ummtaalib

A test for people at the end of time THE HADITH OF AL-MUGHIRAH IBN SHU’BAH Al-Mughirah ibn Shubah said, “No-one asked the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) more questions about the Dajjal than I did. He said, ‘You should not worry about him, because he will not be able to harm you. I said, ‘But they say that he will have much food and water! He said, ‘He is too insignificant in the sight of Allah to have all that.” (Muslim.) Al-Mughirah ibn Shu’bah said, “No-one asked the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) more questions about the Dajjal than I did.” One of the narrators said, “What did you ask him?” Al-Mughirah said, “I said, ‘They say that the Dajjal will have a mountain of bread and meat, and a river of water. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘He is too insignificant in the sight of Allah to have all that.” (Muslim.) >From these Ahadith, we can see that Allah will test His servants with the Dajjal and by the miracles which he will be permitted to perform: as we have already mentioned, the Dajjal will order the sky to rain for those who accept him, and will order the earth to bring forth its fruits so that they and their livestock will eat of it, and their flocks will return fat and with their udders full of milk. Those who reject the Dajjal and refuse to believe in him will suffer drought and famine; people and livestock will die, and wealth and supplies of food will be depleted. People will follow the Dajjal like swarms of bees, and he will kill a young man and bring him back to life. This is not a kind of magic; it will be something real with which Allah will test His servants at the end of time. Many will be led astray, and many will be guided by it. Those who doubt will disbelieve, but those who believe will be strengthened in their faith. Al-Qadi ‘Iyad and others interpreted the phrase “He is too insignificant in the sight of Allah to have all that” as meaning that the Dajjal is too insignificant to have anything that could lead the true believers astray, because he is obviously evil and corrupt. Even if he brings great terror, the word Kafir will be clearly written between his eyes; one report explains that it will be written “Kaf, Fa, Ra,” from which we can understand that it will be written perceptibly, not abstractly, as some people say. One of his eyes will be blind, protruding and repulsive; this is the meaning of the Hadith: “…as if it were a grape floating on the surface of the water.” Other reports say that it is “dull, with no light in it,” or “like white spittle on a wall,” i e, it will look ugly. Some reports say that it is his right eye which will be blind; others say that it is his left eye. He could be partly blind in both eyes, or there could be a fault in both eyes. This interpretation could be supported by the Hadith narrated by al-Tabarani, in which he reports that Ibn ‘Abbas said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The Dajjal is curly-haired and white-skinned. His head is like the branch of a tree; his left eye is blind, and the other eye looks like a floating grape. ” One may ask: if the Dajjal is going to cause such widespread evil and his claim to be a”lord” will be so widely believed – even though he is obviously a liar, and all the Prophets have warned against him – why does the Quran not mention him by name and warn us against his lies and stubbornness? The answer is:- 1. The Dajjal was referred to in the Ayah: “… The day that certain of the signs of thy Lord do come, no good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its Faith…” (al-Anam 6:158) Abu Hurairah said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘There are three things which, when they appear, no good will it do a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its Faith. They are: The Dajjal, the Beast, and the rising of the sun from the west.” 2. Jesus son of Mary will descend from Heaven and kill the Dajjal, as we have already mentioned. The descent of Jesus is mentioned in the Ayat: “That they said (in boast), ‘We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Apostle of Allah; – but they killed him not nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:- Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is exalted in Power, Wise;- And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Judgment, he will be a witness against them.” (al-Nisa 4:157-9) We think that the Tafsir (interpretation) of this Ayah is that the pronoun in “before his death” (qabla mawtihi) refers to Jesus; i e, he will descend and the People of the Book who differed concerning him will believe in him. The Christians claimed that he was divine, while the Jews made a slanderous accusation, i e that he was born from adultery. When Jesus descends before the Day of Judgment, he will correct all these differences and lies. On this basis, the reference to the descent of the Messiah Jesus son of Mary also includes a reference to the Dajjal (false Mesor Antichrist), who is the opposite of the true Messiah, because sometimes the Arabs refer to one of two opposites and not the other, but mean both. 3. The Dajjal is not mentioned by name in the Quran because he is so insignificant: he claims to be divine, but he is merely a human being. His affairs are too contemptible to be mentioned in the Quran. But the Prophets, out of loyalty to Allah, warned their people about the Dajjal and the tribulations and misguiding miracles he would bring. It is enough for us to know the reports of the Prophets and the many reports from the Prophet Mohammad (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam). One could argue that Allah has mentioned Pharaoh and his false claims, such as “I am your Lord, Most High” (al-Naziat 79:24) and “O Chiefs! No god do I know for you but myself …” (al-Qasas 28:38), in the Quran. This can be explained by the fact that Pharaoh and his deeds are in the past, and his lies are clear to every believer. But the Dajjal is yet to come, in the future; it will be a Fitnah and a test for all people. So the Dajjal is not mentioned in the Qur’an because he is contemptible; and the fact that he is not mentioned means that it will be a great test. The facts about the Dajjal and his lies are obvious and do not need further emphasis. This is often the case when something is very clear. For example, when the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) was terminally ill, he wanted to write a document confirming that Abu Bakr would be the Khalifah after him. Then he abandoned this idea, and said, “Allah and the believers will not accept anyone other than Abu Bakr.” He decided not to write the document because he knew of Abu Bakr’s high standing among the Sahabah (Companions) and was sure that they would not choose anyone else. Similarly, the facts about the Dajjal are so clear that they did not need to be mentioned in the Qur’an. Allah did not mention the Dajjal in the Quran because He (subhanahu wa ta’ala) knew that the Dajjal would not be able to lead His true servants astray; he would only increase their faith, their submission to Allah and His Messenger, their belief in the Truth, and their rejection of falsehood. For this reason the believer whom the Dajjal overpowers will say, when he revives him, “By Allah, it has only increased my understanding that you are the one-eyed liar about whom the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) spoke.” MORE AHADITH ABOUT THE DAJJAL The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The Dajjal will emerge in a land in the east called Khurasan. His followers will be people with faces like hammered shields.” Asma’ bint Yazid al-Ansariyyah said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘During the three years just before the Dajjal comes, there will be one year when the sky will withhold one third of its rain and the earth one-third of its fruits. In the second year the sky will withhold two-thirds of its rain, and the earth two-thirds of its fruits. In the third year the sky will withhold all of its rain, and the earth all of its fruits, and all the animals will die. It will be the greatest tribulation: the Dajjal will bring a Bedouin and say to him, “What if I bring your camels to life for you? Will you agree that I am your lord?” The Bedouin will say “Yes.” So devils will assume the forms of his camels, with the fullest udders and the highest humps. Then he will bring a man whose father and brother have died, and will ask him, “What do you think if I bring your father and brother back to life? Will you agree that I am your lord?” The man will say “Yes,” so the devils will assume the forms of his father and brother. Then the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) went out for something, and then returned. The people were very concerned about what he had told them. He stood in the doorway and asked, ‘What is wrong, Asma’? I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, you have terrified us with what you said about the Dajjal. He said, ‘He will certainly appear. If I am still alive, I will contend with him on your behalf; otherwise Allah will take care of every Muslim on my behalf. I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, we do not bake our dough until we are hungry, so how will it be for the believers at that time? The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘The glorification of Allah which suffices the people of Heaven will be sufficient for them.” Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anhu) said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘The Hour will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them. When a Jew hides behind a rock or a tree, it will say, “O Muslim, O servant of Allah! There is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!” All the trees will do this except the box-thorn (al-Gharqad), because it is the tree of the Jews.” (Ahmad.) PROTECTION AGAINST THE DAJJAL 1. Seeking refuge with Allah from his tribulation. It is proven in the Sahih (authentic) Ahadith that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) used to seek refuge with Allah from the tribulation of the Dajjal in his prayers, and that he commanded his Ummah to do likewise: Allahumma inna naudhu bika min ‘adhabi jahannam, wa min ‘adhabi ‘l-qabr, wa min fitnati ‘l-mahya’i wa’l-mamat, wa min fitnati’ l-masihi ‘d-dajjal.” “O Allah! We seek refuge with You from the punishment of Hell, from the punishment of the grave, from the tribulations of life and death, and from the tribulation of the False Messiah (Dajjal).” This Hadith was narrated by many Sahabah, including Anas. Abu Hurairah, ‘A’ishah, Ibn ‘Abbas, and Sa’d. 2. Memorising certain Ayat from Surat al-Kahf. Al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi said, “Seeking refuge with Allah from the Dajjal is mentioned in many Mutawatir Ahadith (those with numerous lines of narrators). One way of doing this is to memorise ten Ayat from Surat al-Kahf.” Abul-Dira reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “Whoever memorises the first ten Ayat of Surat al-Kahf will be protected from the Dajjal.” (Abu Dawud.) 3. Keeping away from the Dajjal One way to be protected from the tribulation of the Dajjal is to live in Madinah or Makkah. Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “There are angels standing at the gates of Madinah; neither plague nor the Dajjal can enter it.” (Bukhari, Muslim.) Abu Bakr reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The terror caused by the Dajjal will not enter Madinah. At that time it will have seven gates; there will be two angels guarding every gate.” (Bukhari.) Anas said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘The Dajjal will come to Madinah, and he will find angles guarding it. Neither plague nor the Dajjal will enter it, in sha Allah.” (Tirmidhi, Bukhari.) It has been proven in the Sahih Ahadith that the Dajjal will not enter Makkah or Madinah, because the angels will prevent him from entering these two places which are sanctuaries and are safe from him. When he camps at the salt-marsh (Sabkhah) of Madinah, it will be shaken by three tremors – either physically or metaphorically – and every hypocrite will go out to join the Dajjal. On that day, Madinah will be cleansed of its dross and will be refined and purified; and Allah knows best. THE LIFE AND DEEDS OF THE DAJJAL The Dajjal will be a man, created by Allah to be a test for people at the end of time. Many will be led astray through him, and many will be guided through him; only the sinful will be led astray. Al-Hafiz Ibn ‘Ali al-Abar wrote in his book of history (al-Tarikh) that the Dajjal’s Kunyah (nickname or paternal title) would be Abu Yusuf. Abu Bakrah said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The Dajjal’s parents will remain childless for thirty years, then a one-eyed child will be born to them. He will be very bad and will cause a great deal of trouble. When he sleeps, his eyes will be closed but his heart (or mind) will still be active. Then he described his parents: ‘His father will be a tall and bulky man, with a long nose like a beak; his mother will be a huge, heavy-breasted woman.” Abu Bakrah said, “We heard that a child had been born to some of the Jews in Madinah. Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awam and I went see his pa, and found that they matched the description given by the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam). We saw the boy lying in the sun, covered with a blanket, murmuring to himself. We asked his parents about him, and they said, ‘We remained childless for thirty years, then this one-eyed boy was born to us. He is very bad and causes a great deal of trouble. When we went out, we passed the boy. He asked us, ‘What were you doing?.We said, ‘Did you hear us?. He said, ‘Yes; when I sleep, my eyes are closed but my heart (mind) is still active. That boy was Ibn Sayyad.” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi; this Hadith is not very strong.) As we have already seen in the Sahih Ahadith, Malik and others think that Ibn Sayyad was not the Dajjal; he was one of a number of “lesser dajjals.” Later he repented and embraced Islam; Allah knows best his heart and deeds. The “greater” Dajjal is the one mentioned in the Hadith of Fatimah bint Qays, which she narrated from the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam), from Tamim al-Dari, and which includes the story of the Jassasah. The Dajjal will be permitted to appear at the end of time, after the Muslims have conquered a Roman city called Constantinople. He will first appear in Isfahan, in an area known as the Jewish quarter (al-Yahudiyyah). He will be followed by seventy thousand Jews from that area, all of them armed. Seventy thousand Tatars and many people from Khurasan will also follow him. At first he will appear as a tyrannical king, then he will claim to be a prophet, then a lord. Only the most ignorant of men will follow him; the righteous and those guided by Allah will reject him. He will start to conquer the world country by country, fortress by fortress, region by region, town by town; no place will remain unscathed except Makkah and Madinah. The length of his stay on earth will be forty days: one day like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week, and the rest of the days like normal days, i e his stay will be approximately one year and two and a half months. Allah will grant him many miracles, through which whoever He wills will be astray, and the faith of the believers will be strengthened. The descent of Jesus son of Mary, the true Messiah, will happen at the time of the Dajjal, the false messiah. He will descend to the minaret in the east of Damascus. The believers and true servants of Allah will gather to support him, and the Messiah Jesus son of Mary will lead them against the Dajjal, who at that time will be heading for Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). He will catch up with him at ‘Aqabah ‘Afiq. The Dajjal will run away from him, but Jesus will catch up with him at the gate of Ludd, and will kill him with his spear just as he is entering it. He will say to him, “I have to deal you a blow; you cannot escape.” When the Dajjal faces him, he will begin to dissolve like salt in water. So Jesus will kill him with his spear at the gate of Ludd, and he will die there, as many Sahih Ahadith indicate. Majma ibn Jariyah is reported to have said, “I heard the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) saying, ‘The son of Mary will kill the Dajjal at the gate of Ludd.” (Tirmidhi.) FOOTNOTE: “When he (Dajjal) sleeps, his eyes will be closed but his heart (or mind) will still be active” – means that his evil ideas will still come to him even while he is asleep.

