Testing our Faith

Subhan’Allah, as American Muslims, we tend to test our iman/faith:

-by thinking we will give dawah to all the pretty girls on campus before knowing it we get emotionally attached to them when we are told to not even come close to zina

-by studying with someone of the opposite gender late into the night where Shaytan is the third amongst us

-by agreeing to shake hands with the opposite gender when we are severely warned against touching people of the opposite gender

-by subscribing to cable TV thinking we will only watch the halal shows, but we leave the door open to the possibilities

-by accepting riba from banks thinking we’ll use it for tax money when Allah and His Messenger have declared war against those who partake in riba

-by sitting at a table where alcohol is served when we are specifically prohibited from such an action

-by eating the food of those who own convenient stores selling alcohol when ten different types of people are cursed when it comes to alcohol

-by not donating any money as we fear poverty

-by having our hearts attached to the dunya instead of the ahkira when indeed the ahkira is better than the dunya

-by being awed by the non-Muslims in their dunya accomplishments when we should be pitying them instead

-by being materialistic when true wealth is being content in one’s heart

-by listening to music when it is clearly prohibited by all four madhabs

-by staying quiet when part of our deen is commanding the good and forbidding the evil

-by thinking tazkiyah is only for the sufis when in reality it is a true science of study in Islam as alluded to by the likes of Ibn Taymiyyah

-by seriously lacking in akhlaq and adab when some of the salaf studied them twice as long as they studied ilm/knowledge

-by joining up with a movement/cult/tariqa within Islam that separates from the jama when true success lies in following the jama in the Quran and Sunnah

-by asking a laymen for his or her Islamic opinion when we wouldn’t ask a laymen for medical advice

-by giving fatwa when we are clearly not a shaykh or shaykha

-by fatwa shopping

-by smoking sheesha when it’s clearly harmful to one’s health like cigarettes

-by not being thankful for all the immense blessings that have been bestowed upon us until it’s too late

-by complaining to others when we should only complain to Allah

-by procrastinating when we don’t know if we will be alive tomorrow

-by befriending the kuffar when it’s prohibited

-by thinking we are better than other people when they very well may be forgiven for their shortcomings and we may not be forgiven for ours

-by having pride not realizing it was the thing that destroyed the devil

Indeed, we test our faith and iman.  However, would be test our lives the same way?  Would we walk across the interstate/highway blindfolded?  Absolutely NOT!  Then, why do we test our iman when it is something much more valuable than our lives?

Do You Miswak?

I used to get a couple of cavities a year in my visits to the local dentist.  Then, however, I discovered miswak, the Sunnah toothbrush.  Subhan’Allah, for the last couple of years, I’ve been cavity-free.  I don’t use the miswak too often, maybe a couple seconds here or there after making wudhu or before the prayer.  However, the fact of the matter is that the Sunnah toothbruth is an effective tool for not only keeping your teeth fresh and clean, but also gaining the pleasure of our Lord, insh’Allah.  The Messenger of Allaah (SAW) said, “Siwaak cleanses the mouth and pleases the Lord” (Bukhari).

The Prophet (SAW) highly recommended the use of the siwak as he said, “Were it not for the fact that I did not want to make things too hard for my ummah, I would have commanded them to use the siwaak at every time of prayer” (Bukhari).

The miswak is a confirmed Sunnah and it is something we all should try to implement into our daily lives, not just for the sake of the cleanliness of our teeth, but also for the sake of implementing a beautiful Sunnah. 

So I ask you, do you miswak?

The Seven Deadly Sins and the Muslim Community

One of the most popular things for people to do nowadays in the Muslim community is to gossip.  Subhan’Allah, many of the immature girls in our community do it constantly, not realizing they are ruining their account with Allah (SWT) and backbiting their fellow Muslimah.  I’ve done a previous post on backbiting and gheebah, but in this post I wanted to emphasis the seriousness of one aspect of it by relating the following hadith:

The Prophet (SAW) stated, “Avoid the seven noxious things: associating anything with Allah, magic, killing one whom Allah has declared inviolate without a just case, consuming the property of an orphan, devouring usury, turning back when the army advances, and slandering chaste women who are believers but indiscreet” (Bukhari and Muslim).

The Prophet (SAW) warned us of seven of the worst crimes and amongst them are shirk, magic, and murder.  However, if you continue reading the list, notice te final sin the Prophet (SAW) mentioned, “slandering chaste women who are believers.”  Wronging your fellow Muslim sister with words is on the same list as shirk, magic and murder!  Subhan’Allah, can you imagine standing in front of your Lord on the Day of Reckoning claiming to be a believer but having committed one of the most noxious sins on a daily basis, it’s unfathomable!  Your deeds would be distributed to those whom you wronged, whether you murdered them or slandered them.  O Muslim, please don’t gossip about one another, rather love and pray for another for we all know to whom we shall have to answer one day, to our Lord, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth.

A Good Night’s Sleep

By Shaykh Salman al-Oadah

It might seem funny to devote an article to sleeping. But think about it. The average person spends around eight hours of a 24-hour day asleep. That is a third of a person’s lifetime.

Allah describes sleep as a blessing from Him. He says in the Qur’an:

“And We made your sleep a rest for you.” [Surah al-Naba’: 9]

“And remember when He made slumber fall upon you as a reassurance from Him.” [Surah al-Anfal: 11]

“It is Allah who has made the night for you, that you may rest therein, and the days as that which helps you to see. Verily Allah is full of grace and bounty to humanity, yet most people give no thanks.” [Surah Ghafir: 61]

Sleep is not only described as a blessing bestowed upon the people, but also as a testament to Allah’s creative ability. Consider where Allah says:

“He it is who gathers up your souls at night and knows all that you do by day. Then He raises you up again, so that the term appointed for you (on Earth) may be accomplished. And afterward unto Him is your return. Then He will proclaim to you what you used to do.” [Surah al-An`am: 60]

“Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, as well as (the souls of) those who die not, during their sleep. Then He withholds those on whom He has passed the decree of death and sends the others back until an appointed term. Most surely there are signs in this for a people who reflect.” [Surah al-Zumar: 42]

Yes, sleep is His creation, and it has its marvels. A sleeping person drifts away from his consciousness and reason, only to be fully restored to his rational faculties upon waking, refreshed and revitalized.

A sleeping person can see the strangest and most amazing things, things that a waking person could never possibly see. Our ability to dream is another of Allah’s blessings, and another sign of His greatness.

We can appreciate the importance of sleep if we consider that Allah guided His Messenger (peace be upon him) regarding the etiquettes of sleeping, like being in a state of purity and lying on his right side. (As for facing the qiblah, this is actually not established by the Sunnah.)

Likewise, a number of remembrances and supplications are prescribed for sleeping. The Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed `Ali b. Abi Talib and Fatimah to say “Subhan Allah” 33 times, “al-Hamdu Lillah” 33 times, and “Allah Akbar” 33 times. He informed them that doing so will remove their fatigue and revitalize them, and said: “It is better than having a servant.” [Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]

Our generation is sometimes accused of being “the sleeping generation”. Most of us certainly do not need to sleep more than we already do. Nevertheless, we must respect our need to sleep by observing the etiquettes and approaches to sleep that will maximise the benefit that we get from it. This, in turn, helps us manage stress and makes our waking hours more productive.

It is a mistake to dismiss the importance of sleep. We all need it, and we all get our daily quota of sleep. Therefore, it is wrong that we make light of the subject of sleep and disdain reading or speaking about it, as if it were something superfluous.

In order to sleep better, we should first relax a bit. We need to unwind from the pressures, worries, and distresses of the day. We need to end the day on a note of forgiveness and with a few moments of tenderness with our families. We need to recite our remembrances of Allah and rid our hearts of all our animosities. We should not lay our heads down on our pillows with resentfulness in our hearts and angry thoughts in our minds. We should make our last thoughts of the day positive ones.

Source:  www.islamtoday.com

got brotherhood?

Amongst one of my fondest memories in Egypt was one time when I was at a juice-stand on a street corner and I was drinking some juice (yes, I gave into this fad) with another brother from the USA.  Sitting right beside us were these two other brothers from Belgium.  Now one thing about being a foreigner in the Middle East is that you immediately recognize the other foreigners while you are there.  Anyways, the brothers from Belgium didn’t speak English (what language do they speak in Belgium anyways?) and they, like us, were relatively new to the Arabic language. We conversed for several minutes in broken Arabic before it was finally time to depart.  As we were leaving, one of the Belgium brothers said to us, “Convey our salaams to the Ahlus-Sunnah (People of the Sunnah) in America as the Ahlus-Sunnah in Europe give theirs salaams to the Ahlus-Sunnah in America.”

Subhan’Allah, the brother’s statement really got me thinking.  I started to think about the concept of brotherhood that exists in Islam and how fortunate we are to have such a unique blessing.  Indeed, this Muslim from Belgium with whom I share probably nothing in common with (not culture, language, race, ethnicity, etc) except Islam is my brother in faith.  Think about that for a moment.  He’s not my cousin or uncle or anything else, but my brother in Islam.  And this brother was able to group together millions of Muslims in Europe and tie them so closely with the millions of Muslims in the United States.  Instant love exists within our hearts for our fellow Muslim brothers and this phenomenal love cannot be explained, but only truly experienced.

