To Treat The Forbidden As Prohibited

Hadith 22: To Treat The Forbidden As Prohibited

By Imam Nawawi

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and Thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-‘ālameen. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Messenger

Abu ‘Abdullah Jabir bin ‘Abdullah al-Ansari, (radiyallahu’anhuma), reported that a man questioned the Messenger of Allah, (sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam), saying:

"Do you see, if I pray the prescribed (prayers), fast during Ramadhan, treat the lawful as permissible and treat the forbidden as prohibited, but do nothing more than that, shall I enter Paradise?” He (the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam) answered: “Yes.”

[Muslim]

Background

Imam Nawawi (rahimahullah) said that the meaning of “treat the forbidden as prohibited” is to avoid the forbidden, and the meaning of to “treat the lawful as permissible” is to perform them  believing that they are permissible.

Ibn Rajab (rahimahullah) gave two other interpretations:

1. "To treat the lawful as permissible" - to believe that it is permissible; "To treat the forbidden as prohibited" - to believe that it is prohibited and to avoid it.

2. "To treat the lawful as permissible" - to perform it. "Lawful" here means what is not prohibited, which includes wajib(obligatory deeds), mustahab (preferable deeds) and mubah (allowed).

One thing that we notice about the hadith is that Hajj and Zakah are not mentioned even though they make up the five Pillars of Islam. According to some scholars, the person who asked the question passed away (in the Battle of Uhud) before hajj was made an obligation. As for zakah, it is possible that it also was not yet made an obligation; alternatively, the person questioning was not a person of wealth and therefore was not required to pay zakah.

Lessons

This hadith indicates that the one who fulfils the obligations and avoids the prohibitions will enter Paradise. This meaning has been emphasised in a number of other hadiths.

This hadith emphasises surrendering to the Will of Allah subhana wa ta'ala - to accept as permissible what Allah has permitted and to accept as forbidden what Allah has prohibited. This also emphasises Islam itself because Islam means to ‘fully surrender to the Will of Allah and to accept everything that has been commanded by Allah'.

In our contemporary times, there arise the issue of Muslims not fully adhering to the syariah, i.e. Allah's commandments. If this is because they are new Muslims or that they live in areas where there is a lack of knowledge or poor dissemination of information (e.g. there are no scholars to advise them), then this lack of adherence is excusable. However, if a Muslim chooses to intentionally ignore or reject the obligations and prohibitions set by Allah without good reasons, then he may be in danger of losing his Islamic entity or identity.

These obligatory acts mentioned in the hadith that will lead a person to Paradise require strong belief in Allah, commitment and continuous efforts. Only then will it be an easy task to achieve. This hadith implies that the mustahab (or sunnah or preferable deeds) are not necessary for one to be able to enter Paradise. What counts or what matters is fulfilling the obligatory acts.  However, we are encouraged to perform preferable deeds according to our capacity and whenever possible.

The significance of performing preferable acts is that it will lead us in getting closer to Allah subhana wa ta’ala. In addition, preferable deeds compensate for our shortcomings in performing the obligatory acts.

Some scholars have made the assumption that the person asking the question in the hadith was new to Islam. This gives insightsto educators (murabbi) and preachers (du’at) to observe the following lessons when dealing with new converts to Islam:

1. The murabbi or scholar should take into account the background or status of the questioner before attending to and answering his or her questions.

Different people with different backgrounds may require different answers or different approaches in conveying the answers. This is because a person who comes from a different culture or lives in a different environment from themurabbis or scholars may not fully understand the scholar’s explanations if it cannot be related to his or her situation.

If the murabbi or scholar doesn’t know the background of the questioner (e.g. if questions are being asked through mail, through the telephone, on the radio, etc.), then he needs to find out as much as possible about the questioner before answering. Some scholars try to speculate what could be the status of the person asking the question by, for example, trying to read between the lines of the text of the question. The end-result is that the scholars do not provide one fixed answer - there will be a few answers, each applicable to a different situation.

2. The murabbi or scholar should not overburden new Muslims by asking them or encouraging them to perform preferable acts.

