Muharamat

[AbuMubarak]

, Prohibitions that are taken too lightly


Muharamat

Prohibitions that are taken too lightly

English Translation

Book by Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid


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Contents

Introduction

Shirk: associating partners in worship with Allaah

Grave-worship

Sacrificing to anything other than Allaah

Allowing what Allaah has forbidden and forbidding what Allaah has
allowed

Magic, fortune-telling and divination

Astrology, or believing that the stars and planets have an influence
on people's lives and events

Believing that certain things can bring benefit when the Creator has
not made them so

Showing off in worship

Superstitious belief in omens

Swearing by something other than Allaah

Sitting with hypocrites and wrongdoers to enjoy their company or to
keep them company

Lack of composure in prayer

Fidgeting and making unnecessary movements in prayer

Deliberately anticipating the movements of the imaam (when praying in
congregation)

Coming to the mosque after eating onions or garlic, or anything that
has an offensive smell

Zinaa - fornication and adultery

Sodomy (homosexuality)

Not allowing one's husband to have marital relations for no
legitimate reason

Asking one's husband for a divorce for no legitimate reason

al-Zihaar

Having intercourse with one's wife during her period

Having intercourse with one's wife in her rectum

Not treating co-wives fairly

Being alone with a non-mahram woman

Shaking hands with a non-mahram woman

A woman wearing perfume when going out or passing by non-mahram men

A woman travelling without a mahram

Deliberately looking at a non-mahram woman

Seeing one's womenfolk behaving in an immoral fashion and keeping
silent

Making false claims about a child's lineage, or denying one's own
child

Consuming riba (usury or interest)

Concealing a product's faults at the time of sale

Artificially inflating prices

Trading after the second call to prayer on Friday

Gambling

Theft

Offering or accepting bribes

Seizing land by force

Accepting a gift in return for interceding

Hiring someone and benefitting from his labour, then not paying him
his wages

Not giving gifts equally to one's children

Asking people for money when one is not in need

Seeking a loan with no intention of repaying it

Consuming haraam wealth

Drinking khamr - even a single drop

Using vessels of gold and silver, or eating or drinking from them

Bearing false witness

Listening to music and musical instruments

Gossip and backbiting

Slander

Looking into people's houses without their permission

Two people conversing privately to the exclusion of a third

Isbaal - wearing clothes that come down below the ankles

Men wearing gold in any shape or form

Women wearing short, tight or see-through clothes

Wearing wigs and hairpieces, whether made from natural or artificial
hair, for men and women

Men resembling women and women resembling men, in dress, speech and
appearance

Dyeing one's hair black

Having pictures of animate beings on clothing, walls or paper, etc.

Lying about one's dreams

Sitting or walking on graves, or answering the call of nature in a
graveyard

Not cleaning oneself properly after passing water

Eavesdropping on people who do not want to be heard

Being a bad neighbor

Writing a will for the purpose of harming one of the heirs

Playing backgammon

Cursing a believer or someone who does not deserve to be cursed

Wailing (at time of bereavement)

Striking or branding the face

Abandoning a Muslim brother for more than three days with no
legitimate reason


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Introduction:

Praise be to Allaah; we praise Him and seek His help and forgiveness.
We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from
our evil deeds. Whomever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and
whomever Allaah leaves astray, no-one will guide. I bear witness that
there is no god but Allaah Alone, with no partners or associates, and
I bear witness that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger.

Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, has laid down obligations
which we are not permitted to ignore, and has set limits which we are
not permitted to transgress, and has set out prohibitions which we
are not allowed to violate.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Whatever Allaah has permitted in His Book is allowed, and
whatever He has prohibited is forbidden; whatever He has remained
silent about is a concession, so accept the concession of Allaah, for
Allaah is never forgetful." Then he recited the aayah: ". . . and
your Lord is never forgetful" [Maryam 19:64]. (Reported by al-Haakim,
2/375; classified as hasan by al-Albaani in Ghaayat al-Maraam, p. 14)

The things which have been prohibited are the boundaries or limits
set by Allaah:

". . . And whosoever transgresses the set limits of Allaah, then
indeed he has wronged himself . . ." [al-Talaaq 65:1]

Allaah has issued a threat to the one who transgresses His set limits
and violates His prohibitions, as He says (interpretation of the
meaning):

"And whosoever disobeys Allaah and His Messenger, and transgresses
His limits, He will cast him into the Fire, to abide therein; and he
shall have a disgraceful torment." [al-Nisaa' 4:14]

Avoiding that which has been forbidden is a duty, because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whatever you have
been prohibited to do, avoid it, and whatever you have been commanded
to do, do as much of it as you can." (Reported by Muslim, Kitaab al-
fadaa'il, hadeeth no. 130, Abd al-Baaqi edition).

It is well-known that some of those who follow their desires, who are
weak at heart and have little knowledge, become irritated when they
hear lists of prohibitions. They grumble and mutter, "Everything is
haraam, you haven't left us anything that is not forbidden! You make
our lives boring and miserable. You don't talk about anything but
what is haraam, but religion is supposed to easy, not strict, and
Allaah is Forgiving and Merciful."

In response to such remarks, we say:

Allaah, may He be glorified, rules as He wills and there is none to
put back His judgement. He is All-Wise and Aware, and He allows
whatever He wills and forbids whatever He wills, may He be glorified.
One of the basic principles of our being His slaves is that we should
accept whatever He decrees and submit fully to it. His rulings stem
from His knowledge, wisdom and justice, and are not the matter of
frivolity or foolish whims, as He says (interpretation of the
meaning):

"And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in
justice. None can change His words. And He is the All-Hearer, the All-
Knower." [al-An'aam 6:115]

Allaah has explained to us the governing principle behind the
allowing and prohibiting of various things (interpretation of the
meaning):

". . . He allows them as lawful al-tayyibaat [(i.e., all good and
lawful) as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.], and
prohibits them as unlawful al-khabaa'ith [(i.e., all evil and
unlawful) as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods,
etc.] . . ." [al-A'raaf 7:157].

So what is good and pure is halaal, and what is evil and unclean is
haraam.

The right to determine what is halaal and what is haraam belongs to
Allaah alone. Whoever claims this right or affirms it for someone
else is a kaafir whose extreme kufr places him beyond the pale of
Islam, as Allaah 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-Shooraa
42:21]

Furthermore, no-one is allowed to speak about matters of halaal and
haraam except those who have knowledge of the Qur'aan and Sunnah.
Allaah has issued a stern warning to those who speak about halaal and
haraam with no knowledge (interpretation of the meaning):

"And say not concerning that which your tongues out forth
falsely: `This is lawful and this is forbidden,' so as to invent lies
against Allaah. . . ." [al-Nahl 16:116]

Things which are definitively forbidden have been clearly stated in
the Qur'aan and Sunnah, as Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):

"Say: `Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited you from:
Join not anything in worship with Him; be good and dutiful to your
parents; kill not your children because of poverty - We provide
sustenance for you and for them; come not near to al-fawaahish
(shameful sins, illegal sexual intercourse, etc.) whether committed
openly or secretly; and kill not anyone whom Allaah has forbidden,
except for a just cause (according to Islamic law). This He has
commanded you that you may understand." [al-An'aam 6:151]

The Sunnah also mentions many prohibitions; for example, the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

"Allaah has forbidden the sale of wine (intoxicants), dead meat, pork
and idols." (Reported by Abu Dawud, 3486; see also Saheeh Abi Dawud,
977).

"Whatever Allaah has forbidden, its price is also forbidden."
(Reported by al-Daaraqutni, 3/7; it is a saheeh hadeeth).

Some texts mention specific types or groups of prohibitions, such as
when Allaah forbids certain types of food (interpretation of the
meaning):

"Forbidden to you (for food) are: al-maytatah (the dead animals -
cattle-beast not slaughtered), blood, the flesh of swine, and the
meat of that which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice for others
than Allaah, or has been slaughtered for idols, etc., or on which
Allaah's name has not been mentioned while slaughtering, and that
which has been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a
headlong fall, or by the goring of horns - and that which has been
(partly) eaten by a wild animal - unless you are able to slaughter it
(before its death) - and that which is sacrificed (slaughtered) on al-
nusub (stone altars). Forbidden) also is to use arrows seeking luck
or decision . . ." [al-Maa'idah 5:3]

Allaah has also mentioned that which is forbidden with regard to
marriage, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Forbidden to you (for marriage) are: your mothers, your daughters,
your sisters, your father's sisters, your mother's sisters, your
brother's daughters, your sister's daughters, your foster mother who
gave you suck, your foster milk suckling sisters, your wives'
mothers . . ."[al-Nisaa' 4:23]

Allaah also mentions what kind of earnings are forbidden, as He says
(interpretation of the meaning):

". . . Allaah has permitted trading and forbidden riba (usury) . . ."
[al-Baqarah 2:275]

Allaah, Who is Merciful towards His slaves, has permitted innumerable
good things, of many kinds. He has not described the permitted things
in detail because they are so many; in contrast, He has described the
prohibitions in detail because they are limited, so that we will be
aware of them and can avoid them. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):

". . . He has explained to you in detail what is forbidden to you,
except under compulsion of necessity . . ." [al-An'aam 6:119]

But what is halaal is permitted as a general principle: as long as
something is good and pure, it is permitted:

"O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and good on the earth . . ."
[al-Baqarah 2:168]

It is a part of His Mercy that He has made all things halaal in
principle, except where there is proof (daleel) that they are haraam.
This is part of His generosity and bounty towards His slaves, for
which we must obey him, and give praise and thanks.

When some people hear a detailed list of the things that are haraam,
they become alarmed about the rules of Sharee'ah. This is due to
their weak faith and poor understanding of Islaam. One cannot help
wondering whether these people really want to be given a list of
every type of thing that is halaal, so that they can be convinced
that Islam is easy! Do they need for us to enumerate every type of
good thing so that they can rest assured that Islam will not make
their lives dreary?

Do they want to be told that the meats of camels, cattle, sheep,
rabbits, deer, goats, chickens, pigeons, ducks, geese and ostriches
over which the name of Allaah has been mentioned, and fish and
locusts, are halaal?

That vegetables, herbs, fruits and edible seeds are halaal?

That water, milk, honey, oil and vinegar are halaal?

That salt, seasonings and spices are halaal?

That using wood, iron, sand, stones, plastic, glass and rubber is
halaal?

That travelling via riding-beasts, cars, trains, ships and airplanes
is halaal?

That using air-conditioners, fridges, washing-machines, tumble-
dryers, mills, dough-mixers, meat-grinders, juicers, medical
instruments, engineering tools, calculators, microscopes, telescopes,
machinery for extracting water, oil and minerals, filters for
purifying water, printing presses and so on is halaal?

