Q) Is it permissible to eat food that is distributed on the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? Some people quote as evidence the idea that because Abu Lahb set free a slave woman on the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), Allaah reduced the torment for him on that day.
A) Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
There is no festival in Islamic sharee’ah that is called “The Prophet’s Birthday”. Neither the Sahaabah nor the Taabi’een nor the four imams nor anyone else recognized such a day as part of their religion. Rather this festival was introduced by some ignorant Baatini innovators, then the people began to follow this innovation but the imams have denounced it in every time and place.
We have discussed the objections to this innovation in detail on our site, in the answers to questions no. 10070, 13810 and 70317.
Secondly:
Based on this, everything that the people do specially for this day is regarded as haraam, innovated actions, because they intend thereby to keep alive a festival that has been introduced into our religion, such as holding parties, offering food and so on.
Shaykh al-Fawzaan said in al-Bayaan li Akhta’ ba’d al-Kuttaab (268-270):
The commands in the Qur'aan and Sunnah to follow that which has been prescribed by Allaah and His Messenger and the prohibition against introducing innovations into the religion are well known. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم to mankind): “If you (really) love Allaah, then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur’aan and the Sunnah), Allaah will love you and forgive you your sins”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:31]
“[Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) to these idolaters (pagan Arabs) of your folk:] Follow what has been sent down unto you from your Lord (the Qur’aan and Prophet Muhammad’s Sunnah), and follow not any Awliyaa’ (protectors and helpers who order you to associate partners in worship with Allaah), besides Him (Allaah). Little do you remember!”
[al-A’raaf 7:3]
“And verily, this is My straight path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His path”
[al-An’aam 6:153]
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected.” According to a version narrated by Muslim: “Whoever does any deed that is not part of this matter of ours will have it rejected.”
Among the innovations that people have introduced is celebration of the Prophet’s birthday (Mawlid) in the month of Rabee’ al-Awwal. There are various ways in which they celebrate this occasion:
Some of them simply gather to read the story of his birth, or they listen to speeches and qaseedahs (odes) on this occasion.
Some of them make food and sweets etc, and offer them to the people who attend.
Some of them hold these celebrations in the mosques and some hold them in their houses.
Some of them do not limit themselves to what we have mentioned, rather their gatherings include haraam and evil things such as men mixing freely with women, dancing and music, or acts of shirk such as seeking the help of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and calling upon him or seeking his support against their enemies, and so on.
Whatever kinds of celebrations they are and whatever form they take, they are undoubtedly bid’ah and haraam innovations that were introduced long after the time of the best generations.
The first one who introduced this innovation was Abu Sa’eed Kawkaboori, the king of Irbil, at the end of the sixth or beginning of the seventh century AH, as was mentioned by the historians such as Ibn Katheer, Ibn Khalqaan and others.
Abu Shaamah said: The first one who did that in Mosul was Shaykh ‘Umar ibn Muhammad al-Mulla, one of the well known righteous men, and the ruler of Irbil and others followed his example.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Katheer said in al-Bidaayah (13-137), in his biography of Abu Sa’eed al-Kawkaboori:
He did the Mawlid in Rabee’ al-Awwal and celebrated it with a great celebration. … Then he said:
Al-Sabt said: Some of those who attended the feast given by the king on some of the Mawlids said that this feast included five thousand roasted heads, ten thousand chickens, one hundred thousand bowls and thirty thousand plates of sweets. And the Sufis sang from Zuhr until Fajr, and he himself danced with them. End quote.
Ibn Khalqaan said in Wafiyaat al-A’yaan (3-274):
When the first of Safar came, they would adorn those domes with all kinds of fine adornments, and in every dome there was a group of singers and a group of puppeteers and musical players, and they did not leave any dome but they installed a group there. End quote.
But most of what these innovators do on this day is making food of various kinds and distributing it and inviting people to eat. If a Muslim joins in this action, eats their food and sits in their gatherings, then undoubtedly he is taking part in keeping the innovation alive, and is cooperating in it, and Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Help you one another in Al‑Birr and At‑Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allaah”
[al-Maa’idah 5:2]
Hence the fatwas of the scholars state that it is haraam to eat food that is distributed on this day and on other innovated festivals.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked the following question in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (9/74):
What is the ruling on meat that is slaughtered for the Mawlid?
