Kufr and Avoiding Becoming a Kafir

Category: STRONG

Every once in a while I restate the Shahadah and try to do it sincerely. There are certain sins that are kufr (disbelief) and to engage in them, even absentmindedly, will for all intents and purposes, make you a kafir (and if you were to then die, you'd die as a kafir... which is bad). Especially the ones mocking any aspect of the deen or the Prophet(saw)'s Sunnah. It's so easy to get carried away when joking or messing around anyway. You think you've still got the right thing at heart, but I guess everyone thinks they do, so actions (and speech as an action) count.

Though this doesn't apply to me, getting your nikah re-done goes along with that. If a Muslim slips into kufr (and is a kafir in Allah's view), then an Islamic nikah is automatically dissolved so they'd be racking up sins for zina and their children will be illegitimate (and Islamically, there's a consequence for that too in their lives).

Some major books of fiqh on the four Sunni Imams actually recommended that Muftis and other Ulema have mass re-statements of Shahadah and Nikah among the people routinely. o_0

It's not just from the outright kufr sins (mocking or belittling as disbelief or outright disbelief), but for instance, repeatedly and deliberately sinning, or neglecting a Fardh repeatedly, even if you keep it hidden and don't say anything and still have Islam 'at heart'... Allah knows you and your intention better than you. That neglect could very well be an act of kufr. Especially say neglecting the prayers repeatedly for no reason which is one of the biggest fardh duties. Such a gray area so I think it's a good idea. Especially since, as far as worldly affairs go (i.e, law), Islam's a lot more forgiving than other belief systems... for instance, Freud's awesome quote 'He who does not live according to his belief does not believe' should be common sense but even that basic principle is applied liberally in Islam to the point where you just gotta wonder what Allah Himself would really think, regardless of what we've turned our religion into here.

There's other kinds of behaviour which would qualify emphatically as mocking or disbelieving that we think are innocent. If a family pressures a son to shave his beard for marriage, that could be belittling a strong Sunnah of the Prophet(saw) which could make it an act of Kufr. They ought to renew their vows of Shahadah before they take any vows of Nikah because the latter can only count for Muslims. To not wear Hijab or to not grow a beard or to look at forbidden things are all sins (that pretty much everyone I or you know engages in), but not acts of Kufr (especially if the person knows, acknowledges, and believes it is indeed a sin and is remorseful for it, but with repeated acts that have become a lifestyle, God knows). But if someone disagrees with the concept of Hijab, doesn't believe in it, and belittles it or mocks it (which is what usually happens when they don't believe in something and are pressured by their family and community into it), that could also be an act of Kufr. Same for someone who hates the beard, or openly thinks it's retarded to not look at forbidden members of the opposite sex all they want (i.e, no conscience about the activity)... all are acts of Kufr. You can definitively say something is an act of Kufr but what you don't know is if that person has become a Kafir or not. At that point, you gotta stop minding other people's business and wonder about yourself and your own Iman.

In my view, MOST Muslims are safe from most of these kinds of situations of disbelief, but to be 100% sure is another thing. I'm not even that sure about myself.

I guess what it comes down to is that I'm not Muslim just because I think I am or if I feel I am. Maybe we have a tendency to get lax and take forgiveness for granted because we believe in Allah and His Prophet(saw). But belief is not measured that way. There are so many emotions and other feelings we can experience that are pretty much just bullshit, like lust disguised as love for one thing. Why can't "faith" be one of them? Perhaps our 'faith' is just a caricature, the side effect of some psychological disorder. I used to always tell myself I'm Muslim because I think I am and I feel I am. But that can't be the case. I'm Muslim if I'm Muslim, if Allah accepts me as a Muslim. That's what the Qur'an, Hadith, Sunnah, Sahaba, Tabi'in, Ulema, Islamic history, etc are all for, so Allah can tell us what that is.