Indeed, the Quran states, “the Believers are but a single Brotherhood” (translation of the meaning of the Holy Quran, 49:10).  The Messenger of God (SAW) stated, “None of you will have faith till he wishes for his brother what he likes for himself” (Bukhari).

Therefore, O Muslim, meet new brothers, spread the salaams, smile in the face of your brother and prefer your brother over yourself for indeed, we will see the fruits of such beauty in this life and the Hereafter, insh’Allah.

Related readings: Rights of Brotherhood in Islam and Islamic Brotherhood

Allah Knows

You know, often times, when we do something worthwhile, we want the world to know about it.  Whether it’s Acing our final exams in school or scoring the winning shot in a street-basketball game, we feel it’s our duty to let people know about the ‘big things’ we accomplish everyday.  Even if it’s something that isn’t related directly to us, we feel the urge to tell others via Muslim gossip (even the good non-backbiting type).  However, the fact of the matter is that we shouldn’t really care what other people think about us.    In fact, we shouldn’t even care if other people know what we’ve accomplished.  Because the fact of the matter is, we know Allah (SWT) knows what we accomplished and to Him (SWT) is our final return.  Check out the following enjoyable read:

In one  country, the Muslim army was fighting against the Byzantine army. The number of the Byzantines was more than ten times the number of the Muslims.  The Byzantine commander was Gregorius and his daughter was by his side.  Gregorius’ daughter asked, “My father, who are these, they are merely a handful, their number is small and no more than 15,000, who are they?” 

Gregorius responded, ”‘These are the Arab horsemen.”

The daughter said, “My father, give them to me as spoils.”

And so, Gregorious had given his daughter [their property's worth] as spoils before the battle even took place.   However, Allah (SWT) had decreed that Gregorius would lose the battle and his daughter would be one of the captives and so the Gregorius was killed and his daughter captured.

After their victory, the Muslim army reconvened and the commander of the Muslim army wanted to know who killed Gregorius, but nobody answered.  The Muslim commander asked, “‘Who killed Gregorius?”

Gregorius’ daughter, who had been captured, said to the commander of the Muslims: “I know who killed my father.”

And so when Abdullah bin az-Zubayr passed next to her she said, “O, commander of the Muslims, this is the man who killed my father.”

The commander of the Muslim army asked Abdullah bin az-Zubayr, “O, Abdullah bin az-Zubayr, why did you conceal this from us?”

What did Abdullah bin az-Zubayr say in response?  His words still echo in the ear of history.

He said, “Allah knows I killed him.”

Abdullah bin az-Zubayr walked the walk and he never talked.  This is how we should strive to be where we  do and not talk!

My Defining Moment in Egypt

In my last two weeks of living in Egypt, there were several moments that helped me define how I need to view life.  Most of these moments would be viewed as commonplace, but the reflection that was built off of them helped define me.  I will only talk about one of those moments in this post.

There aren’t many people in the world where one feels such affection towards them where it completely changes a person’s perspective on how they live their lives.  Obviously, love for one’s spouse is true and real, but the affection and love I’m talking about here is different than that of one’s spouse.  It is the love of another human being for the sake of Allah.  It reminds us of the famous hadith of the seven types of people who will be shaded on the Day of Resurrection with one type being two people who love each other for Allah’s sake and the meet and depart because of it.  Personally, I get along with people incredibly well, alhamdulillah, and there are a number of brothers out there I feel I can relate to on a personal level and I love them for the sake of Allah.  When I mention love for Allah’s Sake, I mean this innate feeling of affection that is deep within one’s heart and for love is not something we can control.

Today, I wanted to talk about love for a scholar on a personal level.  I met the Imam of a masjid close to where we were living in Madinat Nasr and I asked him if I could study some Quran with him.  His name was Sheikh Adel and he was extremely personable and friendly.  I loved every moment that I spent with this brother.  Every question I asked him something, he would either answer it directly with evidences he had memorized or he would tell him he would look it up and get back to me (and sure enough he would).  I felt awe in my time with Sheikh Adel and I felt honor that this brother would give his time to teach me.  Sheikh Adel had several other students he would teach as well as the responsibilities of the masjid and his job.  Additionally, he would sit with his teachers and continue his ever-lasting quest for knowledge.

I felt like a little child when I was with Sheikh Adel, especially in terms of my knowledge as compared to him, I was ashamed of where I stood in terms of Islamic knowledge.  His knowledge of Tajweed was amazing, even in the different recitations of the Holy Quran.  He was an honest, humble, and sincere man.

Many times for lessons abroad, students pay their teachers to compensate them for their time.  Especially on learning that one is from America, many teachers see dollar signs in their eyes.  My teacher was different.  He refused to take anything from me in exchange for his time.  In fact, he gave me a gift while I was studying with him!  Subhan’Allah, how some people are truly attached to the Hereafter!

However, the moment that truly struck a chord in me was the last time I met him as I prepared to return to the United States.  I was walking with Shaykh Adel in Madinat Nasr and I asked him, “How old are you, bro?”  He responded, “23.”

I knew Shaykh Adel was young, but I assumed he was in his late twenties, definitely older than me.  However, it turns out, I was several months older than Shaykh Adel.  This conversation got me thinking about the blessings we have in life.  Here in America, we have amazing opportunities in terms of dawah and calling people to Islam.  However, the main thing I realized was what we, the new Muslim generation, need to emphasize with our children.  We, along with everyone else who truly wants it, have the potential blessing of having our children raised with the Quran.  There were people that I came across on a daily basis in Egypt who were raised around the Quran.  They memorized it at an early age in their respective villages.  They knew the Quran in the different qiraat.  Their lives were based on the Quran.  Take these children and compare him to some of children we see being raised in America that don’t even know how to pray.  Now, I’m not saying raising your child in a village in Africa is the way to go.  I’m simply saying that regardless of how we decide to live, we HAVE to give our children a beautiful relationship with the Quran while they are still young.  They can be scholars of Tajweed and still become engineers (like Shaykh Adel).  They can love the Quran and still love science and medicine.  However, our priorities need to lay with the Quran first and foremost.  Just because we are living in America does not mean we should deprive our children of knowing and following what is truly important.  The Quran is where the true blessings lie whether you are in America or Egypt.

(Note: This post is a reflection from my time in Egypt.  For an informational post on my experience in Egypt, please see: http://mustaqeem.wordpress.com/2008/06/21/egypt)

Hug Your Mother

Watch this six minute clip.  If you do not get teary, it’s time to re-examine your heart.  If your heart isn’t touched, make sure it hasn’t hardened:

Related: http://mustaqeem.wordpress.com/2007/04/25/a-mothers-love/

To Our Dear Sisters

Paradise is for believing men and women

We often hear speakers in Friday prayer or in admonitions talking about Paradise and all of us find our hearts, minds and thoughts tuned on to that ‘frequency’. However, majority of the speakers talk about Paradise as if it were a house for men only. Reality is not like that. Paradise is for the believing men and women. The only price for it is sound belief in Allah, love of Allah and His Messenger (Peace be upon him), and obedience to Allah and His Messenger (Peace be upon him).

In what follows are the glad tidings given by the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him), to some of the women among his companions.

Narrated ‘Ayshah (May Allah be pleased with her): I did not feel jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet as much as I did of Khadijah (although) she died before he married me, for I often heard him mentioning her, and Allah had told him to give her the good tidings that she would have a palace of Qasab (i.e. pipes of precious stones and pearls in Paradise), and whenever he slaughtered a sheep, he would send her women-friends a good share of it. [Sahih al-Bukhari]

Anas reports that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him), said: ‘The best women of mankind are four: Mariam daughter of `Imran, Assiya wife of Pharaoh, Khadijah daughter of Khuwailid, and Fatima the daughter of the Messenger of Allah.’ [Bukhari and Muslim]

Narrated Abu Hurayrah: Jibril (Gabriel) came to the Prophet and said, ‘O Allah’s Apostle! This is Khadijah coming to you with a dish having meat soup (or some food or drink). When she reaches you, greet her on behalf of her Lord (i.e. Allah) and on my behalf, and give her the glad tidings of having a Qasab (palace in Paradise) wherein there will be neither any noise nor any fatigue (trouble).’ [Bukhari]

Narrated ‘Ata bin Abi Rabah: Ibn ‘Abbas said to me, ‘Shall I show you a woman of the people of Paradise?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘This black woman came to the Prophet and said, ‘I get attacks of epilepsy and my body becomes uncovered; please invoke Allah for me.’ The Prophet said (to her), ‘If you wish, be patient and you will have (enter) Paradise; and if you wish, I will invoke Allah to cure you.’ She said, ‘I will remain patient,’ and added, ‘but I become uncovered, so please invoke Allah for me that I may not become uncovered.’ So he invoked Allah for her.’ [Bukhari]

The aforementioned hadith clearly state the stature of some of the women given the glad tidings of Jannah (Paradise). What can the women of today do in order to achieve that pinnacle of success, Paradise?