He (may Allaah have mercy on him) replied:
If it is slaughtered (as a sacrifice) to the one whose birthday is being celebrated, then it is major shirk, but it is slaughtered just to be eaten, there is nothing wrong with that. But it should not be eaten, and the Muslim should not attend (the feast), so as to denounce them in word and in deed, unless he attends in order to denounce them without joining them in eating or anything else. End quote.
We have also quoted some fatwas concerning this previously. Please see the answers to questions no. 7051 and 9485.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
They choose a day on which to speak about the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in the mosque and they call it a Mawlid
Q) It is well known that celebrating the prophets birthday is an innovation, A lot of people have Mawlids, but not to celebrate the prophets birthday but to teach about the prophet his life and so on so forth. If the event is not taking place on the prophets birthday is it still considered haram? Is it just the use of the word mawlid that causes the event to be considered haram? for example if I were to teach about the prophets life etc... but not associate the word Mawlid to it would it still be considered haram? In the same event people would be fed etc... I ask this because a wedding dinner will be held in the upcoming weekend on Saturday and since there will be a gathering of people the hosts decided to teach about the prophet after the dinner in the masjid. They called it a mawlid but neither does it fall on the day the prophet was born nor used to celebrate the birth of the prophet but instead to teach about the prophet. They are doing this instead of having dancing etc... so that people would benefit more from learning about the life of the prophet. Please advise. Secondly, If I were to have a gathering at the mosque just to teach about the life of the prophet and provide food to those who attend would this be considered haram?
A) Praise be to Allaah.
It is not prescribed to celebrate the birthday of anyone, whether Prophets or anyone else, because that is not narrated in sharee’ah. Rather it is something that has been taken from non-Muslims, such as the Jews, Christians and others.
See the answer to question number 10070 and 13810.
What is meant by celebrating birthdays here is celebrating on the day on which a person was born, such as celebrating the 12th of Rabee’ al-Awwal which some people believe is the day on which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was born.
With regard to speaking about the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and teaching about him, mentioning his good qualities, virtues and Sunnahs, this is mustahabb and is prescribed at all times, and this is not called a Mawlid, just as celebrating a wedding is not called a Mawlid, but it is common in some Muslim countries to call every celebration that is done in an Islamically acceptable manner, with no dancing, music or mixing, a Mawlid, and they say: we will do a Mawlid on the wedding day or on the circumcision day, and a preacher comes to exhort the people, and a reader comes to read Qur'aan, and so on. There is no basis for giving it this name, and calling it by this name does not change the ruling concerning it. There is nothing wrong with people celebrating the wedding and having someone to address the people and exhort them and remind them of good, or speak about the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and mention his biography and good characteristics. This is prescribed in Islam, and does not come under the heading of celebrating the innovated Mawlid.
There is nothing wrong with holding activities or meetings in the mosque to teach people about the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), without singling out a particular day because of some belief in its virtue, such as the day of the Mawlid or the 15th of Sha’baan (al-nusf min Sha’baan) or the day of the Isra’ and Mi’raaj. Rather that should be done on any ordinary day. There is also nothing wrong with offering food to the people who attend, but it is important to publicise the ruling that this should not be called a Mawlid, and it does not come under the ruling on celebrating the Mawlid, so that no one will think that celebrating the Mawlid is prescribed in Islam.
We ask Allah to help you to act in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and to propagate it among people.
And Allah knows best.
Islam Q&A
A) Praise be to Allaah.
It is not prescribed to celebrate the birthday of anyone, whether Prophets or anyone else, because that is not narrated in sharee’ah. Rather it is something that has been taken from non-Muslims, such as the Jews, Christians and others.
See the answer to question number 10070 and 13810.
