Sunnah of His Messenger :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). All paths to Allaah are blocked, except this path, the path of His Prophet Muhammad :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

Because the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was compassionate towards his ummah and cared deeply for them, he did not leave anything good without explaining it to them.

So whoever today invents an act of worship, dhikr or wird and claims that it is good, is accusing the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – whether he realizes it or not – of not conveying the religion as Allaah commanded him to do.

Hence Imam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Whoever introduces any innovation into Islam claiming that it is good is implying that Muhammad :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) betrayed the message entrusted to him, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”

[al-Maa'idah 5:3]

So whatever was not part of the religion of Islam at that point should never be part of the religion of Islam today.

The Sahaabah, Taabi’een and imams issued many warnings against innovation.

Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamaan said: Every act of worship which the companions of the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not do, do not do it.

Ibn Mas’ood said: Follow and do not innovate, for the religion is complete. Adhere to the old way (i.e., the way of the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the Sahaabah)

The question which should be put to the one who invented this dhikr is:

Did the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) do this? Did the Sahaabah do this?

The obvious answer is that reciting these soorahs these number of times – 100 times or 7 or 79 – is something that was not narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or from any of his companions. The same is true of the du’aa’s recited in this manner for the number of times mentioned.

It should be said to this innovator: do you think that you have discovered something good that was not known to the Prophet or his companions?

Or do you think that you or your shaykh have the right to introduce new laws and to define news dhikrs and when they should be said and how often they should be repeated, just as the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had that right?

Undoubtedly both of these are manifest misguidance.

Let us think about the report narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood by al-Daarimi in his Sunan,
according to which Abu Moosa al-Ash’ari said to ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood:

“O Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan, I have just seen in the mosque something new that I was not sure about, but I think I have not seen anything but something good, praise be to Allaah.” He said, “What was it?”

He said, “You will see it tomorrow.” He said, “I saw some people in the mosque sitting in circles waiting for the prayer. In every circle there was a man and in their hands were pebbles. He would say, ‘Say Allaahu akbar one hundred times,’ so they would say Allaahu akbar (takbeer) one hundred times. Then he would say, ‘Say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah (tahleel) one hundred times, so they would say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah one hundred times. Then he would say, ‘Say Subhaan Allaah (tasbeeh) one hundred times,’ and they would say Subhaan Allaah one hundred times.”

He said, “What did you say to them?”

He said, “I did not say anything to them. I was waiting for your opinion.”

He said, “Why did you not tell them to count their bad deeds and promise them that none of their good deeds would be lost?’ Then he went away and we went with him, until he came to one of those circles. He stood over them and said, “What is this that I see you doing?”

They said, “O Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan, these are pebbles with which we count the takbeer, tahleel and tasbeeh.”

He said, “Count your bad deeds, for I promise you that nothing of your good deeds will be lost. Woe to you, O ummah of Muhammad, how soon you have drifted into the way of doom even though the companions of your Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) are still alive amongst you, and his garments and the vessels he used are still not worn out or broken. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, either you are following a way that is more guided than the way of Muhammad :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or you are starting a way that is the way of misguidance.”

They said, “By Allaah, O Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan, we did not intend anything but good.”

He said, “How many of those who intend good never attain it.”

Not everyone who seeks or intends good attains it and is guided to it. Not every act of worship is accepted, unless it is in accordance with the Sunnah of Muhammad :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

This denunciation by Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) puts an end to the argument presented by innovators, because they always say, “What reason can there be not to recite dhikr, prayers and Qur’aan? We only intend good and to draw closer to Allaah.”

It should be said to them: Worship must be something that is prescribed in sharee’ah in essence and in its form and the manner in which it is done. If a specific number is prescribed in sharee’ah then no one has the right to go beyond that, and if no number or way is specified then no one has the right to invent a limit for it, because that implies that one is assuming the role of a lawgiver.

This is further supported by the report narrated from Sa’eed ibn al-Musayyib (may Allaah have mercy on him). He saw a man praying more than two rak’ahs after dawn had come (i.e., Fajr), and he told him not to do that. The man said, “O Abu Muhammad, will Allaah punish me for praying?!”

He said, “No, but He will punish you for going against the Sunnah.”


Look at the understanding of this great Taabi’i, may Allaah have mercy on him. That is because the regular Sunnah is to pray only two rak’ahs after the dawn has come, not more than that, then to pray the obligatory prayer of Fajr.

A similar report was narrated from Imam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him). A man came to him and said: “O Abu ‘Abd-Allaah, from where should I enter ihraam?”

He said, “From Dhu’l-Hulayfah, from where the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered ihraam.”

He said, “I want to enter ihraam from the Mosque, from near the grave (meaning the grave of the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)).”

He said, “Do not do that, for I fear fitnah (trial, affliction) for you.”

He said, “What fitnah is that? It is just a few miles I am adding.”

He said, “What fitnah is greater than your thinking that you have found something good that the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) failed to do?! I heard that Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

‘And let those who oppose the Messenger’s (Muhammad’s) commandment (i.e. his Sunnah legal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements) (among the sects) beware, lest some Fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, earthquakes, killing, overpowered by a tyrant) should befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them’

[al-Noor 24:63].”

This is the understanding of the Sahaabah, Taabi’een and Imams. As for the people of bid’ah, they say, “What fitnah? It is only dhikr and prayer and a few miles by which we seek to draw closer to Allaah.”

No wise person should be deceived by the words of these people, for the Shaytaan has made their deeds appear attractive to them, and they hate to go against their shaykhs and the leaders of their tareeqahs.

Sufyaan ibn ‘Uyaynah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Bid’ah (innovation) is dearer to Iblees (Satan) than sin, because a person may repent from sin, but not from innovation.

It should be noted that no one ever invents a bid’ah but he forsakes thereby a Sunnah that is equal to it or greater than it.

Hence those who favour innovated dhikrs are the most ignorant of people about the Prophet’s dhikr which the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) persisted in reciting. You will rarely find any of them who says in the morning and evening, Subhaan-Allaah wa bi hamdihi (Glory and praise be to Allaah) one hundred times; or Asbahna ‘ala fitrat il-Islam wa kalimat il-ikhlaas wa deeni nabiyyina Muhammad sall-Allaahu ‘alay wa sallim wa millati abeena Ibraaheema haneefan wa maa kaana min al-mushrikeen (We have awoken on the fitrah of Islam and the word of sincerity and the religion of our Prophet Muhammad :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the religion of our father Ibraaheem, pure monotheism, and he was not of those who associate others with Allaah); or Asbahna wa asbah al-mulk Lillaahi Rabb il-‘Aalameen. Allaahumma inni as’aluka khayra hadha’l-yawm fa-thahu wa nasrahu wa noorahu wa barakatahu wa hudaahu, wa a’oodhu bika min sharri ma fihi wa sharri ma ba’dahu (We have awoken and dominion belongs to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. O Allaah I ask You for the good of this day and its goodness, support, help, light, blessing and guidance. And I seek refuge with You from the evil of what is in it and the evil of what comes after it): or Subhaan Allaah ‘adada khalqihi, Subhaan Allaah ridaa nafsihi, Subhaan Allaah zinata ‘arshihi, Subhaan Allaah midaada kalimaatihi (Glory be to Allaah the number of His creation, Glory be to Allaah as much as He is pleased with, Glory be to Allaah the weight of His Throne, Glory be to Allaah the extent of His words).

And there are other dhikrs with which you may be content, from the books that contain the dhikrs for the morning and the evening, etc.

The point is that it is not permissible to join any one in these innovated dhikrs and say them the number of times you mention.

With regard to what you mentioned about Soorat al-Feel and throwing stones when saying tarmeehim (striking them), this is a myth and is nonsense. It is not permissible to do this or to seek to draw closer to Allaah by doing it. How many enemies did the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) confront, and he did not pray against them in this manner. There is the fear that this is a way of drawing closer to the devils and seeking their help.

..................................

With regard to the belief that the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was light (noor), there is no basis for this and it was not narrated either in the Qur’aan or saheeh Sunnah. Allaah has told us that the Prophet Muhammad :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was a human being like us, except that Allaah favoured him with revelation and the message.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say (O Muhammad): ‘I am only a man like you. It has been revealed to me that your Ilaah (God) is One Ilaah (God i.e. Allaah)’”

[al-Kahf 18:110]

“Say (O Muhammad): ‘I am only a human being like you. It is revealed to me that your Ilaah (God) is One Ilaah (God — Allaah), therefore take Straight Path to Him (with true Faith Islamic Monotheism) and obedience to Him, and seek forgiveness of Him. And woe to Al‑Mushrikoon (the polytheists, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allaah)’”

[Fussilat 41:6]

Some of the extreme Sufis believe that he was light, and that he was the first thing created by Allaah, and that the rest of creation was created from his light. This is a lie and is misguidance for which they have no evidence apart from a false, fabricated hadeeth.