That wearing cotton, linen, wool, camel hair, fur, permitted
leathers, nylon and polyester is halaal?

That in principle marriage, buying, selling, sponsorship, bills of
exchange, renting, professions and trades such as carpentry,
metalworking, repairing machines and tending sheep are all halaal?

I wonder what would happen if we were to explain all this in detail
to them. "And what is wrong with these people that they fail to
understand any word?" [al-Nisaa' 4:78]

As regards their claim that Islaam is easy, this is true, but they
are twisting the truth to try and prove something that is false. What
is meant by saying that Islaam is easy is not that it is in
accordance with their desires and opinions, but that is it easy in
accordance with what the Sharee'ah has brought. There is a huge
difference between violating prohibitions by making false claims
about Islam being easy - although it is easy, beyond any doubt - and
availing oneself of legitimate concessions such as being allowed to
join or shorten prayers; to break one's fast when travelling; to wipe
one's socks when performing wudoo' - for one day and one night for a
person who is not travelling, and for three days and three nights in
the case of travelling; to perform tayammum when one is afraid to use
water; to join two prayers together when one is sick or when rain is
falling; to look at a non-mahram woman for purposes of marriage; to
have the choice, in the case of making expiation for a broken vow,
between freeing a slave or feeding or clothing the poor; to eat the
meat of dead animals when necessary - and other kinds of concessions
allowed by Sharee'ah.

In addition to the above, the Muslim should realize that one
principle underlies all the prohibitions in Islam: Allaah is testing
His slaves by means of these prohibitions, to see what they will do.
One of the things that distinguishes the people of Paradise from the
people of Hell is that the people of Hell indulge in the desires with
which the Fire is surrounded, whereas the people of Paradise
patiently endure the hardships with which the Garden is surrounded.
Were it not for this test, the obedient would not be distinguished
from the disobedient. People of faith look at the difficulties
involved from the perspective of the reward they will earn by
pleasing Allaah, so obedience becomes easy for them. The hypocrites,
on the other hand, view these difficulties as a matter of pain,
suffering and deprivation, so obedience becomes a heavy burden on
them.

By foregoing what is prohibited, the obedient person gains much more:
whoever forsakes something for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will
compensate him with something better, and he will enjoy the sweet
taste of faith in his heart.

This paper discusses a number of the prohibitions that have been
proven in Sharee'ah, based on evidence from the Qur'aan and Sunnah.
(Some scholars have grouped the prohibitions under headings such as
al-kabaa'ir or major sins. Among the best books on the topic is
Tanbeeh al-ghaafileen `an a'maal al-jaahileen by Ibn al-Nahhaas al-
Dimashqi, may Allaah have mercy on him). These prohibitions include
actions which are widely practised among many Muslims. By mentioning
them my intention is to correct and advise people. I ask Allaah to
guide me and my Muslim brothers, and to help us to adhere to the
limits which He has set and to avoid the things that He has
prohibited, and to save us from our evil deeds. And Allaah is the
Best to guard, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.

[ Table of Contents ]


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Shirk - associating partners with Allaah

This is the most serious of all prohibitions, according to the
hadeeth narrated by Abu Bakrah, who said: "The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: `Shall I not tell
you of the most serious of the major sins?' three times. We said, `Of
course, O Messenger of Allaah!' He said, `Associating anything in
worship with Allaah . . .'"

(Agreed upon; see al-Bukhaari, no. 2511, al-Bagha edition).

Every other sin may be forgiven by Allaah, apart from shirk, which
requires specific repentance, as Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):

"Verily, Allaah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him
in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He
pleases . . ." [al-Nisaa' 4:48]

One of the forms of shirk which is particularly widespread in Muslim
countries is:

Grave-worship, the belief that dead awliyaa' ("saints") can fulfil
one's needs or help at times of distress, and calling upon them for
aid. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him . . ." [al-
Israa' 17:23]

Similarly, they call upon dead Prophets, righteous people and others
to intercede for them or to rescue them from some calamity, but
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Is not He (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed
one, when he calls Him, and Who removes the evil, and makes you
inheritors of the earth, generations after generations? Is there any
ilaah (god) with Allaah? . . ." [al-Naml 27:62]

Some of them have adopted the habit of mentioning the name of a
shaykh or wali ("saint") when they stand up, or sit down, or stumble,
or encounter problems or distress, so they might say "O Muhammad!"
or "O `Ali!" or "O Husayn!" or "O Badawi!" or "O Jeelaani!" or "O
Shaadhili!" or "O Rifaa'i!" - or they may call upon al-'Aydaroos or
Sayyidah Zaynab or Ibn `Alwaan. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):

"Verily those whom you call upon besides Allaah are slaves like
you . . ." [al-A'raf 7:194]

Some of those who worship graves walk around them as if in Tawaaf,
and acknowledge their corners, or touch them, kiss them, wipe their
faces with their dust, prostrate towards them when they see them, or
stand before them in fear and humility, praying for whatever they
need of healing from some disease, or for a child, or for help with
some difficulty. Sometimes they call upon the occupant of the grave,
saying "O my master, I have come to you from far away, so do not let
me down." But Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And who is more astray than one who calls (invokes) besides Allaah
such as will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection, and who are
(even) unaware of their calls (invocations) to them?" [al-Ahqaaf 46:5]

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Whoever dies calling on someone else as a rival to Allaah,
will enter Hell." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 8/176).

Some of them shave their heads at the graves, and some have books
with titles like Manaasik Hajj al-Mashaahid ("The Rituals of
Pilgrimage to Shrines"), mashaahid or shrines referring to graves or
tombs of awliyaa'. Some of them believe that the awliyaa' are running
the affairs of the universe and that they have the power to benefit
or harm. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And if Allaah touches you with hurt, there is none who can remove it
but He; and if He intends any good for you, there is no one who can
repel His Favour . . ." [Yoonus 10:107]

It is also shirk to make a vow to any other than Allaah, as is done
by those who vow to bring candles or lights for the occupants of the
graves.

Another manifestation of al-shirk al-akbar is

sacrificing to anything other than Allaah.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord, and sacrifice (to Him only)"
[al-Kawthar 108:2]

- i.e., sacrifice to Allaah and in the name of Allaah. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

"Allaah will curse the one who sacrifices to anything other than
Allaah." (Reported by Imaam Muslim, may Allaah have mercy on him, in
his Saheeh, no. 1978, `Abd al-Baaqi edition). This sin combines two
haraam deeds, that of sacrificing to anything other than Allaah and
that of sacrificing in the name of anything other than Allaah, both
of which make the meat of the animal slaughtered haraam. One of the
forms of sacrificing to anything other than Allaah which was known
during the first Jaahiliyyah and is still widespread nowadays is the
practice of "offering a sacrifice to the jinn," whereby upon buying
or constructing a house, or digging a well, people slaughter an
animal at its entrance, out of fear of harm from the resident jinn.
(See Tayseer al-'Azeez al-Hameed, al-Iftaa' edition, p. 158)

Another widespread form of al-shirk al-akbar is the sin of

allowing what Allaah has forbidden and forbidding what Allaah has
allowed, or believing that anyone has the right to do so except
Allaah, or referring matters for judgement to jaahili (non-Islamic)
courts freely and by choice, and believing that this is permissible.
Allaah has mentioned this form of major kufr in the Qur'aan
(interpretation of the meaning):

"They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to
their lords besides Allaah (by obeying them in things which they made
lawful or unlawful according to their own desires without being
ordered by Allaah). . ." [al-Tawbah 9:31]

When `Adiyy ibn Haatim heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) recite this aayah, he said, "But they were not
worshipping them." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) replied, "Yes, but they permitted things that Allaah had
forbidden, and the people accepted this, and they forbade things that
Allaah had allowed, and the people accepted this too, and this is a
form of worshipping them." (Reported by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-
Kubraa, 10/116. See also al-Tirmidhi, no. 3095. Al-Albaani classified
it as hasan in Ghaayat al-Maraam, p. 19).

Allaah described the mushrikeen as (interpretation of the
meaning): ". . . [those who do not] forbid that which has been
forbidden by Allaah and His Messenger and those who acknowledge not
the religion of truth . . ." [al-Tawbah 9:29]

And Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning): "Say: `Tell me, what
provision Allaah has sent down to you, and you have made of it lawful
and unlawful.' Say: `Has Allaah permitted you (to do so), or do you
invent a lie against Allaah?'" [Yoonus 10:59]

Other widespread forms of shirk are:

magic, fortune-telling and divination. Magic (sihr) is an act of
kufr, and one of the seven sins which doom a person to Hell. It
causes harm but no benefit. Allaah says of the one who learns it
(interpretation of the meaning):

". . . And they learn that which harms them and profits them
not . . ." [al-Baqarah 2:102]

". . . and the magician will never be successful, no matter what
amount (of skill) he may attain)." [Ta-Ha 20:69]

The one who deals in magic is a kaafir, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

". . . Sulayman did not disbelieve, but the shayaateen (devils)
disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things as came down at
Babylon to the two angels, Haaroot and Maaroot, but neither of these
two (angels) taught anyone (such things) things till they had
said, `We are only for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this
magic from us).' . . ." [al-Baqarah 2:102]

The prescribed punishment for the one who practices magic is death,
and his income is haraam and impure. But people who are ignorant
wrongdoers and weak in faith go to magicians to help them harm
someone or take revenge on someone. Some people commit the sin of
going to a magician to ask his help in undoing the magic of someone
else, when they should turn to Allaah to help them and heal them, by
reciting His words, such as the soorahs that offer protection (al-
Falaq and al-Naas), and so on.

Fortune-tellers and their ilk are kaafirs who disbelieve in Allaah,
because they claim knowledge of the Unseen, but no one has knowledge
of the Unseen except Allaah. Many of these fortune-tellers take
advantage of simple-minded people and take their money. They use many
methods such as drawing lines in the sand, throwing sea-shells,
reading palms, teacups (or coffee cups), crystal balls and mirrors,
and so on. If they get it right one time, they get it wrong ninety-
nine times, but ignorant people remember only the one time when these
liars get something right. They go to them to find out about the
future, whether they will be successful in marriage or business, or
to help them find something they have lost, and so on. The ruling
concerning the person who visits a fortune-teller is: if he believes
what he says, he is a kaafir who has left Islaam, on the basis of the
hadeeth in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Whoever goes to a fortune-teller or a soothsayer and
believes in what he says has disbelieved in what was revealed to
Muhammad." (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 2/429; see also Saheeh al-
Jaami', 5939). If a person does not believe that they have knowledge
of the Unseen, but he goes out of curiosity or whatever, he is not a
kaafir, but his prayers will not be accepted for forty days, as the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever
goes to a fortune-teller and asks him about something, his prayers
will not be accepted for forty nights" (Saheeh Muslim, 4/1751) - even
though it is still obligatory to pray and to repent for this sin.