Addendum:

People should also be careful when joking. Just trying to consciously pay attention to your words is enough to avoid a bad situation. For instance, one might lightheartedly joke about a friend with a beard 'you terrorist'... and that joke's premise is rooted in mocking the non-Muslims' association of beards with Muslims and Muslims with terrorism. That isn't Kufr at all. That could even be called desireable. But in the process of so joking, every once in a while, it's possible that a feeling of disgust or something like that enters the heart when making that joke about someone with a beard... meaning a part of you becomes serious and is no longer joking. Obviously more likely to happen if the one joking doesn't keep a beard because there's the issue of why don't they keep the beard, and if that why comes out in the form of a negative feeling in the heart when 'joking' about the beard on someone else, it will become an act of Kufr right then and there (since it's not really a joke at heart). And who knows if that act takes you out of Islam. But if you just consciously check yourself whenever approaching anything regarding religion, that usually nips any negative intentions in the bud (so in the above case, the person remembers the beard is Sunnah so when the joke comes out, it's once again mocking the non-Muslims, not the Sunnah and instead of disgust, remorse is felt for not following the Sunnah themselves even if they do dislike the beard which in and of itself is nothing).

You've always known that the world today is extraordinarily dangerous for Islam and Iman, when you take into account these things, then that becomes clearly visible and not easily forgotten. There's a Hadith that says near the Day of Judgement, for a Muslim to hold onto their Iman would be like holding onto a ball of fire. I know that's 100% true for many people already. They can say the Shahadah sincerely, believe, and unwittingly within hours fall out of Islam again. If you're in a similar situation, just try to stick to the basic fardh obligations and repeat the Shahadah with sincerity whenever you remember. So you'll be Muslim at least five times a day. This kind of sounds ridiculous, but ya... its not a joke.

Slightly related so I might as well tack it on: The worst 'loser' (search the Qur'an for that word) in the 'Eyes' of Allah is that person who's astray but believes they're on the right path. Their 'Aqeedah or Iman is there but it's not the Iman of Rasulullah(saw) so they've gone on the path to Kufr and out of Islam... and they don't know. In fact, Shaitan has them convinced they are on the right and they try to get others to follow them... as per the Hadith that says there will be 'Muslims' inviting other Muslims to Hell in this time.

At this point you can pretty much insert every Hadith about the End Times, but you get the idea.

Stories of the Sahaba (Long)

Category: SOUND

"When I thrust my spear through him, he uttered, 'By Allah, I have triumphed' and to my amazement I saw his body lifted upwards towards the sky. I made enquiries later on as to what was the triumph that 'Amir bin Fuhairah (ra) meant when he uttered, 'By Allah, I have triumphed.' I was told that it was that of entering into Paradise. This made me embrace Islam."
-Jabbar bin Salmi

"Whosoever does not mind his mother lamenting him, his wife becoming a widow and his children being rendered orphans, he may come out of Mecca and face me."
-Hazrat Umar ibn Khattab (ra)

"O, people! What a beautiful place is Paradise. And how happy is its approach! How fine and how cool is its water. The Romans' doom is at hand, I must finish them all."
-Hazrat Ja'far bin Abi Talib (ra) at the Battle of Mutah

Hazrat Mus'ab bin 'Umair (ra) was a youth from a well-to-do family in Mecca when he heard the message of the Holy Prophet (saw) and accepted Islam. Prior to this, he was quite spoiled both materially and with affection from his parents, who bought him pretty much everything (so he's probably one of the Sahabas most relatable to for us). After he converted, his parents tied him down in the house to prevent him from meeting with the Muslims. He escaped and fled to Abyssinia (Ethiopia). When he returned, he emigrated to Medina on the orders of the Prophet(saw) where he taught and preached Islam and helped convert a sizable number of people there to Islam so by the time the Prophet(saw) made his Hijrah, a lot of the city was already Muslim. It was the first Tabligh being carried out. Once the Prophet (saw) was sitting and he walked by, wearing a single cloth sheet full of patches and nothing else. The Prophet (saw) with tears in his eyes, mentioned Mus'ab's life of luxury before Islam. He was charged with holding the flag of the Muslims at the Battle of Uhud. Despite the tide of battle turning against the Muslims, he held the flag and stood at his position like a rock. He was overcome by the enemy who cut off his hand that held the flag. He immediately grabbed the flag with his other arm. That too was cut off. So he grabbed it with the bloody stumps that remained of his limbs and held it to his bosom until he was felled by arrows. When they buried him, they didn't even have a cloth sheet big enough so they wrapped his feet in leaves.