[Abu Sarah]

There is no sound (saheeh) basis for reciting these adhkaar the number of times like "Ya lADIFU 29 TIMES Ya Qahharu 306 times, Hasbunallahu wa ni'imal wakeel 450 times e.t.c,". These numbers are usually stated by some of the innovators, most of whom are Sufis, who describe adhkaar and the number of times they are to be repeated, making that up themselves; they say whoever recites such and such will get such and such benefits and protection, and whoever recites such and such a wird will get such and such a reward.

Of course, these are matters which can only be known through wahy (revelation). So the basic principle in this case is that dhikr and du’aa’s are of two types:

1 – Adhkaar which were narrated in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, to be recited at a certain time, in a certain place or in certain circumstances. This type should be recited as prescribed, at the appropriate time, or in the appropriate circumstances or place, with the correct words or posture, without adding anything or taking anything away.

2 – All dhikr or du’aa’ in general that is not connected to certain times or places. These fall into two categories:

(i) Those which were narrated from the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so they should be recited in the wording that he used. They should not be connected to any particular time or place, and they should not be connected to a specific number of times to be recited.

(ii) Those which were not narrated from the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), rather the person makes them up himself, or they were narrated from the salaf. It is permissible to say such words so long as five conditions are met:

1- He should choose the best and clearest words, for he is conversing with his Lord and God.

2- The words should be of an appropriate style.

3- The du’aa’ should be free of anything that is forbidden in Islam, e.g. it should involve any element of seeking help from anything other than Allaah, and so on.

4- It should be of the general kind of dhikr and du’aa’, not connected to a particular time, place or circumstances.

5- It should not be taken as a regular practice.

Adapted from Tasheeh al-Du’aa’ by Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd (p. 42)

Based on the above, the words mentioned in the question are phrases that are narrated in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, but saying that they must be repeated this number of times is an innovated matter which should not be followed. Rather we should mention them during our du’aa’s and address Allaah by all His beautiful names, without singling out some names or stating that they should be recited a certain number of times or at certain times, making that up ourselves. We should adhere to what was narrated in sharee’ah concerning certain times, places or situations connected to a particular du’aa’; if no such details were narrated in sharee’ah then we should not make them up ourselves because that is encroaching upon the rights of Prophethood.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

[Abu Sarah]

Firstly:

The month of Rajab is one of the sacred months of which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, the number of months with Allaah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allaah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are Sacred (i.e. the 1st, the 7th, the 11th and the 12th months of the Islamic calendar). That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein”

[al-Tawbah 9:36]

The sacred months are: Rajab, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram.

Al-Bukhaari (4662) and Muslim (1679) narrated from Abu Bakrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred: three consecutive months, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab Mudar which comes between Jumaada and Sha’baan.

These months are called sacred for two reasons:

1- Because fighting therein is forbidden unless initiated by the enemy

2- Because transgression of the sacred limits therein is worse than at other times.

Hence Allaah has forbidden us to commit sins during these months, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“wrong not yourselves therein”

[al-Tawbah 9:36]

Although committing sins is haraam and forbidden during these months and at other times, in these months it is more forbidden.

Al-Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said (p. 373):

In the phrase “wrong not yourselves therein”, the pronoun may be understood as referring to twelve months. Allaah states that He has made them a measure of time for His slaves, which they may use for worshipping Him, and thank Allaah for His blessings, and they serve the interests of His slaves, so beware of wronging yourselves therein.

The pronoun may also be understood as referring to the four sacred months, and this forbids them to wrong themselves in those months in particular, as well as it being forbidden to do wrong at all times, because it is more forbidden at this time, but it is worse at this time than at others. End quote.

Secondly:

With regard to fasting the month of Rajab, there is no saheeh hadeeth to indicate that there is any special virtue in fasting all or part of this month.

What some people do, singling out some days of Rajab for fasting, believing that they are better than others, has no basis in sharee’ah.

But there is a report from the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which indicates that it is mustahabb to fast during the sacred months (and Rajab is one of the sacred months).

The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Fast some days of the sacred months and not others.”
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2428; classed as da’eef by al-Albaani in Da’eef Abi Dawood.

Even if this hadeeth were saheeh, it indicates that it is mustahabb to fast during the sacred months. So if a person fasts during Rajab because of this, and he also fasts in the other sacred months, there is nothing wrong with that. But singling out Rajab for fasting is not right.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (25/290):

As for fasting in Rajab in particular, the ahaadeeth concerning that are all da’eef (weak), and in fact mawdoo’ (fabricated). The scholars do not rely on any of them. They are not among the da’eef ahaadeeth which have been narrated concerning virtues, rather most of them are fabricated and false. In al-Musnad and elsewhere there is a hadeeth which says that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined fasting the sacred months, namely Rajab, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram, but this has to do with fasting during all of them, not just Rajab. End quote.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Every hadeeth which mentions fasting in Rajab and praying during some of its nights is false and fabricated.” End quote from al-Manaar al-Muneef, p. 96

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in Tabyeen al-‘Ajab (p. 11)

There is no saheeh hadeeth that would count as evidence which speaks of the virtue of the month of Rajab, or that speaks of fasting this month or part of it, or of spending any particular night of it in prayer.

Shaykh Sayyid Saabiq (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Fiqh al-Sunnah (1/282):

Fasting in Rajab is no better than fasting in any other month, except that it is one of the sacred months. There is no report in the saheeh Sunnah to suggest that there is anything special about fasting in this month. Whatever has been narrated concerning that is not fit to be quoted as evidence. End quote.


Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about fasting on the twenty-seventh of Rajab and spending that night in prayer.

He replied:

Fasting on the twenty-seventh of Rajab and spending that night in prayer is a bid’ah (innovation), and every bid’ah is a going astray. End quote.

Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 20/440

[Abu Sarah]

Firstly:

There is no report from the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – as far as we know – to suggest that there is any particular virtue in performing ‘Umrah in the month of Rajab, or that it is encouraged. Rather it is proven that there is a particular virtue in performing ‘Umrah in the month of Ramadaan, and in the months of Hajj, which are Shawwaal, Dhu’l-Qa’dah and Dhu’l-Hijjah.

There is no report to prove that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) performed ‘Umrah in Rajab, rather that was denied by ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never performed ‘Umrah in Rajab. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1776; Muslim, 1255.

Secondly:

Something that has been introduced into the religion is what some people do, namely singling out the month of Rajab for ‘Umrah, because no one should single out a specific time for doing an act of worship unless that has been prescribed in sharee’ah.

Ibn al-‘Attaar, the student of al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on them both) said:

What I have heard about the people of Makkah, may Allaah increase it in honour, is that they are accustomed to performing ‘Umrah a great deal in Rajab. This is something for which I know of no basis, rather it is proven in the hadeeth that the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “ ‘Umrah in Ramadaan is equivalent to Hajj.” End quote.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his Fataawa (6/131):

With regard to singling out some days of Rajab for any kinds of ziyaarah etc, there is no basis for that. Imam Abu Shaamah stated in his book al-Bida’ wa’l-Hawaadith that performing acts of worship at specific times which were not prescribed by Islam is not right, because no time is better than any other, except times when it is prescribed to perform a certain kind of worship, or a time when all kinds of good deeds are better than at other times. Hence the scholars denounced the singling out of the month of Rajab for performing ‘Umrah a great deal. End quote.

But if a person goes for ‘Umrah during Rajab without believing that there is any special virtue in that, but it just so happens that it is easy for him to travel at that time, there is nothing wrong with that

[Abu Sarah]

Reading Qur’aan is a purely physical act of worship, and it is not permissible to accept payment for reading Qur’aan for the deceased, or to give payment to one who reads, and there is no reward in that case, and the one who takes payment and the one who gives it are both sinning.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: It is not correct to hire someone to read Qur’aan and give the reward for that to the deceased, because that has not been narrated from any of the imams. The scholars said: The one who reads for money will have no reward, so what does he have to give to the deceased? End quote.