To do so one MUST learn how these women lived, how they behaved, how they spoke, how they dressed, how they walked, etc. In this issue of al-Mu’minah we will try to learn from the black woman mentioned in the last Hadith, insha’Allah. The black woman is not even known by her name, or her exact whereabouts, rather she is known by her deeds, her faith, her modesty, her chastity, and for her being an inmate of Paradise. And, in the end, that is what matters most. When Abdullah Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) said ‘this black woman’, he did not mean to point at her race or to belittle her in any way. Indeed, he but meant to teach the people around him a great principle of Islam which is mentioned in the verse, [in the meaning of] : ‘O people! We have created you from a man and a woman and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may know each other, verily the most honorable among you in the sight of Allah are the most pious.’

The same principle is mentioned in the Hadith: ‘Allah does not look at your pictures (shapes) and bodies but He looks at your hearts (and your deeds).’ [Muslim]

She (the black woman) was physically sick, yet she sought cure in the Du’a of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him). She knew that the one who cures, ash-Shafi, is Allah, and Allah would answer the Du’a of His Messenger (Peace be upon him). We conclude from that that Du’a heals all diseases be they of the body or of the heart. When commenting on this Hadith, al-Hafidh Ibn Hajar said: ‘It is inferred from this Hadith that the cure of diseases through Du’a and supplication to Allah (wa al-iltija’ ila Allah) is the most successful way of healing, but this cannot be fulfilled unless two conditions are satisfied: pure intention and sincere trust in the effectiveness of the Du’a, and righteousness and reliance on Allah.

The fact that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: ‘If you wish, be patient and you will have (enter) Paradise’ is a proof for the virtue and reward of patience during sickness. In another Hadith, he (Peace be upon him), says: ‘Whenever a hardship affects the Muslim, he will be forgiven for it even when he is picked by a spike.’ [Muslim]

And in another Hadith, also narrated by Muslim, Ummu as-Sa’ib cursed fever, to which the Prophet (Peace be upon him) told her: ‘Do not curse fever, for it takes away the sins like the blaze [fire] takes away the impurities of iron.’ The black women preferred the suffering of this world to getting the eternal reward of Paradise! She suffered from sickness, yet her pain and discomfort did not force her to forego pleasing Allah! And no matter who one is, if one is in the path of Allah, one will encounter difficulties, because Paradise is rounded by hardships. If things are easy and life is rosy, then one must check oneself; are we following the true Islam? Especially in this western environment it may be difficult for a young woman to wear the dress of modesty, the Hijab (even though it is mandatory), not to talk to men and keep away from them (which is also mandatory), except if necessary.

All these may be difficult to achieve for some in the beginning, but when one overcomes herself for the sake of Allah, then all the other obstacles become baseless. So, how to overcome oneself? By knowing Allah by His names and attributes; by loving and obeying Allah and His Messenger (Peace be upon him); and then the help of Allah will come, insha’Allah. She (the black woman) preferred being patient, but could not tolerate that her honor, her modesty and her chastity be damaged or even touched, nor that any part of her body be uncovered, though she had no control over it. Indeed she was a real slave and servant of Allah; she was a faithful, a believer, a Muslimah, a righteous and pious woman, a truthful woman, and she was loyal to Allah and His Messenger (Peace be upon him). Not only having these awe-inspiring qualities, she was also a wise and a great woman, as her memorable words rang …: ‘… but I become uncovered, so please invoke Allah for me that I may not become uncovered.’

If words are to be written in Gold, these words should be written in gold … Remember this simple equation:

Iman + Suffering + Patience = Paradise

It can also be inferred that the righteous Muslim woman inherently loves to be covered, loves modesty and chastity and hates revealing her body and her beauty. The black woman, could sustain being so sick but could not bear to be uncovered in front of people.

The issue, one must understand, is not of black or white or Arab or non-Arab, rich or poor, noble[with lineage] or not, it is rather of a creed so deeply rooted in the hearts of Muslims like blood flows in the arteries and veins of people. They are those who are totally committed to Islam. Fourteen Hundred years of history showed that Muslim women could sustain hunger, poverty, sickness but could never sustain disobeying Allah. The wife would tell her husband when leaving for work: ‘Fear Allah in us, for we can sustain hunger and thirst but we cannot sustain Hell fire [i.e. do not acquire unlawful earning].’

Dear sisters, ask yourself what made Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) be greeted by Allah and by Jibril. Ask yourself what made Khadijah be rewarded a Palace in Jannah as no one can imagine. Reading the biography of Khadijah and others like her in greatness, one would wish to be at their service; to carry their shoes, wash their clothes, to serve them in any possible way and get Du’a from them. It is sad that we just don’t know the great personalities of this Ummah. If only we strive to study the lives of the righteous that preceded us, we would find in them immense guidance for our existence, and if we know them and follow them we could be in the forefront of mankind …

It is said, ‘Iman (faith) is not by hope, it is rather what occurs in the heart and is proved by the deeds [maa waqa`a fil qalbi wa saddaqahul-`amal].’ We leave you to think about this and pray to Allah to make us all among the dwellers of Paradise and to bestow upon us the faith and the patience that lead us to Paradise. And to bless the present Muslim Ummah with many women like the black woman (may Allah be pleased with her), who help us focus on the straight path …

Source: www.islamswomen.com

Heart, Mind and Ethics: Paths of Success for Future Scholars of the West

By Imam Suhaib Webb

Imam al-Nawawi related the following:

“Purify your hearts [for the knowledge] the way land is purified for cultivation.”

Imam al-Shaf’i on Humility:

“None of you will seek this knowledge with a domineering attitude and exaggerated self worth, then succeed. However, one who seeks this knowledge, struggles with his/her soul, [enduring] strained provision and [struggles in the] service to the scholars is successful.”

 

I remember my Sheikh telling me: “My mother used to send me with gifts to my father. Although he was my father, she did this because, in reality, he was also my Sheikh. She did this so my knowledge would be blessed.”

I recall my teacher saying to me, when I tried to serve him, “I don’t want that type of service.” Then he paused and said, “But you need to do it. This is the way of blessing.”

Avoid Complaining, it is the Opposite of Shukur:

When we land overseas we must be very careful that our attitude is not what are these scholars going to do for us. Do not ask what your scholars can do for you, but what you can for your scholars.

Serve the ‘Ulema and treat them with respect.

Once a Sheikh from South Africa told me the following, “We had a very intelligent student with us. He was so gifted and one day he began to debate our teacher and was very rude with him. He won the debate, but our teacher turned to him and said, “If you are not careful, your knowledge will go un-blessed!” Suhaib, by Allah he was the most intelligent, gifted and bright student amongst us, however today he is working serving tea to people in the markets. All of that knowledge, all of that intelligence, and he is not asked by even one person a single question.”

Hardships:

Imam Malik said, “No one will attain this knowledge until he is afflicted with poverty that touches upon every aspect of his life.”

al-Shaf’i [may Allah have mercy upon him said], “No one will acquire this knowledge except the bankrupt.”

Once I came across some brothers in al-Azhar who told me about a brother who came to study in Egypt. He was very poor and his mother’s goal was for her son to become an Azhari. With no way to purchase the ticket for the trip, his mother sold her house in order to send him! I’ve meet a large number of brothers and sisters here who haven’t seen their families in 6-7 years. I knew some sisters who sold food in order to stay in Egypt and complete their masters in Shari’ah. It is these efforts, these struggles which plant the seeds for the future.

My Sheikh told me: “When I was young I remember seeing the brothers out at night under the street lights until late. Later on I realized that they were memorizing the Qur’an and had no electricity in their homes.”

Once one of the Shanaqita told me, “You memorize the Qur’an in your nice homes. I memorized it by the camp fire! You, Westerners go for fun to Disney Land. We used to spend our time making tafsir!”

My Sheikh told me, “I remember when I as young and the Shanaqitah would come with their kids to our city. I saw their kids playing by making ‘Irab of the language!”

I knew a student of knowledge who came to Egypt and was homeless! He used to attend classes in the day and sell watches at night. When he wanted to splurge on himself he would go, once a week, and buy Koshari. [equal to a $1.00 meal]

Western Muslims have a great opportunity since the have been blessed with wealth. However, how many times have blessings, as Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned, become trials?

The Poet wrote:

قد ينعم الله بالبلوى وإن عظمت……… ويبتلي الله بعض القوم بالنعم

Perhaps Allah will bless with trials, even if abundant………. and perhaps He will try some people with blessings!

Avoiding Hatred and Jealousy:

It moves through us like our blood. Raised on WWE,  Kimbo Slice and the Gladiator, Western Muslims are prone to make studying out into an epic adventure the likes of the Lord of the Rings. However, we are all, for some strange reason, the heroes and never the bad guys? I’ve experienced this a lot here and I’m sad to say that there are problems amongst us that I would have never imagined. Let’s move beyond these things and realize that what holds us together is stronger than what pulls us apart. This is a very serious disease of the heart and its cure, as Sidi Zaroq mentioned, in his famous principles on tasawwuf, is to do the opposite. This was also the statement of Sh. Bin ‘Uthyamin who said that the way to destroy this is to act on its opposite. Let us pray for each other, work to facilitate each others affairs and remove these evil shadowy feelings in our hearts. If not, the outcome of our knowledge will be tainted and our time spent will not be complete.

Summer Break: Know that you Don’t Know

Let us take the time, oh students of knowledge, to humble ourselves. Many of us are going back for the summer. When we get back, let’s not impose, nor direct others. We’ve spent a year or so learning, now lets spend the summer learning humility, respect and mercy. The art is not mastered by knowing, it is mastered by knowing that you don’t know. For that reason the scholars said: “I don’t know” is half of knowledge.