Hazrat Ja'far bin Abi Talib (ra) met a similar end at the Battle of Mutah with the Romans, he held the flag inbetween his teeth until his torso was cut in two. They counted 90 wounds on his body, all from the front. He was the second of three in the chain of command appointed by the Prophet (saw). A Jew who had heard the Prophet(saw)'s orders remarked that all three men mentioned by name must die, as that was how the previous prophets used to prophesy. After he and his appointed successor died, the Muslims appointed Khalid bin Walid (ra) to be their leader who salvaged the battle by reshuffling the troops at the rear and ordering the cavalry to raise lots of dust at the flanks so as to make it appear that reinforcements were constantly arriving. The Romans, seeing this, disengaged rather than fight on. It was about 3,000 Muslims vs. 100,000 Romans backed up later by another 100,000 Romans under the command of Heraclius himself. Khalid bin Walid, who led the pagans at the Battle of Uhud (their only 'success' against the Muslims), began a remarkable series of victories with this and became one of the most successful commanders in history.

Although all the Sahaba, along with their engagement in Jihad and propagation of faith, were devoted to acquiring and further spreading of knowledge, yet there was a panel of Sahaba who were exclusively entrusted with Fatwa, even during the lifetime of the Prophet (saw). The panel comprised the following Sahaba:

Abu Bakr, 'Umar, Uthman, Ali, Abdur Rahman bin 'Auf, Ubayy bin Kaab, Abdullah bin Mas'ood, Ma'az bin Jabal, Ammar bin Yaasir, Huzaifah, Salman Farsi, Zaid bin Thabit, Abu Musa, Abu Darda (Radhiyallahoanhum)

To give Fatwa during the lifetime of the Prophet(saw) was a big privilege for these Sahaba, and speaks of their deep and dependable knowledge.

Prophet(saw): 'Allah has commanded me to recite the Qur'an to you.'
'Ubay bin Ka'ab(ra): 'O, Prophet of Allah! Did Allah mention me by name?'
Prophet(saw): 'Yes, He mentioned you by your name.'
'Ubay bin Ka'ab started crying with joy upon hearing that. He was also the one to correct the Prophet(saw) once during Salaat when he missed one verse.

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'O you dwellers of the graves! O you who live amongst ruins! O you who live in the wilderness and solitude! How fare you in the other world? How has it gone with you there? The news from our side is that all you did leave of the wealth and riches here, has long since been distributed; your children are orphans; your widows have long since remarried. Now let us hear about you! ... ... O Kumail! If they could speak, they would have informed us that the best provision for the Hereafter is Taqwa.'
-Hazrat Ali (ra)

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Hazrat 'Utbah bin Abi Farqad (ra) visited the Amir ul Mumineen, Hazrat Umar (ra) one day and he was invited in to share in his food. He started eating but the bread was so coarse, he couldn't even swallow it.

'Utbah: Why don't you use fine flour for your bread, Umar?
'Umar: Can every Muslim afford fine flour for his bread?

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"All things fear a person who fears Allah, while everything is a source of fear to him who fears somebody other than Allah."
~Prophet Muhammad (saw)

"The face that gets wet with the smallest drop of tear from the fear of Allah is safe from entrance into the fire of Hell."
~Prophet Muhammad (saw)

"When a Muslim shivers with the fear of Allah, his sins fall away from him like the falling leaves of a tree."
~Prophet Muhammad (saw)

Hazrat A'ishah (ra) once inquired of the Prophet (saw), 'Is there anybody among your followers who will go to Paradise without reckoning?' 'Yes,' he replied, 'the person who often cries over their sins.'

"One who can weep should do so, and one who cannot should make the appearance of a weeping person."
-Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra)

"Fear of Allah is the root of all wisdom."
~Prophet Muhammad (saw)

Hazrat Ibn 'Umar (ra) used to weep so much with the fear of Allah that he lost his eyesight. He said to somebody watching him:

"You wonder at my weeping. Even the sun weeps with the fear of Allah."