The basic principle concerning that is that acts of worship are forbidden; no act of worship should be done unless there is shar’i evidence to show that it is prescribed.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And obey Allaah and the Messenger”

[al-Maa’idah 5:92]

The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“Whoever does anything that is not in accordance with this matter of ours will have it rejected.”

According to another report:

“Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected.”

This action – hiring someone to read Qur’aan for the dead – is something that it is not known that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or any of his companions did it, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the worst of matters are those which are innovated. All goodness is in following that which the Messenger :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) brought, with the proper intention.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And whosoever submits his face (himself) to Allaah, while he is a Muhsin (good‑doer, i.e. performs good deeds totally for Allaah’s sake without any show-off or to gain praise or fame and does them in accordance with the Sunnah of Allaah’s Messenger Muhammad), then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold”

[Luqmaan 31:22]

“Yes, but whoever submits his face (himself) to Allaah (i.e. follows Allaah’s religion of Islamic Monotheism) and he is a Muhsin then his reward is with his Lord (Allaah), on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve”

[al-Baqarah 2:112]

All evil lies in going against that which was brought by the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and directing one’s intention in any deed to someone or something other than Allaah.

End quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah.

There is no basis for this ‘ataaqah in sharee’ah; it is a reprehensible innovation that was not done by the Messenger :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he did not tell us to do it, and none of his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did it either. Whatever is like that, no believer should do it.

Secondly:

What is prescribed is to say du’aa’ for the deceased, and to give charity on his behalf, as Muslim (1631) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When a man dies, all his good deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity (sadaqah jaariyah), beneficial knowledge, or a righteous son who will pray for him.”

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Sharh Muslim: This indicates that the reward for du’aa’ will reach the deceased, as will that of charity. As for reading Qur’aan and giving the reward for that to the deceased, offering prayers on his behalf, etc, the view of al-Shaafa’i and the majority of scholars is that this does not reach the deceased. End quote.



So say a great deal of du’aa’ for the dead, and give whatever you can in charity on his behalf; if he did not do Hajj or ‘Umrah and you can do Hajj or ‘Umrah on his behalf, then do that. This is what will benefit him, by Allaah’s leave.

Another way of honouring one’s deceased father is to honour his/her friends and uphold ties of kinship.

Allaah makes sickness an expiation for His believing slave, and it may also be a means of raising his status, if he is patient and seeks reward thereby. The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No hardship, distress, worry or grief befalls a Muslim, not even a thorn that pricks him, but Allaah will expiate some of his sins thereby.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5642) and Muslim (2573).

[Abu Sarah]

al-waneesah is means staying overnight at the grave on the first night after the burial, to give comfort to the deceased, as they claim. This is a kind of reprehensible innovation (bid’ah) which has no basis in the actions of the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or of his companions. If it were something good they would have done it before us. Because no such thing has been narrated to us from them, even though so many people died during their lifetime, it may be understood that there is nothing good in this practice.

The basic principle concerning acts of worship is to follow only that which is narrated in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and not to introduce new and innovated forms of worship. Allaah can only be worshipped in the manner that He has prescribed in His Book or on the lips of His Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

There is no reward for doing acts of bid’ah, rather they will be rejected and thrown back at the one who does them, as the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours [Islam] that is not part of it, will have it rejected.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2697; Muslim, 1718).

It is also misguidance, as he (:saw:) said: “The worst of matters are those which are newly-innovated. Every innovation is a going astray.” Narrated by Muslim, 867. Al-Nasaa’i (1578) added: “And every going astray will be in the Fire.”

There is the fear that fitnah (trials, afflictions) will befall the person who practices this innovation, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And let those who oppose the Messenger’s (Muhammad’s) commandment (i.e. his Sunnah legal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements) (among the sects) beware, lest some Fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, earthquakes, killing, overpowered by a tyrant) should befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them”

[al-Noor 24:63]

Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his commentary: “Let those who go against the command of the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which is his way, his path, his Sunnah and his sharee’ah, beware, Words and deeds will be weighed against his words and deeds; whatever is in accordance with them will be accepted, and whatever goes against them will be rejected and thrown back at the one who says or does them, no matter who he is, as it was proven in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere that the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever does an action that is not part of this matter of ours [Islam] will have it rejected.’ And let the one who goes against the sharee’ah of the Messenger whether inwardly or outwardly beware ‘lest some Fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, etc) should befall them’ i.e., lest their hearts be afflicted with kufr, hypocrisy or bid’ah, ‘or a painful torment be inflicted on them’ i.e., in this world by means of killing, a hadd punishment, imprisonment and the like.”

The deceased does not need any of the living to comfort him, because he is preoccupied with his own reckoning and being rewarded or punished for his deeds, as the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained in the lengthy hadeeth of al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib:


“When the believing slave is about to depart this world and enter the Hereafter, there come down to him from heaven angels with white faces like the sun, and they sit around him as far as the eye can see. They bring with them shrouds from Paradise and perfumes from Paradise. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits by his head, and he says, ‘O good soul, come forth to forgiveness from Allaah and His pleasure.’ Then it comes out easily like a drop of water from the mouth of a waterskin. When he seizes it, they do not leave it in his hand for an instant before they take it and put it in that shroud with that perfume, and there comes from it a fragrance like the finest musk on the face of the earth. Then they ascend and they do not pass by any group of angels but they say, ‘Who is this good soul?’ and they say, ‘It is So and so the son of So and so, calling him by the best names by which he was known in this world, until they reach the lowest heaven. They ask for it to be opened to them and it is opened, and (the soul) is welcomed and accompanied to the next heaven by those who are closest to Allaah, until they reach the seventh heaven. Then Allaah says: ‘Record the book of My slave in ‘Illiyoon in the seventh heaven, and return him to the earth, for from it I created them, to it I will return them and from it I will bring them forth once again.’ So his soul is returned to his body and there come to him two angels who make him sit up and they say to him, ‘Who is your Lord?’ He says, ‘Allaah.’ They say, ‘What is your religion?’ He says, ‘My religion is Islam.’ They say, ‘Who is this man who was sent among you?’ He says, ‘He is the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).’ They say, ‘What did you do?’ He says, ‘I read the Book of Allaah and I believed in it.’ Then a voice calls out from heaven, ‘My slave has spoken the truth, so prepare for him a bed from Paradise and clothe him from Paradise, and open for him a gate to Paradise.’ Then there comes to him some of its fragrance, and his grave is made wide, as far as he can see. Then there comes to him a man with a handsome face and handsome clothes, and a good fragrance, who says, ‘Receive the glad tidings that will bring you joy this day.’ He says, ‘Who are you? Your face is a face which brings glad tidings.’ He says, ‘I am your righteous deeds.’ He says, ‘O Lord, hasten the Hour so that I may return to my family and my wealth.’”

And he said:

“But when the disbelieving slave is about to depart this world and enter the Hereafter, there come down to him from heaven angels with black faces, bringing sackcloth, and they sit around him as far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits by his head, and he says, ‘O evil soul, come forth to the wrath of Allaah and His anger.’ Then his soul disperses inside his body, then comes out cutting the veins and nerves, like a skewer passing through wet wool. When he seizes it, they do not leave it in his hand for an instant before they take it and put it in that sackcloth, and there comes from it a stench like the foulest stench of a dead body on the face of the earth. Then they ascend and they do not pass by any group of angels but they say, ‘Who is this evil soul?’ and they say, ‘It is So and so the son of So and so, calling him by the worst names by which he was known in this world, until they reach the lowest heaven. They ask for it to be opened to them and it is not opened.” Then the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recited (interpretation of the meaning):

“for them the gates of heaven will not be opened, and they will not enter Paradise until the camel goes through the eye of the needle”

[al-A’raaf 7:40]

He said: “Then Allaah says, ‘Record the book of My slave in Sijjeen in the lowest earth, and return him to the earth, for from it I created them, to it I will return them and from it I will bring them forth once again.’ So his soul is cast down.” Then the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recited the verse (interpretation of the meaning):

“and whoever assigns partners to Allaah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky, and the birds had snatched him, or the wind had thrown him to a far off place”

[al-Hajj 22:31]

He said: “Then his soul is returned to his body, and there come to him two angels who make him sit up and they say to him, ‘Who is your Lord?’ He says, ‘Oh, oh, I don’t know.’ They say, ‘What is your religion?’ He says, ‘Oh, oh, I don’t know.’ Then a voice calls out from heaven, ‘Prepare for him a bed from Hell and clothe him from Hell, and open for him a gate to Hell.’ Then there comes to him some of its heat and hot winds, and his grave is constricted and compresses him until his ribs interlock. Then there comes to him a man with an ugly face and ugly clothes, and a foul stench, who says, ‘Receive the bad news, this is the day that you were promised.’ He says, ‘Who are you? Your face is a face which forebodes evil.’ He says, ‘I am your evil deeds.’ He says, ‘O Lord, do not let the Hour come.’”

