4 spiritual enemies

Posted on November 28, 2010 by Shaykh Gibril Fouad Haddad

Question:

Assalaamu alaikum

Dear Shaykh,

I would like to ask you to please explain the difference between Shaytan, Nafs, Hubb ud Dunya (Love for this world) and Hawa (Desire). I thought that Shaytan is the one who makes people to have bad nafs, hubb ud dunya and hawa or are they each seperate?
Also, do we believe that nafs is by itself evil and how does this differ with Christians who talk about original sin that all men are born with sin. Why do human beings follow evil desires so easily because I think Allah created us with Fitra, natural desire to do good.is this not correct?

JazaakAllah for your help and guidance.

Answer:

`Alaykum as-Salam,

The hadith you implied does not stop there but continues: “Every human being is created upon fitra (primordial disposition = islam) but then their parents turn them into a Christian, a Jew or a polytheist….” (Sahih Muslim)

All four enemies (dunya, hawa, nafs, shaytan) have different meanings and contexts as mentioned in the Qur’an. These meanings show that they can be brought under the control of the one who strives to surrender to Allah Most High, so:

nafs – the nafs al-ammara becomes a nafs mutma’inna;

dunya – “dunya is cursed except dhikrullah and whatever is connected with it….” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi), and “What a wonderful mount dunya is, so ride it for truly it allows you to reach the next life!” (Ibn Abi al-Dunya in Islah al-Maal);

hawa – “None of you truly believes until his likes and dislikes (hawa) are in line with what I have brought” (Ibn Abi `Asim in al-Sunna, al-Nasawi and al-Nawawi both in their Forty Hadiths, all with a fair chain according to Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari);

shaytan – and the hadith in Sahih Muslim stating that the jinn-companion (qarin) of the Holy Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, became Muslim.

The above explanations have a simplicity and coherence which illustrate their true Divine origin unlike non-Muslim doctrines.

See also: Ghazzali on Jihad an-Nafs
and
Hakeem Tirmidhi on Jihad an-Nafs

Hajj Gibril

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Tahir ul Qadri

Posted on November 28, 2010 by Shaykh Gibril Fouad Haddad

Question:

Assalam u alayekum !
There is a person in pakistan, named as Tahir ul Qadri. People call him as Sheikh ul Islam. but he has been very controversial in the past. He has very strong knowledge of Quran, Hadith and other texts but he’s been chiefly controversial due to his dreams in which he claimed to have the vision of Prophet peace be upon Him and he said some things attributed to Prophet and his dream which a practising Muslim rejects at once.Do you have any info that what type of person he is?

Answer:

Alaykum as-Salam,

There is nothing wrong in seeing the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, in dream and then informing others. However, the rule is as Imam al-Nawawi (Allah have mercy on him) said in Sharh Sahih Muslim:

“There is agreement among scholars that nothing of what has been decided by the Law can be changed on the basis of what the sleeper saw… This does not contradict the saying of the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace): ‘Whoever sees me in vision or dream sees me truly’ (Sahih al-Bukhari). For the meaning of this hadith is that the dreamer’s vision is true and not from the fantasies of dreams nor the delusions of the devil. However, it is not permissible to establish a legal ruling on the basis of this dream, because the state of sleep is not a state of accuracy and verification for whatever the dreamer is seeing… This all pertains to a dream that contains a ruling that contravenes the judgment of those in authority. As for seeing the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) ordering him something which is recommended, or forbidding him something which is forbidden, or directing him to do something beneficial, there is no disagreement that it is desirable that he go ahead and act according to his dream. For here the ruling does not depend on the dream but on what has been decided from the principles at hand, and Allah knows best.”

Hajj Gibril

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knowing about others

Posted on November 28, 2010 by Eshaykh Staff

Question:

salaam

I have had this for many years now..were Im knowing things about others . Soon as I see a person I will know everything about them ..or any good or bad that happens. I will know. Recently I have noticed when Im on haqqani soul just by looking at names of people  I tend to find out everything about that person for some reason ..what link do I have with thease people some of wich are on the other side of the world…some how or another I get dragged to thease people I just end up communicating with them…no matter how hard I try not to… I always connect to Mowlana Sultan and ask them..im in this situation this person has the following problem… and what do I do.. I always get the following feeling straight after… I feel Mowlana want me to listen to these people.. speacialy the ladies who have many issues but find it difficult to share with others. Not just on hs alot of people I know tend to share alot with me.. why is this happning…jazakallah

Answer:

See the post “Waking Visions”

Staff

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Following only one school of fiqh

Posted on November 28, 2010 by Shaykh Gibril Fouad Haddad

Question:

If one follows a school of fiqh does he have to follow it in every matter;  if he does not, is he a person of bidah?