Appearance of Dajjal First of all, we will quote the reports which mention the liars and “dajjals” who will precede the coming off the Dajjal, or Antichrist, who will be the last of them; may Allah curse them and punish them with Hell-fire. Jabir ibn Samurah said, “I heard the Prophet say, ‘Just before the Hour there will be many liars.'” Jabir said, “Be on your guard against them.” (Muslim). Jabir said, “I heard the Prophet say, ‘Just before the Hour there will be many liars; among them is the one in al-Yamamah, the ‘Ansi in San’a’, the one in Himyar, and the Dajjal. This will be the greatest fitnah.”’ (Ahmad.) Abu Hurayrah said, “The Prophet said, “The Hour will not come … until nearly 30 “dajjals” (liars) appear, each one claiming to be a messenger from Allah.'” (Bukhari Muslim.) Abu Hurayrah said, “The Prophet said, ‘The Hour will not come until 30 “dajjals” appear, each of them claiming to be a messenger from Allah, wealth increases, tribulations appear and al-Harj increases.'” Someone asked, ‘What is al-Harj?’ He said, ‘Killing, killing.’ (Ahmad.) Abu Hurayrah said, “The Prophet said, ‘The Hour will not come until 30 “dajjals” appear, all of them lying about Allah and His Messenger.” (Abu Dawud.) Abu Hurayrah said, “The Prophet said, ‘Just before the Hour, there will be 30 “dajjals”, each of whom will say, I am a Prophet.'” (Ahmad.) Abu Hurayrah said, “The Prophet said, ‘There will be “dajjals” and liars among my Ummah. They will tell you something new, which neither you nor your forefathers have heard. Be on your guard against them, and do not let them lead you astray.'” (Ahmad.) Thawban said, “The Prophet said, ‘There will be 30 liars among my Ummah. Each one will claim that he is a prophet; but I am the last of the Prophets (Seal of the Prophets), and there will be no Prophet after me.'” (Ahmad.) The Prophet said, “Verily before the Day of Resurrection there will appear the Dajjal, and 30 or more liars.” (Ahmad.) Ibn ‘Umar said, “I heard the Prophet say, ‘Among my Ummah there will be more than 70 callers, each of whom will be calling people to Hell-fire. If I wished, I could tell you their names and tribes.'” Abu Bakrah said, “The people spoke a great deal against Musaylimah before the Prophet said anything about him. Then the Prophet got up to give a speech and said: ‘…as for this man about whom you have spoken so much – he is one of the 30 liars who will appear before the Hour, and there is no town which will not feel the fear of the Antichrist.'” (Ahmad.) In another version of this report, the Prophet said, “He is one of the 30 liars who will appear before the Dajjal. There is no town which will escape the fear of the Djjal, apart from Madinah. At that time there will be two angels at every entrance of Madinah, warding off the fear of the Antichrist.” Anas ibn Malik said, “The Prophet said, ‘The time of the Dajjal will be years of confusion. People will believe a liar, and disbelieve one who tells the truth. People will distrust one who is trustworthy, and trust one who is treacherous; and the Ruwaybidah will have a say.’ Someone asked, ‘Who are the Ruwaybidah?’ He said, ‘Those who rebel against Allah and will have a say in general affairs.'” (Ahmad.) Ahadith about the Dajjal ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar said, “‘Umar ibn al-Khattab went along with the Prophet and a group of people to Ibn Sayyad, and found him playing with some children near the battlement of Banu Maghalah. At that time Ibn Sayyad was on the threshold of adolescence; he did not realise that anybody was near until the Prophet struck him on the back. The Prophet (S) said to him: ‘Do you bear witness than I am the Messenger of Allah?’ Ibn Sayyad looked at him and said, ‘I bear witness that you are the Prophet of the unlettered.’ Then Ibn Sayyad said to the Prophet, ‘Do you bear witness that I am the Messenger of Allah?’ The Prophet dismissed this and said, ‘I believe in Allah and His Messengers.’ Then the Prophet asked him, ‘What do you see?’ Ibn Sayyad said, ‘Sometimes a truthful person comes to me, and sometimes a liar.’ The Prophet said to him, ‘You are confused’, then he said, ‘I ahiding something from you.’ Ibn Sayyad said, ‘It is Dukh.’ The Prophet said, ‘Silence! You will not be able to go beyond your rank.’ ‘Omar ibn al-Khattab said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, shall I cut off his head?’ The Prophet said, ‘If he is (the Dajjal) you will not be able to overpower him, and if he is not, then killing will not do you any good.'” Salim ibn ‘Abd Allah said, “I heard ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Omar say, ‘After that, the Prophet and Ubayy ibn Ka’b went along to the palm trees where Ibn Sayyad was. The Prophet started to hide behind a tree, with the intention of hearing something from Ibn Sayyad before Ibn Sayyad saw him. The Prophet saw him lying on a bed, murmuring beneath a blanket. Ibn Sayyad’s mother saw the Prophet hiding behind a tree, and said to her son, “O Saf (Ibn Sayyad’s first name), here is Mohammad!” Ibn Sayyad jumped up, and the Prophet said, “If you had left him alone, he would have explained himself.” Salim said, “Abd Allah ibn ‘Omar said, The Prophet stood up to address the people. He praised Allah as He deserved to be praised, then he spoke about the Dajjal: ‘I warn you against him; there is no Prophet who has not warned his people against him ? even Noah warned his people against him. But I will tell you something which no other Prophet has told his people. You must know that the Dajjal is one-eyed, and Allah is not one-eyed.'” Ibn Shihab said: “‘Omar ibn Thabit al-Ansari told me that some of the Companions of the Prophet told him that on the day when he warned the people about the Dajjal, the Prophet said: “There will be written between his eyes the word Kafir (unbeliever). Everyone who resents his bad deeds – or every believer- will be able to read it.” He also said, “You must know that no one of you will be able to see his Lord until he dies.'” (Muslim, Bukhari). Ibn ‘Omar said, “The Prophet mentioned the Dajjal to the people. He said, “Allah is not one-eyed, but the Dajjal is blind in his right eye, and his eye is like a floating grape.'” (Muslim) Anas ibn Malik said, “The Prophet said, ‘there has never been a Prophet who did not warn his people against that one-eyed liar. Verily he is one-eyed and your Lord is not one-eyed. On his forehead will be written the letter Kaf, Fa, Ra (Kafir).'” (Muslim, Bukhari) Hudhayfah said, “The Prophet said, ‘I know more about the powers which the Dajjal will have than he will know himself. He will have two flowing rivers: one will appear to be pure water, and the other will appear to be flaming fire. Whosoever lives to see that, let him choose the river which seems to be fire, then let him close his eyes, lower his head and drink from it, for it will be cold water. The Dajjal will be one-eyed; the place where one eye should be will be covered by a piece of skin. On his forehead will be written the word Kafir, and every believer, whether literate or illiterate, will be able to read it.'” (Muslim) Abu Hurayrah said, “The Prophet said, ‘Shall I tell you something about the Dajjal which no Prophet has ever told his people before me? The Dajjal is one-eyed and will bring with him something which will resemble Paradise and Hell; but that which he calls Paradise will in fact be Hell. I warn you against him as Noah warned his people against him.'” (Bukhari, Muslim) Mohammad ibn Munkadir said: “I saw Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah swearing by Allah that Ibn Sayyad was the Dajjal, so I asked him, ‘Do you swear by Allah?’ He said, ‘I heard ‘Omar swear to that effect in the presence of the Prophet, and the Prophet did not disapprove of it.'” Some ‘ulama’ (scholars) say that some of the Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet) believed Ibn Sayyad to be the greater Dajjal, but that is not the case: Ibn Sayyad was a lesser dajjal. Ibn Sayyad travelled between Makkah and Madinah with Abu Sa’id, and complained to him about the way that people were saying that he was the Dajjal. Then he said to Abu Sa’id, “Did not the Prophet say that the Dajjal would not enter Madinah? I was born there. Did not he say that he would not have any children? – I have children. Did not he say that he would be a Kafir? – I have embraced Islam. Of all the people, I know the most about him: I know where he is now. If I were given the opportunity to be in his place, I would not resent it.'” (Bukhari, Muslim) There are many Ahadith about Ibn Sayyad, some of which are not clear as to whether he was the Dajjal or not. We shall see Ahadith which indicates that the Dajjal is not Ibn Sayyad, as in the Hadith of Fatimah Bint Qays al-Fahriyyah, although this does not mean that he was not one of the lesser Dajjal; but Allah knows best. THE HADITH OF FATIMAH BINT QAYS: ‘Amir ibn Sharahil Sha’bi Sha’b Hamdan reported that he asked Fatimah bint Qays, the sister of Dahhak ibn Qays, who was one of the first Muhajirat, “Tell me a Hadith which you heard directly from the Prophet with no narrator in between.” She said, “I can tell you if you like.” He said, ‘Yes, please tell me,” she said, “I married Ibn al-Mughirah, who was one of the best of the youth of Quraysh in those days. But he fell in the first Jihad on the side of the Prophet. “When I became a widow, ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf, one of the companions of the Prophet sent me a proposal of marriage. The Prophet also sent me a proposal of marriage on behalf of his freedman Usamah ibn Zayd. I had been told that the Prophet had said, ‘He who loves me should also love Usamah.’ When the Prophet spoke to me, I said, ‘It is up to you: marry me to whomever you wish.’ “The Prophet said, ‘Go and stay with Umm Sharik.’ Umm Sharik was a rich Ansari (Muslim originally from Madinah) woman, who spent much in the way of Allah and entertained many guests. I said, ‘I will do as you wish.’ Then he said, ‘Don’t go. Umm Sharik has many guests, and I would not like it if your head or leg were to become uncovered accidentally and people saw something you would not wish them to see. It is better if you go and stay with your cousin ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn Umm Maktum’ (Abd Allah was of the Banu Fihr of Quraysh, the same tribe as that to which Fatima belonged). “So I went to stay with him, and when I had completed my ‘Iddah (perio of waiting), I heard the Prophet’s announer calling for congregational prayer. I went out to the mosque, and prayed behind the Prophet. I was in the women’s row, which was at the back of the congregation. When the Prophet had finished his prayer, he sat on the pulpit, smiling, and said, ‘Everyone should stay in his place.’ Then he said, ‘Do you know why I had asked you to assemble?’ The people said, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ “He said, ‘By Allah, I have not gathered you here to give you an exhortation or a warning. I have kept you here because Tamim al-Dari, a Christian man who has come and embraced Islam, told me something which agrees with that which I have told you about the Dajjal. He told me that he had sailed in a ship with 30 men from Banu Lakhm and Banu Judham. The waves had tossed them about for a month, then they were brought near to an island, at the time of sunset. They landed on the island, and were met by a beast who was so hairy that they could not tell its front from its back. They said, “Woe to you! What are you?” It said, “I am al-Jassasah.” They said, “What is al-Jassasah?” It said, “O people, go to this man in the monastery, for he is very eager to know about you.” Tamim said that when it named a person to us, we were afraid lest it be a devil. “Tamim said, ‘We quickly went to the monastery. There we found a huge man with his hands tied up to his neck and with iron shackles between his legs up to the ankles. We said, “Woe to you, who are you?” He said, “You will soon know about me. Tell me who you are.” We said, “We are people from Arabia. We sailed in a ship, but the waves have been tossing us about for a month, and they brought us to your island, where we met a beast who was so hairy that we could not tell its front from its back. We said to it, “Woe to you! What are you? and it said , “I am al-Jassasah.” We asked, “What is al-Jassasah?” and it told us, “Go to this man in the monastery, for he isvery eager to know about you.” So we came to you quickly, fearinthat it might be a devil.’ “The man said, “Tell me about the date-palms of Baysan.’ We said, ‘What do you want to know about them?” He said, ‘I want to know whether these trees bear fruit or not.’ We said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Soon they will not bear fruit.’ Then he said, “Tell me about the lake of al-Tabariyyah [Tiberias, in Palestine].’ We said, ‘What do you want to know about it?” He asked, ‘Is there water in it?’ We said, ‘There is plenty of water in it.’ He said, ‘Soon it will become dry.’ Then he said, ‘Tell me about the spring of Zughar.’ We said, ‘What do you want to know about it?’ He said, ‘Is there water in it, and does it irrigate the land?” We said, ‘Yes, there is plenty of water in it, and the people use it to irrigate the land.’ “Then he said, “Tell me about the unlettered Prophet ‘ what has he done?’ We said, ‘He has left Makkah and settled in Yathrib.’ He asked, ‘Do the Arabs fight against him?’ We said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘How does he deal with them?’ So we told him that the Prophet had overcome the Arabs around him and that they had followed him. He asked, ‘Has it really happened?’ We said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘It is better for them if they follow him. Now I will tell you about myself. I am the Dajjal. I will soon be permitted to leave this place: I will emerge and travel about the earth. In 40 nights I will pass through every town, except Makkah and Madinah, for these have been forbidden to me. Every time I try to enter either of them, I will be met by an angel bearing an unsheathed sword, who will prevent me from entering. There will be angels guarding them at every passage leading to them.’ Fatimah said, “The Prophet striking the pulpit with his staff, said: ‘This is Tayyibah, this is Tayyibah, this is Tayyibah, [ie Madinah]. Have I not told you something like this?’ The people said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘I liked the account given to me by Tamim because it agrees with that which I have told you about the Dajjal, and about Makkah and Madinah. Indeed he is in the Syrian sea or the Yemen sea. No, on the contrary, he is in the East, he is in the East, he is in the East’ and he pointed towards the East. Fatimah said: I memorised this from the Prophet.” (Muslim). ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar said, “The Prophet (S) said, ‘While I was asleep, I saw myself a dream performing Tawaf (circumambulation) around the Ka’bah. I saw a ruddy man with lank hair and water dripping from his head. I said, ‘Who is he?” and they said, “The son of Mary.” Then I turned around and saw another man with a huge body, red complexion, curly hair and one eye. His other eye looked like a floating grape. They said, “This is the Dajjal.” The one who most resembles him is Ibn Qatan, a man from the tribe of al-Khuza’ah’.” (Bukhari, Muslim). Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah said, “The Prophet said, ‘The Dajjal will appear at the end of time, when religion is taken lightly. He will have 40 days in which to travel throughout the earth. One of these days will be like a year, another will be like a month, a third will be like a week, and the rest will be like normal days. He will be riding a donkey; the width between its ears will be 40 cubits. He will say to the people: “I am your lord.” He is one-eyed, but your Lord is not one-eyed. On his forehead will be written the word Kafir, and every believer, literate or illiterate, will be able to read it. He will go everywhere except Makkah and Madinah, which Allah has forbidden to him; angels stand at their gates. He will have a mountain of bread, and the people will face hardship, except for those who follow him. He will have two rivers, and I know what is in them. He will call one Paradise and one Hell. Whoever enters the one he calls Paradise will find that it is Hell, and whoever enters the one he calls Hell will find that it is Paradise. Allah will send with him devils who will speak to the people. He will bring a great tribulation; he will issue a command to the sky and it will seem to the people as if it is raining. Then he will appear to kill someone and bring him back to life. After that he will no longer have this power. The people will say, “Can anybody do something like this except the Lord?” The Muslims will flee to Jabal al-Dukhan in Syria, and the Dajjal will come and besiege them. The siege will intensify and they will suffer great hardship. Then Jesus son of Mary will descend, and will call the people at dawn: “O people, what prevented you from coming out to fight this evil liar?” They will answer, “He is a Jinn.” Then they will go out, and find Jesus son of Mary. The time for prayer will come, and the Muslims will call on Jesus to lead the prayer, but he will say, “Let your Imam lead the prayer.” Their Imam will lead them in praying Salat al-Subh (Morning prayer), then they will go out to fight the Dajjal. When the liar sees Jesus, he will dissolve like salt in water. Jesus will go to him and kill him, and he will not let anyone who followed him live’.” (Ahmad). Warnings against the Dajjal THE HADITH OF AL-NUWAS IBN SAM’AN AL-KILABI Al-Nuwas ibn Saman said, “One morning the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) spoke about the Dajjal. Sometimes he described him as insignificant, and sometimes he described him as so dangerous that we thought he was in the clump of date-palms nearby. When we went to him later on, he noticed that fear in our faces, and asked, ‘What is the matter with you? We said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, this morning you spoke of the Dajjal; sometimes you described him as insignificant, and sometimes you described him as being so dangerous that we thought he was in the clump of date-palms nearby. “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘I fear for you in other matters besides the Dajjal. If he appears whilst I am among you, I will contend with him on your behalf. But if he appears while I am not among you, then each man must contend with him on his own behalf, and Allah will take care of every Muslim on my behalf. The Dajjal will be a young man, with short, curly hair, and one eye floating. I would liken him to ‘Abd al-Uzza ibn Qatan. Whoever amongst you lives to see him should recite the opening Ayat of Surat al-Kahf. He will appear on the way between Syria and Iraq, and will create disaster left and right. O servants of Allah, adhere to the Path of Truth.” “We said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, for the day which is like a year, will one days prayers be sufficient? He said, ‘No, you must make an estimate of the time, and then observe the prayers.” “We asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, how quickly will he walk upon the earth? He said, ‘Like a cloud driven by the wind. He will come to the people and call them (to a false religion), and they will believe in him and respond to him. He will issue a command to the sky, and it will rain; and to the earth, and it will produce crops. After grazing on these crops, their animals will return with their udders full of milk and their flanks stretched. Then he will come to another people and will call them (to a false religion), but they will reject his call. He will depart from them; they will suffer famine and will possess nothing in the form of wealth. Then he will pass through the wasteland and will say, ‘Bring forth your treasures, and the treasures will come forth, like swarms of bees. Then he will call a man brimming with youth; he will strike him with a sword and cut him in two, then place the two pieces at the distance between an archer and his target. Then he will call him, and the young man will come running and laughing.” “At that point, Allah will send the Messiah, son of Mary, and he will descend to the white minaret in the east of Damascus, wearing two garments dyed with saffron, placing his hands on the wings of two angels. When he lowers his head, beads of perspiration will fall from it, and when he raises his head, beads like pearls will scatter from it. Every Kafir who smells his fragrance will die, and his breath will reach as far as he can see. He will search for the Dajjal until he finds him at the gate of Ludd*, where he will kill him.” “Then a people whom Allah has protected will come to Jesus son of Mary, and he will wipe their faces (ie wipe the traces of hardship from their faces) and tell them of their status in Paradise. At that time Allah will reveal to Jesus: “I have brought forth some of My servants whom no-one will be able to fight. Take My servants safely to al-Tur.” “Then Allah will send Gog and Magog, and they will swarm down from every slope. The first of them will pass by the Lake of Tiberias, and will drink some of its water; the last of them will pass by it and say, “There used to be water here.” Jesus, the Prophet of Allah, and his Companions will be besieged until a bull’s head will be dearer to them than one hundred dinars are to you nowadays.” “Then Jesus and his Companions will pray to Allah, and He will send insects who will bite the people of Gog and Magog on their necks, so that in the morning they will all perish as one. Then Jesus and his Companions will come down and will not find any nook or cranny on earth which is free from their putrid stench. Jesus and his Companions will again pray to Allah, Who will send birds like the necks of camels; they will seize the bodies of Gog and Magog and throw them wherever Allah wills. Then Allah will send rain which no house or tent will be able to keep out, and the earth will be cleansed, until it will look like a mirror. Then the earth will be told to bring forth its fruit and restore its blessing. On that day, a group of people will be able to eat from a single pomegranate and seek shelter under its skin (ie the fruit would be so big). A milch camel will give so much milk that a whole party will be able to drink from it; a cow will give so much milk that a whole tribe will be able to drink from it; and a milch-sheep will give so much milk that a whole family will be able to drink from it. At that time, Allah will send a pleasant wind which will soothe them even under their armpits, and will take the soul of every Muslim. Only the most wicked people will be left, and they will fornicate like asses; then the Last Hour will come upon them.” (Muslim) A HADITH NARRATED FROM ABU UMAMAH AL-BAHILI ABU Umamah al-Bahili said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) delivered a speech to us, most of which dealt with the Dajjal and warned us against him. He said, ‘No tribulation on earth since the creation of Adam will be worse than the tribulation of the Dajjal. Allah has never sent a Prophet who did not warn his Ummah against the Dajjal. I am the last of the Prophets, and you are the last Ummah. The Dajjal is emerging among you and it is inevitable. If he appears while I am still among you, I will contend with him on behalf of every Muslim. But if he appears after I am gone, then every person must contend with him on his own behalf. He will appear on the way between Syria and Iraq, and will spread disaster right and left. O servants of Allah adhere to the path of Truth. I shall describe him for you in a way that no Prophet has ever done before. He will start by saying that he is a Prophet, but there will be no Prophet after me. Then he will say, “I am your Lord,” but you will never see your Lord until you die. The Dajjal is one-eyed, but your Lord, glorified be He, is not one-eyed. On his forehead will be written the word Kafir, which every Muslim, literate or illiterate, will be able to read. Among the trhewill bring will be the Paradise and Hell he will offer; but that which he calls Hell will be Paradise, and that which he calls Paradise will be Hell. Whoever enters his Hell, let him seek refuge with Allah and recite the opening Ayat of Surat al-Kahf, and it will become cool and peaceful for him, as the fire became cool and peaceful for Abraham. “He will say to a Bedouin, What do you think if I bring your father and mother back to life for you? Will you bear witness that I am your lord? The Bedouin will say Yes, so two devils will assume the appearance of his father and mother, and will say, “O my son, follow him for he is your lord.” “He will be given power over one person, whom he will kill and cut in two with a saw. Then he will say, ‘Look at this slave of mine, now I will resurrect him, but he will still claim that he has a Lord other than me. Allah will resurrect him, and this evil man (the Dajjal) will say to him, ‘Who is your Lord? The man will answer, ‘My Lord is Allah, and you are the enemy of Allah. You are the Dajjal. By Allah, I have never been more sure of this than I am today.” Abu Said said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, ‘That man will have the highest status among my Ummah in Paradise.” Abu Said said, “By Allah, we never thought that that man would be any other than ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, until he passed away.” Al-Muharibi said: “Then we referred to the Hadith of Abu Rafii, which said, ‘Part of his Fitnah will be the fact that he will pass through an area whose people will deny him, and none of their livestock will remain alive. Then he will pass through a second area whose people will believe in him; he will order the sky to rain and the earth to bring forth crops, and their flocks will return from grazing fatter than they have ever been, with their flanks stretched, their udders full. He will pass through every place on earth – except Makkah and Madinah, which he will never enter, for there are angels guarding every gate of them with unsheathed swords – until he reaches al-Zarib al-Ahmar and camps at the edge of the salt-marsh. Madinah will be shaken by three tremors, after which every Munafiq (hypocrite) will leave it, and it will be cleansed of evil, as iron is cleansed of dross. That day will be called Yawm al-Khalas (The Day of Purification).” Umm Sharik bint Abil-Akr said, “O Messenger of Allah, where will the Arabs be at that time?” He said, “At that time they will be few; most of them will be in Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), and their Imam will be a righteous man. Whilst their Imam is going forward to lead the people in praying Salat al-Subh (the morning prayer), Jesus son of Mary will descend. The Imam will step back, to let Jesus lead the people in prayer, but Jesus will place his hand between the mans shoulders and say, ‘Go forward and lead the prayer, for the Iqamah was made for you. So the Imam will lead the people in prayer, and afterwards Jesus (alayhe salam) will say, ‘Open the gate. The gate will be opened, and behind it will be the Dajjal and a thousand Jews, each of them bearing a sword and shield. When the Dajjal sees Jesus, he will begin to dissolve like salt in water, and will run away. Jesus will say, ‘You will remain alive until I strike you with my sword. He will catch up with him at the eastern gate of Ludd* and will kill him. The Jews will be deflated with the help of Allah. There will be no place for them to hide; they will not be able to hide behind any stone, wall, animal or tree – except the boxthorn (al-Gharqarah) – without saying, ‘O Muslim servant of Allah! here is a Jew, come and kill him!” The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The time of the Dajjal will be forty years; one year like half a year, one year like a month, and one month like a week. The rest of his days will pass so quickly that if one of you were at one of the gates of Madinah, he would not reach the other gate before evening fell.” Someone asked, “O Messenger of Allah, how will we pray in those shorter days?” He said, “Work out the times of prayer in the same way that you do in these longer days, and then pray.” The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “Jesus son of Mary will be a just administrator and leader of my Ummah. He will break the cross, kill the pigs, and abolish the Jizyah (tax on non-Muslims). He will not collect the Sadaqah,* so he will not collect sheep and camels. Mutual enmity and hatred will disappear. Every harmful animal will be made harmless, so that a small boy will be able to put his hand into a snakes mouth without being harmed, a small girl will be able to make a lion run away from her, and a wolf will go among sheep as if he were a sheepdog. The earth will be filled with peace as a container is filled with water. People will be in complete agreement, and only Allah will be worshipped. Wars will cease, and the authority of Quraysh will be taken away. The earth will be like a silver basin, and will produce fruits so abundantly that a group of people will gather to eat a bunch of grapes or one pomegranate and will be satisfied. A bull will be worth so much money, but a horse will be worth only a few dirhams.” Someone asked, “O Messenger of Allah, why will a horse be so cheap?” He said, “Because it will never be ridden in war.” He was asked, “Why will the bull be so expensive?” He said, “Because it will plough the earth. For three years before the Dajjal emerges, the people will suffer severe hunger. In the first year, Allah will order the sky to withhold a third of its rain, and the earth to withhold two-thirds of its fruits. In the third year, He will order the sky to withhold all of its rain, and the earth to withhold all of its fruits, so that nothing green will grow. Every cloven-hoofed creature will die except for whatever Allah wills.” Someone asked, “How will the people live at that time?” He said, “By saying La ilaha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar, Subhan Allah and Al-Hamdu-lillah. This will be like food for them.” The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “The Dajjal will come forth, and one of the Believers will go towards him. The armed men of the Dajjal will ask him, ‘Where are you going? He will say, ‘I am going to this one who has come forth. They will say, ‘Kill him! Then some of them will say to the others, ‘Hasnt your lord [ie the Dajjal] forbidden you to kill anyone without his permission?” So they will take him to the Dajjal, and when the Believer sees him, he will say, ‘O People, this is the Dajjal whom the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) told us about. Then the Dajjal will order them to seize him and wound him in the head; they will inflict blows all over, even in his back and stomach. The Dajjal will ask him, ‘Dont you believe in me? He will say, ‘You are a false Messiah. The Dajjal will order that he be sawn in two from the parting of his hair to his legs; then he will walk between the two pieces. Then he will say ‘Stand! and the man will stand up. The Dajjal will say to him, ‘Dont you believe in me? The believer will say, ‘It has only increased my understanding that you are the Dajjal. Then he will say, ‘O people! he will not treat anyone else in such a manner after me. The Dajjal will seize him to slaughter him, but the space between his neck and collar-bone will be turned into copper, and the Dajjal will not be able to do anything to him. He will take the man by his arms and legs and throw him away; the people will believe that he has been thrown into Hell, whereas in fact he will have been thrown into Paradise.” The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, “He will be the greatest of martyrs in the sight of Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.” (Muslim). To be continued Insha Allah FOOTNOTES: *Ludd: the biblical Lydda, now known as Lod, site of the zionist states major airport. * “He will break the cross and kill pigs”, ie Christianity will be annulled. “He will not collect the Sadaqah (ie Zakat) – because there will be so much wealth, and no-one will be in need of Sadaqah.