Narrated by Ahmad, 18557; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 1676

[Abu Sarah]

The Sunnah indicates that people’s good deeds are taken up to be shown to Allaah without any delay, twice each day: once at night and once during the day.

In Saheeh Muslim (179) it is narrated that Abu Moosa al-Ash’ari (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood up before us and told us five things. He said: “Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, does not sleep and it is not befitting that He should sleep. He lowers the Balance and raises it; the deeds of the night are taken up to Him before the deeds of the day, and the deeds of the day before the deeds of the night…”

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The recording angels go up with the deeds of the night after it ends, at the beginning of the day, and they go up with the deeds of the day after it ends, at the beginning of the night.

Al-Bukhaari (555) and Muslim (632) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The angels of the night and the day come to you in succession, and they meet at Fajr prayer and at ‘Asr prayer, then those who stayed among you ascend and their Lord asks them, although He knows best about them, ‘How did you leave My slaves?’ and they say, ‘We left them when they were praying and we came to them when they were praying.’”


Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said: This indicates that deeds are taken up at the end of the day. Whoever is in a state of obedience at that time will be blessed in his provision and his work, and Allaah knows best. Hence we can see the wisdom behind the command to perform these prayers (Fajr and ‘Asr) regularly and pay attention to them. End quote.

The Sunnah indicates that deeds are also shown to Allaah (may He be glorified and exalted) twice each week.

Muslim (2565) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “People’s deeds are shown [to Allaah] twice each week, on Monday and Thursday, and every believing slave is forgiven except a person between whom and his brother there is a dispute, and it is said, ‘Leave these two until they reconcile.’”

The Sunnah also indicates that the good deeds of each year are taken up to Allaah all at once in the month of Sha’baan.

Al-Nasaa’i (1257) narrated that Usaamah ibn Zayd (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I said: O Messenger of Allaah, I do not see you fasting as much in any month as you fast in Ramadaan. He said: “That is a month concerning which the people are heedless, between Rajab and Ramadaan, but it is a month in which good deeds are taken up to the Lord of the Worlds, and I would like my deeds to be taken up when I am fasting.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’.

These texts may be summed up by noting that people’s deeds are shown to Allaah in three ways:

· Daily, which happens twice a day

· Weekly, which also happens twice, on Mondays and Thursdays

· Annually, which happens once, during the month of Sha’baan

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The deeds of the year are taken up in Sha’baan, as the truthful one :saw:(the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) has told us. The deeds of the week are shown on Monday and Thursday, the deeds of the day are taken up at the end of the day before night comes, and the deeds of the night are taken up at the end of the night, before day comes. When a person’s life comes to an end, all his life’s deeds are taken up and the record of his deeds is closed. End quote from Haashiyat Sunan Abi Dawood.

The ahaadeeth which indicate that deeds are shown to Allaah indicate that it is encouraged to do more deeds of obedience at the times when the deeds are being shown to Him, as the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said concerning fasting in Sha’baan: “I would like my deeds to be taken up when I am fasting.”

In Sunan al-Tirmidhi (747) it is narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Deeds are shown (to Allaah) on Mondays and Thursdays, and I would like my deeds to be shown when I am fasting.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel (949)

One of the Taabi’een used to weep in front of his wife on Thursdays and she would weep in front of him, and he would say: Today our deeds are being shown to Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. (This was mentioned by Ibn Rajab in Lataa’if al-Ma’aazif)

From what we have mentioned it is clear that there is no suggestion that at the end of an old year or the beginning of a new year the records of deeds are closed and deeds are shown to Allaah. Rather deeds are shown to Him in the various ways that we have mentioned, and the texts describe other times for this. The texts also indicate that the way of the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is to do more acts of obedience at those times.

Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) said concerning commemorating the end of the year: “There is no basis for that, and singling out the end of the year for specific acts of worship such as fasting is a reprehensible innovation (bid’ah).” End quote.

With regard to fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, if that is a person’s habit, or if he is fasting on those days because of the reports which encourage doing so, then he should not refrain from doing so because it coincides with the end or beginning of the year, so long as he is not fasting on that day because of that coincidence, or because he thinks that there is any special virtue in fasting on that occasion.

[Abu Sarah]

It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah:

Saying du’aa’ out loud following the five daily prayers and the regular Sunnah prayers, or reciting du’aa’ after the prayers in unison as a regular practise is a reprehensible innovation (bid’ah), because it is not reported that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did anything like that.

Fataawa Islamiyyah, 1/319

[Abu Sarah]

It says in Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah:

Making du’aa’ after the obligatory prayers is not Sunnah if it is done by raising the hands, whether that is done by the imam alone or a member of the congregation alone, or it is done by them both together. Rather that is bid’ah, because it was not narrated that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or any of his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did that. With regard to making du’aa’ without doing that (raising the hands etc.), there is nothing wrong with it, because there are some ahaadeeth concerning that.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 7/103

The Committee was asked about raising the hands for du’aa’ after the five daily prayers – is it proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) raised his hands or not? If it is not proven, is it permissible to raise the hands after the five daily prayers or not?

They replied: It is not proven that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) raised his hands in du’aa’ after the obligatory prayers as far as we know, so raising them after the salaam of an obligatory prayer is contrary to the Sunnah.

Fataawa al-Lajnah, 7/104

The Committee also stated that saying du’aa’ out loud after the five daily prayers or regular Sunnah prayers, or reciting du’aa’ in unison as a regular practice is a reprehensible innovation (bid’ah), because it was not proven that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did anything like that. Whoever makes du’aa’ after the obligatory or regular Sunnah prayers in unison is going against the way of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, and for those people to accuse those who disagree with them of being kaafirs and not belonging to Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, is misguidance, ignorance and a distortion of the facts.

Fataawa Islamiyyah, 1/319

[Abu Sarah]

the Standing Committee was asked about du’aa’ and dhikr recited in unison, and they answered:

The basic principle concerning dhikr and acts of worship is that there is no room for adding or subtracting anything. Allaah should only be worshipped in the ways that He has prescribed; this applies whether it is something that can be done at any time or something that is limited to a specific time and how it is to be done and how many times it is to be done. With regard to dhikrs and du’aa’s that Allaah has prescribed and all kinds of worship that are not limited with regard to time and numbers, location or a particular way in which they are to be done, it is not permissible for us to adhere to a particular way, time or number; rather we are to do these acts of worship without restrictions as it was prescribed.

In matters where it isproven in the words or deeds of the Prophet:saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that an action is to be done at a certain time or a certain number of times or in a certain place or in a certain manner, then we should worship Allaah in accordance with what has been prescribed. It has not been proven from the words or deeds or approval of the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that he recited du’aa’ in unison with others following the prayers, or after reading Qur’aan, or following each lesson, whether that took the form of the imaam reciting du’aa’ and the congregation saying Ameen to his du’aa’, or whether they all recited du’aa’ together in unison. That was not known at the time of the Rightly-Guided Khaleefahs or any of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them). Whoever adheres to the practice of reciting du’aa’ in unison following the prayers or after reading Qur’aan or after every lesson has innovated something and introduced into the religion something which is not a part of it. It was narrated that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours (i.e. Islam) that is not part of it will have it rejected.” And he said: “Whoever does something that is not in accordance with this matter of ours (Islam) will have it rejected.”

If it were prescribed to adhere to a certain way of doing it, the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his successors (khulafa’) after him would have adhered to that. We have stated above that no such thing was proven from him or from his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them). All goodness is to be found in following the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the guidance of the Rightly-Guided Khulafa’ (may Allaah be pleased with them); all evil is to be found in going against their guidance and following the innovated matters against which the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned us by saying, “Beware of newly-innovated matters, for every innovation is misguidance.”

May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad (:saw:) and his family and companions, and grant them peace.