Often times when we go back we run into conflicts with other scholars, imams and activist in the community. Let us understand that our goals are the same, our destination is one and we need each other to arrive at, “And to your Lord is the ending.” We are not going back as the latest upgrade to ImamVirus 2009 Plus. We need to be humble. If we hear things that are wrong, let’s check ourselves and make sure we are hearing with our hearts that are clean and not with the deaf ear of arrogance and conceit. The same holds true for the masses, perhaps people will say things that, according to an Azhari, are out there, make no sense and, perhaps, are un-orthodox. Subhanallah! We ourselves have troubles, struggle to encompass the knowledge and expect people who sit 40 hours a week in front of an office desk, or burning paratas to know these things. Allah says that the Disciples of Jesus said, “Can your Lord send a table from the heavens?” This is a question that, on the surface, amounts to a major mistake in creed. None can say about Allah, “Can He do….” because He is Allah. However, as al-Qurtubi mentioned, some scholars stated that this question was acceptable because these people had just accepted Islam. If this was the case of those who lived and walked with a great Messenger of Allah, what of those who’s secretaries look like Beyonce, are struggling to raise their kid, pay the bills and keep their marriages together? Let us remember to “lower your wings to the believers” exercise humility and teach with the caress of a loving father.

Allah knows best

www.suhaibwebb.com

My Community Will Divide into 73 Sects

By Shaykh Salman al-Oadah

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “My community will experience everything that the Children of Israel had experienced, following in their footsteps exactly, so much so that if one of their number had approached his mother publicly for sex, one of my community will do the same. The Children of Israel divided into 72 sects. My community will divide into 73 sects, and all of them will be in the Hellfire save one.”

The people asked him: “And which one will that be

He replied: “The one that follows what I and my Companions are upon right now.”

This hadîth is quite famous and it is mentioned all of the time. In fact, scarcely does anyone speak on the topic of disagreement without mentioning it. This hadîth is often mentioned inappropriately and to audiences who cannot fully appreciate its implications. Therefore, I wish to discuss this hadîth and elucidate more clearly what it is telling us.

This hadîth is not recorded in either Sahîh al-Bukhârî or Sahîh Muslim. This by no means implies that the hadîth is unauthentic. However, it is possible that they did not mention it because it was not up to their arduous standards of authenticity.

The hadîth can be found in the four Sunan works and in Musnad Ahmad with different chains of transmission. Some scholars declared it to be authentic or at least good, including al-Tirmidhî, al-Hâkim, al-Dhahabî, Ibn Taymiyah, al-Shâtibî, and Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalânî. Others declared it as weak, including ibn Hazm and Ibn al-Wazîr.

The most correct opinion is that it is authentic; taking into consideration the large number of ways it has reached us, with some chains of transmission strengthening the deficiencies of others. Nevertheless, we should not behave as if it is the only hadîth in the world that addresses the issue of difference among Muslims.

We have the hadîth where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “This community of mine is a community blessed with mercy. It is not punished in the Hereafter. Instead, it is punished in this world with strife, instability, and bloodshed.” [Musnad Ahmad, Sunan Abî Dâwûd, and Mustadrak al-Hâkim] It is an authentic hadîth. It indicates that Allah has shown mercy on the Islamic community and that its punishment will be in this world instead of the Hereafter.

The Muslim community is the community most highly esteemed by Allah. The Qur’ân and Sunnah both state this fact in the most unambiguous terms. It is better than the communities that followed the previous scriptures were in their own era, namely the Jews and the Christians. This is why Allah says: “You are the best community brought forth for humanity.” [Sûrah Âl-`Imrân: 110]

This is also why He says: “And likewise we made you a balanced nation.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 143]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) on so many occasions emphasized the fact that the Muslim community is the best community of faith on Earth. Therefore, no one should ever infer from the hadîth about the 73 sects that the previous communities of faith were less divided amongst themselves and therefore were somehow better or less afflicted.

Ibn Mas`ûd relates that he was with some people when the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked them: “Would you like to be one quarter of the population of Paradise?” When they replied that they would indeed like that, the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked them: “Would you like to be one third of the population of Paradise?” When they replied that they would indeed like that, the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked them: “Would you like to be one half of the population of Paradise?” When they replied that they would indeed like that, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “I swear by Him in whose hand is Muhammad’s soul. Indeed, I hope that you will be half the population of Paradise. This is because none shall enter Paradise except a soul that has surrendered to Allah, and you are to the polytheists like a single white hair on the hide of a black bull or a single black hair on the hide of a red bull.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]

In this hadîth, the Prophet (peace be upon him) made it clear that half of the denizens of paradise will be from among his followers.

Allah has forgiven this community what it falls into by mistake or out of forgetfulness. We are instructed by the Qur’ân to offer the following supplication: “Our Lord, do not impose blame on us if we forget or err.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 286]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘Allah has pardoned my community what it commits by mistake, out of forgetfulness, or out of compulsion.” This is an indisputable principle of Islamic jurisprudence recognized by all scholars and jurists.

Moreover, Allah has spared this community from the burdens and impositions that the previous religious communities had upon them. Allah says: “He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them.” [Sûrah al-A`râf: 157]

Returning to the hadîth about the 73 sects, the fact that the Muslims will divide into a larger number of sects has puzzled some scholars throughout the ages. However, there are a number of possible answers to this puzzle.

First of all, the Muslim era is the longest era for any religious community.

Secondly, the divisions within the Muslim community are by far less serious that the divisions suffered by those who have gone before. The deficiencies brought about by the divisions among Muslims are more than counterbalanced by the good and the favor that the Muslims possess. Moreover, the existence of a sect does not require that the sect has many followers. One person following his own ideas can constitute a sect. Therefore, it is quite possible for there to be 72 other sects that collectively constitute a small percentage of the entire Muslim community.

The real problem exists with those who fancy themselves as the “saved sect” to the exclusion of all others, declaring everyone else to be astray and damning them. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If a man says that the people are damned, then he is the damnedest of them all.”

We must bear in mind that the Prophet (peace eb upon him) described those other 72 sects as Muslims. He said: “My community will divide into 73 sects.” This means that the followers of those sects are neither unbelievers nor polytheists. They are, in general, Muslims and believers. This does not mean that there cannot be a few hypocrites and unbelievers among them. However, the overwhelming majority of them believe, in spite of their deviance and their shortcomings. This is the way that most of the scholars have understood the hadîth of the 73 sects, including Ibn Taymiyah and al-Shâtibî.

The threat of the Hellfire mentioned in the hadîth does not mean that the threat is going to be carried out against everyone. Ibn Taymiyah makes the following observation:

This hadîth is no graver in its threat than the verse: “Verily, those who consume the orphans’ property unjustly merely take fire into their bellies and they shall be scorched by a blazing flame.” [Sûrah al-Nisâ’:10]

It is no graver than the verse: “Whoever does this maliciously and wrongly We shall scorch in the Fire.” [Sûrah al-Nisâ’: 30]

In spite of these verses, we do not bear witness that specific people are going to Hell, since people may repent for their sins or they may have other good deeds to their credit that blot out their sins. Allah may expiate them for their wrongs by afflicting them with hardships or by other means.

It was not the practice of our pious predecessors to concern themselves with identifying these sects. Al-Shâtibî makes this point clear in his book al-Muwâfaqât. Ibn Taymiyah also states this in a number of his works. He says:

Anyone from one of the 72 other sects who is a hypocrite is indeed an unbeliever in his heart. Anyone from among them who is not a hypocrite but who in fact believes in Allah and His Messenger is not an unbeliever, regardless of whatever mistakes in interpretation they may have. When a believer says: “Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who have preceded us in faith” [from Sûrah al-Hashr: 10], he means all the Muslims of the past centuries, even those who made mistakes in interpretation, acted contrary to the Sunnah, or committed some sins. They are still from his brothers who preceded him in faith and they all come under the generality of his supplication, even if they had belonged to one of the 72 other sects. Each one of these sects contains within its ranks a large number of people who are not unbelievers. They are believers who have gone somewhat astray and have sinned, making them worthy of the threat of punishment.

This hadîth should be seen in the proper perspective. Though we might view it as authentic, we should not extend its meaning beyond what it actually says. We should not allow this hadîth to be used to aggravate divisions between Muslims and stir up arguments among believers.

Source: www.islamtoday.com

Want a House in Paradise?

I have not done too many posts on hadith reflections (though I have done a couple, see: http://mustaqeem.wordpress.com/2007/04/20/the-seven-under-the-shade-of-allah/ and http://mustaqeem.wordpress.com/2008/03/30/are-we-the-people-this-hadith-is-referring-to/), but I really have started to love the following hadith and I feel it is something that we need to incorporate into our everyday lives if we want to be successful.

Rasoolullah (SAW) said, “I guarantee a house in Jannah (Paradise) for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right; and I guarantee a house in the middle of Jannah for one who abandons lying even when joking / for the sake of fun; and I guarantee a house in the highest part of Jannah for one who has good manners.” [narrated by Abu Dawud]

The breakdown:

• for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right

So basically any house in paradise is amazing even if it is in the lowest parts of paradise for we know we will not be jealous of one another in paradise, insh’Allah. 