Signs and portents “ABD Allah ibn ‘Amr said, “I went to the Prophet (peace be upon him) one day whilst he was performing Wudu’ (ablution) slowly and carefully. He raised his head, looked at me and said, ‘Six things will happen to this Ummah: the death of your Prophet – ‘and when I heard that I was aghast,’ – this is the first. The second is that your wealth will increase so much that if a man were given ten thousand, he would still not be content with it. The third is that tribulation will enter the house of every one of you. The fourth is that sudden death will be widesprea. The fifth is a peace-treaty between you and the Romans: they will gather troops against you for nine months – like a woman’s period of childbearing – then they will be the first to break the treaty. The sixth is the conquest of a city.’ I asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, which city?’ He said, ‘Constantinople.” (Ahmad.) Abu Hurayrah said, “The Prophet said, ‘Hasten to do good deeds before six things happen: the rising of the sun from the West, the smoke, the Dajjal, the beast, the (death) of one of you, or general tribulation.” (Ahmad, Muslim.) Hudhayfah ibn ‘Ubayd said, “The Prophet came upon us whilst, we were busy in discussion He asked us, ‘What are you talking about?’ We said, ‘We are discussing the Hour.’ He said, ‘It will not come until you see ten signs: the smoke, the Dajjal, the beast, the sun rising from the West, the descent of Jesus son of Mary, Gog and Magog, and three land-slides – one in the East, one in the West, and one in Arabia, at the end of which fire will burst forth from the direction of Aden (Yemen) and drive people to the place of their final assembly.’ ” (Ahmad.) THE BATTLE WITH THE ROMANS: After the battle with the Romans, which ended with the conquest of Constantinople, the Dajjal will appear, and Jesus son of Mary will descend from Heaven to the earth, to the white minaret in the east of Damascus, at the time of Salat al-Fajr (the morning prayer), as we shall see in the Sahih Traditions. Dhu Mukhammar said, “The Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘You will make a peace-treaty with the Romans, and together you will invade an enemy beyond Rome. You will be victorious and take much booty. Then you will camp in a hilly pasture; one of the Roman men will come and raise a cross and say “Victory to the Cross”, so one of the Muslims will come and kill him. Then the Romans will break the treaty, and there will be a battle. They will gather an army against you and come against you with eighty banners, each banner followed by 10,000 men.’ ” (Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah.) Yusayr ibn Jabir said, “Once there was a red storm in Kufah. A man came who had nothing to say except, ‘O ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud, has the Hour come?” ‘Abd Allah was sitting reclining against something, and said, ‘The Hour will not come until people will not divide inheritance, nor rejoice over booty.’ Pointing towards Syria, he said. ‘An enemy will gather forces against the Muslims and the Muslims will gather forces against them.’ I asked, ‘Do you mean the Romans?’ He said, ‘Yes. At that time there will be very heavy fighting. The Muslims will prepare a detachment to fight to the death; they will not return unless they are victorious. They will fight until night intervenes. Both sides will return without being victorious; then many will be killed on both sides. On the fourth day, the Muslims who are left will return to the fight, and Allah will cause the enemy to be routed. There will be a battle the like of which has never been seen, so that even if a bird were to pass their ranks, it would fall down dead before it reached the end of them. Out of a family of one hundred, only one man will survive, so how could he enjoy the booty or divide any inheritance? While they are in this state, they will hear of an even worse calamity. A cry will reach them: “The Dajjal has taken your place among your offspring.” So they will throw away whatever is in their hands and go forward, sending 10 horsemen as a scouting party. The Prophet said, ‘I know their names, and the names of their fathers, and the colours of their horses. They will be the best horsemen on the face of the earth on that day.’ ” (Ahmad, Muslim). Abu Hurayrah said, “The Prophet said, ‘The Hour will not come until the Romans camp at al-A’mash or Dabiq. An army, composed of the best people on earth at that time, will come out from Madinah to meet them. When they have arranged themselves in ranks, the Romans will say, ‘Do not stand between us and those who took prisoners from amongst us. Let us fight with them.’ One-third will run away, and Allah will never forgive them. One-third will be killed, and they will be the best of martyrs in Allah’s sight. One-third, who will never be subjected to trials or tribulations, will win, and will conquer Constantinople. Whilst they are sharing out the booty, after hanging their swords on the olive-trees, Satan will shout to them that the Dajjal has taken their place among their families. When they come to Syria, the Dajjal will appear, while they are preparing for battle and drawing up the ranks. When the time for prayer comes, Jesus the son of Mary will descend and lead them in prayer. When the enemy of Allah (i.e. the Dajjal) sees him, he will start to dissolve like salt in water, but Allah will kill him.’ ” (Muslim.) The Prophet said, “The Hour will not come until the furthest border of the Muslims will be in Bula.” Then he said, “O ‘Ali!” ‘Ali said, “May my father and mother be sacrificed for you!” The Prophet said, “You will fight the Romans, and those who come after you will fight them, until the best people among the Muslims, the people of al-Hijaz, will go out to fight them, fearing nothing but Allah. They will conquer Constantinople with Tasbih and Takbir (saying “Subhan Allah” and “Allahu Akbar”), and they will obtain booty the like of which has never been seen – they will share it out by scooping it up with their sheilds. Someone will come and say, ‘The Dajjal has appeared in your land’, but he will be lying. Anyone who takes notice of him will regret it, and anyone who ignores him will regret it.” (Ibn Majah.) Nafi’ ibn ‘Utbah said, “The Prophet said, ‘You will attack Arabia, and Allah will enable you to conquer it. Then you will attack Persia, and Allah will enable you to conquer it. Then you will attack Rome, and Allah will enable you to conquer it. Then you will attack the Dajjal, and Allah will enable you to conquer him.’ ” (Muslim) When Mustawrid al-Qurashi was sitting with ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, he said, “I heard the Prophet say, ‘The Hour will come when the Romans will be in the majority.’ ‘Amr asked him, “What are you saying?” He said, “I am repeating that which I heard from the Prophet.” ‘Amr said, “If you say this, it is true, because they have four good characteristics: they are the most able to cope with tribulation, the quickest to recover after disaster and to return to the fight after disaster, and are the best as far as treating the poor, weak and orphans is concerned. They have a fifth characteristic which is very good; they do not allow themselves to be oppressed by their kings.” The Prophet said, “You will fight the Romans, and Believers from the Hijaz will fight them after you, until Allah enables them to conquer Constantinople and Rome with Tasbih and Takbir (“Subhan Allah” and “Allahu Akbar”). Its fortifications will collapse, and they will obtain booty the like of which has never been seen, so that they will share it out by scooping it up with their shields. Then someone will cry, ‘O Muslims! the Dajjal is in your country, with your families’, and the people will leave the wealth. Anyone who takes notice will regret it and anyone who ignores it will regret it. They will ask, ‘Who shouted?’ but they will not know who he is. They will say, you will hear about his deeds.’ So they will go and see, and if they see that everything is normal, they will say, ‘No-one would give a shout like that for no reason, so let us go together to Ilya’.’ If we find the Dajjal there we will fight him together, until Allah decides between us and him. If we do not find the Dajjal, we will go back to our country and our families.’ ” Mu’adh ibn Jabal said, “The Prophet said, ‘The building of Bayt al-Maqdis (in Jerusalem) will be followed by the destruction of Yathrib (Madinah), which will be followed by the conquest of Constantinople, which will be followed by the appearance of the Dajjal.’ Then he put his hand on the thigh or the shoulder of the one with whom he was speaking (i.e. Mu’adh), and said, ‘This is as true as the fact that you are here (or as true as you are sitting here).’ ” This does not mean that Madinah will be destroyed completely before the appearance ofthe Daj, but that will happen at the end of time, as we shall see in some authentic Ahadith. But the building of Bayt al-Maqdis will be the cause of the destruction of Madinah, as it was proven in the Hadith that the Dajjal will not be able to enter Madinah. He will be prevented from doing so because it is surrounded by angles bearing unsheathed swords. Abu Hurayrah said, “The Prophet said about Madinah: ‘Neither plague nor the Dajjal can enter it.’ ” (Bukhari.)