Fataawa Islamiyyah, 4/178

[Abu Sarah]

We do not know of any evidence that this happened at the time of the Messenger :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and we do not know of anyone among the Sahaabah who did that (reading Qu’raan out loud on Fridays before Zuhr). Similarly the du’aa’s recited in a melodious over loudspeakers before the adhaan for Fajr are also bid’ah, and every bid’ah is a going-astray. It was proven that the Prophet:saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours (Islam) that is not part of it will have it rejected.” (al-Bukhaari in al-Sulh, 2697; Muslim in al-Udhiyah, 1718)



Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Ifta, 2/353

[Abu Sarah]

It is mustahabb for the Muslim to remember Allaah a great deal (dhikr), because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Remember Allaah with much remembrance.

42. And glorify His Praises morning and afternoon”

[al-Ahzaab 33:41-42]

“…and the men and the women who remember Allaah much with their hearts and tongues. Allaah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. Paradise)”

[al-Ahzaab 33:35]

And there are many similar verses. And the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also encouraged us to do that, when he said: “Keep your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allaah.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2687.

The dhikrs that were narrated from the Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) are of two types:

1 – Those for which a specific number has been narrated, in which case it is obligatory to keep to the number narrated from the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), no more and no less – such as the dhikrs to be recited following the prayer, or saying Subhaan-Allaah wa bi hamdih (glory and praise be to Allaah) one hundred times morning and evening, or saying Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu la shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no god but Allaah alone, with no partner or associate; His is the Dominion, all praise be to Him, and He is Able to do all things) one hundred times each day, and so on.

2 – Those for which no specific number has been narrated, such as the general encouragement to say tasbeeh (‘Subhaan-Allaah’ – Glory be to Allaah), tahmeed (‘Al-hamdu Lillaah’ - Praise be to Allaah) and tahleel (‘Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah’ – There is no god but Allaah), and to recite Qur’aan and so on. This may be done in general terms, without keeping to any specific number, as prescribed by the Prophet:saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah:

The basic principle with regard to dhikr and acts of worship is tawqeef (i.e., adhering to what is mentioned and prescribed in the Qur’aan and Sunnah and not worshipping Allaah in any way except that which has been prescribed on the lips of the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)). Based on this, in cases where a certain time, number of times, place or manner has been specified, we must worship Allaah in the way that has been proven in sharee’ah. But when Allaah has prescribed dhikrs, du’aa’ and other kinds of worship in general terms without specifying a particular time, number, place or manner, then it is not permissible for us to set limits with regard to the manner, time or number of times. Rather we should worship Him in general terms as it was narrated.

From: Fataawa Islamiyyah, 4/178.

[Abu Sarah]

Visiting graves is a Sunnah which provides a lesson and a reminder. If the graves are those of Muslims, one should make du’aa’ for them… The Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to visit graves and make du’aa’ for the deceased, as did his companions, may Allaah be pleased with them. The Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Visit the graves, for they remind you of the Hereafter.” He used to teach his companions, when they visited graves, to say, “Al-salaamu ‘alayum ahl al-diyaar min al-mu’mineen wa’l-muslimeen, wa innaa in sha Allaah bikum laahiqoon. Nas’al Allaaha lana wa lakum al-‘aafiyah (Peace be upon you O inhabitants of the dwellings, believers and Muslims. If Allaah wills, we shall join you soon. We ask Allaah to keep us and you safe and sound.).”

According to the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah: “Yarham Allaah al-mustaqdimeena minna wa’l-musta’khireen (may Allaah have mercy on those of us who went first and those who will join them afterward).”

According to the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas “yaghfir Allaah lana wa lakum, antum salafuna wa nahnu fi’l-athr (May Allaah forgive us and you. You are our predecessors and we are following in your footsteps).”

Making du’aa’ for them in these or similar words is all good. Visiting them brings a reminder and a lesson to the believer to prepare for what has befallen them, i.e., death, for what happened to them will happen to him too. So let him make preparations and strive to obey Allaah and His Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and keep away from that which Allaah and His Messenger have forbidden. Let him repent from his previous shortcomings. This is how the believer is to benefit from visiting graves.

With regard to visite the graves of ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him), al-Hasan, al-Husayn and others being equivalent to seventy Hajj – this is a lie and is falsely attributed to the Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and it has no basis.

Visiting the grave of the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who is the best of all, is not equivalent to one Hajj; this visit has its status and virtues, but it is not equivalent to Hajj, so how about visits to anyone else’s grave? This is a lie, as is the phrase “Whoever visits the members of my household (ahl bayti) after I die will have seventy Hajj recorded for him.”

All of this has no basis at all and all of it is false. All of it is lies made up by the liars. The believer has to beware of these fabricated things that have been falsely attributed to the Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It is Sunnah to visit the graves whether they are graves of the members of his household (Ahl al-Bayt) or other Muslims; (it is Sunnah) to visit them, make du’aa’ for them, pray for mercy for them and then leave.

If they are the graves of kaafirs, they may be visited for the purpose of learning a lesson and being reminded, without making du’aa’ for them. The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) visited his mother’s grave, but his Lord forbade him to pray for forgiveness for her. He visited her grave for the purpose of the lesson and reminder, but he did not pray for forgiveness for her. This applies to all other graves – graves of kaafirs – if a believer visits them for the purpose of the lesson and reminder, there is nothing wrong with that, but he should not greet them with salaams or pray for forgiveness for them, because they do not deserve that.



Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-‘Allaamah ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), vol. 9, p. 283

[Abu Sarah]

There is no basis for saying this specifically for ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him). It is an example of the exaggeration of the Shi’a.

May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad (:saw:) and his family and companions, and grant them peace.



Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 3/69

[Abu Sarah]

The red dot, which some women place on their foreheads specially in India, has nothing to do with Islam. It is an Indian custom, we were told, Hundos women ware the red dot to imply being married. We were also told that other peoples of India do imitate the Hundos.

We ask Allaah to show the righteous path.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

[Abu Sarah]

There are jaahili customs, or reprehensible innovations, and you have to give them up and explain to others that they are wrong.


[1 ]With regard to reciting Qur’aan over the grave of the deceased, this is not permissible, and none of the Salaf did this. If it were good to do this, they would have done it before us. It has been reported that Soorat Yaa-Seen should be recited for the person who is dying, before his soul departs, but after he has died and when he is being buried and after the burial, there is nothing that should be recited, and one should not tell him to say “Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah” and so on.

[2]Offering condolences is Sunnah, but it need not be during the mourning ceremonies. Condolences may be offered to the family of the deceased in all places. There is nothing wrong with all the relatives of the deceased gathering together in one place so that people may come and offer their condolences, but they should gather for the purpose of food. Food should be prepared only for the immediate family of the deceased; it is makrooh for them to offer food to others.

[3]There is no need to gather this money from everyone, unless the family are poor, in which case they may be given zakaat funds.

[4]It is not permissible to slaughter this sheep, whether it is from the wealth of the deceased or from someone else. But if food is prepared for the family of the deceased, from one or more animals, there is nothing wrong with this.

[5]Collecting these pebbles, and making dhikr whilst doing so, and putting them on the grave – this is a reprehensible innovation (bid’ah) which must be given up and denounced.

[6]Raising one’s voice in wailing and lamenting, striking the cheeks and eulogizing the deceased are all bid’ah and actions of the jaahiliyyah. It was reported in a hadeeth: “He is not one of us who strikes his cheeks, rends his garments and calls with the call of the jaahiliyyah.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1294, Fath 3/163; Muslim, 103; Ahmad, 1/244).

[7]Wearing black as a sign of mourning for the deceased is bid’ah; but the wives of the deceased should avoid wearing fancy or adorned clothes, jewellery, makeup and perfume during their period of mourning.

[8]It is bid’ah for women to avoid their usual work and activities; the newly-widowed woman can still prepare food, clean the house, wash the dishes, do laundry, etc. There is nothing wrong with her doing that.


And Allaah knows best.



Al-Lu’lu’ al-Makeen min Fataawa al-Shaykh al-‘Allaamah ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Jibreen, p. 37

[Abu Sarah]

We do not know of any saheeh (sound) or da’eef (weak) hadeeth which speaks of this dhikr when parting or concluding a gathering. Hence persisting in it or believing it to be a dhikr that is prescribed on such occasions is a bid’ah that is be rejected, because the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does any action that is not in accordance with our affair will have it rejected.”
Narrated by Muslim (1718).