Imam Shafii (rahimullah) stated, “I have never disputed anyone in order to overcome him, and whenever I dispute anyone, I love that the truth should become manifest at his hands.”  Look at the wisdom of Imam Shafii, he would love to lose a debate as long as the truth prevailed!  Subhan’Allah, many of us become a part of some movement and we defend our stances even if we know we are wrong.  Are we to be given a house in paradise then? 

Imam Shafii further stated, “I debated a scholar and beat him. Then I debated a layman and that layman beat me – he had no knowledge of the principles and texts. I had nothing to say.” 

Nowadays, knowledge is only with few as the one of the signs of the Day of Judgement is that knowledge will be lost.  Therefore, my brother or sister in Islam, avoid confrontation and debating.

• for one who abandons lying even when joking / for the sake of fun

People love to joke and have fun.  However, Rasoolullah (SAW) stated “If you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much.”  Laughing and joking in Islam are, of course, permissible, but to an extent. 

Imaam al-Nawawi (rahimullah) said: “The kind of joking which is forbidden is that which is excessive and persistent, for it leads to too much laughter and hardening of the heart, it distracts from remembrance of Allaah, and it often leads to hurt feelings, generates hatred and causes people to lose respect and dignity. But whoever is safe from such dangers, then that which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do is permissible for him.”

Joking and laughter has its limits and one of those limits is that we do not lie when we joke.

• for one who has good manners

Good manners were studied by the scholars of the past twice as long as knowledge was.  Indeed, one’s manners can be the means by which one has a house in the highest part of paradise!  What is our relationship with our parents, with our friends, with ourselves, and most importantly, with ALLAH?

Subhana’Allah, many people exert poor manners when they are trying to prove something and their entire message is lost in their actions.  I want to give a small personal example that irritates me.  Many people put the mus’haf on the ground and though this may be something that is permissible (Allahu Alim), but we should not do it out of respect for kalaam Allah (the Speech of Allah – the Quran).  We should respect our hearts out with the Quran.  We should love the Quran and not let it sit on the ground when we are not reading it.  Furthermore, out of respect for the Quran, we should not have ayaats of it scribbled on our clothing or on some necklase that we wear, but we should recite it more than anything.  This gives the proper respect to the Quran.

Another example that can be used is how we enter the masjid.  There is no specific hadith that says enter the masjid with the right foot (as far I know), but we know of the hadith that says to enter the bathroom with the left foot.  From this hadith and out of respect for the place we worship Allah, we should enter the masjid with our right foot, if possible.  I know of a couple brothers who would enter the masjid specifically with the left foot to make a point.  This is not respect.  Respect is something we, as Muslims, need to work on.

The good in this article is from Allah and the bad is from me and the rejected shaytaan.

May Allah SWT guide us all to the truth.  Ameen.

Humbleness

So one question I once got asked in a medical school interview was, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how humble are you?”  What an awkward question to get asked!  Anyways, I thought the article below is a good, short read on humbleness.  Check it out:

Humbleness is the opposite of arrogance, and is an attitude and behavior that Allah and His Messenger have commanded us to have. It is also a great tool used to spread Islam to others.

The best way to achieve humbleness in the heart is contained in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah , who prescribed many methods to teach his companions how to be humble. We ask Allah to help us all become humble and stay firm on that path. Following are some of the methods and ways of achieving humbleness:

1. Extending As-Salam (saying As-Salamu Alaykum, peace be unto you).
Abdullah ibn ‘Amer said that a man asked the Messenger of Allah , “Which part of Islam is the best?” He said, “To feed the food (to the poor), and to extend As Salam to those whom you know and whom you do not know. ”
[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Therefore, extending As-Salam to the old, young, rich, poor, noble, common folk, stranger and relative, will open one’s heart to achieve humbleness and will shut the door closed for arrogance and tyranny.

2. Muslims should hate that people stand up for them when they pass by them or enter their homes or businesses.

Mu’awiyah bin Abi Sufyan once entered a house where Abdullah ibn Az-Zubair and Abdullah ibn ‘Amer were sitting. Abdullah ibn ‘Amer stood up while Ibn Az-Zubair did not. Mu’awiyah said, “O ibn ‘Amer! Sit down, for I heard the Messenger of Allah say, ‘Let those who like for people to stand up for them take their seats in the Fire.’”
[At-Tirmithi]

This Hadith prohibits the Muslim to like that people stand up for him when he meets with or passes by them. Furthermore, this Hadith teaches Muslims to enjoin righteousness and forbid evil, for Mu’awiyah criticized Abdullah ibn ‘Amer for standing up for him.

3. Sitting wherever one finds space.

Jabir bin Samurah said, “When we used to come to the Prophet , we would sit wherever we find space.” Also, Ibn Umar narrated that the Prophet said, what translated means, “One of you must not remove a man from his place and sit in it. However, (those already sitting should) make space and spread up (leaving adequate space for newcomers).”
[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Also, Ibn Umar used to avoid the place which a man vacated to make space for him. Therefore, one should sit wherever he finds space, whether in the center of the audience or not. Also, those who accept it that first-comers have the right to the best seats, because all Muslims whether rich or poor are equal, will achieve humbleness in their hearts and deed, Allah willing.

4. Prohibiting the Muslim from claiming purity for himself. Allah said, what translated means,

So ascribe not purity to yourselves. He knows best him who fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him.
[Surah 53:32]

Mohammad ibn ‘Amr ibn Ataa’ said that he named his daughter Barrah (the righteous one). However, Zaynab bint Abi Salamah said that the Messenger of Allah prohibited using this name when she was called “Barrah.” He said, “Do not ascribe purity to yourselves. Allah knows the righteous ones among you.” The companions asked, “What should we call her?” He said, “Zaynab.”
[Muslim]

5. Prohibiting praising people in their presence.

Abu Musa said, “The Prophet heard a man praising another man and saying good words about him while he was present with them. He said, ‘You have destroyed ­or broke the back of the man!’”
[Al- Bukhari & Muslim]

Also,

Abdur- Ra’hman bin Abi Bakrah said that a man was once mentioned in the presence of the Messenger of Allah . Another man said good words of praise about him. The Messenger of Allah then said, what translated means, “Woe unto you! You have beheaded your friend. If one of you has to praise, let him say, ‘I think this and that’ (about the praised man), if he thinks that he deserves it, ‘And his reckoning is with Allah,’ and let him not ascribe purity (to anyone).”
[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Also,

Ibrahim At-Taymi said that his father said, “We were sitting in the presence of Umar when a man praised another man to his face. Umar said, ‘You ‘Aqartahu (crippled him), may Allah do the same to you.’” Furthermore, Abu Ma’mar said that a man stood up and praised one of the leaders, then Al-Miqdad started throwing sand in his face, and saying, “The Messenger of Allah ordered us to throw sand in the faces of the praisers.”
[Muslim, At-Tirmithi, Abu Dawood & ibn Majah]

From these Hadiths and stories, we conclude that the Messenger of Allah prohibited praising others, especially while they can hear their praise. This is because such praise may encourage the praised persons to overestimate themselves, especially if they were people of position or wealth. Also, such praise may lead the praised person to be arrogant, which may lead to laziness and a lower number of good deeds, for one will depend on what he heard of praise and ignore acquiring more good deeds.

6. Shortening the length of the clothes.

Ibn Juray bin Sulaiym said that the Messenger of Allah said, what translated means, “Lower your dress to half the leg. If you do not prefer that, then to the ankles. However, do not increase the length of the dress (lower than the ankles), for it is arrogance, and Allah does not like arrogance.”
[Abu Dawood, At-Tirmithi & Al- Hakim]

In this Hadith, the Messenger of Allah considered extending the length of the dress to cover the ankles an act of arrogance and pride, even if those who do this claim otherwise.

Also,

Abu Hurayrah said that the Prophet said, what translated means, “Whatever is below the ankles will be in the Fire.”
[Al-Bukhari]

Furthermore,

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said, “On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will not look at he who used to drag his dress behind him (because it is too long below the ankles) out of arrogance.”
[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

These Hadiths above state that wearing long dresses which cover the ankles is a type of arrogance, or at least leads to such behavior. Therefore, shortening the length of the dress is a type of humbleness and leads to such behavior, Allah willing. These are some of the ways with which one can attain the characteristic of humbleness, Allah willing. We ask Allah that He help us attain this attribute, He is the All-Hearer, the One Who can answer the supplication.

Note: Not all the hadith are guarenteed to be sahih, so please check them out individually if interested, but they should legit, insh’Allah.
Source: www.quraan.com

Having a Good Opinion of People

By Dr. Ali Al-Hammadi

From leading principles to which the Muslim needs to pay attention before he raises any doubt and before he accepts and believes in any accusation is to give priority to having a good opinion over having a bad opinion of his Muslim brothers. He should look for excuses and justifications that will excuse them and clear them of blame, especially when the accusation is directed towards callers to Allah and the righteous.

 

This is the practice of the righteous, people of understanding and wise men from among Muslims who fear their Lord and desire victory and predominance for Allah’s Deen.

 

Had it been the other way around – had having a bad opinion of people been given a priority over having a good opinion, then no scholar would have been left without being maligned, no nobleman without faults found in him, and Muslims would be deprived from good examples. That is a methodology that is accepted neither by the Islamic Law nor by any logic.