What is meant by celebrating birthdays here is celebrating on the day on which a person was born, such as celebrating the 12th of Rabee’ al-Awwal which some people believe is the day on which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was born.
With regard to speaking about the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and teaching about him, mentioning his good qualities, virtues and Sunnahs, this is mustahabb and is prescribed at all times, and this is not called a Mawlid, just as celebrating a wedding is not called a Mawlid, but it is common in some Muslim countries to call every celebration that is done in an Islamically acceptable manner, with no dancing, music or mixing, a Mawlid, and they say: we will do a Mawlid on the wedding day or on the circumcision day, and a preacher comes to exhort the people, and a reader comes to read Qur'aan, and so on. There is no basis for giving it this name, and calling it by this name does not change the ruling concerning it. There is nothing wrong with people celebrating the wedding and having someone to address the people and exhort them and remind them of good, or speak about the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and mention his biography and good characteristics. This is prescribed in Islam, and does not come under the heading of celebrating the innovated Mawlid.
There is nothing wrong with holding activities or meetings in the mosque to teach people about the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), without singling out a particular day because of some belief in its virtue, such as the day of the Mawlid or the 15th of Sha’baan (al-nusf min Sha’baan) or the day of the Isra’ and Mi’raaj. Rather that should be done on any ordinary day. There is also nothing wrong with offering food to the people who attend, but it is important to publicise the ruling that this should not be called a Mawlid, and it does not come under the ruling on celebrating the Mawlid, so that no one will think that celebrating the Mawlid is prescribed in Islam.
We ask Allah to help you to act in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and to propagate it among people.
And Allah knows best.
Islam Q&A
What is the meaning of the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): “I have been given the Qur’aan and something like it along
Q) What is the meaning of the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): “I have been given the Qur’aan and something like it along with it”?
A) Praise be to Allaah.
This hadeeth is one of the sound hadeeths that are proven to be from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). What is meant by the words “ and something like it along with it” is that Allah has given him another revelation, which is the Sunnah which explains the Qur’aan and clarifies its meanings, as Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad صلىالله عليه وسلم) the Dhikr [reminder and the advice (i.e. the Qur’aan)], that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them, and that they may give thought”
[al-Nahl 16:44]
So Allah revealed the Qur’aan to him and also the Sunnah, which is the hadeeth which are proven to be from him (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), which have to do with prayer, zakaah, fasting, Hajj and other religious and worldly matters. The Sunnah is a second revelation which Allah revealed to him to complete the message, and he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) expressed that in the hadeeths which he explained to the ummah in word and in deed and by means of his approval, such as his saying: “Deeds are but by intentions, and each man will have but that which he intended”; and “The prayer of one of you will not be accepted if he breaks wind until he does wudoo’”; and “No prayer is accepted without purification, and no charity is excepted from wealth acquired by treacherous means”; and “The five daily prayers, one Ramadan to another, and one Jumu’ah to another, are expiation for the sins that come in between them, so long as you do not commit major sins.” And there are many other saheeh hadeeths which speak of everything that a person needs to know and which have to do with explanation of the Book of Allah. This revelation is a revelation that Allah revealed to him, of which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) spoke and explained to the ummah. The meanings are revelation from Allah, and the words are from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), like the words quoted above: “Actions are but by intention...” and like his words: “The two parties to a transaction have the option (of cancelling it) so long as they have not yet parted...”
The second revelation which was given to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) also includes the sacred hadeeth (hadeeth qudsi) which the Messenger transmitted from his Lord, may He be glorified and exalted. They are revelation from Allah and are His words, but they do not come under the same ruling as the Qur’aan, such as what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, narrating it from his Lord: “O My slaves, I have forbidden injustice to Myself, and I have made it forbidden among you, so do not wrong one another. O My slaves, all of you are misguided except those whom I guide, so ask Me for guidance, I will guide you...” this is a lengthy hadeeth, which was narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh from Abu Dharr al-Ghifaari (may Allah be pleased with him). All of that is included in the words of Allah (interpretation of the meaning):
“By the star when it goes down (or vanishes).