The murabbi should just get them to start with the obligatory acts. If they are given too much to do, it may become too much for them to cope and they may lose interest in Islam altogether. The murabbi or scholar should start slowly and when the new Muslims are settled and are performing the obligatory deeds, only then should they be introduced to the preferable acts.

Similarly, new Muslims should not be subjected to conflicting issues or views in Islam. For example, they should not be told about the four different schools of thought (madzab) and be asked to choose which madzab to follow. This will only confuse the new Muslims. The murabbi or du’at should make it easy and simple for converts to start their new lives in Islam. Only later on can such issues be discussed.

The same thing can be said about the awam (general public). Scholars should not overburden them or bombard them with too many obligations or concepts. This is also a lesson we can learn from this hadith: the murabbi or scholar should observe the background of the questioner as well as the audience in general if there is no questioner.

An area related to this issue is the question of Islamic websites on the Internet. A website can be accessed by people from all over the whole world - people from different backgrounds and cultures. We have to be careful about the information that we put on these websites.

Unfortunately there are Islamic websites that contain controversial issues and conflicting views, where different Muslim groups or sects promote only their school of thoughts and criticise other groups. Not only will this confuse those interested in Islam, new Muslims or existing Muslims from other parts of the world, it will also give a negative impression to the non-Muslims. It will provide information to the opponents of Islam to use as a means of discouraging people from embracing Islam. Islamic websites should be neutral and fair and should not be one-sided or controversial because the purpose of these websites should be to promote Islam and not to condemn it.

Conclusion

This hadith shows a significant characteristic of Islam that it is a religion based on ease.  There is a minimum requirement to be fulfilled by every one, which is practicing obligations and avoiding prohibitions. 

By fulfilling this minimum requirement a person deserves to enter Paradise.Preferable acts are encouraged, based on one's capacity and ability.

And Allāh Almighty Knows best.

[Excerpted from commentary on Hadith 22: “To Treat the Forbidden As Prohibited”, 40 Hadiths Of Imam Nawawi, By Dr. Jamal Ahmed Badi, via IC Truth]

The Concept of Good Manners And Behaviour

Hadith 12: The Concept of Good Manners And Behaviour

By Imam Nawawi

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and Thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-‘ālameen. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Messenger

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, (radiyallahu 'anhu), who said : The Messenger of Allah, (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam), said :

"Part of the perfection of someone's Islam is his leaving alone that which does not concern him."

[Recorded by Tirmidzi: Hadith hasan-]

Background

Ibn Rajab (rahimahullah), one of the commentators of Imam Nawawi's Forty Hadith, mentioned that this hadith is a foundation of manners, behaviour and etiquette in Islam.

Ibn Rajab (rahimahullah) also quotes Imam Ibn Abi Zayd Al-Qairawani, (rahimahullah),  one of the Maliki Imams, as saying that the following four hadiths set the main concept for good manners and behaviour:

1. The hadith mentioned above: leaving alone that which does not concern him

2. "Let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day either speak good or keep silent, .." [Bukhari and Muslim. Refer to Hadith 15 of this collection]

3. A man said to the Prophet, (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam): "Counsel me". He said : " Do not become angry". The man repeated [his request] several times, and he said: "Do not become angry." [Al-Bukhari. Refer to Hadith 16 of this collection]

4. "None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." [Al-Bukhari. Refer to Hadith 13 of this collection]

Lessons

This hadith states that a believer should avoid things that are of no concern to him. They are of no benefit to this life nor to the hereafter, in terms of belief, speech or actions. In justifying this point, the Maliki jurist Imam Ibn Al-Arabi (rahimahullah)  said that a person is not able to take care of all the necessary matters, why would he then get involved in the unnecessary matters that are of no real concern.

Jamaluddin Zarabozo, one of the contemporary commentators of Imam Nawawi's Forty Hadith, emphasises that Islam protects society as a whole from any kind of harm. Much of the harm inflicted on the society are due to people indulging in the unnecessary matters like meddling into the affairs of others when one has no right or responsibility over the particular issue. These types of practices normally lead to great evil in the  society. The Prophet, (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam), recommended a way to avoid societal problems.

He also commented that a believer should train him or herself to concentrate to be involved in the beneficial matters so that this in itself will be the person's attitude. Do not waste time, money and effort in things that are of no benefit in this life and the hereafter.