Astrology, or believing that the stars and planets have an influence
on people's lives and events.

Zayd ibn Khaalid al-Juhani reported: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led us in the morning prayer at
al-Hudaybiyah after rain had fallen during the night. When he had
finished, he turned around to face the people and said: `Do you know
what your Lord says?' They said, `Allaah and His Messenger know
best.' He said: `[Allaah says]: This morning one of My slaves became
a believer in Me and one became a disbeliever. As for the one who
said, "We have been given rain by the grace and mercy of Allaah," he
is a believer in Me and a disbeliever in the stars; as for the one
who said, "We have been given rain by such-and-such a star," he is a
disbeliever in Me and a believer in the stars.'" (Reported by al-
Bukhaari; see Fath al-Baari, 2/333)

Similarly, the one who reads the horoscopes in newspapers and
magazines and believes what they say about the influence of the stars
and planets is a mushrik, and the one who reads them for
entertainment is a sinner, because it is not permitted to entertain
oneself by reading things that contain shirk, because Shaytaan will
try to lead him to shirk through this.

Yet another form of shirk is believing that certain things can bring
benefit when the Creator has not made them so. For example. some
people believe in amulets and spells, or wearing certain types of
pearls or seashells or metal earrings and so on, on the advice of
fortune-tellers or magicians or in accordance with inherited customs.
So they hang them around their own or their children's necks to ward
off the evil eye - or so they claim; or they tie them onto their
bodies or hang them in their cars and homes, or wear rings with
special stones, thinking that these things can relieve or ward off
distress. This without a doubt is contrary to the idea of relying on
Allaah, and will only result in making a person even more weak, like
seeking medicine in a haraam way. These amulets obviously contain
much shirk, such as seeking the help of some jinns and devils, or
vague drawings and illegible writing. Some of these liars even write
aayaat from the Qur'aan, or mix them with words of shirk, or write
them with impure substances such as menstrual blood. Hanging up these
amulets or tying them to one's body is haraam because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever hangs up
an amulet is guilty of shirk." (Reported by Ahmad, 4/156; see also
Silsilat al-Saheehah, no. 492).

If the one who does this believes that these things can cause benefit
or harm instead of Allaah, he is a mushrik who is guilty of al-shirk
al-akbar. If he believes that they are a means of causing benefit or
harm, then he is a mushrik who is guilty of al-shirk al-asghar, which
includes shirk that consists of attributing causes to things other
than Allaah.

Showing off in worship: among the conditions for any good deed to be
acceptable are that it should be free of any kind of showing off and
within the framework of the Sunnah. The person who performs acts of
worship, like praying, in order to be seen by other people is a
mushrik and his deed is unacceptable. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):

"Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allaah, but it is He Who
deceives them. And when they stand up for prayer, they stand with
laziness and to be seen of men, and they do not remember Allaah but
little." [al-Nisaa' 4:142]

Similarly, the person who does a good deed so that news of it will
reach other people has also fallen into the sin of shirk. The threat
of punishment for the one who does this was reported in the hadeeth
narrated by Ibn `Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him and his
father), in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Whoever does things to be seen and heard by others,
Allaah will cause him to be seen and heard as an example to others."
(Reported by Muslim, 4/2289). Whoever does any act of worship for the
sake of Allaah and other people, his deeds will be unacceptable, as
is stated in the hadeeth qudsi: "I am so self-sufficient that I am in
no need of having an associate. Thus he who does a deed for someone
else's sake as well as Mine will have that deed renounced by Me to
him who he associated with Me." (Reported by Muslim, no. 2985).

It may happen that a person starts to do a deed for the sake of
Allaah, then the urge to show off comes over him. If he resists that
impulse his deed will still be acceptable, but if he submits
willingly to it, then in the opinion of most of the scholars his deed
will be unacceptable.



Superstitious belief in omens: this is a form of pessimism, as Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):

"But whenever good came to them, they said, `Ours is this.' And if
evil afflicted them, they ascribed it to evil omens connected with
Musa and those with him . . ." [al-A'raaf 7:131]

Before Islam, if one of the Arabs wanted to do something like
travelling, he would take hold of a bird and release it: if it flew
to the right, he would take this as a good omen and proceed with his
plans, but if it flew to the left, he would take it as a bad omen and
cancel his plans. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) gave his verdict on this practice when he said: "Al-Tiyarah
(observing birds for omens) is shirk." (Reported by Imaam Ahmad,
1/389; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 3955).

This kind of haraam belief that goes against Tawheed also includes
the practice of regarding certain times etc., as inauspicious, such
as not holding a wedding in Safar, or regarding the last Wednesday of
every month as a day of evil omen and ongoing calamity, or believing
that numbers such as 13, or certain names, are "unlucky." It is also
haraam to believe that handicapped people are bad omens, such as
going to open one's store but turning back upon seeing a one-eyed
man. All of this is haraam and is part of the shirk for which the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) disowned
people. `Imraan ibn Husayn reported that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "He is not one of us who
observes birds for omens or has someone else do this for him, or who
predicts the future or asks someone else to do it for him, (and I
think he said) or who practices magic or asks someone else to do it
for him." (Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 18/162; see also
Saheeh al-Jaami' 5435).

The expiation required from the person who commits any of these sins
is reported in the hadeeth reported by Abdullaah ibn `Amr: "The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: `Whoever was turned away from doing something because of a bad
omen is guilty of shirk.' The people asked, `O Messenger of Allaah,
what expiation is there for doing that?' He said, `That he should
say: "O Allaah, there is no goodness except Your goodness and no omen
except your omen and there is no god but You."'" (Reported by Imaam
Ahmad, 2/220; al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1065).

Pessimism is a part of everyone's nature, to a greater or lesser
extent; the best cure for it is reliance upon Allaah (tawakkul), as
Ibn Mas'ood said: "There is no one among us (who will not feel
pessimistic sometimes), but when we rely on Allaah, He makes that
feeling go away." (Reported by Abu Dawud, no. 3910; see also al-
Silsilah al-Saheehah, 430).

Swearing by something other than Allaah: Allaah may swear by whatever
of His creatures He wills, but His creatures are not permitted to
swear by anything other than Allaah. Many people swear all kinds of
oaths by things other than Allaah, but swearing by something is like
glorifying it, and it is not right to glorify anything or anyone
other than Allaah. Ibn `Umar reported that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah has prohibited that
you should swear by your fathers. If anyone swears, let him swear by
Allaah, or else remain silent." (Reported by al-Bukhaari; see al-
Fath, 11/530). Ibn `Umar also reported that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever swears by something
other than Allaah is guilty of shirk." (Reported by Imaam Ahmad,
2/125; see Saheeh al-Jaami', 6204). The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever swears by trustworthiness is
not one of us." (Reported by Abu Dawud 3253; see also al-Silsilah al-
Saheehah, no. 94).

It is not permitted to swear by the Ka'bah, by trustworthiness, by
honour, by help, by the blessing of so-and-so, by the life of so-and-
so, by the virtue of the Prophet, by the virtue of a wali, by one's
father and mother, by the heads of one's children, etc. All of that
is haraam, and the expiation for doing it is to say La ilaaha ill-
Allaah, as is stated in the saheeh hadeeth: "Whoever swears and
says `By al-Laat' or `By al-'Uzza,' let him say `La ilaaha ill-Allaah
(there is no god except Allaah).'" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath,
11/536). There are other phrases that similarly involve shirk and are
therefore forbidden, but that are often spoken by Muslims, such
as: "I seek refuge with Allaah and with you," "I am depending on
Allaah and on you," "This is from Allaah and from you," "I have no-
one but Allaah and you," "I have Allaah in heaven and I have you on
earth," "If it were not for Allaah and so-and-so," "I disown
Islaam," "Time has let me down" (and every other expression which
involves cursing time, like saying, "This is a bad time," "This is an
unlucky time," "Time is a betrayer," etc., because cursing time is an
insult to Allaah Who has created time), references to "Nature's way."
Names that imply being a slave of anyone other than Allaah, such
as `Abd `al-Maseeh, `Abd al-Nabi, `Abd al-Rasool and `Abd al-Husayn,
are also forbidden.

There are also modern expressions which are contrary to Tawheed and
are therefore haraam, such as "Islamic socialism," "Islamic
democracy," "The will of the people is the will of Allaah," "Religion
is for Allaah and the land is for the people," "In the name of
Arabism," "In the name of the revolution," etc.

It is also haraam to use titles such as "King of kings" or "Judge of
judges" for human beings; to address munafiqeen or kuffaar with
titles like "Sayyid (master)" (whether speaking Arabic or other
languages), to use the words "If only..." - which imply discontent
and regret, and open the way for Shaytaan, and to say "O Allaah,
forgive me if You want to." (For more information, see Mu'jam al-
Manahi al-Lafziyyah, Bakr or Zayd)



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Sitting with hypocrites and wrongdoers to enjoy their company or to
keep them company: Many of those who do not have strong faith
deliberately sit with people who are immoral and sinful. They may
even sit with those who attack the Sharee'ah and make fun of Islam
and the people who adhere to it strictly. There is no doubt that this
is a forbidden deed, one which could undermine a person's belief.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And when you see those who engage in a false conversation about Our
Verses by mocking at them, stay away from them till they turn to
another topic. And if Shaytaan causes you to forget, then after the
remembrance sit not in the company of those people who are the
zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers, etc.)" [al-An'aam 6:68]

In that case it is not permitted to sit with them, even if they are
closely-related or are very kind and good company, except for the
purposes of da'wah or refuting their false talk. But accepting and
remaining quiet about their conduct is not permitted. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

"They (the hypocrites) swear to you (Muslims) that you may be pleased
with them, but if you are pleased with them, certainly Allaah is not
pleased with the people who are al-faasiqoon (rebellious, disobedient
to Allaah)." [al-Tawbah 9:96]



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Lack of composure in prayer: one of the worst forms of theft or
cheating is cheating in prayer. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The worst type of thief is
the one who steals from his prayer." The people asked, "O Messenger
of Allaah, how can a person steal from his prayer?" He said: "By not
doing rukoo' and sujood properly." (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 5/310;
see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 997). This lack of composure and failure
to pause in rukoo' and sujood and to stand up straight after rukoo'
or sit up properly between sujoods may be observed in many of those
who pray, and hardly any mosque is free of examples of people who do
not have the proper composure in prayer. Correct composure is one of
the pillars of prayer, without which prayer is invalid. This is a
serious matter. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "A man's prayer is not good enough until his back is
straight in rukoo' and sujood." (Reported by Abu Dawud, 1/533; see
also Saheeh al-Jaami', 7224). There is no doubt that lacking the
proper composure is bad, and the person who is guilty of this
deserves to be reprimanded and threatened with punishment.
Abu `Abdullaah al-Ash'ari reported that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) led his Companions in prayer, then
he sat with a group of them. A man came in and started to pray, but
made his movements rapid like a chicken pecking the ground. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Do you see
this? Whoever dies having done this has died outside of the community
of Muhammad, and his prayer is like a crow pecking blood. The person
who bows then pecks in his sujood is like a hungry man who eats no
more than one or two dates - what good will that do him?" (Reported
by Ibn Khuzaymah in his Saheeh 1/332; see also al-Albaani, Sifat
Salaat al-Nabi (The Prophet's Prayer described), 131). Zayd ibn Wahb
said: "Hudhayfah saw a man who was not performing rukoo' and sujood
properly. He said: `You have not prayed, and if you were to die, you
would die on a way other than that revealed by Allaah to Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).'" (Reported by al-
Bukhaari, see al-Fath, 2/274). Once a person is aware of this ruling,
if he fails to perform prayer with the proper composure, he should
repeat it and repent to Allaah for what is past; he does not need to
repeat all of his previous prayers, as is indicated by the
hadeeth "Repeat your prayer, for you have not prayed."