Hazrat Abdullah bin Rawahah (ra) (the last of the 3 appointed commanders to die at the Battle of Mutah) was once weeping. His wife also began to weep on seeing him in this condition. He inquired of her:

"Why are you weeping?"

She replied: "Whatever makes you weep makes me weep too."

He said: "The idea that I have to cross the bridge of Siraat across Hell makes me weep. I don't know whether I shall be able to cross over or fall into Hell."

When he took command at the Battle of Mutah, he was hesitant to charge into battle and then scolded himself that perhaps he loved his wife too much. So he declared his divorce, freed his slaves, ordered his gardens to be given as Sadaqa, and charged ahead, whereupon he was martyred.

Zurarah bin Aufa was leading the Salaat in a Masjid when he recited the verse: 'For when the Trumpet shall sound; Surely that day will be a day of anguish!' (LXXIV:8&9)

He fell down and expired. People carried his body to his house.

Khulaid was saying his Salaat. During his Qirat, when he reached the verse: 'Every soul shall taste of death' (III:185), he began to repeat it over and over. He heard a voice from the corner of the room saying: 'How often are you going to repeat this verse? Your recitation has already caused the death of four Djinns.'

Umar (ra) would often hold a straw in his hand and say: 'I wish I were a straw like this.'

Sometimes he would say: 'I wish my mother had not given birth to me.'

Once Hazrat Umar (ra) was going on his usual round towards Harrah (a suburb of Medina) with his slave, Aslam, when he saw a distant fire in the desert. He said: 'There seems to be a camp. Perhaps it is a caravan that could not enter the town due to nightfall. Let's go and look after them and arrange for their protection during the night.'

When he reached there, he found a woman and some children. The children were crying. The woman had a pan of water over the fire. Hazrat Umar (ra) greeted her with salaam and, with her permission, went near her.

Umar: Why are these children crying?
Woman: Because they are hungry.
Umar: What is in the pan?
Woman: Only water to soothe the children, so that they may go to sleep in the belief that food is being prepared for them. Ah! Allah will judge between Umar and me, on the Day of Judgement, for neglecting me in my distress.
Umar: May Allah have mercy on you! How can Umar know of your distress?
Woman: When he is our Amir, he must keep himself informed about us.

Hazrat Umar (ra) returned to the town and straightaway went to the Baitul-Mal to fill a sack with flour, dates, fat and clothes, and also drew some money. When the sack was ready, he said to Aslam: 'Now put this sack on my back, Aslam.'

Aslam: No please, aamirulmo'mineen! I shall carry this sack.

'Umar refused to listen to Aslam, even on his persistant requests to allow him to carry the sack, and remarked: 'What! Will you carry my load on the Day of Judgement? I must carry this bag, for it is I who would be questioned (in the Hereafter) about this woman.'

Aslam most reluctantly placed the bag on Umar's (ra) back, who carried it with a swift pace right to the woman's tent. He put a little flour and some dates and fat in the pan and began to stir. He blew into the fire to kindle it.

Aslam says: I saw the smoke passing through his thick beard.

After some time, the pottage was ready. He himself served it to the family. When they had eaten to their fill, he made over to them the little that was left for their next meal. The children were very happy after their meal and began to play about merrily. The woman felt very grateful and remarked: 'May Allah reward you for your kindness! In fact you deserve to take the place of the Caliph instead of Umar.'

'Umar consoled her and said: 'When you come to see the Caliph, you will find me there.'

He sat for a while at a place close by and kept on watching the children. He then returned to Medina. He told Aslam he sat there because 'I had seen them [the children] weeping in distress; I liked to see them laughing and happy for some time.'

It is said that Hazrat Umar (ra) while leading Fajr Salaat used to recite 'Kahf', 'Taha' and other such Surahs in his Salaat, and would weep so much that his crying could be heard back several rows. Once he was reciting Surah 'Yusuf' in Fajr. When he came to the verse 'I only plead for my distress and anguish unto Allah,' (XII:86), he wept so much that he could not recite any further. In Tahajjud, he would sometimes fall to the ground and would get indisposed with excessive weeping.

Such was the fear of Allah in Hazrat Umar ibn Khattab (ra) whose name struck terror in the hearts of the mightest monarchs of the time.