Trials and tribulations Zaynab bint Jahsh said, The Prophet (sallallah alayhe wa sallam) got up from his sleep; his face was flushed and he said, There is no god but Allah. Woe to the Arabs, for a great evil which is nearly approaching them. Today a gap has been made in the wall of Gog and Magog like this (Sufyan illustrated this by forming the number of 90 or 100 with his fingers). Someone asked, Shall we be destroyed even though there are righteous people among us? The Prophet said, Yes, if evil increases. (Bukhari). Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet said, One night the Prophet got up and said, Subhan Allah! How many tribulations have come down tonight, and how many treasures have been disclosed! Go and wake the dwellers of these apartments (i e his wives) for prayer. A well-dressed soul in this world may be naked in the Hereafter. (Bukhari.) Usamah ibn Zayd said, Once the Prophet stood over one of the battlements of al-Madinah and asked the people, Do you see what I see? They said, No. He said, I see afflictions falling upon your houses as raindrops fall. (Bukhari, Muslim.) Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anhu) said, The Prophet said, Time will pass rapidly, knowledge will decrease, miserliness will become widespread in peoples hearts, afflictions will appear, and there will be much Harj. The people asked, O Messenger of Allah, what is Harj? He said, Killing, killing! (Bukhari) Al-Zubayr ibn Adi narrated, We went to Anas ibn Malik and complained about the wrong we were suffering at the hands of al-Hajjaj. Anas ibn Malik said, Be patient, For no time will come but that the time following it will be worse, until you meet your Lord. I heard the Prophet say that. (Bukhari.) Abu Hurairah said, The Prophet said, There will come a time of afflictions when one who sits will be better than one who stands; one who stands will be better than one who walks; and one who walks will be better than one who runs. Whoever exposes himself to these afflictions, they will destroy him. So whoever can find a place of protection or refuge from them, should take shelter in it. (Bukhari and Muslim.) Hudhayfah said, The Prophet told us two Hadith, one of which I have seen fulfilled, and I am waiting for the fulfilment of the other. The Prophet told us that honesty came down into mens hearts (from Allah); then they learnt it from the Quran, and then from the Sunnah. The Prophet told us that honesty would be taken away. He said, Man will be overtaken by sleep, during which honesty will be taken away from his heart, and only its trace will remain, like traces of a dark spot. Then man will be overtaken by slumber again, during which honesty will decrease still further, until its trace will resemble a blister such as is caused when an ember is dropped onto ones foot: it swells, but there is nothing inside. People will be carrying on with their trade, but there will hardly be any trustworthy persons. People will say, There is an honest man in such-and-such a tribe. Later they will say about some man, What a wise, polite and strong man he is! – although he will not have faith even the size of a mustard-seed in his heart. Indeed, there came a time when I did not mind dealing with any one of you, for if he were a Muslim his Islam would compel him to pay whatever he owed me, and if he were a Christian, the Muslim official would compel him to pay it. But now I do not deal with anyone except so-and-so and so-and-so. (Bukhari.) Ibn Umar said, The Prophet stood beside the pulpit, facing the east, and said, Afflictions will verily emerge from here, where the top of Satans head will appear. (Bukhari.) Abu Hurairah said that he had heard the Prophet say, The Hour will not come until a man passes by someones grave and says, Would that I were in his place! (Bukhari.) Abu Hurairah said, I heard the Prophet say, The Hour will not come until the buttocks of the women of Daws* move whist going around Dhu l-Khalasah. Dhu l-Khalasah was an idol worshipped by the tribe of Daws during the Jahiliyyah. (Hadith from Bukhari.) Abu Hurairah also said, The Prophet said, The Euphrates will disclose a golden treasure. Whoever is present at that time should not take anything of it. Abu Hurairah said, The Prophet said, The Hour will not come before the Euphrates uncovers a mountain of gold, for which people will fight. Ninety-nine out of every hundred will die, but every one among them will say that perhaps he will be the one who will survive (and thus possess the gold). (Muslim.) Abu Hurairah said, The Prophet said, The Hour will not come until the following events have come to pass: two large groups will fight the another, and there will be many casualties; they will both be following the same religious teaching. Nearly thirty Dajjals will appear, each of them falsely claiming to be a Messenger from Allah. Knowledge will disappear, earthquakes will increase, time will pass quickly, afflictions will appear, and Harj (ie killing) will increase. Wealth will increase, so that a wealthy man will worry lest no-one accept his Zakat, and when he offers it to anyone, that person will say, I am not in need of it. People will compete in constructing high buildings. When a man passes by someones grave, he will say, Would that I were in his place! The sun will rise from the west; when it rises and the people see it, they will believe, but, No good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its faith … (Al-Anam 6:158) The Hour will come suddenly: when a man has milked his she-camel and taken away the milk, but he will not have time to drink it; before a man repairing a tank for his livestock will be able to put water in it for his animals; and before a man who has raised a morsel of food to his mouth will be able to eat it. (Bukhari.) Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said, Of all the people, I know most about every tribulation which is going to happen between now and the Hour. This is not because the Prophet told me something in confidence which he did not tell anyone else; it is because I was present among a group of people to whom he spoke about the tribulations (al-Fitan). The Prophet mentioned three tribulations which would hardly spare anybody, and some which would be like storms in summer; some would be great and some would be small. Everyone who was present at that gathering has passed away, except me. (Muslim.) Abu Hurairah said, I heard the Prophet say, If you live for a while, you will see people go out under the wrath of Allah and come back under His curse, and they will have in their hands whips like the tail of an ox. (Ahmad, Muslim.) Abu Hurairah said, The Prophet said, There are two types among the people of Hell whom I have not yet seen. The first are people who have whips like the tails of oxen, with which they beat people, and the second are women who are naked in spite of being dressed; they will be led astray and will lead others astray, and their heads will look like camels humps. These women will not enter Paradise; they will not even experience the faintest scent of it, even though the fragrance of Paradise can be perceived from such a great distance. Anas ibn Malik said, The Prophet was asked, O Messenger of Allah, (what will happen) when we stop enjoining good and forbidding evil? He said, When what happened to the Israelites happens among you: when fornication becomes widespread among your leaders, knowledge is in the hands of the lowest of you, and power passes into the hands of the least of you. (Ibn Majah.) Abu Hurairah said, The Prophet said, Woe to the Arabs from the great evil which is nearly approaching them: it will be like patches of dark night. A man will wake up as a believer, and be a kafir (unbeliever) by nightfall. People will sell their religion for a small amount of worldly goods. The one who clings to his religion on that day will be as one who is grasping an ember – or thorns. (Ahmad.) Abu Hurairah said, I heard the Prophet saying to Thawban, O Thawban, what will you do when the nations call one another to invade you as people call one another to come and eat from one bowl? Thawban said, May my father and my mother be sacrificed for you. O Messenger of Allah! Is it because we are so few The Prophet said, No, on that day you (Muslims) will be many, but Allah will put weakness (wahn) in your hearts. The people asked, What is that weakness, O Messenger of Allah? He said, It is love for this world and dislike of fighting. (Ahmad.) The Prophet said, There will be a tribulation in which one who is sleeping will be better than one who is lying down, one who is lying will be better than one who is sitting, one who is sitting will be better than on who is standing, one who is standing will be better than one who is walking, one who is walking will be better than one who is riding, and one who is riding will be better than one who is running; all of their dead will be in Hell. The Companion of the Prophet who narrated this Hadith said, O Messenger of Allah, when will that be? He said, That will be the days of Harj. He asked, When will the days of Harj be? The Prophet said, When a man will not trust the person to whom he is speaking. The Companion asked, What do you advise me to do if I live to see that? He said, Restrain yourself, and go back to your place of residence. The Companion then asked, O Messenger of Allah, what should I do if someone enters my neighbourhood to attack me? He said, Go into your house. The Companion asked, What if he enters my house? He said, Go into the place where you pray and do this – and he folded his arms, – and say My Lord is Allah, until you die. Abu Bakrah said, The Prophet said, There will be a tribulation during which one who is lying down will be better than one who is sitting, one who is sitting will be better than one who is standing, one who is standing will be better than one who is walking, and one who is walking will be better than one who is running. Someone asked, O Messenger of Allah, what do you advise me to do? He said, Whoever has camels, let him stay with them, and whoever has land, let him stay in his land. Someone asked, What about someone who does not have anything like that? He said, Then let him take his sword and strike its edge against a stone, then go as far away as possible. (Abu Dawud; similar Hadith in Muslim.) At the time of the Fitnah of Uthman ibn Affans Khilafah (Caliphate), Sad ibn Abi Waqqas said, I bear witness that the Prophet said, There will come a tribulation during which one who sits will be better than one who stands, one who stands will be better than one who walks, and one who walks will be better than one who runs. Someone asked, What do you advise if someone enters my house to kill me? He said, Be like the son of Adam (ie resign yourself). (Muslim, Tirmidhi.) Abu Musa al-Ashari said, The Prophet said, Before the Hour comes, there will be a tribulation like patches of dark night. A man will get up a believer and go to sleep a kafir, or will go to sleep a believer and get up a kafir. The one who sits will be better than one who stands, and one who walks will be better than one who runs. Break your bows, cut their strings, and strike your swords against stones. If someone comes to kill any of you, then be like the better of the two sons of Adam. (Abu Dawud.) Abu Dharr said, The Prophet was riding a donkey and sat me behind him. He said, O Abu Dharr, if the people were suffering from such severe hunger that you could not even get up from your bed to go to the mosque, what would you do? I said, Allah and His Messenger know best. He said, Be decent and restrain yourself. Then he said, O Abu Dharr, if the people were suffering from severe death (i e if a man were worth no more than a grave), what would you do? If the people were killing one another, until Hajarat al-Zayt (an area of Madinah) were submerged in blood, what would you do? I said, Allah and His Messenger know best. He said, Stay in your house and lock the door. I asked, What if I am not left alone? He said, Then be one of them. I said, Should I take up my sword? He said, If you did that, you would be joining them in their activities. No – if you fear that the brightness of the shining sword will disturb you, then cover your face with part of your clothing, and let him carry his own sin and your sin. (Ahmad.) Abd Allah ibn Amr said, We were on a journey with the Prophet … When the Prophets caller called for prayer, I went there. The Prophet was addressing the people, saying: O people, it has been the duty of every Prophet before me to guide his people to whatever he knew was good for them, and to warn them against whatever he knew was bad for them, but this Ummah has its time of peace and security at the beginning; at the end of its existence it will suffer trials and tribulations, one after the other. Tribulation will come, and the believer will say, This will finish me, but it will pass. Another tribulation will come, and he will say, This is it, but it will pass, and a third will come and go likewise. Whoever wishes to be rescued from Hell, and enter Paradise, let him die believing in Allah and the Last Day, and treat the people as he himself wishes to be treated. If anyone gives allegiance to an Imam, then let him obey him if he can (or on one occasion he said: as much as you can). Abd al-Rahman (one of the narrators of this Hadith) said, When I heard that, I put my head between my knees and said, But your cousin Muawiyah is ordering us to squander our wealth among ourselves in vanity, and to kill each other, although Allah has said, O ye who believe! Squander not your wealth among yourselves in vanity … (Al-Nisa 4:29) Abd Allah (another narrator) put his head in his hands and paused awhile, then he raised his head and said, Obey him in that which is obedience to Allah and disobey that which is disobedience to Allah. I asked him, Did you hear that from the Prophet? He said, Yes, I heard it with my ears and understood it in my heart. (Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Nasai, Ibn Majah.) Abd Allah ibn Amr said, I heard the Prophet say, If you see my Ummah fearing a tyrant so much that they dare not tell him that he is a tyrant, then there will be no hope for them. The Prophet said, Among my Ummah, some will be swallowed up by the earth, some bombarded with stones, and some transformed into animals. (Ahmad). FOOTNOTE: *Daws: a tribe in Yemen, Dhul-Khalasah: a house full of idols – it is so called because they believed that whoever worshipped it or went around it would be purified (khallasa). This Hadith means that the tribe of Daws will become apostates from Islam and will go back to idol worshipping; even their women will exert themselves in worshipping the idol and running around it, so that their flesh will quiver.