The scholars have stated that singling out a particular time or place for an act of worship, or a particular manner in which it is to be done, with no proof from the texts, makes it a kind of bid’ah and innovation, in which case it is called bid’ah idaafiyyah. It is prescribed in principle, but is rejected because of the manner in which it is done. Acts of worship must be prescribed in and of themselves, the manner in which they are done, the time at which they are done and the number of times they are done, because Allaah can only be worshipped in the ways that He has prescribed in His Book or on the lips of the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

Al-Shaatibi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Bid’ah, therefore, refers to a fabricated religious way which competes with the way that is based on sharee’ah, whereby following it is intended to go to extremes in devotion and worship.

That also includes adhering to certain ways and forms of worship, such as reciting dhikr in unison, taking the day of the Prophet’s birthday as a festival, and so on.

It also includes adhering to a specific act of worship at a specific time for which there is no basis in sharee’ah, such as always fasting on the fifteenth of Sha’baan and spending that night in prayer.

End quote from al-I’tisaam (1/37-39).


Secondly:

It is prescribed to end a gathering by saying that which was narrated by Abu Dawood (4859) from Abu Barzah al-Aslami (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah:saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say, when he wanted to leave a gathering: “Subhaanaka Allaahumma wa bi hamdika, ashhadu an laa ilaaha illa anta, astaghfiruka wa atoobu ilayk (Glory and praise be to You, O Allaah, I bear witness that there is no god but You, I seek Your forgiveness and I repent to You).” And he said: “It is expiation for whatever happened in that gathering.”
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

It is also prescribed for one of the people present to recite Soorat al-‘Asr when ending the gathering, because of the report narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Awsat (5124) from Abu Madeenah al-Daarimi (may Allaah be pleased with him) who was a companion of the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He said: When two men of the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) met, they would not part until one of them recited “By Al‑‘Asr (the time), Verily, man is in loss” [al-‘Asr] over the other, then one would say salaam to the other.
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (no. 2648).

Look at how people have turned away from a proven Sunnah for the sake of the bid’ahs that they have introduced, confirming the words of the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “No people introduce a bid’ah but something equivalent will be taken away from the Sunnah.” Narrated by Ahmad (16522). Al-Haafiz said in al-Fath (13/253): Its isnaad is jayyid.

May Allaah enable us and you to follow the Sunnah and avoid bid’ah.

And Allaah knows best.

[Abu Sarah]

One of the innovated things that happen in Shawwaal is the bid’ah (innovation) of “Eid al-Abraar” (the “festival of the righteous”), which is on the eighth day of Shawwaal.

After the people have completed the fast of Ramadaan, and they broke their fast on the first day of Shawwaal – the day of Eid al-Fitr – they start to fast the first six days of Shawwaal, and on the eighth day they celebrate an “eid” which they call Eid al-Abraar.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “With regard to celebrating occasions which are not prescribed in sharee’ah – such as some nights in Rabee’ al-Awwal which are called ‘Mawlid’, or some nights in Rajab, or the eighteenth of Dhu’l-Hijjah, or the first Friday in Rajab, or the eighth of Shawwaal which the ignorant call Eid al-Abraar – these are innovations which were not approved of by the salaf and they did not do these things. And Allaah knows best.” (Majmoo’ Fataawa Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, 25/298)

He also said: “With regard to the eighth of Shawwaal, it is not an Eid, neither for the righteous nor for the evil. It is not permissible for anyone to take it as an Eid or to do any of the things connected with celebrations on that day.”
(al-Ikhtiyaaraat al-Fiqhiyyah, p. 199)

The celebrations of this “eid” take place in one of the famous mosques, where men and women mix freely, shake hands with one another and utter words of Jaahiliyyah when they shake hands. Then after that they go and make some foods especially for this occasion.”
(al-Sunan wa’l-Mubtada’aat by al-Shuqayri, p. 166)



Al-Bida’ al-Hawliyyah by Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Ahmad al-Tuwayjri, p. 350

[Abu Sarah]

Among the innovated matters that have appeared in some Muslim societies are celebrations to commemorate some of the dead, especially the scholars. These celebrations take place on the anniversary of the death of the person who is being commemorated, and they may take place a year or more after his death.

These celebrations vary from one person to another. If he was one of the common people or one of those who was thought to have knowledge even though he was ignorant, on the fortieth day after his death, his family commemorate his death, calling it “al-arba’een” (forty). They bring people together in a special tent or in the house of the deceased, and they bring Qur’aan-readers to recite Qur’aan, and they prepare a meal like a wedding feast, and they adorn the place with lights and comfortable furnishings. They go to great expense, and their purpose in doing this is to show off. No doubt this is haraam, because it involves wasting the money of the deceased for no legitimate purpose. It beings no benefit to the deceased himself and results in loss for his family. This is the case if there is no one among the heirs who is too young to be in charge of the money, so what do you think if there is someone like that among them! They may even finance that by means of a loan which involves riba (interest) – we seek refuge with Allaah from His Wrath.
(al-Ibdaa’, p. 228)

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “One of the things that the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught was to offer condolences to the family of the bereaved, but it is not part of his teachings to gather together to mourn and read Qur’aan for him (the deceased), whether that is at the grave or elsewhere. All of that is bid’ah and a reprehensible innovation.”
(Zaad al-Ma’aad, 1/527)

‘Ali Mahfooz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “What people do nowadays of offering food to the people who come to offer their condolences, and going to great expense on the nights of mourning, and subsequent occasions such as Friday nights and the forty-day anniversary of the death (al-arba’een), all of that is reprehensible bid’ah which goes against the practice of the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the righteous salaf after him.”
(al-Ibdaa’, p. 230).

This celebration or commemoration is an innovation and a bid’ah, which was not narrated from the Messenger :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or from his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) or the righteous salaf (may Allaah have mercy on them). The Sunnah in this case is to make food for the family of the deceased and to send it to them, not for them to have to make food and invite people to come and eat it. When news of the death of Ja’far ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) came, the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Make food for the family of Ja’far, because there has come to them that which will preoccupy them.” (Narrated by Ahmad in his Musnad, 1/205. Also narrated by Abu Dawood in his Sunan, 3/497, Kitaab al-Janaa’iz, hadeeth no. 3132. Also narrated by al-Tirmidhi in his Sunan, 2/234, Abwaab al-Janaa’iz, hadeeth no. 1003; he said it is a hasan hadeeth. Also narrated by Ibn Maajah in his Sunan, 1/514, Kitaab al-Janaa’iz, hadeeth no 1610. Also narrated by al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak, 1/372, Kitaab al-Janaa’iz; he said, it is a hadeeth whose isnaad is saheeh although they (al-Bukhaari and Muslim) did not narrate it, and al-Dhahabi agreed with him in his Talkhees).

Jareer ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Bajali said: “We used to consider gathering with the family of the deceased and making food to be a form of wailing.” (Narrated by Ibn Maajah in his Sunan, 1/514, Kitaab al-Janaa’iz, hadeeth no. 1612. Al-Busayri said in Zawaa’id Ibn Maajah (2/35): “This is a saheeh isnaad; the men of the first isnaad are according to the conditions of al-Bukhaari, and the men of the second isnaad are according to the conditions of Muslim.”)

But if the person whose death is being commemorated was one of the scholars, on the anniversary of his death, one or two years later, then they hold special celebrations. A group of researchers agree to write about his life and character, or his method of writing, and everything that has to do with him, then they present that research on that day, and publish his books, or the most important and most famous of them, and they are distributed in the marketplaces to keep his memory alive, or so they say, and to make known the efforts he made to spread and publish knowledge and so on.

If he was a king, ruler or president, this occasion is celebrated and the most senior of those who are present speak of his legacy and work in government, and some books about him may be published on this occasion. Some people may go to his grave and recite wird over it, or recite al-Faatihah for his soul, All of that is bid’ah for which Allaah has not revealed any authority.

There is nothing inherently wrong with publishing the books of a scholar, or writing his biography or writing about his methodology, or printing his books. These things should be done if he deserves that. But that should not be done specifically at a certain time, or be accompanied by celebrations, festivals and speeches etc. The same applies to kings and rulers.

Celebrations held to commemorate the death of scholars, rulers and some common folk are an innovation, and that is sufficient to condemn them.

There was no one who had more knowledge than the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and there was no one whose way of calling others to Islam was better. No one had a nobler status or a higher rank than he did (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), for he is the best of all creation. But despite that the Sahaabah did not commemorate his death, even though no person has ever been more dearly loved than the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was loved by the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) or the Taabi’een or the righteous salaf (may Allaah have mercy on them). If there had been any good in doing so, they would have done it before us.