"May I tell you about people whom Allah holds in high esteem? These are those whom His fear has driven to absolute silence, even though they are neither helpless nor dumb. Rather they are possessors of eloquence and have power to speak and sense to understand. But constant glorification of Allah's name has so overpowered their wits that their hearts are overawed and their lips sealed. When they get established in this state, they hasten towards righteousness. Wither have you people deviated from this course?"
-Abdullah bin Abbas (ra)

"I recite Istighfar 12000 times daily."
-Hazrat Abu Hurairah (ra)

"I have heard the Prophet(saw) saying, 'Allah eases the way to Paradise for one who traverses some distance to seek knowledge. The angels spread their wings under his feet, and all things in heaven and earth (even the fish in the water) pray for his forgiveness. The superiority of a person possessing knowledge over a person doing worship is as the superiority of the moon over the stars. The Ulama are the inheritors of the Prophet(saw). The legacy of the Prophets (as) is neither gold nor silver. Their legacy is knowledge. A person who acquires knowledge acquires a great wealth."
-Hazrat Abu Darda (ra)

"I love death, so that I may meet Allah. I love destitution, so that I may be meek. I love sickness, so that I may be pardoned my sins."
-Hazrat Abu Darda (ra)

"I am a slave to the person who has taught me even a single word. He may sell me or set me free."
-Hazrat Ali (ra)

(everytime I quote the Prophet(saw), I am relating something that he has been reported to have said, or something like that. Perhaps less or more. I am not attributing it to him directly myself)

btw, keep in mind that you are reading Hadith and all this stuff while sitting at home on the computer. People had to travel across Arabia and the Middle East for even less important things.

i've got a few more awesome ones i'll post later. most are from: 'Faza Il-e-Aamal' by Shaikhul Hadith Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya Khandhalvi.

Finding the Right Path in the End Times

Category: SOUND

I'll paraphrase from another section:

Abu Hurayrah (ra) said: There are three signs of this period: The first is that people will violate the rights of relatives and sever ties of relationship. The second sign is that they would obey those who mislead. The third sign is that those who guide and lead will be disobeyed. When these three signs are found at anytime, it will mean that the foolish and stupid and young people run the government.

The Prophet(saw) said in a Hadith: "As you are, so shall rulers be imposed over you." and another version is: "Your deeds will mould your rulers."

He also showed us what to do when this happens. Fix the problem at the root, pray: "O Allah! These evil men rule us because of our evil deeds. O Allah! Be merciful to us and forgive us our misdeeds and reform us. Appoint pious and righteous people over us."

What's the point in complaining or hating?

Political Situation in Pakistan

Mufti Taqi Usmani said about Pakistan over 10 years ago:

The political conduct in our country is such that when a politician is in favour, he is praised to dizzying heights, and is presented as if he is free from blemish. Anyone who criticizes him is not tolerated. But, when he falls in the bad books of the people then he seems bereft of all good qualities. In either case, limits are exceeded. The Prophet(saw) has disallowed us to behave in this way. Religion is not only prayer and fasting, but it also calls upon us to show moderate conduct both in friendship and in dislike. Men of God understand this thing. We must keep at a safe distance from those in authority.

The principle of which he was talking about was the Hadith: "Make friends after deliberation, that is, exercise restraint, because your friend might become your foe tomorrow. And, if you bear enmity with anyone, be cautious in showing your displeasure, because your enemy might turn into your friend tomorrow."

Save Yourself From Being Accused of Sin

Category: SOUND

Refers to a lengthy Hadith where Prophet Muhammad(saw) was observing I'tikaf in the Masjid when his wife, Hazrat Safiyah(ra) came to visit. When she was leaving, he escorted her out. On the way, two men were walking in. He had them wait while she left so she would not be seen unveiled. Afterwards he told them who she was and said: "I have identified her to you lest the devil make mischief and put a wrong idea in your hearts."

Now who on Earth, especially from the Sahaba, would suspect the Prophet(saw) of anything wrong... not only that but in Ramadan, the last 10 days, in I'tikaf, and in the Masjid Nabi! This was done to set an example that one should do everything possible to prevent themselves from being slandered.