Answer:

No to both questions. For example, Shafi`is in Hajj routinely follow the other Schools in the matter of non-cancellation of wudu’ upon skin contact with the other sex. However, one may not follow two different Schools inside one and the same type of worship, for example, if in the latter case a Shafi`i does not renew his wudu’ and decides to follow the Hanafi ruling in the matter, then has a nosebleed, he cannot then decide to follow the Shafi`i ruling that his wudu’ is still valid. One way or the other his wudu’ is cancelled.

And Allah knows best.

Hajj Gibril

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Do some `Aqidah matters make one fasiq?

Posted on November 28, 2010 by Shaykh Gibril Fouad Haddad

Question:

Are there matters in Aqeedah that does not make one kafir but Fasiq?

Answer:

Plenty of matters, although they are more properly called bid`a which is worse than fisq. This is the case of the beliefs held by most of the seventy-two sects that are in the Fire. For example, not believing in the life of the grave; or not believing that our Prophet (saws) is alive in his grave and returning our Salam [e.g. Albani]; or believing that Allah Most High is actually on top of the seventh heaven, sitting on a Throne although this may be kufr (cf. Ibn Nujaym, al-Bahr al-Ra’iq 5:129-130); or, as held by the Shi`is that the Qur’an is created and that there is no such thing as the vision of Allah Most High in the Hereafter; or that for a Muslim to commit a grave sin is kufr; or that Allah is “like a king who is unable to contravene the law of his kingdom and needs a good reason to allow his minister to intercede for a thief” as in the chapter on Intercession in the book Taqwiyat al-Iman; or that Prophets are “only human beings like you and me” and that their `Isma – immunity to sin – is sometimes suspended, as held by al-Mawdudi.

Hajj Gibril

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`Aqidah and tasdiq

Posted on November 28, 2010 by Eshaykh Staff

Question:

Is there a difference between AQEEDAH AND TASDEEQ, believing  and trusting; meaning that belief is 100% but trusting is not?

Answer:

`Aqidah is the general term for belief, of which tasdiq is a part. But tasdiq is not just “trusting”: it means confirmation i.e. with the tongue. One definition of iman goes: “`aqd bil-qalb wa tasdiq bil-lisan wal-`amal bil-arkan” i.e. conviction in the heart; confirmation with the tongue; and deeds with the limbs. However, there is Consensus that the most essential part and the indispensable foundation of Islamic belief is conviction in the heart. Yet the latter is not sufficient to be considered a Muslim and confirmation must be added. Then confirmation becomes insufficient and deeds must join it. In this respect there is a difference between `aqd, tasdiq, and `amal, all of which form belief. Similarly in the hadith of Gibril a difference is made between iman and islam although in a different context one never goes without the other.

Hajj Gibril

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Is wiping over khuffs a tenet of faith?

Posted on November 28, 2010 by Shaykh Gibril Fouad Haddad

Question:

What is the ruling on a person that does not believe in wiping over the leather socks as a practice of the Prophet (s) and is it part of `Aqeedah – tenets of Faith?

Answer:

He is a person of innovation and one should not pray behind him due to his belief that wiping over the khuffs is not a Sunnah; however, there is no consensus that it is part of `aqidah to believe in its Sunnah character, hence Imam Abu Hanifa only said: “I FEAR disbelief (kufr) for one who denies it,” i.e. it may lead him to kufr without consisting in kufr by itself. And Allah knows best.

Hajj Gibril

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Calling a Muslim ‘kafir’

Posted on November 28, 2010 by Shaykh Gibril Fouad Haddad

Question:

What is the ruling on a Muslim that calls another Muslim kafir and publishes it?

Answer:

Ibn `Abidin in his Rasa’il (2:291 Sall al-Husam al-Hindi) said that a Muslim who unjustly calls another Muslim kafir commits kufr if he really considers him kafir but not if he only intends to insult him. In the latter case he only commits fisq. We seek refuge in Allah from the accusations of the ignorant and the fitan of our times.

Hajj Gibril

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Can an ahad hadith be used for `aqida?

Posted on November 28, 2010 by Shaykh Gibril Fouad Haddad

Question:

Does any scholar ever say that we can not take into aqeedah an ahad hadith?

Answer:

Most of the fuqaha‘ and Ahl al-Hadith say it from the time of the Salaf to ours with the exception of the likes of Ibn al-Qayyim and al-Albani. This does not mean that one is free to reject any and all lone-narrator reports as not binding! On the contrary, as we said, they are binding, but are not retained to define the `aqidah of every Muslim for to deny any aspect of the latter is kufr whereas as we said the denial of any ahad hadith is only fisq.

Hajj Gibril

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Does `aqidah change over time?

Posted on November 28, 2010 by Shaykh Gibril Fouad Haddad

Question:

Does OUR Aqeedah change from generation to generations because we have ahad hadith and mutawatir.

Answer:

No. Al-Hamdulillah, our `aqidah is that of the Prophet (s) and the Congregation of the Companions without change, preserved until the end of time as Allah Most High has promised and as the Prophet (s) guaranteed.

Hajj Gibril

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