Greater signs of the Hour AFTER the lesser signs of the Hour appear and increase, mankind will have reached a stage of great suffering. Then the awaited Mahdi will appear; he is the first of the greater, and clear, signs of the Hour. There will be no doubt about his existence, but this will only be clear to the knowledgeable people. The Mahdi will rule until the False Messiah (al-Masih al-Dajjal) appears, who will spread oppression and corruption. The only ones who will know him well and avoid his evil will be those who have great knowledge and Iman (faith). The false Messiah will remain for a while, destroying mankind completely, and the earth will witness the greatest Fitnah (tribulation) in its history. Then the Messiah Jesus (alayhe sallam) will descend, bringing justice from heaven. He will kill the Dajjal, and there will be years of safety and security. Then the appearance of Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog) will take mankind by surprise, and corruption will overtake them again. In answer to Jesus faithful prayer to Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala), they will die, and safety, security, justice and stability will return. This state of affairs will continue for some years, until the death of Jesus. The Ulama differ concerning the order in which the other greater signs of the Hour will come about. They are: The destruction of the Kabah and the recovery of its treasure. The rising of the sun from the west. The emergence of the Beast from the earth. The smoke. A wind will take the souls of the believers. The Quran will be taken up into heaven. A fire will drive the people to their last gathering place. The Trumpet will be sounded: at the first sound everyone will feel terror; at the second sound all will be struck down; at the last sound all will be resurrected. The Mahdi THE Mahdi will come at the end of time; he is one of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs and Imams. He is not the Mahdi who is expected by the Shiah, who they claim will appear from a tunnel in Samarra. This claim of theirs has no basis in reality nor in any reliable source. They allege that his name is Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Askari, and that he went into the tunnel when he was five years old. The matter we intend to discuss has been proven by Ahadith narrated from the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam): that the Mahdi will appear at the end of time. I believe that he will appear before Jesus the son of Mary comes down, as the Ahadith indicate. Hajjaj said that he heard Ali say, The Prophet said, Even if there were only one day left for the world, Allah would send a man from among us to fill the world with justice, just as it had been filled with oppression and justice. (Ahmad). Ali said, The Prophet said, The Mahdi is one of us, from among the people of my household. In one night Allah will inspire him and prepare him to carry out his task successfully. (Ahmad and Ibn Majah.) Ali said, whilst looking at his son al-Hasan, This son of mine is a Sayyid (master), as the Prophet named him. Among his descendants there will be man named after your Prophet. He will resemble him in behaviour but not in looks. Then he told them the report which mentions that the earth will be filled with justice. (Abu Dawud.) Abu Dawud devoted a chapter of his Sunan to the subject of the Mahdi. At the beginning of this chapter he quoted the Hadith of Jabir ibn Samrah, in which the Prophet said, This religion will remain steadfast until twelve caliphs have ruled over you. (According to another report he said, This religion will remain strong until twelve caliphs have ruled over you.) Jabir said, The people cheered and shouted Allahu akbar! Then the Prophet whispered something. I asked my father What did he say? My father said, He said, All of them will be from Quraysh. Another report says that when the Prophet returned to his house, Quraysh came to him and asked, What will happen after that? He said, Then there will be tribulation and killing. Abu Dawud reported a Hadith from Abd Allah ibn Masud: The Prophet said, If there were only one day left for the world, that day would be lengthened until a man from among my descendants or from among the people of my household, was sent; his name will be the same as my name, and his fathers name will be the same as my fathers name. He will fill the earth with justice and fairness, just as it will have been filled with injustice and oppression. The world will not end until a man of my household, whose name is the same as mine, holds away. Abd Allah said, The Prophet said, A man from my household, whose name is like mine, will take power. (Tirmidhi.) In another report, from Abu Hurairah, the Prophet said, If there were only one day left for this world, Allah would lengthen it until he took power. Abu Said said, The Prophet said, The Mahdi will be one of my descendants; he will have a high forehead and a hooked nose. He will fill the earth with justice and fairness just as it was filled with injustice and oppression, and he will rule for seven years. (Abu Dawud.) Umm Salamah reported that the Prophet said, People will begin to differ after the death of a Khalifah. A man from the people of Madinah will flee to Makkah. Some of the people of Makkah will come to him and drag him out against his will; they will swear allegiance to him between al-Rukn and al-Maqam. An army will be sent against him from Syria; it will be swallowed up in the desert between Makkah and Madinah. When the people see this, groups of people from Syria and Iraq will come and swear allegiance to him. Then a man from Quraysh whose mother is from Kalb will appear and send an army against them, and will defeat them; this will be known as the Battle of Kalb. Whoever does not witness the spoils of this battle will miss much! The Mahdi will distribute the wealth, and will rule the people according to the Sunnah of the Prophet. Then he will die, and the Muslims will pray for him. (Abu Dawud.) Ali said, The Prophet said, A man named al-Harith ibn Hirath will come from Transoxania. His army will be led by a man named Mansur. He will pave the way for and establish the government of the family of Muhammad, just as Quraysh established the government of the Messenger of Allah. Every believer will be obliged to support him. (Abu Dawud.) Abd Allah ibn al-Harith ibn Juz al-Zubaydi said, The Prophet said, A people will come out of the East who will pave the way for the Mahdi. (Ibn Majah.) Abd Allah said, Whilst we were with the Prophet, some young men from Banu Hashim approached us. When the Prophet saw them, his eyes filled with tears and the colour of his face changed. I said, We can see something has changed in your face, and it upsets us. The Prophet said, We are the people of a Household for whom Allah has chosen the Hereafter rather than this world. The people of my Household (Ahl al-Bayt) will suffer a great deal after my death, and will be persecuted until a people carrying black banners will come out of the east. They will instruct the people to do good, but the people will refuse; they will fight until they are victorious, and the people do as they asked, but they will not accept it from them until they hand over power to a man from my household. Then the earth will be filled with fairness, just as it had been filled with injustice. If any of you live to see this, you should go to him even if you have to crawl across ice. This text refers to the rule of the Abbasids, as we have mentioned above in the text referring to the beginning of their rule in 132 AH. It also indicates that the Mahdi will appear after the Abbasids, and that he will be one of the Ahl al-Bayt, a descendant of Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet, through Hasan, not Husayn, as mentioned in the Hadith from Ali ibn Abi Talib; and Allah knows best. Thwaban said, The Prophet said, Three men will be killed at the place where your treasure is. Each of them will be the son of a Khalifah, and none of them will get hold of the treasure. Then the black banners will come out of the East, and they will slaughter you in a way which has never been seen before. Then he said something which I do not remember; then, If you see him, go and give him your allegiance, even if you have to crawl over ice, because he is the Khalifah of Allah, the Mahdi. (Ibn Majah.) The treasure referred to in this text is the treasure of the Kabah. Towards the end of time, three of the sons of the Khalifahs will fight to get hold of it, until the Mahdi appears. He will appear from the East, not from the tunnel of Samarra, as the Shiah claim; they believe that he is in this tunnel now, and they are waiting for him to emerge at the end of time. There is no evidence for it in any book or Sahih tradition, and there is no benefit in believing this. The truth of the matter is that the Mahdi whose coming is promised at the end of time will appear from the East, and people will swear allegiance to him at the Kabah, as some Ahadith indicate. At the time of the Mahdi, there will be peace and prosperity, with abundant crops and wealth, strong rulers, and Islam will be well-established. Abu Said said, By Allah every ruler we have had has been worse than the previous one, and every year has been worse than the year before, but I heard the Prophet say, Among your rulers will be one who will give out wealth freely, without counting it. A man will come and ask him for money, and he will say Take; the man will spread his cloak out and the ruler will pour money into it. The Prophet spread out a thick cloak he had been wearing, to demonstrate the mans actions; then he gathered it up by its corners and said, Then the man will take it and leave. (Ahmad.)

From Ibn Kathir’s The Signs before the Day of Judgment. Answer: Ayat and Ahadith about the Hour Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) said: “They ask thee about the Hour, ‘When will be its appointed time? Wherein art thou (concerned) with the declaration thereof? With thy Lord is the Limit fixed therefor. Thou art but a Warner for such as fear it. The Day they will see it, (it will be) as if they had tarried but a single evening, or (at most till) the following morn!” (Al-Nazi’at 79: 42-46) “They ask thee about the (final) Hour – when will be its appointed time? Say: ‘The knowledge thereof is with my Lord (alone): none but He can reveal as to when it will occur. Heavy were its burden through the heavens and the earth. Only, all of a sudden will it come to you.’ They ask thee as if thou wert eager in search thereof: say: ‘The knowledge thereof is with Allah (alone), but most men know not.'” (Al-A’raf 7:187) There are many Ayat and Ahadith concerning this subject: Allah said: “The Hour (of Judgment) is nigh, and the moon is cleft asunder.” (Al-Qamar 54:1) The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said, whilst pointing with his index and middle fingers, “The time of my advent and the Hour are like these two fingers.” In another report he said, “The Hour almost came before me.” This indicates how close we are, relatively speaking, to the Hour. Allah said: “Closer and closer to mankind comes their Reckoning: yet they heed not and they turn away.” (Al-Anbiya’ 21:1) “(Inevitable) cometh (to pass) the Command of Allah: seek, ye not then to hasten it.'” (Al-Nahl 16:1) “Only those wish to hasten it who believe not in it: those who believe hold it in awe, and know that it is the Truth.'” (Al-Shura 42:18) In Sahih al-Bukhari, there is a Hadith which states that a Bedouin asked the Prophet about the Hour. He said, “It will surely come to pass. What have you prepared for it?” The man said, “O Messenger of Allah, I have not prepared much in the way of prayer and good works, but I love Allah and His Messenger.” The Prophet said, “You will be with those you love.” The Muslims had never rejoiced as much they did when they heard this Hadith. Some Ahadith report that the Prophet was asked about the Hour. He looked towards a young boy and said, “If he lives, he will not grow very old before he sees your Last Hour coming to you.” By this he meant their death and entering the Hereafter, because everyone who dies enters the Hereafter; some people say that when a person has died, his judgment has begun. This Hadith with this meaning is “correct” (Sahih). Some heretics comment on this Hadith and give it an incorrect meaning. The exact timing of the Great Hour (al-Sa’at al’Uzma) is something which Allah alone knows and which He has not revealed to anyone, as is clear from the Hadith in which the Prophet said: “There are five things which nobody knows except Allah;” then he recited, “Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah (alone). It is He Who sends down rain, and He Who knows what is in the wombs. Nor does anyone know what it is that he will earn on the morrow: Nor does anyone know in what land he is to die. Verily with Allah is full knowledge and He is acquainted (with all things).” (Laqman 31:34) When Gabriel (Jibreel) (alayhe salam) came to the Prophet in the guise of a Bedouin, he asked him about Islam, Iman (faith) and Ihsan (excellence of faith); and the Prophet answered his questions. But when he asked him about the Hour, he said, “The one questioned about it knows no better than the questioner.” Jibreel said, “Tell me about its signs.” Then the Prophet described them, as we shall see later when we quote this Hadith and others in full. Hudhayfah said: “The Prophet stood up one day to speak to us, and told us everything that was going to happen until the Hour, and left nothing unsaid. Some of the listeners learnt it by heart, and some forgot it; these friends of mine learnt it. I do not remember it completely, but sometimes it springs to mind, just as one might remember and recognise the face of a man whom one had forgotten, when one sees him.” (Abu Dawud, Muslim.) Imam Ahmad reported via Abu Nudrah that Abu Sa’id said: “One day the Prophet led us in praying the afternoon prayer (Salat al’Asr). Then he stood and addressed us until sunset. He mentioned everything that was to happen until the Day of Resurrection, and left nothing unsaid. Some of us remembered it, and some of us forgot it. One of the things he said was: ‘O people, this world is full of attractive temptations. Allah has appointed you as vicegerents (Khalifah) in this world, and He will see how you will act. So guard yourselves against the temptations of this world and of women’ Towards the end of this speech, he said, ‘The sun is about to set, and what remains of this world, compared to what has passed, is like what remains of this day compared to what has passed.'” ‘Ali ibn Zayed ibn Jad’an al-Timi narrated some Gharib and Munkar Ahadith – which could bring into question the validity of this Hadith. But there are some reports which are similar to this Hadith, and which were transmitted with different isnads. Part of this Hadith is in SMuslim, through Abu Nudrah on the authority of Abu Sa’id. This Hadith refers to something which is beyond any doubt: what remains of this world, compared to what has passed, is very little. In spite of that, no-one can know exactly how much time is left except Allah, and no-one can know exactly how much time has passed, except Allah. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE FITAN (TRIBULATIONS) Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said, “People used to ask the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) about good things, but I used to ask him about bad things because I was afraid that they might overtake me. I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, we were lost in ignorance (Jahiliyyah) and evil, then Allah brought this good (i.e. Islam). Will some evil come after this good thing?’ He said, ‘Yes’ I asked, ‘And will some good come after that evil?’ He said, ‘Yes, but it will be tainted with some evil’ I asked, ‘How will it be tainted?’ He said, ‘There will be some people who will lead others on a path different from mine. You will see good and bad in them. I asked, ‘Will some evil come after that good?’ He said, ‘Some people will be standing and calling at the gates of Hell; whoever responds to their call, they will throw him into the Fire.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, describe them for us.’ He said, ‘They will be from our own people, and will speak our language.’ I asked, ‘What do you advise me to do if I should live to see that?’ He said, ‘Stick to the main body (jama’ah) of the Muslims and their leader (Imam). I asked, What if there is no main body and no leader?’ He said ‘Isolate yourself from all of these sects, even if you have to eat the roots of trees until death overcomes you while you are in that state.'” ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud said: “The Prophet said, ‘Islam began as something strange, and it will revert to being strange as it was in the beginning, so good tidings for the strangers.’ Someone asked, ‘Who are the strangers?’ He said, ‘The ones who break away from their people (literally, ‘tribes’) for the sake of Islam.’ “This Hadith was narrated by Ibn Majah on the authority of Anas and Abu Hurairah. DIVISIONS WITHIN THE MAIN RELIGIOUS GROUPS Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said: “The Jews have split into seventy-one sects, and my Ummah will divide into seventy-three.” ‘Awf ibn Malik reported that the Prophet said: “The Jews split into seventy-one sects: one will enter Paradise and seventy will enter Hell. The Christians split into seventy-two sects: seventy-one will enter Hell and one will enter Paradise. By Him in Whose hand is my soul, my Ummah will split into seventy-three sects: one will enter Paradise and seventy-two will enter Hell.” Someone asked, “O Messenger of Allah, who will they be?” He replied, “The main body of the Muslims (al-Jama’ah).” ‘Awf ibn Malik is the only one who reported this Hadith, and its isnad is acceptable. Anas ibn Malik said, “I shall tell you a Hadith which I heard from the Messenger of Allah, and which no-one will tell you after me. I heard him say, ‘Among the signs of the Hour will be the disappearance of knowledge and the appearance of ignorance. Adultery will be prevalent and the drinking of wine will be common. The number of men will decrease and the number of women will increase until there will be fifty women to be looked after by one man.’ ” This Hadith was reported in the two Sahihs from the Hadith of ‘Abd Rabbihi. ‘Abd Allah said, “The Prophet said, ‘Just before the Hour, there will be days in which knowledge will disappear and ignorance will appear, and there will be much killing.’ ” (Ibn Majah; also narrated by Bukhari and Muslim, from the Hadith of al-A’mash.) Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said, “The Prophet said, ‘Islam will become worn out like clothes are, until there will be no-one who knows what fasting, prayer, charity and rituals are. The Qur’an will disappear in one night, and no Ayah will be left on earth. Some groups of old people will be left who will say, ‘We heard our fathers saying La ilaha illa Allah, so we repeated it.’ Silah asked Hudhayfah, “What will saying La ilaha illa Allah do for them when they do not know what prayer, fasting, ritual and charity are?” Hudhayfah ignored him; then Silah repeated his question three times, and each time Hudayfah ignored him. Finally he answered, “O Silah, it will save them from Hell”, and said it three times. (Ibn Majah) This indicates that in the last days, knowledge will be taken from the people, and even the Qur’an will disappear from the Mushafs and from people’s hearts. People will be left without knowledge. Only the old people will tell them that they used to hear people saying La ilaha illa Allah; and they will repeat it to feel close to Allah, so it will give them some blessing, even if they do not have any good deeds or beneficial knowledge. Knowledge will be taken away from men and ignorance will increase during the last days, and their ignorance and misguidance will increase until the end, as in the Hadith of the Prophet: “The Hour will not come upon anyone who says, ‘Allah, Allah’; it will only come upon the most evil of men.” THE EVILS WHICH WILL BEFALL THE MUSLIM UMMAH DURING THE LAST DAYS. ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar said, “The Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) came to us and said, ‘O Muhajirun, (emigrants from Makkah to al-Madinah) you may be afflicted by five things; God forbid that you should live to see them. If fornication should become widespread, you should realise that this has never happened without new diseases befalling the people which their forebears never suffered. If people should begin to cheat in weighing out goods, you should realise that this has never happened without drought and famine befalling the people, and their rulers oppressing them. If people should withhold Zakat, you should realise that this has never happened without the rain being stopped from falling; and were it not for the animals’ sake, it would never rain again. If people should break their covenant with Allah and His Messenger, you should realise that his has never happened without Allah sending an enemy against them to take some of their possessions by force. If the leaders do not govern according to the Book of Allah, you should realise that this has never happened without Allah making them into groups and making them fight one another.” (Ibn Majah). ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib said, “The Prophet said: ‘If my Ummah bears fifteen traits, tribulation will befall it.’ Someone asked, ‘What are they, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘When any gain is shared out only among the rich, with no benefit to the poor; when a trust becomes a means of making a profit; when paying Zakat becomes a burden; when a man obeys his wife and disobeys his mother; and treats his friend kindly whilst shunning his father; when voices are raised in the mosques; when the leader of a people is the worst of them; when people treat a man with respect because they fear some evil he may do; when much wine is drunk; when men wear silk; when female singers and musical instruments become popular; when the last ones of this Ummah curse the first ones – then let them expect a red wind, or the earth to swallow them, or to be transformed into animals.'” (Tirmidhi) ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib said, “The Prophet led us in praying Salat al-Fajr (the morning prayer). When he had finished, a man called to him: ‘When will the Hour be? The Prophet reprimanded him and said ‘Be quiet!’ After a while he raised his eyes to the sky and said, ‘Glorified be the One Who raised it and is taking care of it.’ Then he lowered his gaze to the earth and said, ‘Glory be to the One Who has outspread it and has created it.’ Then the Prophet said, ‘Where is the one who asked me about the Hour?’ The man knelt down and said, ‘I asked you.’ The Prophet said, ‘The Hour will come when leaders are oppressors, when people believe in the stars and reject al-Qadar (the Divine Decree of destiny) when a trust becomes a way of making a profit, when people give to charity (Sadaqah) reluctantly, when adultery becomes widespread – when this happens, then your people will perish.'” ‘Imran ibn Husayn said, “The Psaid, ‘Some people othis Ummah will be swallowed up by the earth, some will be transformed into animals, and some will be bombarded with stones.’ One of the Muslims asked, ‘When will that be, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘When singers and musical instruments will become popular, and much wine will be drunk.'” (Narrated by Tirmidhi) [Note: “The main body of the Muslims (al-Jama’ah) means the people of the Qur’an, Hadith, Fiqh and other sciences, who have agreed to follow the Traditions of the Prophet in all circumstances without introducing any changes or imposing their own confused ideas.]