2. Your companion (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) has neither gone astray nor has erred.
3. Nor does he speak of (his own) desire.
4. It is only a Revelation revealed”
[al-Najm 53:1-4]
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Baaz (25/58-61).
A) Praise be to Allaah.
This hadeeth is one of the sound hadeeths that are proven to be from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). What is meant by the words “ and something like it along with it” is that Allah has given him another revelation, which is the Sunnah which explains the Qur’aan and clarifies its meanings, as Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad صلىالله عليه وسلم) the Dhikr [reminder and the advice (i.e. the Qur’aan)], that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them, and that they may give thought”
[al-Nahl 16:44]
So Allah revealed the Qur’aan to him and also the Sunnah, which is the hadeeth which are proven to be from him (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), which have to do with prayer, zakaah, fasting, Hajj and other religious and worldly matters. The Sunnah is a second revelation which Allah revealed to him to complete the message, and he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) expressed that in the hadeeths which he explained to the ummah in word and in deed and by means of his approval, such as his saying: “Deeds are but by intentions, and each man will have but that which he intended”; and “The prayer of one of you will not be accepted if he breaks wind until he does wudoo’”; and “No prayer is accepted without purification, and no charity is excepted from wealth acquired by treacherous means”; and “The five daily prayers, one Ramadan to another, and one Jumu’ah to another, are expiation for the sins that come in between them, so long as you do not commit major sins.” And there are many other saheeh hadeeths which speak of everything that a person needs to know and which have to do with explanation of the Book of Allah. This revelation is a revelation that Allah revealed to him, of which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) spoke and explained to the ummah. The meanings are revelation from Allah, and the words are from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), like the words quoted above: “Actions are but by intention...” and like his words: “The two parties to a transaction have the option (of cancelling it) so long as they have not yet parted...”
The second revelation which was given to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) also includes the sacred hadeeth (hadeeth qudsi) which the Messenger transmitted from his Lord, may He be glorified and exalted. They are revelation from Allah and are His words, but they do not come under the same ruling as the Qur’aan, such as what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, narrating it from his Lord: “O My slaves, I have forbidden injustice to Myself, and I have made it forbidden among you, so do not wrong one another. O My slaves, all of you are misguided except those whom I guide, so ask Me for guidance, I will guide you...” this is a lengthy hadeeth, which was narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh from Abu Dharr al-Ghifaari (may Allah be pleased with him). All of that is included in the words of Allah (interpretation of the meaning):
“By the star when it goes down (or vanishes).
2. Your companion (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) has neither gone astray nor has erred.
3. Nor does he speak of (his own) desire.
4. It is only a Revelation revealed”
[al-Najm 53:1-4]
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Baaz (25/58-61).
Keeping pets
Q) Is it haram to keep Pet fish? And also I heard somewhere that the dog was created from the dirt taken from the area of the belly button where satan spat on Adam (AS)?
A) Praise be to Allaah.
There is nothing wrong with keeping animals for which there is no Islamic prohibition on keeping them (such as dogs and pigs). There are reports in the Sunnah which indicate that some of the Sahaabah kept permissible animals for farming purposes or for fun and for pleasure.
It was narrated from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that he had a young brother who had a nughar (a small bird or nightingale). The bird died, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw him looking sad and grieved, so he joked with him, and said to him words which implied approval of his keeping this bird. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him, “O Abu Umayr, what happened to the nughayr?”
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that a woman entered Hell because of a cat “which she did not feed, neither did she let it eat from the vermin of the earth.” From this it may be understood that if she had fed it, she would have been saved from that threat.
And it was said that Abu Hurayrah was so called because of a cat (hirr, dim. hurayrah) which used to accompany him.
So keeping permissible animals, so long as you do not neglect them, is something which is permitted and it may even be one of the means of earning reward, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “In every living being there is reward.” But if you keep animals and neglect and abuse them, it may be one of the means that lead to sin and the threat of Hell, as in the hadeeth about the woman who neglected her cat until it died.