There are two principles here. The one everyone knows is that it prevents a potential slanderer from slandering and thus saves them from sin. 'So what' you might say, it was the Prophet(saw)'s job to worry about other people, not ours. Blatantly incorrect. It is your duty to avoid letting other Muslims sin. Plus the other principle at play here is that you have rights over yourself. You have a right to not let yourself be thought of negatively or let people imagine wrong things about you. Protect yourself from others' intentions, if you do not take care, how can you expect Allah to act on your behalf out of His care if the situation repeats itself, albeit at more cost to you the next time?

Some of the longest Hadith are of this topic because it requires a narration of the entire situation to understand. It is important.

How does one suppose that those entire Islamic societies were built? How do you find that kind of a quantity of good people? By helping each other become that way. Saving someone from sinning by robbing them of that opportunity might keep their souls on the right path just enough to avoid another major sin and so on and so forth.

This is important because Western society has the exact opposite principle. Rather, it fosters off this kind of suspicion amongst its citizens because it markets so many things to that suspicion and profits. A basic example: A man comes home and his wife smells perfume on him and demands to know where he's been. "You don't trust me?!" he indignantly responds. Bullshit. That's the way things work here, people demand others to be in love with them to such a degree that they abandon logic and their minds. That's one party loving their Self entirely too much, they want to be loved but not love or engage in mutual love. This also illustrates how trust comes not just from love but is also built logically on piety or taqwa. Living a life of good character and morals actually translates into seemingly non-related things like loving or being able to be loved (and thus the issue of trust) having formed a more solid foundation.

And that's between the closest relations. There's no concept of avoiding slander otherwise and when Islamic and Western identities collide, like in the South Asian community in North America and Europe, people will struggle adapting the Western mode of thought to a foreign sub-culture or environment.

Love

Category: SOUND

'Love' is to provide comfort to the 'Beloved'

...These customs have not only ruined our society today but they have also distanced us from the fine points of religion. Maulana Thanawi (ra) has said something very apt and proper. If we get it into our hearts, Allah will cause all our difficulties to be solved. He said, "Love is the name of providing relief to the beloved." One does see that he whom one loves gets all the comforts. It is not love to impose oneself over the beloved and satisfy one's own wishes. If the lover is senseless and foolish then his love will cause hardship to his beloved. However, the respected Maulana proposes that it is senseless to suppose that love can cause hardship and "if you love someone then do not make things difficult for your beloved but make them easy and give relief. You will have to forgo your desires and you must give relief."

Whatever is being said is an explanation of the saying of the Holy Prophet(saw): 'Deal with people according to their disposition.'...

-Mufti Taqi Usmani

Sins and their Effects

Category: SOUND

Women's behaviour is significant

In this regard, women play a significant role. If they decide to mold their lives according to the Commands of Allah and His Messenger(saw) then the atmosphere in the house becomes very ideal because a woman is the main character in a house. If she is obedient to Allah and His Messenger(saw), the entire household stands reformed, but if she pays no attention to it and is sinful, then the atmosphere in the house becomes very bad.

Sin

What is sin? And, what are the consequences and repercussions of sin? We must understand these things first. Sin is a disobedience. Suppose an elder tells someone to do something but he refuses to do it, or if he forbids him from doing something but he insists on doing it then he is being disobedient to the elder. If anyone is disobedient to Allah and His Messenger(saw) then he is committing a sin. The results of being disobedient to Allah are grave to an unimaginable extent.

Damages of sin - First, Selfishness

The first damage caused by sin is that the sinner is selfish, ungrateful and a usurper of the rights of his Benefactor. His Benefactor who has created man who is always drowned in His blessings. Allah's favours cover him from head to foot. But we cannot obey Him even in the little He asks of us and are thus involed in the first defect of sin: selfishness, ungratefulness, and usurption of the rights of our Benefactor.

Second damage, rusting of their hearts

The second damage caused by sin is described by the Prophet(saw) in a Hadith. He said, If a man commits sin for the first time a dark spot shows itself on his heart. What this spot is, Allah alone knows! When that man sins again, a second spot appears on his heart and if he sins the third time, a third spot comes up on his heart. However, if they repent, meanwhile, then the spots are effaced but if they do not express repentance and persist in sins then the spots keep multiplying and cover up their heart as marks of rust and their heart becomes corroded. When a man's heart is corroded, it no longer can listen to the Truth and it becomes inattentive and indifferent so that it will not recognize sin and they do not sense the repercussions of sin. It is as though they are bereft of intelligence.