Fidgeting and making unnecessary movements in prayer:

Hardly any of the people who pray are free from this problem, because
they are not following the command of Allaah (interpretation of the
meaning): ". . . And stand before Allaah with obedience" [al-Baqarah
2:238]; and they fail to understand the words of Allaah
(interpretation of the meaning): "Successful indeed are the
believers, those who offer their salaat with all solemnity and full
submissiveness." [al-Mu'minoon 23:1-2]

When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
asked about smoothing the earth before prostrating, he said, "Do not
wipe it when you are praying; if you have to, then just smooth the
gravel once." (Reported by Abu Dawud, 1/581; see also Saheeh al-
Jaami', 7452). The scholars mentioned that continuous, excessive,
unnecessary movement invalidates one's prayer. How can those fidgets
stand before Allaah, looking at their watches, straightening their
clothes, putting their fingers in their noses, looking to the right
and the left and up to the sky, and not fearing that Allaah may take
away their sight or Shaytaan may steal their prayer??

Deliberately anticipating the movements of the imaam (when praying in
congregation):

Man is hasty by nature, as it says in the Qur'aan (interpretation of
the meaning): ". . . and man is ever hasty . . ." [al-Israa' 17:11].
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Deliberation is from Allaah and haste is from Shaytaan."
(Reported by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra, 10/104; see also al-
Silsilah, 1795). One often notices, when praying in congregation,
people to the left and right anticipating the imaam in rukoo', sujood
and the takbeeraat that signal changes in position - one even notices
it in oneself too, sometimes. People may even precede the imaam in
giving salaam at the end of the prayer. This is a matter which may
appear unimportant to many, but the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) issued a stern warning when he said: "Does the
person who raises his head before the imaam not fear that Allaah may
turn his head into the head of a donkey?" (Reported by Muslim, 1/320-
321). If a person is required to come to the prayer with dignity and
composure, how then should he be during the prayer itself? Some
people are confused about this issue and seek to compensate by
delaying their movements after the imaam; these people should know
that the fuqahaa', may Allaah have mercy on them, have described an
excellent way to control the matter, which is that the person
following the imaam should only start his movements after the imaam
has finished pronouncing the ra' ("r") of "Allaahu akbar"; then the
person following the imaam is permitted to move, and not before or
after. The Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) used to be very keen to avoid anticipating his movements
when he led them in prayer. One of them, al-Baraa' ibn `Aazib (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said that they used to pray behind the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "When he raised
his head from rukoo', I would never see anyone bending his back in
sujood until the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) had placed his forehead on the ground, then everyone
would go down in sujood behind him." (Reported by Muslim, no.
474, `Abd al-Baaqi edition). When the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) grew older, and became rather slow in his
movements, he told the people praying behind him: "O people, I have
gained weight, so do not anticipate me in performing rukoo' and
sujood." (Reported by al-Bayhaqi, 2/93 and classified as hasan in
Irwaa' al-Ghaleel, 2/290). The imaam is obliged to follow the Sunnah
in making takbeer when he prays, as reported in the hadeeth narrated
by Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him): "When the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood up to
pray, he would say takbeer when he stood up and when he bowed . . .
then he would say takbeer when he went down for sujood and when he
raised his head, then when he went down for sujood again and when he
raised his head again. Then he would repeat this throughout the whole
prayer until it was finished, and he would say takbeer when he stood
up after completing two rak'ahs." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, no. 756,
al-Baghaa edition). If the imaam pronounces takbeer at the same time
as he makes the movements, and the people following him strive to
follow the guidelines mentioned here, then they will have performed
the congregational prayer correctly.

Coming to the mosque after eating onions or garlic, or anything that
has an offensive smell:

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "O Children of Adam!
Take your adornment (by wearing your clean clothes) while
praying . . ." [al-A'raaf 7:31]. Jaabir said: "The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: `Whoever
eats garlic or onions, let him keep away from us,' or `let him keep
away from our mosque and stay in his house.'" (Reported by al-
Bukhaari, see al-Fath, 2/339). According to a report narrated by
Muslim, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Whoever eats onions or garlic or leeks, let him not come near
our mosque, because the angels will be offended by what is offensive
to the sons of Adam." (Reported by Muslim, no. 1/395). `Umar ibn al-
Khattaab addressed the people one Friday and said: "O people, you eat
two things that I think come from bad plants: onions and garlic. I
saw the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), when he noticed this smell coming from a man in the mosque,
order him to go out to al-Baqee'. Whoever wants to eat these things,
let him cook them to death." (Reported by Muslim, 1/396).

We might also include here those who come to the mosque straight from
work, with unpleasant odours emanating from their armpits and socks.
Even worse than these are smokers who have the habit of consuming
their haraam cigarettes then coming to the mosque and disturbing the
worshippers of Allaah, people and angels alike, with their smell.



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Zinaa - fornication and adultery:

One of the aims of Islamic sharee'ah is to preserve honour and
lineage, so zinaa (unlawful sexual intercourse) is forbidden. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And come not near to unlawful sexual intercourse. Verily it is a
faahishah (a great sin) and an evil way (that leads to Hell unless
Allaah forgives)" [al-Israa' 17:32]

Sharee'ah blocks all the ways and means that could lead to zinaa, by
enjoining hijaab and lowering the gaze, and by forbidding being alone
with a non-mahram woman, etc.

The married man who commits adultery deserves the worst kind of
punishment, which is stoning to death, so that he may taste the
results of his deeds and so that every part of his body may suffer
just as every part of his body enjoyed the illicit liaison. The
fornicator who was previously unmarried is to be punished with the
maximum number of lashes mentioned in sharee'ah, which is 100 lashes,
in addition to the scandal of this punishment being witnessed by a
group of believers, and the humiliation of being banished from his
city and the scene of his crime for one full year.

In Barzakh, the punishment for men and women who were guilty of zinaa
is that they will be in an oven whose top is narrow and whose bottom
is wide, with a fire beneath it, and they will be naked therein. When
the heat of the fire increases, they will scream and rise up until
they nearly come out of the top, then when the fire decreases, they
will fall back down. This will repeated over and over until the onset
of the Hour.

What is even worse is when a man continues to commit adultery even
when he grows old, death approaches and Allaah gives him the
opportunity to repent. Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There are three to whom
Allaah will not speak on the Day of Resurrection, nor praise, nor
look at; theirs will be a painful torment: an old man who commits
zinaa, a king who lies, and a poor man who is arrogant." (Reported by
Muslim, 1/102-103). Among the worst of incomes is the earnings of a
prostitute which she takes before committing zinaa, and the immoral
woman who earns her living by selling herself is deprived of having
her prayers answered when the gates of heaven are opened at midnight.
(The hadeeth is in Saheeh al-Jaami', 2971) Being in need or being
poor are not acceptable excuses for transgressing the limits set by
Allaah. There is an old saying that the free woman would rather
starve than eat by displaying her breasts, so how about her private
parts then?

Nowadays all the doors of immorality have been opened, and Shaytaan
and his supporters have made it very easy for people to commit sin.
This has been followed by the spread of tabarruj (wanton display) and
unveiling among women, people allowing their gazes to wander to
things they should not look at, an increase in mixing between the
sexes, the popularity of immoral magazines and lewd films, increased
travel to corrupt countries and the establishment of a market for
prostitution, an increase in the violation of honour, and an increase
in the number of illegitimate births and abortions.

O Allaah, we ask you to show us Your mercy and to protect us from
immorality; we ask You to purify our hearts and to keep our private
parts chaste, and to place a barrier between us and what is haraam.

Sodomy (Homosexuality):

Sodomy, or intercourse between two males, was the crime of the people
of Lut. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And (remember) Lut, when he said to his people: `You commit al-
faahishah (sodomy - the worst sin) which none has preceded you in
(committing) among the `aalameen (mankind and jinns). Verily, you
commit sodomy with men, and rob the wayfarer, and practise al-munkar
(disbelief, polytheism and every kind of evil deed) in your
meetings.' . . ." [al-'Ankaboot 29:29].

Because of the repulsive nature and enormity of this sin, Allaah
inflicted four kinds of punishment which He had never before
inflicted in combination upon any other people; they were: these
people would be blinded, their city would be turned upside-down,
stones of baked clay, piled up, would be rained down upon them, and
an awful cry would be sent upon them.

In Islam, those guilty of this crime are to be killed by the sword,
according to the soundest opinion. This punishment is to carried out
on both the one who does this and the one to whom it is done, if it
is done freely and by choice. Ibn `Abbaas reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whomever you find
committing the sin of the people of Lut, kill them - both the one who
does it and the one to whom it is done." (Reported by Imaam Ahmad,
1/300; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 6565). The modern-day spread of
incurable diseases like the killer AIDS caused by this corruption,
that were unknown to our predecessors, is an indication of the wisdom
of the Sharee'ah in prescribing this severe punishment.

Not allowing one's husband to have marital relations for no
legitimate reason

Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "If a man
calls his wife to his bed, and she refuses, and he goes to sleep
angry with her, the angels will curse her until morning." (Reported
by al-Bukhaari; see al-Fath, 6/314).

Many women, when they have an argument with their husbands, "punish"
them - so they think - by denying them their marital rights. This may
result in major corruption if the husband is tempted to do something
haraam, or it may backfire on the wife if the husband starts to think
seriously of taking another wife.