 

“The basic principle in this rule is the saying of Allah `azza wa jall: “O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful.” [Al-Hujurat 49:12] 

Allah `azza wa jall ordered avoiding much of the suspicion because some of it is sin, and He followed this order with the prohibition of spying, pointing out that spying in most cases does not occur except due to bad assumptions.

 

The way of the Muslim – the general rule – is hiding others’ faults and having a good opinion of others. This is why Allah `azza wa jall ordered believers to have a good opinion of people when they hear slanders of their Muslim brothers.

 

And in the story of ifk (the lie which hypocrites invented against A`isha, the Mother of the Believers, from which Allah declared her free and innocent in the Quran), when it was said what was said, Allah `azza wa jall clarified the true position which every Muslim must understand. He said subhanahu wa ta`ala:

“Why, when you heard it, did not the believing men and believing women think good of themselves [i.e. one another] and say, ‘This is an obvious falsehood’?” [An-Noor 24:12]” [Hisham Ismail As-Sini, Manhaj Ahl As-Sunnah wal Jama`ah fin Naqd wal Hukm `ala al Akhirin, Al Muntada, London, 1992, p. 21]

 

Dr. Mustafa as-Siba’i said, “Because having a good opinion and then regretting is better than having a bad opinion and then regretting.” [as-Sibai, Hakadha `allamatni al Hayat, al Maktab al Islami, Beirut, 1984, vol. 1, p. 42]

From “Fi Qafas al-Ittiham”
1420 Dar IbnHazm
Source: www.islaam.com

 

What the Scholars have said about Sincerity, Intentions, Riyaa…

Sayings which have been reported from the Salaf us-Saalih regarding Intention, Ikhlaas and Riyaa’[1] From the Book of Sincerity (Al-Irshaad 1997) Translation by Abu ‘Iyad as-Salafi

1. It is reported about Bishr al-Haafee that he said: That I seek the world with a wind instrument is more loved by me than that I seek it with the deen.

2. It is reported from Ibraheem an-Nakha’ee that he said: When Shaytaan comes to you whilst you are engaged in prayer and says: You are showing off, increase it in length.

3. One of the Salaf said: Direct me to an action by which I will never cease to be performing for Allaah the Exalted. It was said to him: (Always) intend good because you will never cease to be performing even if you do not do any actions. The intention performs even in the absence of any actions. Whoever intended to pray at night and then slept, the reward for what he intended will be written for him.

4. One of them said: I love that I have an intention for every single thing until my food, drink and sleep.

5. It was said to Sahl: What is the hardest thing for the soul (to achieve)? He said: Sincerity, when there is no other desire in it.

6. It is reported from Ya’qoob al-Makfoof that he said: The sincere person is the one who hides his good deeds just like he hides his evil deeds.

7. One of them wrote to his brother: Make your intention sincere in all of your actions and little action will suffice you.

8. It is reported from Ayyoob as-Sakhtiyaanee that he said: Purifying the intention is harder than all other actions for those who act.

9. It is reported from Yahyaa bin Mu’aadh that he said: Ikhlaas separates (good) actions from faults like the separation of milk from dung and blood.

10. It is reported from as-Soosee that he said: What Allaah desires from the actions of His creation is Ikhlaas and nothing else.

11. It is reported from al-Junaid that he said: To Allaah belong servants who understand, and when they understand they act and when they act they make (their action) sincere. Their recalling of Ikhlaas at the time of doing righteousness is what accumulates the greatest (good for them).

12. It is reported about Hawshab that he used to cry and say: My name has reached the large mosque. [i.e. he disliked to be known out of humility and that people should mention him for fear of fame and repute]

13. It is reported from as-Soosee that he said: Ikhlaas is to lose the vision of Ikhlaas (in oneself).

14. One of them said: Whoever sees sincerity in his sincerity, his sincerity is itself in need of sincerity. The destruction of every sincere person lies in his sincerity, (he is destroyed) to the extent that he sees sincerity in himself. When he abandons seeing sincerity in himself he will be sincere and purified.

15. It is reported from Abu Uthmaan that he said: Ikhlaas is to forget the vision of creation by constantly looking at the Creator.

16. It is reported from Ibraheem bin Adham that he said: He is not truthful to Allaah who loves fame.

17. It is reported from ath-Thawree that he said: They used to hate fame and reputation due to wearing nice garments so that eyes would stretch towards them.

18. Ibn al-Jawzee reports from al-Hasan that he said: I was with Ibn al-Mubaarak one day and we came to a watering place. The people were drinking from it and Ibn al-Mubaarak came closer in order to get a drink. The people did not know him and shoved and pushed him. When he came out he said: Life is but this, meaning we are not known nor are we respected.

19. It is reported from Na’eem bin Hammaad that he said: Abdullaah ibn al-Mubaarak frequently used to sit in his house for long periods of time so it was said to him: Do you not feel lonely and isolated? He said: How can I feel isolated while I am with the Prophet (sas).

20. It is reported from Ibn al-Mubaarak that he said: I heard Ja’far bin Hayyaan say: The foundations of these actions are the intentions. Indeed a man reaches with his intentions a position he does not reach with his actions.

21. One of the people of wisdom used to say: When a man is speaking in a gathering and his speech amazes him let be silent and when he keeps silent and his silence amazes him let him speak.

22. It is reported from Mutraf bin Abdullaah ash-Shakheer that he said: That I spend the night sleeping and wake up remorseful is more loved to me than that I spend the night standing (in prayer) and wake up in admiration.

23. It is reported from an-Nu’maan bin Qais that he said: I never saw Abeedah (rh) performing any voluntary prayers in the mosque of al-Hayy.

24. It is reported from Alee (ra) that he said: The one who shows off has three characteristics: He is lazy when by himself, he is lively and energetic when with others and he in creases in his actions when he is praised and decreases in them when he is criticised.

25. It is reported from Al-Hasan (rh) that he said: The one who shows off desires to overcome what Allaah has decreed for him. He is an evil person who desires to inform the people that he is righteous in order to hear what they would say. He has obtained a position of vileness and wickedness from his Lord. It is therefore essential for the hearts of the believers to recognise him.

26. It is reported from Sahl bin Abdullaah (rh) that he said: There is nothing which is tougher upon the soul than (achieving) Ikhlaas. How many times have I tried to remove riyaa’ from my heart except that it sprouted in a different colour (i.e. in a different form).

27. It is reported from Ibn Mas’ood (ra) that he said: Do not learn knowledge for three (things): To amaze and confound the foolish, to argue with the learned and to make peoples faces turn towards you. (But) seek what is with Allaah with your hearts and actions, since only that will remain and whatever is besides it will go.

28. It is reported from Abu Sulaimaan ad-Daarinee (rh) that he said: Toobaa (the tree in Paradise) for the one who took a single step desiring nothing but the face of Allaah by it.

29. Some of the salaf said: Whoever had a single instance in his lifetime which was purely and sincerely for the sake of Allaah the Exalted will be saved, and this is due to the greatness of Ikhlaas.

30. It is reported from Abu Sulaimaan ad-Daarinee (rh) that he said: When the servant is sincere, riyaa’ and the many whisperings (of the shayaateen) are cut off from him.

31. It has also been said: Ikhlaas is that the servants inward and outward actions are equal. Riyaa’ is when the outward appearance is better than the inner self and truthfulness in one’s sincerity is when the inner self is better cultivated and more flourishing than the outward appearance.

32. Some of the salaf have said: Ikhlaas is that you do not seek a witness over your action besides Allaah and nor one who gives reward besides Him.

33. It is reported from Makhool (rh) that he said: Never does a servant maintain sincerity for forty days in succession except that the streams of wisdom from his heart appear on his tongue.

33. It is reported from Adiyy ibn Haatim that he said: The people destined for the Fire will be ordered (to come) towards Paradise until they come close to it and smell its fragrance, see its palaces and what Allaah has prepared in it for its people. Then an announcement will be made (to the angels) that they be turned away from it. There will be no portion for them in it. They will return in loss and ruin just like the ones before them (who were also commanded likewise). Then they will say: O our Lord. If you had entered us into the Fire before You showed us what You have shown us from Your reward and what You have prepared for you friends and allies it would have been easier upon us. Then the Exalted will say: “This is what I intended with you. When you used to be alone you would combat me (or show boldness to Me) with grave sins and when you used to meet people you would meet them with humility. You would show to the people other than that which you used to give Me from your hearts. You feared people but you did not fear Me. You honoured the people but you did not honour Me, you abandoned (actions) for the people but you did not abandon for Me. This day (therefore), will I make you taste a tormenting punishment along with your prevention from receiving that reward.”

34. It has been said: The damage (caused) to every servant lies in his being pleased with himself. Whoever looks at his soul and sees something in it which he deems to be good has caused its destruction. And whoever does not suspect his soul at every single moment is one who is deceived.

35. Ibn al-Qayyim (rh) said: Ikhlaas is the Tawheed of one’s wish/intent.

Notes

[1] The sayings have been taken from Ihyaa Uloom id-Deen of al-Ghazaalee, Mukhtasir Minhaaj il-Qaasideen of Ibn Qudaamah and Kitaab uz-Zuhd of Ibn al-Mubaarak. [TN] The author said, “I have quoted these statements without knowing their authenticity and it is allowable for a Muslim to take from what has been narrated from the Salaf without verification if the particular statement is in agreement with the Book and the Sunnah.  (I found this list on the AlMaghrib Forums).