We would also like to point out that Islam preceded both western and eastern organizations in proclaiming the rights of women, animals, workers, employers and so on. Indeed, the greatest rights which it proclaimed are the rights of Allaah over His creation and the rights of people over Allaah.
We would also point out that care and concern for human beings should take precedence over the care of animals, and that the reward for that is greater. [The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:] “Ward off the Fire even with half a date [i.e., by giving half a date in charity]” and “I and the one who sponsors an orphan will be like these two in Paradise” – and he gestured with his index finger and the one next to it. And there are other similar ahaadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
On this basis, there is nothing wrong with your keeping fish as you mentioned in your question, so long as you take care of feeding them and avoiding anything that could cause their death. And Allaah knows best.
With regard to the creation of dogs, Allaah created them as He created all other animals; it is not permissible to claim that dogs were created from any specific substance without having evidence for that. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“and we testify not except according to what we know”[Yoosuf 12:81]
With regard to Iblees, Allaah commanded him to prostrate to Adam and he refused and was arrogant, then what he did was to tempt Adam to eat from the tree from which he had been forbidden to eat. There was no kind of dirt, and Allaah knows best. I do not know anything of the argument which you mentioned.
One aspect of the Qur’aanic guidance is that it mentioned the knowledge which the Muslim needs in this world and in the Hereafter; with regard to knowledge for which there is no need, the Qur’aan does not mention it, so as to teach the Muslims to focus on beneficial knowledge and to ignore everything else. For example, the Qur’aanic text does not mention the colour of the dog which belonged to the People of the Cave, or the kind of wood from which the ship (ark) of Nooh was built, and other matters which are irrelevant and produce no beneficial knowledge or belief. Perhaps speaking of the substance from which dogs were created comes under the same heading. And Allaah knows best.
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
A) Praise be to Allaah.
There is nothing wrong with keeping animals for which there is no Islamic prohibition on keeping them (such as dogs and pigs). There are reports in the Sunnah which indicate that some of the Sahaabah kept permissible animals for farming purposes or for fun and for pleasure.
It was narrated from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that he had a young brother who had a nughar (a small bird or nightingale). The bird died, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw him looking sad and grieved, so he joked with him, and said to him words which implied approval of his keeping this bird. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him, “O Abu Umayr, what happened to the nughayr?”
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that a woman entered Hell because of a cat “which she did not feed, neither did she let it eat from the vermin of the earth.” From this it may be understood that if she had fed it, she would have been saved from that threat.
And it was said that Abu Hurayrah was so called because of a cat (hirr, dim. hurayrah) which used to accompany him.
So keeping permissible animals, so long as you do not neglect them, is something which is permitted and it may even be one of the means of earning reward, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “In every living being there is reward.” But if you keep animals and neglect and abuse them, it may be one of the means that lead to sin and the threat of Hell, as in the hadeeth about the woman who neglected her cat until it died.
We would also like to point out that Islam preceded both western and eastern organizations in proclaiming the rights of women, animals, workers, employers and so on. Indeed, the greatest rights which it proclaimed are the rights of Allaah over His creation and the rights of people over Allaah.
We would also point out that care and concern for human beings should take precedence over the care of animals, and that the reward for that is greater. [The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:] “Ward off the Fire even with half a date [i.e., by giving half a date in charity]” and “I and the one who sponsors an orphan will be like these two in Paradise” – and he gestured with his index finger and the one next to it. And there are other similar ahaadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
On this basis, there is nothing wrong with your keeping fish as you mentioned in your question, so long as you take care of feeding them and avoiding anything that could cause their death. And Allaah knows best.
With regard to the creation of dogs, Allaah created them as He created all other animals; it is not permissible to claim that dogs were created from any specific substance without having evidence for that. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“and we testify not except according to what we know”[Yoosuf 12:81]
With regard to Iblees, Allaah commanded him to prostrate to Adam and he refused and was arrogant, then what he did was to tempt Adam to eat from the tree from which he had been forbidden to eat. There was no kind of dirt, and Allaah knows best. I do not know anything of the argument which you mentioned.