Putting the hadith in a different way, part of the perfection of faith (iman) of a believer is to be concerned with matters that are beneficial in this life and the hereafter. This is emphasised by another hadith: "Be keen with what is beneficial to you, and seek help from Allah - do not be reckless." [Tirmidzi]

Muslims have enough matters of concern to the extent one may not have enough time to deal with all of them. This is related to the issue of time management, whereby we need to be involved with matters that are of concern to us.

An important question related to this hadith is what are the things to be of concern to a true believer? Answering this question will enable us to practice this hadith in the right manner:

1. One of the things that are of concern is to fulfill the obligations (wajib), to perform as much as we can of the recommended or preferable acts (mandub), to avoid the forbidden (haram) and to avoid as much as we can of the makruh (those that are disliked).

2. Fard-a'yn, an individual obligation, are matters of concern to every one of us. Examples are matters like worship and supplication.

3. Fard-kifayah, community-wide collective obligations, must not be neglected and should also be matters of concern to us. An example is to work for the betterment of the community. Everyone with their own profession and expertise has a role to contribute towards the community.

4. Other matters of concern to Muslims are enjoining good and discouraging evil, self accountability and to practice Ihsan in all that we do.

Allah says in the Quran: (Allah) Who created death and life that He may try you, which of you is best in deeds; and He is the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving. [Surah Al-Mulk (67): ayat 2]

As related in Hadith 17 in this collection:  "Verily, Allah has prescribed excellence (Ihsan) in all things. Thus, if you kill, kill well; and if you slaughter, slaughter well. Let each one of you sharpen his blade and let him spare suffering to the animal he slaughters." [Recorded by Imam Muslim]

5. Another matter of concern to all Muslims, but is currently lacking among us, is to think about the affairs of oneself, the community and the whole Muslim community (ummah).

We need to think of how to further improve our (the Muslims) situation and not just be content with the current situation. This applies in whatever we do, whether we are worshippers, teachers, professionals or preachers. We should only be slaves of Allah and not others. Hence, we should not be enslaved by current methods or routines of doing things. We need to think creatively to improve the situation, in ways not contradicting the syaria'h. In this context, modern tools like 'idea generation' and 'problem solving' can be of great benefit.

We also need to be concerned about the greater challenges facing our community. In this era of technology and communication revolution, many of us are being enslaved intellectually. We need to think about our future generation because we will be responsible before Allah. We need to apply and disseminate our knowledge and not just building 'reservoirs' of knowledge. We need to design our future and not just stand passively and let others design and impose upon us their preconceived scenarios.

Conclusion

Matters of concern to the Muslims cover the affairs of oneself, the community and the whole Muslim community (ummah). We need to create awareness among each other in facing the issues and challenges of the ummah. For example, this can be done through dialogues and talks. Those in authority have a greater responsibility in carrying out this task.

We should be aware not to waste our time and effort in matters that are of no concern to us. We should keep ourselves busy only with matters of benefit to us and to the ummah.

And Allāh Almighty Knows best.

[Excerpted from commentary on Hadith 12: “Behaviour and Etiquette in Islam”, 40 Hadiths Of Imam Nawawi, By Dr. Jamal Ahmed Badi, via IC Truth]

Fundamental Aspects Of Submission To Allah

Hadith 3: The Fundamental Aspects Of Submission To Allah

By Imam Nawawi

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and Thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-‘ālameen. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Messenger

On the authority of Abu 'Abd al-Rahman 'Abdullah bin 'Umar bin al-Khattab, (radiyallahu 'anhuma), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam), say:

"Islam has been built upon five things - on testifying that there is no god save Allah, and that Muhammad is His Messenger; on performing salah; on giving the zakah; on Hajj to the House; and on fasting during Ramadhan."

[Recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Background

This hadith is part of the previous Hadith (2). Most Scholars say that the reason why al-Imam al-Nawawi (rahimahullah) included this hadith in his collection, even though it seems that it repeats some portions of Hadith 2, is because of the importance of the 5 pillars of Islam.