Showing-off…A Type of Shirk?

Riyaa – Defined

Riyaa is showing off and can include the desire to seek praise or a reputation. It includes worrying what people think of one. Showing-off includes performing one’s deeds for someone else’s sake when they should be done for the sake of Allah (SWT). Does this not sound hypocritical?

Mahmood ibn Lubayd reported that Rasoolullah (SAW) said: “For you, my greatest fear is minor shirk.” The companions said: “O Messenger of Allah, what is minor shirk?” He replied: “Showing off (ar-riyaa), for verily Allah will say on the Day of Resurrection when people are receiving their rewards: ‘Go to those whom you were showing off to in the world and see if you can find any reward from them.’” (Ahmad, at-Tabaraanee, al-Bayhaqee)

Ibn ‘Abbas said: “Riyaa is more hidden than a black ant on a black stone in a dark night.”

Types of Riyaa

• Riyaa’ of the body – This occurs by appearing to be emaciated and pale so that others may see the intensity of his striving and the abundant fear of the Hereafter. Also included in this is lowering the voice and sinking of the eyes, showing that one has a weak and feeble body in order to show others that he is diligent in observing fast.

• Riyaa’ of the outward appearance – Such as the effects of prostration on the face or wearing a specific type of clothing which only a few people wear and whom people consider to be scholars. So he wears this apparel so that it may be said: “He is a scholar.”

• Riyaa’ by one’s speech – This occurs mostly by admonishing others, reminding them, memorising details and narrations for the sake of argumentation, making it open and know that one has copious and abundant knowledge, moving one’s lips for the remembrance of Allaah in the presence of others, becoming angry when evil occurs between people, lowering the voice and making it soft and tender when reciting the Qur’aan so as to show otehrs his fear, sadness and other such things.

• Riyaa’ with one’s actions – Like the showing off of the worshipper by lengthening the standing and prolonging the bowing and prostration during prayer. Outwardly displaying humility and showing off with fasting, going on military expeditions, pilgrimage, giving charity and other such things.

• Riyaa’ on account of one’s friends and visitors – Like the one who burdens himself in order to visit a scholar or a pious worshipper so that it may be said: “So and so visited so and so”. This also occurs by inviting people to one’s house so that it may be said: “The people of the deen frequently visit him.”

Remedy to Avoid Riyaa:

1. Increasing knowledge of Islam
2. Du`a – The prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa salam) taught the specific Du`a for Riyaa: “Allahumma innaa na`oothu bika an-nushrika bika shay`an na`lamuhu, wa nastagfiruka limaa laa na`lamuh. [O Allah, we seek refuge in you from committing shirk knowingly, and ask your forgiveness for (the shirk that we may commit unknowingly"]
3. Reflecting upon Heaven and Hell and having complete dependence on Allah (SWT)
4. Hiding one’s good deeds as some scholars advise: “Remove the causes of Riyaa` from yourself by considering the opinion of people as important to you as animals and small children. Do not differentiate in your worship between the presence of people or their absence, or between their knowledge of your actions and their ignorance. Rather be conscious of the infinite knowledge of Allah alone.”
5. Reflection upon one self’s shortcomings
6. Accompanying the Pious
7. Knowledge of Riyaa
8. Always renewing one’s intentions (!) and continuously making istighfar

Related: http://mustaqeem.wordpress.com/2007/05/26/intention-check/

Sources include http://www.islamicawakening.com, http://forums.almaghrib.org, Riyaa: The Hidden Shirk by Yasir Qadhi and Bilal Philips

They all Feared Hypocrisy, Where do WE Stand?

The Signs of Beneficial Knowledge:

• From the signs that one has beneficial knowledge is that it leads him to flee from the worldly life and its splendors, as well as from leadership, fame and praise. 
• Keeping far away from these things and exerting one’s efforts in avoiding them are indications that one has beneficial knowledge. 
• And if he were to fall into committing any of these things unintentionally and unwillingly, he would be in immense fear of being punished for that since he would fear that such (praise or leadership or fame) is perhaps a plot or gradual delusion (before inevitable punishment from Allah).
• Such was the case with Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal [rahimahullah], for he would fear for himself when his name became famous and his reputation spread.
• Also from the signs of beneficial knowledge is that one does not claim to have knowledge nor does he use it to act arrogantly towards anyone, nor does he describe anyone as being ignorant – except for those who oppose the Sunnah and its followers, for in this case, he may speak about them out of anger for the sake of Allah and not his own sake nor intending to elevate himself over anyone.
• Those who possess beneficial knowledge think poorly of themselves while thinking highly of those scholars that came before them. 
• And they affirm with their hearts and souls the virtue and superiority that their predecessors have over them and their own inability to reach and attain the levels that they were at, let alone get near to them.

The Signs of Non-Beneficial Knowledge:

• An indicative sign of this non-beneficial knowledge is that it breeds haughtiness, pride and arrogance in the one who possesses it.
• It causes him to seek after grandeur and elevation in the worldly life and to compete for that.
• It also leads one to pursue competing with the scholars, arguing with the foolish and turning the people’s attention his way.
• It has been reported that the Prophet [sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam] said that whoever seeks knowledge for these reasons, then “the Fire, the Fire”(narrated by Ibn Majah).
• Another sign of this is when one openly claims to have a close relationship with Allaah, i.e. claims to be a Walee, as the People of the Scriptures would do

Ibn Abī Mulaykah – Allah have mercy on him – said, “ I met thirty of the Prophet’s Companions (including Ali, Aisha, Abu Hurayrah, Ibn Masood, etc)– Allah’s peace and blessings be upon them – and every one of them feared falling into nifāq [hypocrisy]; not one of them claimed he had the level of faith of Jibrīl or Mīkā`īl [alaihimis salaam].”

They all feared hypocrisy, where do WE stand?

[References include Ibn Rajab (via www.al-ibaanah.com) and Bukhari’s Fath al-Bari (via sayingsofthesalaf.blogspot.com).  Also, I apologize for the poor color of the font on this post, I ran into some 'technical difficulties']

TV Challenge

Challenge: Avoid useless stuff for the next week. When I say useless, I’m talking about television, movies, music, gossiping, etc. Don’t be concerned with what other people have or possess. Rasoolullah said, “Being rich does not mean having a great amount of property. Being wealthly is being content” (narrated by Bukhari).

Rasoolullah (SAW) said, “Amongst the beautiful (characteristics) of a person’s Islam is that he pays no heed to that which does not concern him” (narrated in Tirmidhi).

Lessons from this hadith from Muhammad AlShareef:
“Your mind is PRIME real estate. If you had a piece of land right beside the greatest world attraction, wouldn’t you open the most amazing store on it?

Your brain and your life is more precious then that piece of land. Only build on it that which concerns your success in this life and the next.

For the next seven days, ask yourself this question daily, ‘Am I using my time right now towards that which benefits me?’”

(Courtesy: www.successinislam.com)

Roll up Those Pants!

O Muslim, follow what is correct and have your pants above your ankles whether you are in prayer or not.  Consider the following hadeeth:

It is reported that the Prophet (SAW) said: “Whatever of the izaar (lower garment) is below the ankles is in the Fire” (Bukhari).

Rasoolullah (SAW) said: “There are three whom Allaah will not look at or praise on the Day of Judgement and theirs will be a painful punishment: the one who wears his garment below his ankles, the one who reminds others of his favours, and the one who sells his product by means of making false oaths” (Muslim).

Ibn ‘Abbaas reported that the Prophet (SAW) said: “Allaah will not look at the one who wears his lower garment below his ankles” (an-Nisa).

Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: “The Messenger of Allaah (SAW) said: ‘The lower garment of the Muslim should come down to mid-calf, but there is nothing wrong if it is between that point and the ankles. Whatever is lower than the ankles is in the Fire. Whoever trails his garment on the ground out of pride, Allaah will not look at him’” (Abu Dawud).

No one is able to be completely free of pride and arrogance, even if he claims that this is so. Such a claim is unacceptable, because by saying it, he is praising himself. Only in the case of those whom the wahy (revelation) testified that they were free of pride do we believe that this is the case. For example, there is a hadeeth which states that the Prophet (SAW) said: “Whoever trails his garment on the ground out of pride, Allaah will not look at him on the Day of Resurrection.” Abu Bakr said to him, “O Messenger of Allaah, my izaar slips down if I do not pay attention to it.” He said: “You are not one of those who do it out of pride.” (Bukhari).

Ibn al-‘Arabi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: ‘It is not permissible for a man to let his garment go past his ankle and say “I am not letting it drag out of pride,” because the prohibition refers to it by name. It is not permissible if a thing is prohibited by name to say “I will not comply with it because the reason does not apply to me.” This is an unacceptable claim, rather his letting his garment drag is indicative of his arrogance’ (as stated by Ibn Hajar).

With regard to the validity of prayer, Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen was asked about that and he said: If the garment is hanging down below the ankles, then it is haraam, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Whatever part of the izaar (lower garment) is hanging down below the ankles is in the Fire.” What the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said concerning the izaar also applies to other types of clothing.

Based on this, a person has to lift his thobe (galabiyah) or other garments to be above his ankles. If he prays in it when it is below his ankles, then there is a difference of opinion among the scholars as to whether his prayer is valid.