One aspect of the Qur’aanic guidance is that it mentioned the knowledge which the Muslim needs in this world and in the Hereafter; with regard to knowledge for which there is no need, the Qur’aan does not mention it, so as to teach the Muslims to focus on beneficial knowledge and to ignore everything else. For example, the Qur’aanic text does not mention the colour of the dog which belonged to the People of the Cave, or the kind of wood from which the ship (ark) of Nooh was built, and other matters which are irrelevant and produce no beneficial knowledge or belief. Perhaps speaking of the substance from which dogs were created comes under the same heading. And Allaah knows best.
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
His family have cut him off because he got married without their approval
Q) I am a young man, thirty years old. I wanted to get married to a girl whom I love and she is religiously-committed and of good character, but my mother and sisters objected to me marrying her for several reasons (including the fact that they wanted me to marry someone from a higher-class and wealthier family). I tried to convince them but I did not succeed. They threatened to cut me off if I went ahead and married her, but I did not pay attention to their threat. I went ahead and married her, and my family have carried out their threat and cut me off completely. Praise be to Allaah, I am happy with my wife but I feel very sad about my family’s attitude and their letting me down treatment at the time when I needed them to stand by my side. I have tried to reconcile with them after my marriage and I have asked some good people to mediate, but without success. Now after nearly a year I feel that we are very far apart and that the rift between us is even deeper. Am I committing sin in my attitude, and does my mother have the right to use her right that I should honour her as a means to force me to do what she wants and and take away my right to decide my future and to choose my life partner? May Allaah reward you with good.
A) Praise be to Allaah.
Our advice to parents and siblings is not to prevent sons from getting married to whomever they want, if she is religiously-committed and of good character.
They should strive to make their sons happy; marrying a son to a woman he does not like puts him in a difficult situation: either he will divorce her or he will live with her even though he does not like her and his heart is attached to another. This is harmful for him and for her, and exposes the family to disintegration.
The parents do not have the right to force their son to marry someone whom he does not like, and it is not permissible for them to cut him off if he goes against them in that. It is haraam for a believer to forsake his fellow-believer unless there is a shar’i reason for doing so.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “It is not permissible for a Muslim to forsake his brother for more than three days.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6065. The sin is more serious if the forsaking for no reason involves a son, mother, brother or other relative, because in that case he is combining two sins: forsaking a Muslim and severing the ties of kinship.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The parents have no right to force their son to marry someone he does not want. If he refuses he is not being disobedient; it is like forcing him to eat something he does not want. al-Ikhtiyaaraat, p. 344
Based on this, what you did was not a sin, but you have to continue to honour your mother and uphold the ties of kinship with your sisters as much as you can. Try to reconcile with them. Go to your mother, kiss her head and hand, for she only wants you to be happy. Tell her that you are happy and ask her for her approval.
Do the same with your sisters.
If they continue to cut you off, then ask Allaah’s help and continue to honour them and uphold the ties of kinship with them. Remember the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “The upholder of kinship ties is not the one who is kind to them if they are kind to him, rather the upholder of kinship ties is the one who, if his relatives cut him off, he upholds the ties of kinship with them.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5991.
We ask Allaah to set your affairs straight and those of all the Muslims.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
A) Praise be to Allaah.
Our advice to parents and siblings is not to prevent sons from getting married to whomever they want, if she is religiously-committed and of good character.
They should strive to make their sons happy; marrying a son to a woman he does not like puts him in a difficult situation: either he will divorce her or he will live with her even though he does not like her and his heart is attached to another. This is harmful for him and for her, and exposes the family to disintegration.
The parents do not have the right to force their son to marry someone whom he does not like, and it is not permissible for them to cut him off if he goes against them in that. It is haraam for a believer to forsake his fellow-believer unless there is a shar’i reason for doing so.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “It is not permissible for a Muslim to forsake his brother for more than three days.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6065. The sin is more serious if the forsaking for no reason involves a son, mother, brother or other relative, because in that case he is combining two sins: forsaking a Muslim and severing the ties of kinship.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The parents have no right to force their son to marry someone he does not want. If he refuses he is not being disobedient; it is like forcing him to eat something he does not want. al-Ikhtiyaaraat, p. 344
Based on this, what you did was not a sin, but you have to continue to honour your mother and uphold the ties of kinship with your sisters as much as you can. Try to reconcile with them. Go to your mother, kiss her head and hand, for she only wants you to be happy. Tell her that you are happy and ask her for her approval.