The Importance of Making Mashwarah While emphasizing the importance of mashwarah, Hazrat Moulana Muhammad Ilyaas (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) once mentioned the following: Mashwarah is extremely vital and important. Allah Ta’ala has promised that when you place your reliance on Him and sit to make mashwarah, then before the mashwarah concludes and you depart, you will be blessed with guidance from Allah Ta’ala. (Malfoozaat Hazrat Moulana Muhammad Ilyaas (rahmatullahi) Ihyaauddeen.co.za

MASHWARAH ITS IMPORTANCE IN ISLAM Islam greatly exhorts the practice of Mashwara (mutual]consultation) in all matters of importance.Whether relating to individual issues, matters relating to the home, matters relating to the community or a country, Islam emphasizes the importance and great benefits of Mashwara. This meritorious practice of great benefit is strongly encouraged: 1. by the Quraan Majeed 2. by the Hadith Shareef 3. by the practical example of Rasulullah (sallallahu]alayhi]wasallam) 4. by the practice of the Sahaabah (Radiyallahu]anhum) and the Pious Elders of all eras MASHWARA AND ISTIKHARAH TWO INGREDIENTS FOR SUCCESS All Muslims must strive to bring alive this vital practice in all facets and matters of their individual and collective lives. Whenever any issue of importance arises; before making any decision, always resort to 1. MASHWARA and 2. ISTIKHARAH We have been informed by the most truthful of men, Sayyidina Rasulullah (sallallahu]alayhi]wasallam) in one of his gems of wisdom: “He who resorts to Istikharah will not be at a loss; and he who resorts to Mashwara will never regret.” QURANIC VERSES (Relevant Quranic Aayaat regarding the importance of Mashwara:) Aayah 1: “And make Mashwara (consult) with them in affairs (of importance). Then when you have firmly decided, have trust on Allah. Verily Allah loves those who have trust (in Him)”  Lessons from this aayah: 1. Rasulullah (sallallahu]alayhi]wasallam) was not really in need of the views and consultation of the Sahabah (radiyallahu]anhum), because he was educated and taught directly by Allah (Rabbul]Izzat) via the medium of Wahi. Allah Ta’ala could have guided him to the correct decision even without mutual consultation. Yet we find the Quran has instructed even Rasulullah (sallallahu]alayhi]wasallam) to resort to Mashwara with his companions. This alone speaks volumes on the importance of Mashwara. 2. What is the reason for Rasulullah (sallallahu]alayhi]wasallam) consulting and making Mashwara with his companions? In order to emphasize the importance of Mashwara, he practically carried it out and showed them the ways and etiquette of Mashwara. In this manner the importance and method of Mashwara was embedded in the minds of the Sahaba (radiyallahu]anhum) and thus this practice gained prominence and priority in the life of the Sahaba and those that followed their ways. 3. Islam has always advocated the policy of adopting the means first and then trusting upon Allah ] Tawakkul. “Tie the camel first, then trust upon Allah.” This is the true concept of Tawakkul from Quran and Hadith. It is this same principle as far as Mashwara is concerned; first adopt all the means: Consult, collect all the views and deliberate on the issue at hand from all angles, then take the decision and leave the rest to Allah (Rabbul]Izzat) ] thereafter trust on Him alone. 4. Although this aayah is directed to Rasulullah (sallallahu]alayhi]wasallam) in the first instance, it applies to all Muslims in general by way of implication. By directing Rasulullah (sallallahu]alayhi]wasallam) firstly towards this command, the emphasis on this matter is trebled in importance. 5. A very important Hukm (directive) of Mashwara is laid out in this aayah ] the final and binding decision lies with the Ameer. The aayah states: “…then when you have decided…” ] this implies that the decision lies with one person alone ] not the entire Shura Body. The Quran does not say “when all of you have decided” or “when the majority of you has decided” etc. This points out the invalidity of the system of democracy or majority rule. Islam espouses the system of Mashwara. Unfortunately Muslims all over the world blindly follow and upkeep the invalid system of democracy in almost all their affairs ] even as far as the affairs of the Masajid is concerned, the entire constitution and voting system is based on the principles of democracy to the letter! What a tragedy! Whereas Muslims should have been administering all their affairs on the basis of Mashwara and more than all the houses of Allah should at least have been administered in the way of the Quraan Majeed i.e. by Mashwara and not by the system of democracy. May Allah open the eyes of the Muslim Ummah to realize their folly. Aayah 2: In praise of the true Mu’mineen ] Believers, Allah (Rabbul]Izzat) extols a unique quality in their lives. What is this quality? It is the quality of Mashwara or Mutual Consultation. Says Allah Ta’ala: “And their affairs are decided upon by Shura between them” This is another glaring aayah of the Qur’an that emphasizes the importance of Shura in the life of a Muslim, whose affairs of life pivot around Mashwara. May Allah grant all Believers this great quality Source

Bid’ah According to the Four Madhhabs The concept of bid’ah has become a means by which the Muslim nation has become divided. There are some who call anything, which did not exist during the time of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi was sallam), bid’ah and label those who adopt some of those practices as people of innovation (bid’ah) or misguidance (dalaalah). The question that must be asked is: “How have the Muslims been dealing with newly introduced matters starting from the time of the Companions (Sahaba) until recent times?” In order to provide an encompassing answer to this question, I gathered the views of the four schools of thought (Madhhabs) in this booklet (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali madhhabs). From each Madhhab, I included statements of some of the famous scholars regarding the meaning and classification of bid’ah (innovation). Henceforth, I include the magnificent research concerning bid’ah of one of the greatest scholars of the 19th century: Al-Imam Abu Al-Hasanat Muhammed Abdul Hayy Al-Laknawi al-Hindi. In his research he demonstrated how the first three blessed generations responded to the newly innovated matters which cropped up during their time. He concludes his research by providing advice on how we should deal with bid’ah in our own time. I believe his advice contains therein a cure for the disease of corrupting the term bid’ah, perhaps inadvertently, to divide the Muslim community. Download: https://ia801500.us.archive.org/0/items/BidahAccordingToTheFourMadhhabs/Bidah according to the four Madhhabs.pdf darultahqiq

Please do not post rulings on the forum which you have "heard". The above is confusing as one enters the state of ihraam before entering the haram Readers please refer to following topic of hajj/umrah resources

Part Twenty The Justice and Compassion of Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) Hazrat Jareer (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) once passed by Hazrat ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) during the period when Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was governor over Kufah. Seeing Hazrat Jareer (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), Hazrat ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) asked him regarding Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu). Hazrat Jareer (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) gave the following reply: “I left him in his position of rule as the most noble of people in authority and power, and the person who is least hard-hearted. He is like a devoted mother to his subjects, working for them just as an ant works tirelessly for its colony. He is the person who is most firm against wrong and oppression, and he is among the most beloved of the Quraish to the people.” (Isaabah 3/64) Source: Whatisislam.co.za

Beneficial article on understanding the nafs: and this will answer your question insha-allah: Du'a: اَللّٰهُمَّ اَلْهِمْنِىْ رُشْدِىْ وَاَعِذْنِىْ مِنْ شَرِّ نَفْسِىْ Oh Allah, inspire me with guidance and protect me from the evil of myself ——– اللهم ات نفسي تقواها وزكها انت خير من زكاها انت وليها ومولاها Allahumma Aati Nafsi Taqwaahaa Wa-Zakkihaa, Anta Khayru Man Zakkaahaa, Anta Waliyyuhaa Wa-Mawlaahaa O Allah! Give my soul piety and my conscience purity. You are the Master of my soul and the Guardian of my conscience

please see this post specially the following: Ghussa / Anger Definition: Revenge in the form of erupting or exploding in anger, taken at some slight or personal injury. Danger and consequences: Uncontrolled anger leads to rage, quarrels, hatred, violence and a host of other evils. To be completely devoid of anger is the opposite extreme and manifests as cowardice, which also falls in the category of being despicable. It must be pointed out that anger is an essential instinctive quality. Thus anger developing in an individual is not in his control, but the individual has the option of giving expression to the anger or not. The ideal therefore is anger reacting only to the demands of the shariat.

The Outcome of Ingratitude Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) once mentioned: So long as a person regards himself unworthy of the favours he enjoys and recognizes the favours to be a sheer grace and bounty from the side of Allah Ta’ala upon him, he will continue to receive from the favours of Allah Ta’ala and he will not be deprived of the Divine Grace. However, as soon as he regards himself to be deserving of the favours of Allah Ta’ala, then this will be regarded as ingratitude and ungratefulness. When one falls into ingratitude, the favours that he is enjoying will be snatched away from him. The outcome of ingratitude is extremely serious. (Malfoozaat Hakeemul Ummat 5/332) Ihyaauddeen.co.za

Guidelines on Preparing a will and testament Islamically Answered by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari Can you please provide me with general guidelines that would help me prepare my last Will and testament according to Islamic law? Answer: In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful, Writing and preparing a Will is undoubtedly very important, especially in non-Muslim countries, insuring that upon death, one’s wealth and assets are distributed according to Shariah. There are a number of Islamic texts, both in the Qur’an and Sunnah, which point to the importance of Will-making, for example: Sayyiduna Abd Allah ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “It is not befitting for a Muslim who has something to make a Will of, to remain for two nights without having one’s last Will and testament written and kept ready with one.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, no: 2587) The narrator of this Hadith (Abd Allah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab) stated after hearing this from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace): “I did not let even one night pass by except that my Will would be kept by me.” (Musnad Ahmad, 2/4) Making a Will becomes even more important in non-Muslim countries, such as the United Kingdom and US. The reason being is that, failing to leave a valid written Will can result in the law of the land deciding on how your estate is to be distributed, which obviously will not be in accordance with Shariah (Islamic law). Therefore, it is essential that all Muslims leave a valid written Will. Those who have, as yet, not made a Will should haste and prepare a Will. Writing a Will is not only for old people, rather all those who have reached puberty should quickly get their Will prepared, for there is no guarantee of when one will die. Below are simple and brief guidelines with regards to preparing and writing a Will in the West: The first and foremost aspect worth noticing here is that many Muslims are mistaken in believing that, writing a Will means distributing one’s wealth and estate amongst the inheritors during one’s lifetime. This is incorrect, as making a Will does not mean one must divide one’s wealth amongst the various inheritors in one’s life; rather, one must merely stipulate in the Will that “upon my death, my executors will distribute my wealth according to Shariah”. One may also state that this will be determined by a local Muslim scholar or Mufti, who will be contacted and appointed by my executors upon my death. The reason behind this is that the inheritance portions have been determined and allotted by Allah Most High in the Qur’an. These portions vary according to who is alive at the time of one’s death. Death with leaving parents behind will differ from passing away after the parents have passed away, in that the inheritance portions will be different in both cases. As such, one cannot determine in one’s lifetime as to how much percentage of one’s wealth will be exactly allocated to each individual, for one is unaware who will be alive at the time of one’s death. Even the death of one person can make a big difference in the division and distribution of the estate. The beauty of Shariah is its simplicity and certainty. When you are writing your Islamic Will, you do not have to try and figure out which of your relatives will still be alive when you die in order to make sure that they will receive something. Whoever administers your estate will ascertain (in collaboration with a knowledgeable scholar) which of your relatives are still alive and what fixed shares they are automatically entitled to inherit by applying the criteria of Shariah. Moreover, it is unlawful and invalid to make a bequest (Wasiyya) in favour of an individual who automatically is entitled to receiving a share of the estate, such as one’s spouse, children and parents, etc. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said in his historic sermon (khutba) of his farewell hajj (haj al-Wada’): “Verily Allah has given each rightful person their right, thus there is no bequest in favour of a inheritor.” (Sunan Tirmidhi, no: 2120, narrated by Sayyiduna Abu Umama al-Bahili) The meaning of this Hadith is that Allah Almighty has already fixed and allotted the shares of those who are entitled to inherit from one’s estate. As such, if one was to make a Will in their favour, one will be going against the shares fixed for them in the Qur’an and Sunnah. However, if one wished to make a bequest/Will for a non-relative, or for a charity, then this would be allowed (and rewarded), but only up to a third of one’s total wealth. The remaining two thirds will be left to be distributed amongst the relatives according to the fixed shares prescribed by Allah Most High. If one does not make a bequest of up to one third of the estate, then all of the estate will be divided between the surviving relatives. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) forbade from making a bequest of giving one’s wealth in charity which is more than one third, and regarding a third also, he stated: “And a third is also more (although permissible)”. (Sunan Tirmidhi, no: 2116) The second point to remember here, which is very important, is that one must distinguish between a bequest/Will (wasiyya) and a gift (hiba). Many people fail to differentiate between the two, thus a grave error is committed. What a person gives to another in one’s lifetime is considered a “gift” whilst attributing the giving of something after one’s death is a “bequest or Will (Wasiyya)”. For example, if I give my house to a friend whilst I am alive, then that will be a gift, but if I was to say that my friend will take ownership of my house after I pass away, then that is a bequest. At times, one would like to distribute one’s estate amongst the children whilst one is alive. This will be valid provided it is given as a gift and not a bequest, because to make a bequest (or Will) for a relative who already qualifies to inherit is invalid, as mentioned previously. As such, if one desires to distribute the estate amongst the children whilst one is alive, then it does not have to be in accordance with the Shariah laws of inheritance, for it is merely a gift. However, the question arises as to whether it is necessary to distribute the estate equally between the children? The answer to this is that it is permissible to give the male children twofold of that given to the female children, as it would have been distributed as inheritance. It is also permissible to give all the children, male and female, equal shares. However, to give less than this to the daughters or to completely deprive them of any share, or to be unjust in the distribution of the wealth among the sons, without a valid Shar’i reason, is considered to be blameworthy and sinful. One will be sinful for favouring one child over the other, although the gift will stand as valid. Yes, if there is an Islamically valid reason, such as one child being extremely disobedient or involved in open sinning, it would be permitted to give him/her less. (See: Radd al-Muhtar) A point worth noting here is that Islamically a gift is only valid and complete when the one to whom the gift is given, takes full ownership and possession of the item. Merely, registering it on one’s name is of no consequence in Shariah, hence the gift will be considered invalid. The possession in houses and properties will be established by the giving of keys, removing of furniture, and leaving no obstacles for the one whom the gift is given to come and reside in the property. Many times it is observed that the father only verbally says that this is your house, but he himself resides in the house and it is considered to be his. This will not be a valid gift. A gift is such that if the son was to say to the father: you must move out, he moves out without any hesitation, and it is completely understood to be the son’s house. Thirdly, there is the issue of the husband and wife. If the house is solely owned by the husband, then upon his death, it would be distributed among all the inheritors. Many times it is observed that years pass by after the husband’s death and the inheritance is not distributed. The deceased’s wife and some children keep residing in the house without even thinking about distributing it. This is a grave sin committed by all those who overlook this great injunction of Shariah. If the house was jointly owned by the couple, then in the event of one of the spouse’s death, half of the house will remain in the ownership of the other spouse, and the remaining half will be distributed. Thus, it would be wise for the couple to have joint ownership of the house. This also should be made clear to all the children, for being negligent in this regard brings about disputes and problems. Note that if the inheritors give their consent in their mother or father residing in the house, then this is permissible. However, what is necessary is that the shares are distributed, and then they may give their consent in allowing their mother or father to reside. However, one must be extremely precautious here, for all the inheritors must consent to this from their heart and must not be pressurised into it. If even one inheritor disagrees, his/her share will have to be given to him/her. The fourth point to note with regards to inheritance is that at times the deceased makes a unlawful and invalid bequest, such as saying that, my eldest son will take such and such property, the other such and such, my daughter will take the house, etc. In this case, it will be unlawful (Haram) and a grave sin for the relatives to distribute the inheritance according to the bequest made by the deceased. The estate must be distributed in accordance with the Qur’an and Sunnah. Finally, one must make sure that one’s Will meets the requirements of the law of the land, for failing to do this may well render one’s Will invalid. So in order to ensure that one’s assets are distributed in accordance with the Shariah after one’s death, one must write a Will, and that “Will” must comply with the requirements of the country one is residing in. Therefore, it is advisable that one seeks the advice of an expert practicing Muslim solicitor. Having understood the above general guidelines regarding Will-making, let us now look at how an Islamic Will is written. Normally when making a Will, one would stipulate the following: Revoking of all previous Wills. Naming the executors of the Will. Payment of funeral and burial expenses. Payment of all debts connected to the servants of Allah: After one’s death, paying off one’s debts is given primary consideration. Thus, one’s leftover wealth will first be utilized in repaying the debts, and then the remainder, if any, will be distributed amongst the inheritors according to the Shariah. Note that this is with regards to debts payable to the servants of Allah (and not with regards to liabilities due by Shariah, such as unpaid Zakat, etc). Also, there is no condition here of it being from only one third of one’s wealth. Payment of any bequest (Wasiyya): This refers to any religious liabilities, such as unpaid Zakat, Fidya for Salat, etc, and also anything that one would like to give in charity. However, the condition here is that this is only permissible from one third of one’s wealth. It is worth remembering here that along with one’s written Will, one should have a separate document stipulating the number of unperformed prayers, missed fasts, unpaid Zakat, unperformed Hajj, any other religious obligations and debts payable to the servants of Allah. One must strive in accomplishing these obligations in one’s life, and make the necessary amendments to the document whenever an obligation is fulfilled. For example: One had 500 unperformed prayers. In such a case one should stipulate this in the document. Thereafter, whenever, a prayer is made up, it should be deducted from the total of 500. This “important” document should be attached with the Will in order to let the relatives know of one’s obligations and liabilities after one’s death. Distribution of the remaining two thirds of one’s estate (or full, if one does not include no. 5) among the inheritors in accordance with Sunni Islamic law, and in consultation with a qualified local scholar or Mufti. Signing of the document by both the Will-maker and the relevant witnesses. Finally, the responsibility of the relatives is that they haste in distributing the estate of the deceased as quick as humanely possible. Being negligent in this regard will be highly sinful. All the inheritors will be jointly responsible for this distribution. Also, when totalling the deceased’s assets, the inheritors must include every big and small item left behind by the deceased at the time he/she passed away, which includes Properties, house, car, financial instruments, cash, gold, silver, clothes, furniture, etc. At times, people overlook small items and give them away in charity without the prior consent of all the inheritors, which is unlawful (haram). The permission and full consent of all the inheritors must be sought before giving away any item to anybody. I hope the above has been helpful in simplifying the laws governing the great responsibility of Will-making and inheritance. May Allah Almighty forgive our shortcomings and keep us steadfast on his Deen, Ameen. And Allah knows best. Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari Darul Iftaa, Leicester, UK Source