A wife should hasten to respond to her husband's call if he wants
her, in obedience to the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him): "If a man calls his wife to his bed, let her
respond, even if she is riding on the back of a camel (i.e., very
busy)." (See Zawaa'id al-Bazzaar, 2/181; see also Saheeh al-Jaami',
547).

At the same time, the husband must show consideration towards his
wife if she is sick, pregnant or depressed, so as to maintain harmony
and prevent discontent or hatred.

Asking one's husband for a divorce for no legitimate reason

Many women hasten to demand a divorce from their husbands for the
least little argument, or if their husbands do not give them what
they want of money. Some women may be egged on by troublemakers among
their relatives or neighbours to challenge their husbands with
provocative words such as: "If you were a real man, you would divorce
me!" The dire results of divorce are well known: breakdown of the
family and children roaming the streets. A person may come to regret
divorce when it is too late. For all these reasons and others, the
Sharee'ah wisely prohibited such actions. Thawbaan (may Allaah be
pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Any woman who asks her husband for a
divorce with no sound reason will be deprived of smelling the
fragrance of Paradise." (Reported by Ahmad, 5.277; see also Saheeh al-
Jaami', 2703). `Uqbah ibn `Aamir (may Allaah be pleased with him)
reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Woman who ask for divorce and women who contend unnecessarily
with their husbands are hypocrites." (Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-
Kabeer, 17/339; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 1934). But if there is a
sound reason, such as the husband abandoning prayer, drinking or
taking drugs, or forcing his wife to do something haraam, or
oppressing her and making her suffer by denying her the rights
granted to her by Islaam, and he does not listen to advice to mend
his ways, then in this case there is nothing wrong with a woman
seeking divorce for her own sake and for the sake of her religion.



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Zihaar:

One of the expressions of the first Jaahiliyyah that is still
widespread in this ummah is the phenomenon of zihaar, whereby a man
says to his wife, "You are to me like the back of my mother," or "You
are as forbidden for me as my sister," and other similarly ugly
statements whose repulsive nature was confirmed by the Sharee'ah,
because of the oppression of women involved. Allaah referred to this
in the Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning):

"Those among you who make their wives unlawful to them by saying to
them, `You are like my mother's back,' they cannot be their mothers.
None can be their mothers except those who gave them birth. And
verily, they utter an ill word and a lie. And verily, Allaah is Oft-
Pardoning, Oft-Forgiving." [al-Mujaadilah 58:2]

The Sharee'ah has imposed a heavy penalty (kafaarah) for this crime,
similar to that required for killing a person by mistake or for
having intercourse during the day in Ramadaan; the person who has
committed zihaar is not permitted to approach his wife until he has
paid this penalty. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And those who make unlawful to them (their wives) (by zihaar), and
wish to free themselves from what they uttered, (the penalty) in that
case (is) the freeing of a slave before they touch each other. That
is an admonition to you (so that you may not return to such an ill
thing). And Allaah is All-Aware of what you do.

And he who finds not (the money for freeing a slave) must fast two
successive months before they both touch each other. And for him who
is unable to do so, he should feed sixty miskeen (poor). That is in
order that you may have perfect Faith in Allaah and His Messenger.
And for disbelievers, there is a painful torment."

[al-Mujaadilah 58:3-4]

Having intercourse with one's wife during her period

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: that is an adhaa (a
harmful thing for a husband to have sexual intercourse with his wife
while she is having her menses), therefore keep away from women
during menses and go not unto them till they have purified (from
menses and have taken a bath) . . ." [al-Baqarah 2:222]

So a man is not permitted to approach his wife until her period has
ended and she has taken a bath (ghusl). Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):

". . . And when they have purified themselves, then go in unto them
as Allaah has ordained for you . . . " [al-Baqarah 2:222]

The repulsive nature of this sin is indicated by the words of the
Prophet (pace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "Whoever has
intercourse with a menstruating women, or with a woman in her rectum,
or goes to a fortune-teller, has disbelieved in what was revealed to
Muhammad." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi from Abu Hurayrah, 1/243; see
also Saheeh al-Jaami', 5918).

Whoever does this by mistake, not deliberately, does not have to pay
any penalty, but the person who does it deliberately and with full
knowledge of what he is doing must pay the penalty, which according
to the scholars with the soundest knowledge is one dinar or half a
dinar. Some scholars say that there is a choice in the amount to be
paid; others say that if a man has intercourse with his wife at the
beginning of her period, when the flow of blood is heavy, he must pay
one dinar, and if he does it at the end of her period when the flow
is light, he must pay half a dinar. In modern terms, a dinar is equal
to 25.4 grams of gold: this or the equivalent amount of currency must
be given in charity.

Having intercourse with one's wife in her rectum

Some perverted people who have little faith do not hesitate to have
intercourse with a woman in her rectum (the place from which
excrement emerges). This is a major sin, and the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed the one who does this. Abu
Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "He is cursed, the
one who has intercourse with a woman in her rectum." (Reported by
Imaam Ahmad, 2/479; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 5865). Indeed, the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever
has intercourse with a menstruating women, or with a woman in her
rectum, or goes to a fortune-teller, has disbelieved in what was
revealed to Muhammad." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi from Abu Hurayrah,
1/243; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 5918). Although there are many
righteous and sensible women who refuse to do this, there are many
husbands who threaten their wives with divorce if they do not comply.
Some husbands even deceive their wives who my be too shy to ask a
scholar about this matter; they tell them that this is halaal, and
they may even misquote the Qur'aan to support their claim
(interpretation of the meaning): "You wives are a tilth for you, so
go to your tilth when or how you will . . ." [al-Baqarah 2:223]. But
it is well-known that the Sunnah explains the Qur'aan, and the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated that it is
permitted to have intercourse with one's wife in whatever way one
wishes, approaching from the front or the back, so long as
intercourse is in the place from which a child is born (the vagina);
it is obvious that the anus, from which excrement is produced, is not
the place from which a child is born. One of the reasons for this
crime is the fact that many people enter what should be a clean and
pure married life with an inheritance of dirty, haraam, jaahili,
perverted practices, or memories filled with scenes from lewd movies
for which they have not repented to Allaah. It is also well known
that this deed is haraam even if both parties consent to it; mutual
consent to a haraam deed does not make it halaal.



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Not treating co-wives fairly

One of the things that Allaah has enjoined in His Book is fair
treatment of co-wives. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"You will never be able to do perfect justice between wives even if
it is your ardent desire, so do not incline too much to one of them
(by giving her more of your time and provision) so as to leave the
other hanging (i.e., neither divorced nor married). And if you do
justice, and do all that is right and fear Allaah by keeping away
from all that is wrong, then Allaah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful." [al-Nisaa' 4:129]

The justice that is required here is a fair division of nights, and
the giving of each wife her rights as regards spending and clothing.
This does not refer to emotions or love, because man has no control
over his feelings. But some people, when they marry more than one
wife, favour one and neglect the other, spending more time with one
wife and spending more on her, and ignoring the other. This is
haraam, and the person who does this will come on the Day of
Resurrection in the condition described by the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the hadeeth narrated by Abu
Hurayrah: "Whoever has two wives and gives one of them preferential
treatment, he will come on the Day of Resurrection with half of his
body leaning." (Narrated by Abu Dawud, 2/601; see also Saheeh al-
Jaami', 6491).



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Being alone with a non-mahram woman

Shaytaan is always keen to tempt people and make them commit haraam
deeds. For this reason, Allaah warned us (interpretation of the
meaning):

"O you who believe! Follow not the footsteps of Shaytaan. And
whosoever follows the footsteps of Shaytaan, then, verily he commands
al-fahshaa' (indecency) and al-munkar (evil deeds) . . ." [al-Noor
24:21]

Shaytaan runs through the veins of mankind like blood, and one of the
ways in which he induces people to commit indecent acts is by leading
a man to be alone with a non-mahram woman. Islaam blocks this way by
forbidding such conduct, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "No man is alone with a (non-mahram) woman,
but Shaytaan will be the third among them." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi,
3/474; see also Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 3118). Ibn `Umar (may Allaah
be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "From this day on, no man
should enter upon a woman whose husband is absent unless there is
another man or two with him." (Reported by Muslim, 4/1711). It is not
permitted for a man to be alone in a house, room or car with a non-
mahram woman, including his brother's wife or a servant. Similarly a
female patient should not be alone with a doctor, and so on. Many
people are careless about this matter, whether because they trust
themselves or for some other reason, with the results that many
commit indecent acts or take the steps that lead to them, which in
turn results in the tragedies of confused lineage and illegitimate
births.

Shaking hands with a non-mahram woman

This is one of the cases where incorrect social customs have taken
precedence over the laws of Allaah, to such an extent that if you try
to talk to people and show them evidence that this is wrong, they
will accuse you of being backward, having a complex, trying to break
family ties, doubting their good intentions, etc. Shaking hands with
female cousins, brothers' wives and uncles' wives is now easier than
drinking water in our society, but if we look properly we will
understand the seriousness of the matter.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "If one
of you were to be stabbed in the head with an iron needle it would be
better for him than touching a woman whom he is not permitted to
touch." (Reported by al-Tabaraani, 20/212; see also Saheeh al-Jaami',
4921). There is no doubt that this is an act of zinaa, because the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The eyes
may commit zinaa, the hands may commit zinaa, the feet may commit
zinaa and the private parts may commit zinaa." (Reported by Imaam
Ahmad, 1/412; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 4921).

Is there anyone more pure in heart than Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him)? Yet still he said, "I do not shake hands with
women." (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 6/357; see also Saheeh al-Jaami',
7054, and al-Isaabah, 4/354, Daar al-Kitaab al-'Arabi edition). And
he said, "I do not touch the hands of women." (Reported by al-
Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 24/342; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 7054 and
al-Isaabah, 4/354, Dar al-Kutub al-'Arabi edition). `Aa'ishah (may
Allaah be pleased with her) said: "No, by Allaah, the hand of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never
touched the hand of a (non-mahram) woman. He received bay'ah (pledge
of allegiance) from them by word only." (Reported by Muslim, 3/489).
Let them fear Allaah, those people who threaten their pious wives
with divorce if they do not shake hands with their brothers.

We should also note that placing a barrier such as a piece of cloth
is of no use; it is still haraam to shake hands with a non-mahram
woman.