Some of them think that his prayer is valid, because this man has done what is obligatory, i.e., covering his ‘awrah.

Some of them think that his prayer is not valid, because he has covered his ‘awrah with a haraam garment. They say that one of the conditions of covering the ‘awrah is that the garment worn should be permissible. So a man is in danger if he prays in a garment that comes down below his ankles; he should fear Allaah and raise his garment so that it will be above his ankles.

(Source: www.islamqa.com)

Related (comedic): http://muslimmatters.org/2008/02/23/rolled-up-couture/

Islamic Medical Ethics

What does Islam say about removing life-support, sex-change operations, living organ donors, doctors’ malpractice liabilities, and other medical ethic questions?  Check out the follow article by Shaykh Hani al-Jubayr (presiding Judge in Makkah) entitled, “General Principles of Islamic Law and Their Practical Applications for Medicine.”  Some of the answers might suprise you: 

A general principle of Islamic Law is a universal legal ruling or proposition from which the particular legal rulings are derived. They are the general axioms that govern numerous specific legal rulings.These general axioms do not address specific individuals or specific cases. Rather, they apply generally to the Islamic rulings that concern the actions of legally accountable entities.

Islamic Law is defined by numerous general principles. However, there are five major axioms that are extremely broad in their application and that all Islamic scholars agree upon, regardless of their schools of thought. They are the edifice upon which Islamic Law is built. These are the principles that we will be discussing in this article, and we will explore their relevance to laws governing the medical field.

The First Principle: Matters are to be considered in light of their objectives

The ruling that applies to a certain action depends on the intent behind that action. Whatever a human being does has legal consequences that stem from that person’s purpose for carrying out that action.

There is evidence for this principle in the Prophet’s statement: “Actions are but by intentions, and a man will have only what he intended. So whoever emigrated for Allah and His Messenger, then his emigration was for Allah and His Messenger. And whoever emigrated to attain some worldly benefit or get married, then his emigration is for what he undertook it to achieve.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (1) and Sahîh Muslim (1907)]

Application of this principle:

1. The patient’s consent for the doctor to carry out a medical procedure can be established by any means that indicates the patient’s agreement. This is because whatever clearly communicates the patient’s will and intent has the same legal status as a verbal consent.

Ibn Taymiyah writes in Majmû` al-Fatâwâ (29/20):

What is customarily understood as permission – in general matters of consent or transfer of ownership or appointing an agent – is the same as a verbal permission. Granting consent and empowering an agent to act on one’s behalf are matters which can be affirmed by word or by action. Also, knowledge of the rightful person’s agreement is equivalent to that person’s expression of agreement.

There is evidence for a gesture counting as consent for a medical procedure in Sahîh al-Bukhârî (5712) and Sahîh Muslim (2213) where `Â’ishah relates:

We orally administered medicine to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and he made a gesture showing that he did not want it. We said: “This is just a patient’s normal dislike for medicine.”

When he came to, he said: “Didn’t I forbid you to give me that medicine? All of you now will have to taste it.”

This hadîth illustrates how a clear gesture is equal to a verbal statement in these matters.

2. The doctor’s occupation is to help the patient recover from illness. This is why, in the event of unintentional malpractice on the part of the doctor, the compensation is pecuniary. However, in the event that a doctor intentionally seeks to injure the patient or cause the patient’s death, then the doctor is treated like any other criminal and is subject to criminal proceedings and to the judicial retribution mentioned in the verse: ” O ye who believe! the law of retribution is prescribed to you in cases of murder.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 178]

The Mâlikî jurist al-Dasûqî writes in the legal commentary (3/295):

The person who is ignorant of medicine is not subject to retribution, because he did not have the intent to cause harm. He sought or at least hoped to help cure the patient. In the event that he had a malicious intent, he would be legally subject to the law of retribution.

3. Islamic Law permits a doctor to conduct an operation upon the body of the patient only to prevent harm or provide the patient with some lawful benefit. Otherwise, it is not permissible for the doctor to act upon the patient’s body in any way. The human body is Allah’s property and no one can interfere with the property of another in a manner that the owner does not permit. Examples of unlawful surgery would be a sex-change operation or cosmetic surgery to help a criminal avoid detection.

The Second Principle: Harm should be removed

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There must neither be harm nor the imposition of harm.” [Sunan al-Daraqutnî (3/77), al-Mustadrak (2/57), and Sunan al-Bayhaqî (6/69)]

This means that no one should initiate harm against someone else, since causing harm is an injustice and is therefore forbidden. It also means that no one has the right to inflict harm upon someone else in order to alleviate harm that is affecting them. Whenever harm is encountered, it should be removed.

Application of this principle:

1. It is permitted to transplant an organ from a living volunteer donor to a person who has a dire need for it in order to save that person’s life or restore that person’s life to a semblance of normality. This is in order to remove harm. However, this is conditional upon it not causing inordinate harm to the volunteer donor by putting the donor’s life in a compromised state. This is because harm is not to be removed through the causing of harm.

3. In the event that one spouse contracts a contagious disease (AIDS, for instance) it is the duty of that spouse to inform the other. They must cooperate in taking whatever preventative measures are necessary to prevent the disease from being passed on. Likewise, the wife has the right to demand a divorce in the event her husband contracts such a disease. This is to protect her from harm. By contrast, the woman’s right to take care of her children is upheld, even if she contracts a disease like AIDS, since such a disease is not transmitted through care giving.

The Third Principle: Customary usage is the determining factor

Norms and customs are recognized as a determining factor in deciding matters related to social transactions. Legal rulings are applied according to what customary usage dictates in the absence of any textual evidence to the contrary.

Allah says: “And their maintenance and their clothing must be borne by the father according to custom.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 233]

Among the evidence for the recognition of custom in Islamic Law is the following hadith related from `Â’ishah in Sahîh al-Bukhârî (2211) and Sahîh Muslim (1714):

Hind, the mother of Mu`âwiyah, said to the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Abû Sufyân (Hind’s husband) is a tight-fisted man. Is there anything wrong if I take money from him secretly?”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Take for yourself and your children to suffice your needs according to what is customary.”

Ibn Hajar al-`Asqalânî, in his commentary on Sahîh al-Bukhârî, observes: “He referred her to customary usage in a matter that was not precisely defined in Islamic Law.” [Fath al-Bârî (4/407)]

Application of this principle:

1. If a doctor carries out his practice according to the theoretical and practical principles of medicine as is customarily accepted by medical specialists and patient dies or suffers injury, then the doctor bears no financial liability.

2. The patient’s consent to undergo treatment does not include medical treatments that are not customarily understood by such consent. Therefore, if the patient’s general consent to undergo treatment is not generally understood to include major surgery, then the patient’s consent for the surgery must be taken separately, as dictated by custom.

The Fourth Principle: The presence of difficulty requires that allowances be made to facilitate matters

When putting certain legal rulings into practice brings about serious difficulties for the people in their person’s or their wealth, then Islamic Law makes concessions.

Allah says: ” Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 185]

Allah also says: “Allah has placed no difficulty upon you in religion.” [Sûrah al-Hajj: 78]

Application of this principle:

1. Islam encourages having children to strengthen the community. However, if this brings about hardship for the couple, they have the right to use birth control to regulate when they have children and how many they have, according to their particular needs. The determination of this matter is left to their own discretion.

2. Exposing one’s body to a member of the opposite sex is unlawful. However, if there is a medical need to expose a part of the body to doctor for treatment, then this is allowed to alleviate the hardship that patient would otherwise face. The guiding principle here is that matters should be taken only as far necessary.

3. The sale of blood is unlawful in Islam. This is because the Qur’ân prohibits blood, and it is forbidden to sell something that is unlawful. Nevertheless, if a patient needs blood and there is no way to ensure its availability except by paying for it, then it is permitted to pay for it, and the sin is only upon the one who receives the money.

The Fifth Principle: That which is established with certainty is not removed by doubt

Essentially, this principle means that anything which is established with certainty requires absolutely certain evidence to indicate that it is no longer the case. Doubts are not sufficient to render it null.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If one of you feels something in his stomach that makes him wonder if anything had passed from him, he should not leave the mosque until he either hears or smells something.” [Sahîh Muslim (362)]

Al-Nawawî makes the following observation in his commentary on Sahîh Muslim (4/49):

This hadîth sets forth a principle of Islam and a major axiom of Islamic Law, which is that things are legally assumed to remain as they are unless and until it is established with certainty that they are otherwise. Extraneous doubts are of no consequence.

Application of this principle:

1. It is unlawful to declare someone dead (actual death which brings about legal consequences) merely by a doctor’s statement that the patient is brain-dead. It is necessary to establish death without an ambiguity. He heart must stop beating, breathing must cease, and the other typical signs of certain death must be observed. This is because the default assumption about a living person is that he or she is still alive, so the contrary must be established with absolute certainly.

At the same time, it is permissible to take the patient off of life support if all brain function has ceased and a panel of specialists determined that there is no chance for it to resume.

2. A person who has completely developed male or female sexual organs cannot undergo a sex-change. In the event that the person has anatomical attributes of both genders, then the dominant gender will be adopted and the patient may undergo surgery and/or hormone therapy in order to remove the gender ambiguity.

(Source: www.islamtoday.com)