Part Nineteen Hazrat Sa‘eed bin Musayyib (rahimahullah) narrates: A certain person was once speaking ill of Hazrat ‘Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), Hazrat Talhah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and Hazrat Zubair (radhiyallahu ‘anhu). Seeing that this person was speaking ill of the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum), Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) immediately tried to stop him saying, “Do not speak ill of my brothers!” However, the person refused to desist. Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) thus stood, performed two rakaats of salaah, and made du‘aa against this person who was speaking ill of the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum). Shortly thereafter, a camel arrived, pushing its way through the people. The camel seized this person and trapped him between its chest and the ground, crushing him to death. Hazrat Sa‘eed (rahimahullah) concludes saying, “I then saw the people walking behind Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) saying, ‘Congratulations, O Abu Ishaaq! Your du‘aa was accepted (in defense of the Sahaabah)!’” (Siyar min A’laam min Nubalaa 3/73) Source: Whatisislam.co.za

Ml. Dawood Seedat‏ @ml_dseedat While you plan to become a better believer one day, the angel of death plans to take your soul one day. Act upon your plan before He does

The Shar'ee ruling regarding women attending congregational or Eid Salaah Q: What is the Shar'ee ruling with regard to women attending the congregational Salaah in the Masaajid or being present for the Eid Salaah? A: In this regard, we have prepared a detailed article titled "The Shar'ee ruling regarding women attending congregational or Eid Salaah". The article can be found below: The era of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) was a mubaarak era. It was an era wherein Wahi (revelation of the Qur'an Majeed) was being received from Allah Ta'ala. New Shar’ee laws regarding various issues were constantly being revealed by Allah Ta’ala and there was a need for the Sahaabah (Radhiyallahu Anhum) to learn the laws of Deen relating to Salaah, fasting and other injunctions directly from Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). Generally, Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) would educate the Sahaabah (Radhiyallahu Anhum) after Salaah. Hence, women were permitted to attend the congregational Salaah in the Musjid in order to learn the laws of Deen. However, it should be borne in mind that the era of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) was the khairul quroon (the best of eras). The greatest honour of that era was to perform Salaah behind Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). People were protected and safeguarded from fitnahs. The levels of Imaan, taqwa and piety were so high that all the Sahaabah (Radhiyallahu Anhum), whether men or women, were prepared to make any type of sacrifice for the cause of Deen. The ardent love that burned within the hearts of the Sahaabah (Radhiyallahu Anhum) for Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) was unimaginable and unconceivable. Similarly, there can be no match or comparison for the unflinching commitment and submission they displayed before the command of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam). When Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) commanded the men and women to segregate and prohibited them from intermingling, they immediately surrendered before the command of Allah Ta'ala and His Rasul (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam). When Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) commanded the women to dress in a shabbily, unattractive state and prohibited them from applying any perfume when leaving their homes for Salaah (so as not to be a means of fitnah in attracting the gazes of men towards themselves), they spontaneously submitted and obeyed. Nevertheless, as time passed and the laws of Deen were learnt, Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) began encouraging women to perform their Salaah within the confines of their homes and discouraged them from attending the congregational Salaah. Shari'ah commanding women to remain within the confines of their homes The command of Shari'ah exclusive to women is that they should remain within the confines of their homes and should not leave their homes except at the time of need. Addressing the Azwaaj-e-Mutahharaat (the mubaarak wives of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) and the women of this ummah, Allah Ta’ala says: وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَىٰ ﴿الأحزاب: ٣٣﴾ “Remain within your homes and do not leave your homes displaying your beauty and attraction in the manner it was displayed by the women in the former times of ignorance.” قد أذن لكن أن تخرجن لحاجتكن (صحيح مسلم رقم 2120) Adressing the women, Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) had said, “Permission has been granted to you to leave your homes (only) at the time of need.” The ardent desire of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) for women to remain within the confines of their homes عن أنس قال جئن النساء إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقلن يارسول الله ذهب الرجال بالفضل والجهاد في سبيل الله فما لنا عمل ندرك به عمل المجاهدين في سبيل الله فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من قعد - أو كلمة نحوها - منكن في بيتها فإنها تدرك عمل المجاهد في سبيل الله وهذا الحديث لا نعلم رواه عن ثابت إلا روح بن المسيب وهو رجل من أهل البصرة مشهور (مسند البزار رقم 6962) It is reported from Hazrat Anas (Radhiyallahu Anhu) that a group of women once came to Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and complained, “O Messenger of Allah, the men have excelled and surpassed the women through the abundant virtues that they acquire (in your company) and through striving in the path of Allah in jihad. Is there any action by means of which we can receive the same rewards of those fighting in the path of Allah?” Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) responded saying, “Those among you who remain within the confines of their home (worshipping Allah Ta’ala), they will acquire the reward of those striving in the path of Allah Ta’ala.” عن عبد الله عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال إن المرأة عورة فإذا خرجت استشرفها الشيطان وأقرب ما تكون من وجه ربها وهي في قعر بيتها (مسند البزار رقم 1820) It is reported from Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood (Radhiyallahu Anhu) that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, “A woman should be concealed (from the eyes of strange men). When she exits from her home, Shaitaan stares at her (i.e. he causes men to cast lustful glances towards her and he strives to mislead her by commiting sin). The time when she is closest to her Lord is when she is concealed within her home.” Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) encouraging women to perform Salaah within the confines of the home عن عبد الله عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال صلاة المرأة في بيتها أفضل من صلاتها في حجرتها وصلاتها في مخدعها أفضل من صلاتها في بيتها (سنن ابي داود رقم 570) It is reported from Hazrat Abdullah bin Ma’sood (Radhiyallahu Anhu) that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, “The Salaah of a woman in her bedroom is more rewarding than her Salaah in the communal room of her house, and the Salaah she performs in the inner most portion of the bedroom (i.e. a small room within the bedroom or a corner of her bedroom) is greater and more rewarding than her Salaah in her bedroom.” [1] عن عبد الله بن سويد الأنصاري عن عمته أم حميد امرأة أبي حميد الساعدي أنها جاءت الى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقالت يا رسول الله إني أحب الصلاة معك قال قد علمت أنك تحبين الصلاة معي وصلاتك في بيتك خير من صلاتك في حجرتك وصلاتك في حجرتك خير من صلاتك في دارك وصلاتك في دارك خير من صلاتك في مسجد قومك وصلاتك في مسجد قومك خير من صلاتك في مسجدي قال فأمرت فبني لها مسجد في أقصى شيء من بيتها وأظلمه وكانت تصلي فيه حتى لقيت الله جل وعلا (صحيح ابن حبان رقم 2217) Hazrat Ummu Humaid (Radhiallahu Anha), the wife of Hazrat Abu Humaid As-Saa’idi (Radhiallahu Anhu), once came to Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and said, “O Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), I long to perform Salaah behind you.” Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) replied, "I am aware that you long and desire to perform Salaah behind me. However, your Salaah in your bedroom is more rewarding than your Salaah in any other part of your home. Your Salaah in any other part of your home is more rewarding than your Salaah in your courtyard. Your Salaah in your courtyard is more rewarding than your Salaah in the Musjid of your locality. Your Salaah in the musjid of your locality is more rewarding than your Salaah in my Musjid (i.e. Musjid Nabawi)." Hazrat Ummu Humaid (Radhiallahu Anha) (in obedience and compliance with the mubaarak desire of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)) instructed that a small place be reserved for her Salaah in the innermost and darkest portion of her bedroom, and she would devotedly perform all her Salaah there until the end of her life. وعن أبي عمرو الشيباني أنه رأى عبد الله يخرج النساء من المسجد يوم الجمعة ويقول اخرجن إلى بيوتكن خير لكن رواه الطبراني في الكبير بإسناد لا بأس به (الترغيب والترهيب 1/228) It is reported from Abu Amr Ash-Shaybaani that he had seen Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood (Radhiyallahu Anhu) removing the women from the Musjid on the day of Jumu’ah while instructing them in the following manner, “O women! Return to your homes, for indeed remaining within your homes is better for you.” The verdict of Hazrat Umar (Radhiyallahu Anhu) Though women were allowed to attend the congregational Salaah and the Eid Salaah in the Mubaarak era of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), it was the burning desire of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) that women perform their Salaah within the confines of their homes, thereby remaining completely concealed from the eyes of strange men. Hence we find that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) expressed this desire in the aforementioned Ahaadith. Subsequently, during the era of the Khilaafat of Hazrat Umar (Radhiyallahu Anhu), this permission for women to attend the congregational Salaah was revoked on account of the fitnah witnessed due to women attending the congregational Salaah. All the Sahaabah (Radhiyallahu Anhum) concurred with the verdict of Hazrat Umar (Radhiyallahu Anhu). The following Hadith of Hazrat Aaisha (Radhiyallahu Anha) sufficiently explains the necessity of revoking the previous permission which existed in the Mubaarak era of Rasullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam). عن عمرة بنت عبد الرحمن أنها أخبرته أن عائشة زوج النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قالت لو أدرك رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ما أحدث النساء لمنعهن المسجد كما منع نساء بنى إسرائيل قال يحيى فقلت لعمرة أمنع نساء بنى إسرائيل قالت نعم (سنن ابي داود رقم 569) It is reported by Hazrat Amrah (Rahimahallah) that Hazrat Aaisha (Radhiyallahu Anha) said, “Had Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) been alive today and witnessed the fitnah caused through the women leaving their homes and attending the congregational Salaah, Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) would have surely prohibited them exactly as the women of the Banu Israa’eel had been prohibited from attending the congregational Salaah.” When this was the condition in the era of the Sahaabah (Radhiyallahu Anhum) that due to the increase in fitnah women were prohibited from attending the congregational Salaah in the Masaajid, then one can well imagine the need for not allowing women to participate in the congregational prayer in this time and age, where fitnah is rampant, overwhelming and widespread to such an extent that controlling the fitnah has become impossible. And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best. [1] صلوة المرأة في بيتها أي الداخلاني لكمال سترها أفضل من صلاتها في حجرتها أي صحن الدار قال ابن الملك أراد بالحجرة ما تكون أبواب البيوت إليها وهي أدني حالا من البيت وصلاتها في مخدعها بضم الميم وتفتح وتكسر مع فتح الدال في الكل وهو البيت الصغير الذي يكون داخل البيت الكبير يحفظ فيه الأمتعة النفيسة من الخدع وهو إخفاء الشيء أي في خزانتها أفضل من صلاتها في بيتها لأن مبني أمرها علي التستر (بذل المجهود في حل أبي داود 1/ 320) Answered by: Mufti Zakaria Makada Checked & Approved: Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)