This Hadith stresses the fundamental aspects of the outward submission to Allah. This submission is based on some pillars, similar to a structure. If a person fulfills these aspects, he has laid a solid foundation for his deen as a 'home'.

The other acts of Islam, which are not mentioned in this hadith, can be taken as fine touches to complete this structure.

If a person fails to fulfill these obligations (building the pillars), then the entire structure of his  deen or iman may be threatened. This depends on how much is being violated - e.g. violation of the shahadah is the most dangerous.

Lessons

The use of metaphors and similes

This hadith uses a metaphor (i.e. the image of the structure of a building) to affirm certain important meanings. This use of metaphors and similes can be found in many Surahs in the Quran and in many other hadiths. For example:

1.In Surah At-Taubah (9): ayat 109, a similar metaphor is used - the structure of the Mua'min's deen or  man is based on a sound foundation, whereas the structure of the deen of the Munafiq is based on weak ground which may lead to the collapse of the structure, resulting in the Munafiq entering the Hellfire.

 2.Surah An-Nur (24): ayat 35, uses the metaphor of light as the light of guidance in the heart of the Mua'min.

3.A metaphor used to condemn those who fail to fulfill the amanah (i.e. religious obligations) can be found in Surah Al-Jumu'ah (62): ayat 5. The Bani Israel, having failed to obey Allah's commandments in the Taurah, are described as a donkey which is burdened with heavy books on its back but doesn't understand anything from them. Scholars have said that this metaphor also applies to other nations, which fail to fulfill their amanah.

4.In one hadith the Prophet, (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam), divided the status of his ummah into three categories:those who benefit from the Message, those who benefit partially and those who fail to benefit at all. He (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam), used the metaphor of rain (as the Message) falling down on different types of land, producing different results.

Using metaphors to convey the Message is a very important 'tool' and it is the methodology used in the Quran and by the Prophet, (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam). There are many modes of expression used in the Quran and Hadith and they are used for different purposes. E.g. Dealing with the misconceptions and false assumptions of the disbelievers, the Quran and Hadith use rational thinking. When describing Jannah and the Hellfire, the style used by the Quran and Hadith is the visual mode of expression - they are described in such detail that it is like we can actually visualize Jannah or the Hellfire in front of us.

One of the Sahabahs said that he had already seen Jannah and the Hellfire. The other Sahabahs were puzzled and asked him how this could be so as nobody is able to see them until the Hereafter. He replied, "I saw them through the eyes of the Prophet, (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam). If I were to be given the chance to see Jannah and the Hellfire with my own eyes, I would not trust my sight. I trust the eyes of the Prophet, (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam), more than I trust my own eyes." Here we can conclude that if we read and understand the Qur’an and the Hadiths we too can visualize the paradise and the Hellfire.

These modes of expression (thinking styles) used by the Qur’an and Hadith should be well understood and used by Muslims today to convey the Message of Islam when doing da'wah as it is the most effective way. Different styles should be used to reach or convince different people - some people are more emotional, some are more rational, etc.

First Pillar: The Syahadah

The first part of the Syahadah is testifying that there is none worthy of worship except Allah.

There are seven conditions of the Syahadah:

1. Knowledge - to understand what it means;

2. Certainty - to have no doubt about anything confirmed in the Qur’an or Sunnah;

3. Acceptance - by the tongue and the heart of whatever the Syahadah implies;

4. Submission or compliance - the actual physical enactment by deeds;

5. Truthfulness - to say the Syahadah sincerely, with honesty, to actually mean it;

6. Sincerity - to do it solely for the sake of Allah;

7. Love - to love the Syahadah and to love its implications and requirements and what it stands for.

The Syahadah is not simply saying it with our tongue. We need to adhere to these conditions. If we say the Syahadah sincerely and with honesty, we will not do anything which contradicts with or violates the Syahadah.