Do the same with your sisters.
If they continue to cut you off, then ask Allaah’s help and continue to honour them and uphold the ties of kinship with them. Remember the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “The upholder of kinship ties is not the one who is kind to them if they are kind to him, rather the upholder of kinship ties is the one who, if his relatives cut him off, he upholds the ties of kinship with them.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5991.
We ask Allaah to set your affairs straight and those of all the Muslims.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Ruling on giving clothing or money to the family of the deceased instead of giving them food
Q) Is it valid to give money or clothing to the family of the deceased, and can that takes the place of food of which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) spoke when he said: “ Make food for the family of Ja’far”?
A) Praise be to Allaah.
Giving clothing or money to the family of the deceased does not take the place of making food for them, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said at the end of the hadeeth: “… for there has befallen them that which is distracting them.” This clearly shows that he only told people to make food for the family of the deceased because they have been distracted by their calamity from making food for themselves. But doing acts of kindness by giving clothing or money to those who need it among the family of the deceased is good in and of itself, and this encouraged by Islam in general terms when there is a need for that for the family of the deceased or anyone else. The one who does that to relieve distress or hardship has done good.
And Allaah is the source of strength and may Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and Companions.
End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Ifta’ (9/94).
A) Praise be to Allaah.
Giving clothing or money to the family of the deceased does not take the place of making food for them, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said at the end of the hadeeth: “… for there has befallen them that which is distracting them.” This clearly shows that he only told people to make food for the family of the deceased because they have been distracted by their calamity from making food for themselves. But doing acts of kindness by giving clothing or money to those who need it among the family of the deceased is good in and of itself, and this encouraged by Islam in general terms when there is a need for that for the family of the deceased or anyone else. The one who does that to relieve distress or hardship has done good.
And Allaah is the source of strength and may Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and Companions.
End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Ifta’ (9/94).
Giving charity on behalf of the deceased and whether the deceased will be aware of that
Q) If a person offers a sacrifice on behalf of his deceased father or gives charity on his behalf or prays for him, and visits his grave, will he be aware that it is from his son so-and-so?
A) Praise be to Allaah.
What is indicated by the Islamic texts is that the deceased benefits from charity given by the living on his behalf, and his prayers for him. Offering a sacrifice on his behalf is a kind of charity, so if the giver is sincere in giving charity on behalf of the deceased and in praying for him, then the deceased will benefit from that, and the one who prays for him or gives charity on his behalf will be rewarded, by the grace and mercy of Allaah. It is sufficient for him that Allaah knows of his sincerity and good deed, and He will reward both parties. But as for the deceased being aware of the identity of the one who is doing him this favour, there is no shar’i evidence concerning that as far as we know. It is a matter of the unseen, and cannot be known except through revelation from Allaah to His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him).
And Allaah is the source of strength. May Allaah sent blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and Companions. End quote
Standing Committee For Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 9/ 32
A) Praise be to Allaah.
What is indicated by the Islamic texts is that the deceased benefits from charity given by the living on his behalf, and his prayers for him. Offering a sacrifice on his behalf is a kind of charity, so if the giver is sincere in giving charity on behalf of the deceased and in praying for him, then the deceased will benefit from that, and the one who prays for him or gives charity on his behalf will be rewarded, by the grace and mercy of Allaah. It is sufficient for him that Allaah knows of his sincerity and good deed, and He will reward both parties. But as for the deceased being aware of the identity of the one who is doing him this favour, there is no shar’i evidence concerning that as far as we know. It is a matter of the unseen, and cannot be known except through revelation from Allaah to His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him).
And Allaah is the source of strength. May Allaah sent blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and Companions. End quote
Standing Committee For Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 9/ 32
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