Time: An Irrecoverable Bounty By Shaykh-ul-Hadīth, Hadrat Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullāh Once, I was reading an article wherein the author had stated that from among all the favours of Allāh ta‘ālā, for every one of them there can possibly be something that may substitute it, to some extent if not fully, apart from the favour of time, for once passed, no amount of effort can bring it back neither can anything substitute it. Take the example of the favour of sight. When lost, its restoration is not totally inconceivable. Even in the state of blindness, perception, to some extent, is possible with the help of other physical senses. So a bounty whose value excels that of others in every respect deserves to be expended carefully and in worthwhile activities. Yet we witness that carelessness shown by people in the bounty of time is more than in any other favour of Allāh ta‘ālā. Every moment that passes by takes away a portion of our lives. The more we grow in age the less becomes our expectancy of living further in this world. Time is the only possession of this life, which decreases constantly and with precise regularity, yet in a very unnoticeable manner. An Urdu poet has stated that the passing of time in every man’s life is as quiet and (yet) as certain as the melting of ice. So it is of extreme importance that we utilise our time in fruitful and rewarding pursuits and not waste it away as we usually tend to do. Let us learn to value time in the forthcoming holidays, and then, if Allāh ta‘ālā wills, we will gradually become accustomed to it and maintain the attitude throughout the year. The easiest method of preventing yourself from wasting time as well as gaining most from it is to prepare a timetable for yourself. This is not dissimilar to making a budget in the domain of economics. If one wishes to increase in one’s savings one will have to make a budget, thereby defining the limits of expenditure. On the contrary, if a person walks around with his entire income in his pocket, without any allocation of money, and continues to spend as the need arises, far from saving up any further, he will end up resorting to and depleting the original savings. So as we manage our finances for economical reasons so should we manage our time and maintain the same economical attitude here too. Now as far as wasting time is concerned, there isn’t obviously a single way to do that. People will naturally waste time according to their respective inclinations or dispositions. Some may resort to completely meaningless activities and others may prefer to just sit idle and laze around. Moreover, some may become victims of overindulgence or fall a prey to perpetual self-satisfaction. Whichever the case, what is important to remember here is that the worst form of wasting time is to indulge in sinning and displeasing Allāh ta‘ālā. The displeasure of Allāh ta‘ālā is caused by the mere wasting of time too, but sinning will call for His extreme anger and invite His wrath. This is another point, which we need to earnestly reflect upon. For some temporary enjoyment we readily sacrifice our eternal abode of pleasure. For some trivial materialistic pleasure we are prepared to displease our Creator, the One Who has provided us with a vast array of bounties and different forms of lawful satisfaction of desires. Indeed He is the One Who has given us this very strength and capability which we are using to commit sins. How can we possibly displease Him? My brothers, in reality, there is hardly any sacrifice in refraining from sins. Many of us feel that it is extremely difficult or almost impossible to abstain from sins. This is nothing but an illusion from Shaytān. Even the little discomfort we may experience in restraining ourselves from fulfilling unlawful desires is caused by Shaytān. We should make a habit of keeping ourselves aloof from all sinful areas. It would be difficult to control and subdue the desires once having slipped. For instance, one should always keep one’s gaze down when walking the streets, as it would be difficult to avert the gaze once it falls on the opposite gender. According to a Hadīth, the gaze is a poisonous arrow from among the arrows of Shaytān. One who safeguards his eyes only due to the fear of Allāh, (far from being painful) he will find the sweetness of Īmān in his heart. (At-Targhīb) To conclude, I would like to emphasise that in the coming holidays, and afterwards, we should manage our time and desist from wasting it, and in particular, refrain from committing sins and thereby displeasing Allāh ta‘ālā. (Extracted from ‘Time - A Valuable Asset’ published by the Islāmic Da‘wah Academy)

Sublime “Holiday Spots” A man was on his way to a neighboring village when an angel suddenly appeared before him. ‘What takes you to this village?’ Enquired the angel. ‘To visit a brother whom I love for the sake of Allah,’ was the sincere reply. The angel questioned further, ‘do you have any other motive?’ The man replied ‘No’, upon which the angel exclaimed, ‘I am the messenger of Allah and I assure you that Allah loves you as you love your brother.’ (Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 6495) At the same time, another angel is deputed to proclaim the following message to him: “You have done well, your foot steps have been profitable, and you have prepared an abode for yourself in Paradise.” (Sunan Tirmidhi, Hadith: 2008) Allah Ta’ala Himself announces: “My love is incumbent for the one who loves, visits, or spends on others purely for my sake.” (Musnad Ahmad, vol.5 pg.233) Value and Demand The reason for such abundant rewards could be understood in light of the business principle: Commodities are valued according to demand and availability. The scarcer a product, the higher the demand and therefore the greater the returns. The same concept is found in certain aspects of Shari’ah. Those deeds that are seemingly insignificant and seldom practiced generally yield a higher reward. People meet daily in the world for various motives, but the practice of loving/meeting someone purely for the sake of Allah is totally foreign to us. Of the many disastrous ill effects of the present day society is the concept of self-centeredness, where each person cares for himself whilst remaining totally oblivious of the presence and needs of those around him. Presently, there are many such un-noticed Muslim brothers and sisters that are secluded in old aged homes, hospitals, rehabilitation centers and orphanages etc, who await some kindhearted soul to lift their spirits by paying them a visit. Occasional visits to such places would do us more benefits than harm. Visiting Allah One who visits the sick is, so to say , visiting Allah Ta’ala. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “Allah Ta’ala will say to man (on the day of Qiyamah), O my slave, I was sick and you refused to visit me. ’Man will exclaim, O Allah, how could that be possible whereas You are the Lord of the Worlds? ‘Allah will reply, A certain slave of mine was sick, had you visited him, you would have found Me by him” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 6501) If the merit for visiting an ordinary Muslim is such, can one imagine the rewards for visiting those with whom one shares a special bond? Imagine the honor of joining ties with Allah! One who maintains family ties is promised the privilege of Almighty Allah joining ties with him, i.e. by means of showing His special mercy, etc. On the contrary, Allah Ta’ala severs ties with those who break family ties. (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith: 7502) The Wrong Alternative Nowadays, people choose to spend their spare time frequenting places that are totally immoral and filled with vice and sin, like: the cinemas, casinos, shows, entertainment halls, beaches, parties etc. The mere presence of a Muslim at such places in the company of immodest people is extremely detrimental to his Iman. On the contrary, ask yourself the question: when last did you visits your relatives, your local ‘Alim, an elder of the community, or any fellow Muslim brother purely for the pleasure of Allah? Visiting the sick, the elderly, the needy, one’s relatives, neighbours or any other Muslim for the sake of Allah was a salient feature in the life of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam). He would even visit such non-muslims, like the jewish lad who was ill. This had assisted in bonding the Ummah as well as its expansion. Today too, especially during the present holiday season, we can achieve all that and more by implementing this important and neglected Sunnah of our beloved Master (sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam) Instead of emulating the rest of the world who celebrate the year-end with as much sin as possible, thereby drawing the wrath of our Creator upon mankind. May Allah Ta’ala protect the Ummah from all fitnah. al-miftah

The Path of Protecting One’s Deen and Honour – the Path of Abstaining from Doubtful Areas الحلال بين والحرام بين وبينهما مشبهات لا يعلمها كثير من الناس فمن اتقى المشبهات استبرأ لدينه وعرضه إلخ Halaal is clear and haraam is clear, and between halaal and haraam are such things which are doubtful and many people do not know it. The one who abstains from these doubtful things will protect his Deen and his honour. Hazrat Shaikh Moulana Muhammad Zakariyya (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) once quoted the above Hadith and thereafter explained: The essence of this Hadith is for one to obtain the quality of Taqwa. If anything is unclear and doubtful, and some Ulama regard it to be permissible while other Ulama rule it to be impermissible, then it is best for one to refrain from it and leave it out without becoming involved in an argument with any person. This is also understood from another Hadith in which Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said, “Leave out those things regarding which you are doubtful, and choose those things regarding which you have no doubt.” (Suhbat Baa Awliyaa pg. 97)

Part Eighteen Allah Ta‘ala had blessed Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) by allowing the conquer of ‘Iraq to take place at his hands. It was the armies under his command that defeated the Romans in Qaadisiyyah. However, Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) could not personally lead the army in this specific battle, as he was ill and sores had broken out across his entire body, and so he informed the people of his illness and excused himself from joining them in fighting against the kuffaar. After the battle was over, a person, despite knowing the predicament of Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), began to criticize him and tried to spur people against him through reciting the following poetry: ألم تر أن الله أنزل نصره وسعد بباب القادسية معصم Do you not see that Allah Ta‘ala has sent down His assistance, while Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) is safely guarded (through not fighting) at the door of Qaadisiyyah? فأبنا وقد آمت نساء كثيرة ونسوة سعد ليس فيهن أيم We are returning while many of our wives have become widows, and there is no widow among the wives of Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu). When Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) heard the poetry in which this person was falsely accusing him of being cowardly and refraining from fighting without any excuse, he made du‘aa saying, “O Allah! Cut his tongue and hand on my behalf!” Soon thereafter, an arrow struck his mouth, rendering him dumb, after which his hand was cut off while fighting. This person was later on killed by the disbelievers. (Siyar A’laam min Nubalaa 3/72, Majma‘uz Zawaa’id #14856) Source: Whatisislam.co.za

Obedience To One’s Deceased Parents Sayyiduna Abu Usaid Malik bin Rabi'ah As-Sa'idi Radhiyallahu Anhu reports: We were sitting with Messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam when a man of Banu Salamah came to him and asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Does there remain any form of obedience which I may show to my parents after their death?" He Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam replied, "Yes, to pray for them, to supplicate for their forgiveness, to fulfill their promises after their death, to maintain the ties of kinship which cannot be maintained except through them, and honour their friends." [Abu Dawud] __________________________________ When a parent passes away remember that you have begun a new phase of birr (dutifulness) to that parent. Birr after death is the truest and most sincere forms of birr because birr during their lifetime could be tainted with doing for show, or being polite (as opposed to sincere) and expecting praise from the parents or others. As for after their death, then only Allah hears and sees you. A deceased parent is in greater need of his/her children - even more than when the parent was alive. What children do for the parents during the parent's lifetime is for the worldly needs. But after death only Allah knows what good and bad is in store for the deceased in the grave. Dua for rahmah (mercy) and asking Allah to shower the deceased with His mercy is invaluable for the deceased. Through the child's Dua, Allah - through His grace and mercy - enlightens the grave removing the darkness and expands the grave thus removing the suffering. And Allah makes the grave a garden from the gardens of Paradise. Therefore, always remember your deceased parent/s, and always ask Allah to shower them with His mercy, enlighten their grave and expand it. For example as you are about have a meal, think about the many wonderful meals your mother had prepared for you and how she took care of you all your life. Your heart will surely soften and at that point, let it drive you to offer a similar meal to an orphan, widow, divorced or needy person on behalf of your deceased parentand asking of Allah to reward them for it. Give charity on their behalf, recalling the many favours they did for you. Never forget parents. Irrespective of how harsh they may have been with you, only Allah knows the love they had in their hearts for you. Give charity on their behalf privately, wipe away the tears of orphans, widows and divorced (through charity) on behalf of your parents, quench the thirst of the thirsty on their behalf. (for example by having a well dug.) Go out of your way to be the best child to your parents for they have sacrificed much to raise you. This is the Dua mentioned in the Quran for one’s parents: رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا Rabb-ir-ham-huma kama rabbayaani sagheera Translation : My Lord, Bestow thy mercy on my parent/s as they cherished and raised me in my childhood. Lastly, let us teach our children this Dua for one day we all shall also need it. Jamiatul Ulama (KZN) Council of Muslim Theologians

Holiday @ Home A person’s home is their ultimate sanctuary and place of comfort. Hence, when a child feels threatened, his first instinct is to run home, as home is the place of safety. As our homes are our private places, meant for our comfort and happiness, we tend to spend both time and money on ‘doing up’ our homes until they meet our desired level of safety, comfortand beauty. This is easily witnessed in the large amounts of money that we spend on painting, tiling, installing alarm systems & electric fences, buying state-of-the-art appliances, furniture, linen, Italian flooring, granite counters, German bathroom fittings, air-conditioning, and the list goes on. In fact, some people are so particular in this regard that every room of the home has its own theme to which the curtains, carpet, BIC (built in cupboards), linen and even light switches and plug points have to match! After all the effort is undertaken and money is spent, the result is a home that is ‘tailor made’ to the exact ‘spec’ of the family living in it. Their home is exactly as they designed, providing peace, comfort and security. Some families will even ensure the home comes with a swimming pool for relaxation, fun and entertaining! In the light of the above, why is it deemed ‘sad’, ‘unfortunate’ and ‘depressing’ if a person enjoys his holiday from home? If we honestly ponder over the reality, not many hotels in the world boast the combined comforts that some enjoy at home, and even those hotels that do have the comforts charge a small fortune! Even after paying the price we find the pillows are notwhat we are used to, so we wake up with a stiff neck. The wall between the rooms are too thin, or the corridor is too busy, so the noise disturbs us and we cannot sleep comfortably. The shower curtain is too small so every time we shower, the entire floor is flooded. All the lifts are full, as its peak season, so it takes 20 minutes just to get to the lobby from our floor. If we feel for something as small as a cup of tea and are not prepared to pay the exorbitant room service rate, we are left with the option of making it ourselves in a plastic kettle that threatens to rattle its way of the counter as it boils, after which we have to resort to creamer in our tea instead of milk. Sometimes, due to flight schedules, we arrive at our hotel before the check-in timeand are forced to spend precious hours of our time waiting in the lobby, unable to even rest or freshen up after our long journey. And if we holiday at home, do we face even one of these inconveniences? The purpose of a holiday is to recharge and relax. With a change of mind-set, we will realize that for most of us, our home with its comforts is actually the place most conducive to achieving that purpose. Hence, it is not necessary for us to spend a small fortune and fly off to foreign destinations whenever its holiday time. May Allah Ta‘ala give us a true understanding of Deen and make our homes a place of peace, comfort and solace, Ameen. Jamiatul Ulama (KZN) Council of Muslim Theologians

Waiting Period (idda) for Non-Menstruating Women Prior to Menopause Can you explain to me what the judgement is for the woman whose husband has divorced her, but she has no menstrual period nor is she in menopause? I would like to know specifically the length of time of her iddah. Is it three consecutive months? If you have any information please list your source. I have been told that her iddah is not over till she reaches the age of 64. Is this true? I would like to know the judgement from each of the four major madhabs. ANSWER In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful, The waiting period (idda) for a female who does not experience menstruation due to childhood (saghira), who is on menopause (a’yisa) and who has reached the age of puberty (baliga) without experiencing menstruation, will be three consecutive Islamic months. Allah Most High Says: “Such of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the prescribed period, if ye have any doubts, is three months, and for those who have no courses (it is the same).” (Surah al-Talaq, V.4) If the women experienced menstruation for three days or more, and then her menstruation stopped, the original ruling for her is that she will have to wait until she starts menstruating again or she reaches the age of menopause (iyaas). This is according to the Hanafi and Shafi’i schools (Radd al-Muhtar, 3/508) According to the Maliki and Hanbali schools, the preferred opinion is that she will wait until one year is complete. (See: al-Fiqh al-Islami wa Adillatuh, 7185) The age of menopause according to the Hanafi Fuqaha is thirty years for a woman who never experienced menstruation, and fifty five years for the one who did experience menstruation, but stopped for some reason. However, due to immense difficulty and hardship incurred by acting upon this ruling, the fuqaha have given a dispensation, in that the Maliki opinion of one year can be followed. Imam Ibn Abidin, the great Hanafi jurist quotes al-Zahidi as saying: “Some of our scholars used to issue a Fatwa in this issue according to the opinion of Imam Malik, because of need.” (Radd al-Muhtar, 3/509) Many contemporary scholars have also given the same ruling. However, the following points need to be taken into consideration before acting upon this ruling: 1) The woman should first resort to medication. If all attempts fail, then she can act upon this ruling of one year. 2) This ruling should be passed by a Maliki judge. However, if this is difficult, then it will permissible even without the judgment. 3) If menstruation appears during this period of one year, then the Idda of three menstruations should be observed. (Imdad al-Fatawa, 2/431 & Ahsan al-Fatawa, 5/435) In conclusion, a woman who does not menstruate due to illness should first resort to medication. If all attempts fail, then she can re-marry after the period of one year is over. And Allah knows best [Mufti] Muhammad ibn Adam Darul Iftaa Leicester , UK Source