A woman wearing perfume when going out or passing by non-mahram men

This practice is widespread nowadays, despite the stern warning of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who
said: "Any woman who applies perfume and then goes out among the
people so that they could smell her fragrance is a zaaniyah
(adulteress)." (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 4/418; see also Saheeh al-
Jaami', 105). Some women are very careless and take the matter too
lightly, especially in front of drivers, shopkeepers, school porters,
etc., even though the Sharee'ah states very strictly that the woman
who wears perfume must wash herself like a person must wash when in a
state of janaanah (i.e., perform ghusl), if she wants to go out to
the mosque. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Any woman who wears perfume then goes out to the mosque, so
that the fragrance can be discerned, her prayers will not be accepted
until she performs ghusl like the ghusl to be performed when in a
state of janaabah." (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 2/444; see also Saheeh
al-Jaami', 2703).

We complain to Allaah about the bukhoor and `ood (types of incense)
used at weddings and women's parties before people leave, and the use
of strong-smelling perfumes in market-places, means of transportation
and mixed gatherings in the mosques even during the nights of
Ramadaan. Islaam tells us that women's perfume should be that which
has colour but little smell. We ask Allaah not to despise us and not
to punish righteous men and women for the deeds of foolish men and
women. May He guide us all to the Straight Path.



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A woman travelling without a mahram

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "It is not permitted for the woman who believes in Allaah and
the Last Day to travel one day's distance without the presence of a
mahram." (Reported by Muslim, 2/977). When a woman travels without a
mahram, this encourages corrupt people to prey on her because of her
weakness; at the very least, her honour will be harmed. This
prohibition applies also to a woman travelling by plane, even if - as
is often claimed - one mahram sees her off at one end and another
mahram meets her at the other. Who is going to sit next to her during
the journey? What if technical problems divert the plane to another
airport, or the flight is delayed? What if...? There are too many
stories of things that went wrong. For a person to be considered a
mahram, he must meet four conditions: he should be a Muslim, over the
age of puberty, of sound mind, and male.

Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: `No woman who believes in
Allaah and the Last Day should travel a distance of three days'
journey or more unless her father, son, husband, brother or other
mahram is with her." (Reported by Muslim, 2/977).



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Deliberately looking at a non-mahram woman

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at
forbidden things), and to protect their private parts (from illegal
sexual acts, etc.). That is purer for them. Verily, Allaah is All-
Aware of what they do." [al-Noor 24:30]

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The
adultery of the eyes is by looking" (i.e. by looking at what Allaah
has forbidden). (Reported by al-Bukhaari, see Fath al-Baari, 11/26).
Looking for a legitimate purpose is exempted from this rule, such as
looking at a woman for marriage purposes, or a doctor examining a
patient for medical reasons, etc. Women are equally forbidden to look
at non-mahram men, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at
forbidden things) and to protect their private parts (from illegal
sexual acts, etc.) . . ." [al-Noor 24:31]

Men are also forbidden to look with desire at a man with a hairless
or beautiful face. Men are forbidden to look at the `awrah of other
men, and women are forbidden to look at the `awrah of other women. If
it is forbidden to look at something, it is forbidden to touch it,
even over clothing. One of the ways in which Shaytaan deceives people
is by making them think that there is nothing wrong with looking at
pictures in magazines or watching movies, because what is seen is
not "real," even though such images clearly cause so much damage by
provoking desires.

Seeing one's womenfolk behaving in an immoral fashion and keeping
silent

Ibn `Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father) reported
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "There are three whom Allaah will deprive of Paradise: the one
who drinks intoxicants, the one who is disobedient to his parents,
and the one who accepts immoral conduct on the part of his family."
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 2/69; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 3047). One
of the many examples of this in modern times is men turning a blind
eye to their daughters or wives contacting non-mahram men and
chatting to them in a way that may be described as "romantic," or
accepting one of the women of his household being alone with a non-
mahram man, or allowing them to sit alone with a driver or other
employee, or letting them go out without proper hijaab, so that
everyone may look at them, or bringing home immoral magazines and
movies.



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Making false claims about a child's lineage, or denying one's own
child

According to Sharee'ah, it is not permissible for a Muslim to claim
to belong to anyone other than his father, or to claim to belong to a
people of whom he is not a member. Some people may do this for
material gains, and may obtain documentation to "confirm" their false
identity officially. Some people may do this out of hatred towards a
father who abandoned them when they were children. All of this is
haraam, and may lead to much chaos and corruption in a number of
fields, such as knowing who is one's mahram, marriage, inheritance
and so on. Sa'd and Abu Bakrah (may Allaah be pleased with them) both
reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Whoever knowingly claims to belong to anyone other than his
father, Paradise will be denied him." (Reported by al-Bukhaari; see
Fath al-Bari, 8/45). It is also forbidden to tamper with lineages or
make false claims about a person's descent. There are some people
who, when they want to fight dirty in arguments with their wives,
accuse them of immoral conduct and disown their children, without any
proof, when the child was born "in their bed" (i.e. is the husband's
child and no-one else's). Then there are some wives who betray their
trust and become pregnant with another man's child, but claim that it
belongs to the husband. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) issued a stern warning against such conduct. Abu Hurayrah
(may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that when aayat al-
mulaa'anah [al-Noor 24:7 - check] was revealed, the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The woman who brings into
a people someone who does not belong to them has nothing to do with
Allaah, and Allaah will not admit her to His Paradise. Any man who
denies his own child when he is looking at him, Allaah will conceal
Himself from him and expose him before all the people." (Reported by
Abu Dawud, 2/695; see also Mishkat al-Masaabeeh, 3316).



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Consuming riba (usury or interest)

In the Qur'aan, Allaah does not declare war on anyone except the
people who deal in riba (interpretation of the meaning):

"O you who believe! Be afraid of Allaah and give up what remains (due
to you) of riba (from now onward), if you are (really) believers. And
if you do not do it, then take a message of war from Allaah and His
Messenger." [al-Baqarah 2:278-279]

This is sufficient to explain the abhorrence of this deed in the
sight of Allaah, may He be glorified.

One may easily discern the extent of devastation, at the individual
and the international level, caused by dealing with riba - such as
bankruptcy, recession, economic stagnation, inability to repay loans,
high unemployment, collapse of many companies and institutions, etc.
Daily toil has become a never-ending struggle to pay off interest on
loans and societies have become class-ridden structures in which huge
wealth in concentrated in the hands of a few. Perhaps all this is a
manifestation of the war threatened by Allaah to those who deal in
riba.

Everyone who has something to do with riba, whether he is one of the
main parties involved or is a middleman or facilitator, has been
cursed by Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed "the one
who consumes riba, the one who gives it to others, the one who writes
it down and the one who witnesses it." He said: "They are all the
same." (Reported by Muslim, 3/1219). Based on this, it is not
permitted to do work that involves writing interest-based contracts
and conditions, paying or receiving riba, depositing it or guarding
it. Generally speaking, it is haraam to be directly or indirectly
involved with riba in any way, shape or form.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was keen to
explain the ugliness of this major sin. `Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood (may
Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There are seventy-three types
of riba, the least of which is as abhorrent as a man having
intercourse with his own mother and worst of which is [violating] a
Muslim's honor and sanctity. (Reported by al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak,
2/37); see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 3533). `Abdullah ibn Hanzalah (may
Allaah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Knowingly
consuming a dirham of riba is worse for a man than committing
adultery thirty-six times." (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 5/225; see also
Saheeh al-Jaami', 3375). The prohibition on riba does not just apply
to deals between rich and poor, as some people think; it is a general
prohibition that applies to every person and every situation. How
many rich people and big businessmen have gone bankrupt because of
riba! The least harm riba does is to destroy the blessing (barakah)
of the money, even if a person's wealth is great. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Even if riba is much, it
will end up being a small amount." (Reported by al-Haakim, 2/37; see
also Saheeh al-Jaami', 3542). This does not refer to whether the
ratio of interest is high or low; all riba is haraam, and the one who
deals with it will be raised up on the Day of Resurrection like the
one who stands beaten by Shaytaan resulting in insanity and epilepsy.

In spite of the enormity of this sin, Allaah has told us to repent
from it and has explained how. Allaah says to those who deal in riba
(interpretation of the meaning): ". . . but if you repent, you shall
have your capital sums. Deal not unjustly (by asking more than your
capital sums), and you shall not be dealt with unjustly (by receiving
less than your capital sums)." [al-Baqarah 2:279] This is
quintessential justice.

The believer must despise this major sin and feel its abhorrence,
even if he puts his money in interest-based banks because he has no
other choice and is afraid that his money may be lost or stolen
otherwise. He should feel that he is being compelled by necessity to
do this, like one who eats dead meat, or worse. At the same time, he
should seek the forgiveness of Allaah and try to find an alternative
if he can. He is not permitted to ask the bank for interest, and if
the bank deposits it in his account, he must get rid of it in
whatever way is permissible. This money cannot be counted as sadaqah
(charity), because Allaah is pure and accepts only that which is
pure. He cannot benefit from this money by using it to by food,
drink, clothing, transportation or housing; he cannot use it to
fulfil obligations such as spending on his wife, child or parents, or
to pay zakaat or taxes, or to defend himself in court. Rather, he
should just get rid of it, for fear of the wrath of Allaah.



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Concealing a product's faults at the time of sale

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) once passed
by a pile of food that was for sale. He put his hand in it and felt
dampness, so he asked, "What is this, O seller of the food?" He
said, "It was rained on, O Messenger of Allaah." The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Why don't you put it on
top, so that people can see it? Whoever deceives (the people) is not
one of us." (Reported by Muslim, 1/99).

There are many traders nowadays who do not fear Allaah, and try to
conceal faults by wrapping it in plastic [?], putting faulty produce
in the bottom of the box, using chemicals and the like to make a
product look good, or concealing noises in engines that may indicate
a fault - so that when the purchaser brings a product home, it soon
starts to wear out. Some traders change expiry dates, or prevent the
buyer from examining or trying out a product. Many of those who sell
cars or other types of equipment do not point out the product's
faults. All of this is haraam, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "The Muslim is the brother of his fellow
Muslim. The Muslim is not permitted to sell to his brother anything
which is faulty without pointing out the faults to him." (Reported by
Ibn Maajah, 2/754; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 6705). Some traders
even think that their responsibility ends when they tell buyers at an
auction, "I am selling a heap of metal, a heap of metal..." This is a
sale in which there is no blessing, as the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The two parties involved in a
sale have the choice (to end it - i.e. the sale is not final) until
they part. If both have been truthful and honest about any faults,
the sale will be blessed, but if they have lied and concealed any
faults, the blessing of the sale will be lost." (Reported by al-
Bukhaari; see al-Fath, 4/328).

Artificially inflating prices

This refers to the practice of artificially inflating the price with
no intention of buying, in order to deceive others, thus pushing them
to add more to the price they are offering. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Do not artificially inflate
prices." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, see Fath al-Baari, 10/484). This
is undoubtedly a form of deceit, and the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "Double-dealing and cheating will end in
Hell." (See Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Saheehah, 1057). Many salesmen
at auctions and in car salesrooms are earning unclean and haraam
income because of the many haraam things that they do, such as
conspiring to artificially inflate prices and deceive purchasers, or
to lower the price of one of their products, or conversely pretending
to be customers and raising the prices at auctions to deceive and
cheat.