Third damage, darkness

The point is that we have become accustomed to the environment of sin so we do not notice the darkness and abhorrence. There is so much darkness from sin and excessive abhorrence to it that a man blessed by Allah with perfect faith cannot tolerate it.

We do not become upset of the darkness and do not feel abhorrence for it because we have become accustomed to sin. Our behaviour may be compared to a bad-smelling house offensive to the mind. If any outsider enters it, he will find it difficult to stay even a while in the house, but anyone already staying in it will not sense the difference because he is accustomed to the smell. He will not understand why anyone should rebuke him for staying in the offensive atmosphere. The other man whom Allah has protected from the bad-smelling house and kept in a fragrant atmosphere will be repulsed from a distance when he gets the bad smell. In the same way, Believers whose hearts are devoted to Allah and are clean like a shining mirror are repulsed from the darkness and abhorrence of sin. This then, is the third defect of sin; darkness and abhorrence.

What a great litmus test idea, innit? Wanna know if something's bad? Abstain for a while, and when you see it again, if you feel a natural disgust or abbhorrence towards it, as you would a bad smell, then you know.

Smell is also an important sense, philosophically, as Prophet(saw) said in a hadith that one of his favorite things in this world was pleasant scents. I wrote about that before already.

Fourth damage is to intelligence

The fourth damage from persistent sin is that the sinner suffers loss of intelligence. Their intelligence quotient drops and their thinking and comprehending powers toe an evil path. They regard good as evil and vice-versa. They will not receive sound advice even if given politely. They are the one of whom Allah has said: "He whom Allah leaves astray cannot find guidance." Allah does not let anyone go astray unless he insists on sinning and disobedience so that he cannot understand Truth.

There's too much to type next but he refers to the incident of Iblis and how he became pretty much an idiot and incapable of (what to us is) sound logic. He believed himself superior to Adam and refused to bow, but Allah defines superior or inferior so if Allah says bow to man, man is superior. Iblis is not the definer of these things. Thus, his position makes no sense. But he cannot and will not understand.

He also references how people routinely sin and make up intellectual and reasoned excuses. It's the same thing. If you wouldn't tolerate your servant, of an equal human mind, being disobedient how do you expect Allah to tolerate our disobedience as His own Creation? People start doing this and asking a lot of stupid questions when sinning has affected their intelligence (not just spiritual, even mental... they just cannot understand).

He references an incident with the King, Mahmud Ghaznavi. He had a favorite slave who he preferred even over his advisers. To show them why, he brought out a great diamond, had them all comment on how great it was... then asked them to break it. The advisers, using their 'intelligence', refused. His slave smashed it immediately. The diamond be broken rather than the command of his beloved King.

Enlightenment follows (always follows) giving up of sins. After abstaining for some time, you WILL start to see things differently, even if you didn't understand when you started to give them up.

Fifth damage, It stops raining

...A hadith tells us that when Muslims deny Zakah, Allah stops rainfall over them...

Sixth damage, illness

...when men involve themselve in immorality, vulgarity, and lewdness, Allah inflicts them with illnesses which were unknown to their forefathers...

Seventh damage, Killing

...A hadith tells us that towards the final times a period will come when 'Killings will be rampant'. Man will be killed and neither he nor his heirs will find out why he was killed or who killed him. The murderer will not know why he kills and the murdered will not know why he was killed...

Abstaining from sin is better than optional worship while sinning.

The heads of families are shephards and share a major part of the responsibility for not reforming those in their flock. No matter how great they are otherwise. Just because you lived your life as you chose and wound up okay (in your opinion) doesn't mean your kids will. They're different people.

Hereafter

It says in the Hadith that Hell is surrounded by desires. Beautiful and attractive things. Paradise is surrounded by disliked things. But once you actually go to them, the true natures come out. The fence of thorns around Paradise turns into flowers, the things surrounding Hell become Fire.