The second part of the Syahadah carries the following conditions:

1. To believe in the Prophet, (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam), and in whatever he told us and conveyed to us;

2. To obey him in whatever he commanded us to do;

3. To stay away from or avoid whatever he commanded us not to do;

4.To follow or emulate him in our ibadah, akhlaq and way of life;

5.To love him more than we love ourselves, our family and anything else in this world;

6. To understand, practice and promote his Sunnah in the best way possible, without creating any chaos, enmity or harm

Second Pillar: Establishing the Prayers (Salah)

Some interpretations of this hadith translate "iqamatus salah" as 'performing' the salah. "Iqamatus salah" is a broader concept than what the term 'performing' means. The Scholars say "iqamatus salah" implies:

1.  Doing the wudhu’ in the proper way;

2. To do the salah in its time;

3.To do it in congregation (jama'ah) - where the reward is 27 times than praying alone;

4.To fulfill the six conditions of salah;

5.To observe the proper manners (adab) of doing it such as submission and humility;

6.To follow preferable actions (sunnan) in our salah.

It is important that we follow these conditions and not violate them if we want to truly fulfill the pillar of Islam i.e. "iqamatus salah". We should remember that Allah initially commanded us to pray fifty times a day and it was eventually reduced to five times (with the reward of fifty) - the prayer times are very reasonably spread out throughout the day - it can even help us to manage our time - it can help us to manage our affairs, allowing the Muslim community to meet during congregation and care for and help each other which will lead in turn to solidarity. Thus, the prayers should not be seen as a burden as some Muslims might regard them today.

Third Pillar: Zakat

The giving of Zakat has been pointed out by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, for certain things and in certain ways or percentages and under certain conditions. The Scholars say that knowing the details of Zakat only becomes an obligation when a person owns the type of property or thing which requires him to give Zakat for. E.g. Farmers or traders or property owners need to know the conditions and percentages of Zakat that they are obligated to give.

Fourth Pillar: Hajj

Pilgrimage (Hajj) to the House (Ka’bah) is an obligation that we need to do only once in our lifetime - only if we meet certain conditions, e.g. if we have the financial means, a way of travelling peacefully, etc. If we meet these conditions then we should perform the Hajj as soon as possible and not to delay it.

Some Scholars say that if we have the means to perform the Hajj several times, then it is better to use this money to help others to fulfill their obligations - we will be rewarded for their pilgrimage or to use the money for the betterment of the community.

For each of these Pillars there are conditions, sunnan, ethics (adab), etc., which should be observed when we perform these ibadahs. Why do we always hear that every year hundreds of Muslims lose their lives or get injured during Hajj? Most of these incidents are due to the negligence of the adab or violation of the sunnan. For example, the throwing of stones at the Jamrat:

1.Even though we are supposed to use small stones, people tend to use big ones and throw recklessly from a far distance, causing injuries to others.

 2.People do not follow the specified directions when they move, causing many to get crushed by the 'human waves' moving in different directions.

3.People insist on going to throw at the peak times, i.e. the busiest part of the day. The elderly, women and handicapped should be reminded to go when it is less crowded. Thus, it is important that we observe the adab.

Fifth Pillar: Fasting

Ramadhan is a training program for all Muslims to go through, performing good deeds to become better Muslims. However, we should continue with these good deeds outside of Ramadhan - praying in the mosque, Tahajjud, Qiamu alil, reciting the Qur'an, helping and caring for others etc.

The Prophet, (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam), when asked what the best way is to finish reading the whole Qur'an, said to do it in one month, i.e. one Juzuk per day. This is something we should practice all the time and not have to wait for Ramadhan to do it. If we cannot achieve this, at least try to read one or two pages a day (a quarter of a hizb).

Similarly we should try to do the night prayers (tahajjud), be it only two raka't and not everyday, outside of Ramadhan.

We should not make personal commitments in performing these preferable actions where the Shariah has not made this itself. This might lead us to giving up on our commitment and hence, the good deed. The best way is to do it on ease and convenience aiming at the continuity of these good deeds.

Conclusion

All the Pillars of Islam have rulings, conditions and mannerisms (ahkam wa adab) applied tothem. It is important that we know these ahkam and adaband regularly remind ourselves,especially before Ramadhan or before performing the Hajj, so that we perform the Pillars properly and according to the Shariah.

And Allāh Almighty Knows best.

[Excerpted from commentary on Hadith 3: “The Fundamental Aspects Of Submission To Allah”, 40 Hadiths Of Imam Nawawi, By Dr. Jamal Ahmed Badi, via IC Truth]