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Trading after the second call to prayer on Friday

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "O you who believe! When
the call is proclaimed for the salaat (prayer) on the day of Friday
(Jumu'ah prayer), come to the remembrance of Allaah and leave off
business (and every other thing), that is better for you if you did
but know!" [al-Jumu'ah 62:9].

Some people continue trading in their stores and in front of the
mosque even after the second call to prayer; those who buy from them
also share in their guilt, even if they only buy a siwaak (natural
toothbrush). According to the soundest opinion, this sale is invalid.
Some owners of restaurants, bakeries and factories force their
employees to work at the time of Jumu'ah prayers; even if this leads
to an apparent increase in earnings, they will ultimately be losers
in reality. The employee is obliged to act in accordance with the
teaching of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him): "There is no obedience to a created being if it involves
disobedience to Allaah." (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 1/129; Ahmad
Shaakir said: its isnaad is saheeh, no. 1065).



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Gambling

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks),
gambling, al-ansaab (stone altars for sacrifices to idols, etc.), and
al-azlaam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of
Shaytaan's handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that abomination, in
order that you may be successful." [al-Maa'idah 5:90]

Gambling was very common during the Jaahiliyyah; in one of the most
well-known forms of gambling, ten people would buy a camel, each
paying an equal share, then they would throw down arrows - a form of
drawing lots. Seven people would win unequal shares and three would
be left empty-handed.

Nowadays there are many forms of gambling, including:

lotteries and raffles, in which people pay money to buy numbers, then
numbers are drawn for first prize, second prize, and so on for a
variety of prizes. This is haraam, even when it is supposedly done
for charity.

Buying a product which includes something unknown, or paying for a
number for a draw which will decide who gets what.

Another modern form of gambling is insurance, such as life insurance,
car insurance, product insurance, insurance against fire or theft,
third party insurance, comprehensive insurance, and so on. There are
so many types of insurance that some singers even insure their voices!

All of the above are forms of gambling. Nowadays there are even clubs
that are devoted exclusively to gambling, in which there are so-
called "green tables" (roulette tables) just for people to commit
this sin. Other forms of gambling include betting on horse races and
other sports, fruit-machines and the like in amusement centres, and
competitions in which the victors win prizes, as a group of scholars
have stated.



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Theft

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Cut off (from the wrist
joint) the (right) hand of the thief, male or female, as a recompense
for that which they have committed, a punishment by way of example
from Allaah. And Allaah is All-Powerful, All-Wise." [al-Maa'idah 5:38]

One of the worst forms of this sin is theft from the pilgrims who
come on Hajj and `Umrah to the Ancient House of Allaah. This kind of
thief has no respect for the limits set by Allaah in the best region
on earth and around the House of Allaah. In the report about Salaat
al-Kusoof (the eclipse prayer), it is reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Hell was brought
near, and that was when you saw me stepping backwards, because I
feared that its heat would touch me. I saw therein the man with the
crooked stick dragging his intestines in the Fire. He used to steal
from the hujjaaj (pilgrims) with his crooked stick. If they spotted
him, he would say `This got caught on my stick,' and if they did not
spot him, he would take whatever he had stolen . . ."

Another of the worst forms of theft is stealing from the public
purse. Some of those who do this say "We are only doing what others
do." They do not realize that what they are doing is effectively
stealing from all the Muslims, because the public purse belongs to
all the Muslims. Imitating those who do not fear Allaah is no excuse.
Some people steal from the wealth of the kuffaar on the grounds that
they are kuffaar, but this is wrong; the only kuffaar whose wealth we
are allowed to take away are those who are actively fighting the
Muslims, which does not apply to every kaafir individual or company.

Another form of theft is pick-pocketing, stealing something from a
person's pocket without him realizing. Some thieves enter people's
houses as visitors, and steal from them. Some steal from their
guests' bags. Some - including women - go into stores and hide things
in their pockets or under their clothing. Some think that the theft
of small or cheap items is of little consequence, but the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah has cursed
the thief who steals an egg and has his hand cut off, and the thief
who steals a rope and has his hand cut off." (Reported by al-
Bukhaari, see Fath al-Baari, 12/81).

Everyone who steals something must first repent to Allaah then return
the item to its rightful owner, whether openly or secretly, in person
or via a third party. If he fails to find the rightful owner or his
heirs after much effort, then he should give the property in charity,
with the intention that the reward should be given to the rightful
owner.



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Offering or accepting bribes

Giving a bribe to a qaadi or judge to make him turn a blind eye to
the truth or to make a false claim succeed is a sin, because it leads
to oppression and injustice for the person who is in the right, and
it spreads corruption. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And eat up not one another's property unjustly, not give bribery to
the rulers that you may knowingly eat up a part of the property of
others sinfully." [al-Baqarah 2:188]

Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah has
cursed those who give and accept bribes with regard to judging."
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 2/387; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 5069).
However, payments made in order to reach the truth or avert injustice
when there is no other way of doing so are not included in this
warning.

Bribery is so widespread nowadays that it more of a source of income
than the regular salary for some workers. Some companies even include
bribes as a factor in their budgets, under a variety of headings, and
some dealings cannot begin or end without the payment of a bribe.
Much harm is caused to the poor and many safeguards are broken
because of bribes. Bribery is a cause of corruption whereby employees
act against their employers, and one can only get good service if one
pays a bribe - the person who refuses to pay will get shoddy or late
service, and people who come after him but are willing to pay will be
served before him. Because of bribery, a great deal of money which is
due to employers ends up in the pockets of sales representatives and
those responsible for making company purchases. It is little wonder,
then that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
prayed to Allaah to deprive all those involved of His
Mercy. `Abdullah ibn `Amr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: `The curse of Allaah be upon the one who gives a bribe and the
one who accepts it." (Reported by Ibn Maajah, 2313; see also Saheeh
al-Jaami', 5114).



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Seizing land by force

When there is no fear of Allaah, strength and cunning are a disaster
because the one who possesses these qualities uses them to oppress
others, such as seizing other people's possessions, including their
land. The punishment for this is extremely severe. `Abdullaah
ibn `Umar reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "Whoever seizes any piece of land unlawfully, on the
Day of Resurrection Allaah will make the ground swallow him up to the
seventh depth of the earth." (Reported by al-Bukhaari; see al-Fath
5/103).

Ya'laa ibn Murrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Any man
who seizes a hand span of land, Allaah will tell him to dig it
(according to al-Tabaraani: to bring it) to the seventh depth of the
earth, then it will be placed around his neck on the Day of
Resurrection, until Allaah has finished judging mankind." (Reported
by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 22/270; see also Saheeh al-Jaami',
9/27).

This also includes changing landmarks and boundaries in order to make
one's own land bigger at the expense of a neighbour, as is indicated
by the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him): "Allaah has cursed the one who changes the boundary-markers of
the land." (Reported by Muslim, with commentary by al-Nawawi, 13/141).



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Accepting a gift in return for interceding

To have a position of high standing among people is one of the
blessings of Allaah to His slave, if he is grateful. One way in which
a person may give thanks for this blessing is by using his position
to benefit other Muslims. This is part of the general meaning of the
hadeeth: "Whoever among you is able to benefit his brother, then let
him do so." (Reported by Muslim, 4/1726). The person who uses his
position to benefit others by averting injustice or bringing some
good, without doing anything that is haraam or infringes on the
rights of others, will be rewarded by Allaah, so long as his
intention is sincere, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) told us: "Intercede, you will be rewarded." (Reported by
Abu Dawud, 5132; the hadeeth is also reported in al-Saheehayn, see
Fath al-Baari, 10/450, Kitaab al-adab, Baab ta'aawun al-mu'mineen
ba'duhum ba'dan).

It is not permitted to accept anything in return for this
intercession or mediation. Evidence for this may be seen in the
hadeeth narrated by Abu Umaamah (may Allaah be pleased with
him): "Whoever intercedes for someone then accepts a gift (in return
for it), has committed a serious type of riba." (Reported by Imaam
Ahmad, 5/261; see Saheeh al-Jaami', 6292).

Some people offer the opportunity to benefit from their position, in
return for a sum of money, in order to help someone get a job, or a
transfer from one office or area to another, or treatment for the
sick, etc. The soundest opinion is that this exchange is haraam,
because of the hadeeth of Abu Umaamah quoted above, whose apparent
meaning is that accepting such gifts is wrong, even if no agreement
was previously made. (From the spoken statements of 'Abd al-'Azeez
ibn Baaz). The reward which the doer of good will receive from Allaah
on the Day of Judgement should be sufficient. A man came to al-Hasan
ibn Sahl asking him to intercede for him in some matter, which he
did; then the man came to thank him. Al-Hasan ibn Sahl said to
him, "Why are you thanking us? We believe that zakaat is due on
positions of rank just as it is due on wealth." (Ibn Muflih, al-
Aadaab al-Shar'iyyah, 2/176).

It is worth pointing out here that there is a difference between
hiring someone to do legal paperwork for you and paying him wages in
return, which has to do with the legitimate hiring of labour, and
using a person's position to intercede for you in return for money,
which is haraam.



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Hiring someone and benefitting from his labour, then not paying him
his wages

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) encouraged
speedy payment of wages to people hired for their labour. He
said: "Give the hired man his wages before his sweat dries."
(Reported by Ibn Maajah, 2/817; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 1493).

One form of oppression or injustice that is common in Muslim
societies is the failure to give employees and workers their rights.
This takes many forms, for example:

Denying an employee's rights in totality, where the employee has no
proof of his rights. He may have lost his dues in this world, but he
will not lose them before Allaah on the Day of Resurrection. So the
oppressor who consumed the money due to the victim will be brought
forth, and his victim will be given some of his hasanaat in
compensation (i.e. some of the oppressor's good deeds will be added
to his victim's credit). If the hasanaat are not enough, some of the
victim's sayi'aat (bad deeds) will be added to the oppressor, then he
will be thrown into Hell.

Not giving the employee his full rights. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning): "Woe to al-Mutaffifeen [those who give less in
measure and weight (decrease the rights of others)]." [al-Mutaffifeen
83:1] One example of this is the action of some bosses who bring
workers from their homelands with a contract to pay a certain wage.
Once the people are committed and have started to work for him, he
goes and changes the contracts, altering them to state a lower wage
than the one actually agreed upon. The employees stay because they
have no choice and have no proof of their rights; all they can do is
complain to Allaah. If the employer is a Muslim and the employee is
not, this lowering of wages is a way of turning people away from the
Straight Path, and he will carry his sin.