Islamic Obligation in How to Treat Others

Category: SOUND

All are from Mufti Taqi Usmani's oral lectures in Urdu.

The religion is based on these five parts:

1. Belief - Belief must be along the proper lines
2. Worship - Prayer, fasting, pilgrimage and zakah must be observed diligently
3. Dealings - Buying and selling transactions must respect the Commands of Allah. Improper and unlawful means must be shunned.
4. Mutual Living - One must observe the Commands of Allah in day to day living and mutual, social affairs.
5. Character - One's personal character and morals, feelings and thinking must be correct.

Today, we are Muslims in our behaviour only as long as we are in the Mosque but when we step into the practical field, we hasten to cheat other people, we betray trusts and cause inconvenience to other people and hurt them. This is not entering into Islam because while one-fourth of it is made up of worship, as much as three-fourths of Islam concerns rights of other people.

It is un-Islamic to hurt anyone

The Holy Prophet(saw) has said about a Muslim that he is one from whose hand and tongue other Muslims are safe. It is a grave sin to hurt other Muslims and it is forbidden. It is as grave a sin as consuming wine, being immodest or eating pork. Every kind of hurting another or causing him inconvenience is a grave sin. It is the duty of a Muslim that they should not hurt anyone. For instance, if anyone parks their car in a way that blocks people's passage and they think of it as no more than a traffice offence, then they are really offending religion and committing a sin...

The sin still counts even if the Muslims offending each other are hardly religious or already engaged in other sin. Sins don't cancel each other out, they add up, even simultaneously.

This principle is applied through the other principle of people's rights over you (as to what constitutes an offense). I mention this because men and women freely interact when that's not a part of their rights over one another. If a strange woman pisses you off, tough luck, you have no rights over her. If a wife fights with her husband, that's a different story as he does have rights over her. It also depends on the situation. Though a man has no rights over the woman, if she goes out of her way to hurt the man (anything beyond what Islam says is allowed or required interaction would be considered going out of her way) then she will incur the sin for that (on top of the sin for the interaction). Men have no leeway, even a strange woman has some rights over you because of the position of men in society and whatnot. While everything involving women gets iffy when it's a situation of self-defense or revenge or something, men do not have that right even in principle over women. Men have to respect women while a woman's priority is to safeguard her modesty so she can do pretty much anything within that context. Just a warning to the guys, do not offend women, do not be mean to them, or any of that. As I'll paste in a second, you are held liable for breaking another Muslim's heart and a woman's might not break according to your own logic.

We are not fully entered into Islam

This is enough to tell us how grave the matter of rights of fellow men are. But, we do not even consider it to be a part of religion. The noble Qur'an calls upon believers to enter Islam completely - with all of our existence, our living, our worship, our dealings, our social life, our manners, every part of us must enter into Islam. Only then will we be true Muslims and it was only this thing that spread Islam. Islam did not spread by propagation but through the example and character of men. Whereever they went, Muslims were distinguished by their example and character and this attracted men to Islam. However, today other people observe our living and character and are repulsed by Islam.

Ironic twist here is that if you fix their perception of Islam, they will instead be repulsed by Muslims.

Sincere friends are missing

...we do not find such a friend in this world whose friendship follows the friendship of Allah. We cannot find anyone whom we can call a true friend whose friendship is subservient to Allah's and who proves true in trying times. It is difficult to find such a one. When my elder brothers spoke about their friends in the presence of our respected father, he would remark that they had made many friends in his life while he, at the age of sixty, could not make any friends. All his life, he had only a friend and a half. One could not find anyone easily who would measure correctly to the standards of friendship.

True friendship is technically impossible in this world except with Allah, what we can have is companionship. A matter of semantics, but then again... linguistics and language are serious business.

Intentions

Suppose if anyone intends to go to Lahore but boards a train that is bound for Quetta, will their intention take them to Lahore?

The Devil is clever

The Devil of a scholar is a scholar. Shaitan misguides Ulema in a scholarly way. This applies to all other fields as well, if you're a whatever, Shaitan will be in your head as an equal or superior whatever with the aid of your Nafs using every trick you know to decieve you.