Respecting the scholars is not done by holding celebrations in their memory; it is done by striving to benefit from the things they have written, by publishing and reading and commenting etc.

This applies if they are deserving of that, by virtue of their having lived according to the way of the righteous salaf, and kept away from the way of the deviant sects or the influence of the west, etc.

The memory and narrations of the scholars of the righteous salaf and those who came after them, and the knowledge that they presented to the people, have been preserved. The scholar may have died and departed from this world, but his knowledge remains and is passed down by the people from one generation to the next.

Because of the benefit that people gain from their knowledge, they pray for mercy for them and pray that they may be rewarded. This is the greatest way in which their memory can be kept alive.

But organizing celebrations in their memory, or seeking blessing by visiting the places where they lived and taught, and their relics, or circumambulating their graves – all of that is bid’ah, some of which may even reach the degree of shirk. We seek refuge with Allaah from that.

If these scholars, whose memories are celebrated and from whom people seek blessing by visiting the places where they lived and taught, were alive, they would denounce these things that are being done.

But some people have been misled by their own whims and desires and by the Shaytaan, and by those who advocate bid’ah for worldly purposes or to gain leadership over the people. So they have slipped in the maze of bid’ah from which there is no escape apart from returning to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and adhering to them, and to that on which the scholars of this ummah are agreed, and giving up all newly-invented innovations which are evil in and of themselves and which lead to even greater evils and disasters.

We ask Allaah to guide us and them to the Straight Path, the path of those with whom Allaah is pleased, the Prophets, the Siddeeqeen, the martyrs and the righteous. May He keep us far away from the path of those with whom He is angry and those who have gone astray, for He is Able to do all things.



Al-Bida’ al-Hawliyyah li Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Ahmad al-Tuwayjri, p. 350

[Abu Sarah]

Fasting in the month of Rajab

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

The month of Rajab is one of the sacred months of which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, the number of months with Allaah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allaah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are Sacred (i.e. the 1st, the 7th, the 11th and the 12th months of the Islamic calendar). That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein”

[al-Tawbah 9:36]

The sacred months are: Rajab, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram.

Al-Bukhaari (4662) and Muslim (1679) narrated from Abu Bakrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred: three consecutive months, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab Mudar which comes between Jumaada and Sha’baan.

These months are called sacred for two reasons:

1- Because fighting therein is forbidden unless initiated by the enemy

2- Because transgression of the sacred limits therein is worse than at other times.

Hence Allaah has forbidden us to commit sins during these months, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“wrong not yourselves therein”

[al-Tawbah 9:36]

Although committing sins is haraam and forbidden during these months and at other times, in these months it is more forbidden.

Al-Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said (p. 373):

In the phrase “wrong not yourselves therein”, the pronoun may be understood as referring to twelve months. Allaah states that He has made them a measure of time for His slaves, which they may use for worshipping Him, and thank Allaah for His blessings, and they serve the interests of His slaves, so beware of wronging yourselves therein.

The pronoun may also be understood as referring to the four sacred months, and this forbids them to wrong themselves in those months in particular, as well as it being forbidden to do wrong at all times, because it is more forbidden at this time, but it is worse at this time than at others. End quote.

Secondly:

With regard to fasting the month of Rajab, there is no saheeh hadeeth to indicate that there is any special virtue in fasting all or part of this month.

What some people do, singling out some days of Rajab for fasting, believing that they are better than others, has no basis in sharee’ah.

But there is a report from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which indicates that it is mustahabb to fast during the sacred months (and Rajab is one of the sacred months). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Fast some days of the sacred months and not others.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2428; classed as da’eef by al-Albaani in Da’eef Abi Dawood.

Even if this hadeeth were saheeh, it indicates that it is mustahabb to fast during the sacred months. So if a person fasts during Rajab because of this, and he also fasts in the other sacred months, there is nothing wrong with that. But singling out Rajab for fasting is not right.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (25/290):

As for fasting in Rajab in particular, the ahaadeeth concerning that are all da’eef (weak), and in fact mawdoo’ (fabricated). The scholars do not rely on any of them. They are not among the da’eef ahaadeeth which have been narrated concerning virtues, rather most of them are fabricated and false. In al-Musnad and elsewhere there is a hadeeth which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined fasting the sacred months, namely Rajab, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram, but this has to do with fasting during all of them, not just Rajab. End quote.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Every hadeeth which mentions fasting in Rajab and praying during some of its nights is false and fabricated.” End quote from al-Manaar al-Muneef, p. 96

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in Tabyeen al-‘Ajab (p. 11)

There is no saheeh hadeeth that would count as evidence which speaks of the virtue of the month of Rajab, or that speaks of fasting this month or part of it, or of spending any particular night of it in prayer.

Shaykh Sayyid Saabiq (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Fiqh al-Sunnah (1/282):

Fasting in Rajab is no better than fasting in any other month, except that it is one of the sacred months. There is no report in the saheeh Sunnah to suggest that there is anything special about fasting in this month. Whatever has been narrated concerning that is not fit to be quoted as evidence. End quote.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about fasting on the twenty-seventh of Rajab and spending that night in prayer. He replied:

Fasting on the twenty-seventh of Rajab and spending that night in prayer is a bid’ah (innovation), and every bid’ah is a going astray. End quote.

Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 20/440.

[Abu Sarah]

‘Umrah in the month of Rajab


Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

There is no report from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – as far as we know – to suggest that there is any particular virtue in performing ‘Umrah in the month of Rajab, or that it is encouraged. Rather it is proven that there is a particular virtue in performing ‘Umrah in the month of Ramadaan, and in the months of Hajj, which are Shawwaal, Dhu’l-Qa’dah and Dhu’l-Hijjah.

There is no report to prove that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) performed ‘Umrah in Rajab, rather that was denied by ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never performed ‘Umrah in Rajab. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1776; Muslim, 1255.

Secondly:

Something that has been introduced into the religion is what some people do, namely singling out the month of Rajab for ‘Umrah, because no one should single out a specific time for doing an act of worship unless that has been prescribed in sharee’ah.

Ibn al-‘Attaar, the student of al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on them both) said:

What I have heard about the people of Makkah, may Allaah increase it in honour, is that they are accustomed to performing ‘Umrah a great deal in Rajab. This is something for which I know of no basis, rather it is proven in the hadeeth that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “ ‘Umrah in Ramadaan is equivalent to Hajj.” End quote.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his Fataawa (6/131):

With regard to singling out some days of Rajab for any kinds of ziyaarah etc, there is no basis for that. Imam Abu Shaamah stated in his book al-Bida’ wa’l-Hawaadith that performing acts of worship at specific times which were not prescribed by Islam is not right, because no time is better than any other, except times when it is prescribed to perform a certain kind of worship, or a time when all kinds of good deeds are better than at other times. Hence the scholars denounced the singling out of the month of Rajab for performing ‘Umrah a great deal. End quote.

But if a person goes for ‘Umrah during Rajab without believing that there is any special virtue in that, but it just so happens that it is easy for him to travel at that time, there is nothing wrong with that.

[Abu Sarah]

bid’ah in Laylat al-Nusf min Sha’baan (the middle of Sha’baan)

Laylat al-Nusf min Sha’baan (the middle of Sha’baan) should not be singled out for worship

Praise be to Allaah.

There is no saheeh marfoo’ report that speaks of the virtue of the middle of Sha’baan that may be followed, not even in the chapters on al-Fadaa’il (chapters on virtues in books of hadeeth etc.). Some maqtoo’ reports (reports whose isnaads do not go back further than the Taabi’een) have been narrated from some of the Taabi’een, and there are some ahaadeeth, the best of which are mawdoo’ (fabricated) or da’eef jiddan (very weak). These reports became very well known in some countries which were overwhelmed by ignorance; these reports suggest that people’s lifespans are written on that day or that it is decided on that day who is to die in the coming year. On this basis, it is not prescribed to spend this night in prayer or to fast on this day, or to single it out for certain acts of worship. One should not be deceived by the large numbers of ignorant people who do these things. And Allaah knows best.

Shaykh Ibn Jibreen.

If a person wants to pray qiyaam on this night as he does on other nights – without doing anything extra or singling this night out for anything – then that is OK. The same applies if he fasts the day of the fifteenth of Sha’baan because it happens to be one of the ayyaam al-beed, along with the fourteenth and thirteenth of the month, or because it happens to be a Monday or Thursday. If the fifteenth (of Sha’baan) coincides with a Monday or Thursday, there is nothing wrong with that (fasting on that day), so long as he is not seeking extra reward that has not been proven (in the saheeh texts). And Allaah knows best.



Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

fast on the fifteenth of Sha’baan

Firstly:

What is narrated concerning the virtue of praying, fasting and worshipping on the fifteenth of Sha’baan (al-nusf min Sha’baan) does not come under the heading of da’eef (weak), rather it comes under the heading of mawdoo’ (fabricated) and baatil (false). So it is not permissible to follow it or to act upon it, whether that is in doing righteous deeds or otherwise.

A number of scholars ruled that the reports concerning that were false, such as Ibn al-Jawzi in his book al-Mawdoo’aat, 2/440-445; Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah in al-Manaar al-Muneef, no. 174- 177; Abu Shaamah al-Shaafa’i in al-Baa’ith ‘ala Inkaar al-Bida’ wa’l-Hawaadith, 124-137; al-‘Iraaqi in Takhreej Ihyaa’ ‘Uloom il-Deen, no. 582. Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] narrated that there was consensus on the fact that they are false, in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 28/138.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Hukm al-Ihtifaal bi Laylat al-Nusf min Sha’baan (Ruling on celebrating the fifteenth of Sha’baan):

Celebrating the night of the fifteenth of Sha’baan (Laylat al-Nusf min Sha’baan) by praying etc, or singling out this day for fasting, is a reprehensible bid’ah (innovation) according to the majority of scholars, and there is no basis for this in sharee’ah.

And he (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

There is no saheeh hadeeth concerning the night of the fifteenth of Sha’baan (Laylat al-Nusf min Sha’baan). All the ahaadeeth that have been narrated concerning that are mawdoo’ (fabricated) and da’eef (weak), and have no basis. There is nothing special about this night, and no recitation of Qur’aan or prayer, whether alone or in congregation, is specified for this night. What some of the scholars have said about it being special is a weak opinion. It is not permissible to single it out for any special actions. This is the correct view. And Allaah is the Source of strength.

Fataawa Islamiyyah, 4/511.



Secondly:

Even if we assume that the hadeeth is da’eef (weak) and not mawdoo’ (fabricated), the correct scholarly view is that weak ahaadeeth should not be followed at all, even if they speak of righteous deeds or of targheeb and tarheeb (promises and warnings). The saheeh reports are sufficient and the Muslim has no need to follow the da’eef reports. Nothing is known in Islam to suggest that this night or day is special, either from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or from his companions.

The scholar Ahmad Shaakir said: There is no difference between rulings or righteous deeds; we do not take any of them from da’eef reports, rather no one hast he right to use any report as evidence unless it is proven to be soundly narrated from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in a saheeh or hasan hadeeth.

Al-Baa’ith al-Hatheeth, 1/278.

For more information, see: al-Qawl al-Muneef fi Hukm al-‘Aml bi’l-Hadeeth al-Da’eef

[Abu Sarah]

Al-‘Ateerah and rulings thereon


Praise be to Allaah.

Al-‘ateerah is a sacrifice was that was offered by the people of the Jaahiliyyah during the month of Rajab. They made that a tradition amongst themselves, like the offering of the udhiyah sacrifice on Eid al-Adha.

With regard to the ruling thereon, the scholars differed. The reason for their difference of opinion is the difference in the ahaadeeth that have been narrated concerning that. Some of the reports enjoin it or allow it, and some forbid it.

The correct view, as we shall see below, is that the ahaadeeth which enjoin it or allow it came at the beginning of Islam, then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade it.

The scholars differed concerning the ruling on it and there are a number of opinions.

The first view is that it is Sunnah and mustahabb. This is the view of Imam al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on him). He quoted a number of things as evidence for that, including the following:

1-

The report narrated by Imam Ahmad (6674) and al-Nasaa’i (4225) from ‘Amr ibn Shu’ayb from his father from his grandfather, according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about al-‘ateerah and he said: “Al-‘ateerah is true.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 4122.

2-

The report narrated by Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawood (2788) and al-Tirmidhi (1518) from Mikhnaf ibn Sulaym who said: We were standing with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in ‘Arafaat, and I heard him say: “O people, every family must offer udhiyah and ‘ateerah every year. Do you know what ‘ateerah is? It is that which you call al-rajabiyyah.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

3-

The report narrated by al-Nasaa’i (4226) from al-Haarith ibn ‘Amr, according to which a man said: O Messenger of Allaah, (what about) ‘ateerahs? He said: “Whoever wishes may offer ‘ateerah and whoever wishes may not do so.” Classed as da’eef by al-Albaani in Da’eef al-Nasaa’i.

See al-Majmoo’, 8/445, 446

The second view is:

That it is neither mustahabb nor makrooh. This was the view of some of the Shaafa’is, as was narrated by al-Nawawi in al-Majmoo’, 8/445.

The third view is:

That it is makrooh, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) disallowed it. Some of them said that it is haraam and invalid.

They said: The ahaadeeth which allow it and enjoin it were at the beginning of Islam, then they were abrogated by the Prophet’s forbidding of it.

In Sharh Muslim (13/137), al-Nawawi narrated that al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad said: The command to offer ‘ateerah is abrogated according to the majority of scholars.

They quoted the following evidence to show that it is haraam:

1-

The report narrated by al-Bukhaari (5474) and Muslim (1976) from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no fara’ and no ‘ateerah.”

The fara’ was the first foal born to the she-camel, which they used to sacrifice to their idols.

2-

The ‘ateerah was a feature of the people of Jaahiliyyah, and it is not permissible to imitate them in their acts of worship because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4021), classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel, 1269.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said after mentioning some of the ahaadeeth which indicate that ‘ateerah is allowed in Islam:

After quoting some of the ahaadeeth about ‘ateerah, Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The Arabs used to do that during the Jaahiliyyah, and some of the Muslims did that. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined it, then he forbade it and said: “There is no fara’ and no ‘ateerah.” So the people stopped doing that because of the prohibition. It is well known that disallowing applies to something that used to be done. We do not know of any scholar who says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to forbid it then he allowed it. The evidence that it was done before it was disallowed is to be found in the hadeeth of Nubayshah: “We used to offer the ‘ateerah during the Jaahiliyyah, and we used to offer the fara’ during the Jaahiliyyah.” The fact that the scholars of all regions are unanimously agreed to disallow ‘ateerah indicates that they were aware of the prohibition. Moreover there are proven reports which indicate that it is forbidden. End quote.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem (R) stated in his Fataawa (6/165) that ‘ateerah is haraam. He said:

The words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “There is no fara’ and no ‘ateerah” are, as far as I know, show that it is more likely to be prohibited.

The negative form indicates that something is not valid, as in the hadeeth “There is no ‘adawa and no tiyarah.” Does not saying “There is no fara’ and no ‘ateerah” indicate that they are invalid?

This is in addition to the evidence: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” So it is forbidden to imitate the Jaahiliyyah.

Moreover, this comes under the heading of acts of worship, and the ruling on acts of worship is tawqeef (i.e., they are to be based only on that which is mentioned in the Qur’aan and Sunnah). Even if the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had not specifically disallowed it, it would still be disallowed, because all matters of the Jaahiliyyah are disallowed and there is no need to state a specific ruling on each one of them.

Some of the scholars stated that it is makrooh, but what we understand is that it is haraam. This is with regard to those who slaughter the first foal born to a she-camel, or offer a sacrifice in the first ten days of Rajab. As for that which they used to do in the Jaahiliyyah for their gods, this is shirk. End quote.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said in al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (7/325):

The words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “There is no fara’ and no ‘ateerah” (according to another report: “There is no fara’ and no ‘ateerah in Islam”) indicate that this is a characteristic of the Jaahiliyyah, hence some scholars regarded ‘ateerah as makrooh, unlike fara’, because some Sunnahs were narrated concerning it. But in the case of ‘ateerah – i.e., offering a sacrifice at the beginning of Rajab – it deserves to be makrooh, especially if it is slaughtered at the beginning of Rajab and people have been told that there is nothing wrong with it. For people are inclined towards such things and the month of Rajab is like the month of sacrifice, Dhu’l-Hijjah. The people do that a great deal, so it has become a symbol and ritual. There is no doubt that this is prohibited.

It seems most likely in my view that there is nothing wring with fara’, because it is mentioned in the Sunnah, but as for ‘ateerah, the least that can be said is that it is makrooh. End quote.