Making the employee do extra work or put in longer hours, without
paying him overtime or giving him any more than the basic salary.

Some bosses delay payment of wages and pay up only after much
struggle, complaining, chasing and court cases. Their aim may be to
make the employee give up his claim to his rightful wages and stop
asking; or they may want to invest this money, perhaps by lending it
for interest. Meanwhile, the poor employee cannot buy his daily bread
or send anything home to his needy wife and children for whose sake
he left to work overseas. Woe to those oppressors on that painful
Day! Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah says: `There are three whom I will
oppose on the Day of Resurrection: a man who gives his word, swearing
by Me, then breaks it, a man who sells a free man into slavery and
keeps the money, and a man who hires another and benefits from his
labour, then does not pay him his wages." (Reported by al-Bukhaari,
see Fath al-Baari, 4/447).



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Not giving gifts equally to one's children

Some people show favouritism in the way they give gifts to some of
their children but not others. According to the soundest opinion,
doing this is haraam unless there is some legitimate reason, such as
one child being in greater need than the others due to sickness,
being in debt, being rewarded for having memorized the entire
Qur'aan, being unable to find a job, having a large family, being a
full-time student, etc. When a father gives something to one of his
children who is in need, he should have the intention to give
similarly to any other children of his should the need arise. General
proof of this principle may be seen in the aayah (interpretation of
the meaning): ". . . Be just: that is nearer to piety, and fear
Allaah . . ." [al-Maa'idah 5:8]. Specific evidence is found in the
report of al-Nu'maan ibn Basheer (may Allaah be pleased with him),
whose father brought him to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: "I have given this son of
mine a slave that I had." The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked him, "Did you give all your
children a similar gift?" He said, "No." The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Then take (the gift) back."
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, see al-Fath, 5/211). According to another
report, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Fear Allaah and be fair to your children," so he went away and
took his gift back. (al-Fath 5/211). According to a third report, he
said, "Do not ask me to be a witness, for I will not bear witness to
injustice." (Saheeh Muslim, 3/1243). Sons may be given twice as much
as daughters, as in the case of inheritance, according to Imaam
Ahmad, may Allaah have mercy on him (Abu Dawud, Masaa'il al-Imaam
Ahmad, 204; Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim explained this in more detail in his
footnotes). But there are some families where fathers do not fear
Allaah, and their favouritism creates hatred and jealousy among the
children. A father may give one child more because he looks like his
paternal uncles, and give less to another child because he looks like
his maternal uncles; or he may give more to the children of one wife
and less to the children of another wife; or he may put one wife's
children in private schools, but not the other wife's children. This
will ultimately backfire on him, because in most cases the one who is
deprived in this way will not respect his father or treat him kindly
in the future. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) asked the man who showed favouritism to one son, "Do you not
want all your children to respect you equally?" (Reported by Imaam
Ahmad, 4/269; see also Saheeh al-Jaami, 1623).



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Asking people for money when one is not in need

Sahl ibn al-Hanzaliyyah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported
that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Whoever asks people for money when he has what is
sufficient for him is only asking for more of the embers of Hell."
They asked him, "O Messenger of Allaah, what is sufficient so that he
does not have to ask for more?" He said: "Having enough to eat lunch
and dinner." (Reported by Abu Dawud, 2/281; see also Saheeh al-
Jaami', 6280). Ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported
that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Whoever asks the people for money when he has what is
sufficient for him will come on the Day of Judgement with scratches
and lacerations on his face." (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 1/388; see
also Saheeh al-Jaami', 6255). Some beggars come to the mosques,
interrupting people's worship with their complaints; some of them
lie, bringing forged papers and telling tall stories; some of them
distribute their family members around different mosques, then they
regroup and move on to other mosques. Some of these people may in
fact be well-off, to an extent which only Allaah knows; only when
they die do others find out what they have left behind. Meanwhile,
there are others who are truly in need, but people are not aware of
it and may think they have enough, because they are too proud and do
not beg of people at all; nobody knows their true situation so no-one
gives them charity.

Seeking a loan with no intention of paying it back

The dues owed by one person to another are very important in the
sight of Allaah, so much so that if a person falls short in his
duties towards Allaah, he may be forgiven if he repents, but when it
comes to the rights of other people, he has to fulfil them before the
Day comes when dinars and dirhams will be of no avail, and only
hasanaat and sayi'aat (good and bad deeds) will count. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

"Verily, Allaah commands that you should render back the trusts to
those to whom they are due . . ." [al-Nisaa' 4:58]

One of the widespread problems in our society is this casual approach
to loans; some people take out loans not for some urgent need but
because they want to expand their businesses or keep up with others
by buying new cars or furniture or other temporary luxuries of this
life. Often these people let themselves in for the confusion of
installment plans, which are dubious or maybe even haraam.

A casual approach to loans leads people to delay repayments, which in
turn leads to loss and financial ruin of others. Warning of the
consequences of this deed, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: "Whoever takes people's money with the intention
of paying them back, Allaah will pay him back, but whoever takes
people's money with the intention of wasting it, Allaah will destroy
him." (Reported by al-Bukhaari; see Fath al-Baari, 5/54). People take
the matter of loans very lightly, but in the sight of Allaah it is a
serious matter, so much so that even the shaheed (martyr), with his
immense reward and high status, is not free of the consequences of
debt. Evidence of this is seen in the hadeeth: "Glory be to Allaah,
Who has revealed the seriousness of debt. By the One in Whose hand is
my soul, if a man were slain in the way of Allaah, then brought back
to life, then killed again and brought back to life again, then
killed a third time, but he owed a debt, he would not be admitted to
Paradise until his debt was paid off." (Reported by al-Nisaa'i; see
al-Mujtabaa, 7/314, and Saheeh al-Jaami', 3594). Now will these
squanderers be deterred from such a casual approach?

Consuming haraam wealth

The person who does not fear Allaah does not care where he earns his
money or how he spends it; his only concern is to increase his bank
balance, even if it is haraam and ill-gotten by means of theft,
bribery, extortion, forgery, selling haraam things, riba (usury),
consuming an orphan's wealth, earnings from haraam work like fortune-
telling, immorality or singing, stealing from the Muslim treasury or
public property, taking people's money by coercion or high-pressure
sales tactics, begging when one is not in need, etc. Then he buys
food, clothing and transportation with this ill-gotten money, and
builds or rents a house, and furnishes it, and fills his stomach with
haraam food. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Any flesh that grows from ill-gotten gains is more deserving
of being touched by Hell-fire . . ." (Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-
Kabeer, 19/136; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 4495). On the Day of
Resurrection, each person will be asked how he earned money and on
what he spent it, and there will be doom and loss. Anyone who still
has haraam money should hasten to get rid of it; if it is due to
anyone else, then he should hasten to return it and ask for his
forgiveness before there comes a Day on which dinars and dirhams will
be of no avail, and all that will count will be hasanaat and sayi'aat.



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Drinking khamr - even a single drop

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ". . . Intoxicants (all
kinds of alcoholic drinks), gambling, al-ansaab (stone altars for
sacrifices to idols, etc.) and al-azlaam (arrows for seeking luck or
decision) are an abomination of Shaytaan's handiwork. So avoid
(strictly) all that (abomination) in order that you may be
successful." [al-Maa'idah 5:90]

The command to avoid these things is the strongest indication that
they are forbidden. Khamr ("wine", alcohol) is compared to al-ansaab,
which were idols of the kuffaar; there is no excuse for those who
argue that the Qur'aan does not say it is forbidden but only tells us
to avoid it!

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also issued a
stern warning to the one who drinks khamr. Jaabir reported that he
said: "Allaah has promised the one who drinks khamr that He will make
him drink the mud of khibaal." The people asked, "O Messenger of
Allaah, what is the mud of khibaal?" He said, "The sweat of the
people of Hell, or the juice of the people of Hell." (Reported by
Muslim, 3/1587). Ibn `Abbaas reported that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever dies and has the
habit of drinking khamr, he will meet Allaah as one who worships
idols." (Reported by al-Tabaraani, 12/45; see also Saheeh al-Jaami',
6525).

Nowadays there are very many kinds of khamr, with many names in
Arabic and other languages, such as beer, ji'ah (beer), alcohol, araq
("arrack"), vodka, champagne, etc. There has appeared in this ummah
the type of person described by the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him): "Some people of my ummah will drink khamr,
calling it by another name." (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 5/342; see
also Saheeh al-Jaami', 5453). So they may call it "spirits" instead
of khamr, as an attempt to distort the facts and deceive. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): "They (think to) deceive Allaah and
those who believe, while they only deceive themselves, and perceive
(it) not!" [al-Baqarah 2:9]

Islam imposes strict controls on this matter, and deals with it
decisively so that there is no room for misunderstanding. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Every intoxicant is
khamr and every intoxicant is haraam." (Reported by Muslim, 3/1587).
Everything that has the effect of clouding the mind is haraam,
whether in large or small amounts. (The hadeeth, "Whatever causes
intoxication in large amounts, a small amount of it is haraam," was
reported by Abu Dawud, no. 3681; see Saheeh Abi Dawud, no. 3128). No
matter how many different names there are, they all refer to one
thing, and the ruling concerning it is well-known.

Finally, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
issued a warning to those who drink khamr: "Whoever drinks khamr and
becomes intoxicated, his prayers will not be accepted for forty days,
and if he dies he will enter Hell, and if he repents Allaah will
accept his repentance. If he drinks again and becomes intoxicated
again, his prayers will not be accepted for forty days, and if he
dies he will enter Hell, and if he repents Allaah will accept his
repentance. If he drinks again and becomes intoxicated again, his
prayers will not be accepted for forty days, and if he dies he will
enter Hell, and if he repents Allaah will accept his repentance. If
he drinks a fourth time, Allaah promises that He will make him drink
from the mud of khibaal on the Day of Resurrection. The people
asked, "O Messenger of Allaah, what is the mud of khibaal?" He
said, "The juice of the people of Hell." (Reported by Ibn Maajah, no.
3377; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 6313).



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Using vessels of gold and silver, or eating and drinking from them

Nowadays hardly any household goods stores are free of vessels made
of gold and silver, or plated with these metals. The same applies to
homes of rich people and many hotels. This kind of thing has become
one of the precious gifts that people give one another on special
occasions. Some people may not have these things at home, but they
use them in other people's homes and when invited to a meal. All of
these are actions which are forbidden in Islaam. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) issued a stern warning about
using such vessels. Umm Salamah reported that he said: "The one who
eats or drinks from a vessel of gold or silver is putting