Letters to the Editor

Most earnings come from work performed by the hands. But when the Prophet spoke of “work done by the hand,” he meant such works as smithy, carpentry, farm work, and so on, as against, for instance, trading. Yours is sort of a brain work.

How we wish we knew what you are talking about.

We have pointed out in the previous issue that in the modern context, any discussion on Jihad is no more than an academic exercise. The great majority of the Ummah has abolished or annulled many Islamic commandments in this modern times. Jihad is one of them. All references to it have been removed from school syllabuses of many Muslim countries. Even when one of the Islamic countries is invaded, any Jihad is crushed not so much by the invader as by the authorities it plants, in connivance with the rest of the Islamic countries. Thus, after the “apex” of Islam was abolished, it became easier for the un-Islamic forces to move forward. In the next move, zakah has been abolished in many Islamic countries – not officially, but to all intents and purposes, on the pretext that the funds go to terrorists.

In this context, it is pointless to discuss Jihad. You may refer to the Qur’anic verses that define and declare the conditions for any armed struggle to become Jihad, for, not every armed struggle qualifies itself as Jihad.

Pl. see the reply on pages 10-11 of the Feb. 08 issue of this magazine.

The categorization of Jihad into Jihad-e-Asghar and Jihad-e-Akbar, was the first step that has led to the ultimate abolition of Jiahd in our times. A hadith documented by Bayhaqi reports the Prophet as having said, “We are returning from Jihad Asghar (minor Jihad) to Jihad Akbar (major Jihad).” The message that this hadith contains is that it is minor Jihad to fight in Allah’s cause, but major jihad to fight against one’s own carnal desires, or, simply stay in town and struggle against the Devil and the society to remain a true Muslim. In other words, engagement in zuhd-activities (salah, zikr, etc.) is preferable to dying in the battle-field for Islam. However, the collector himself (Bayhaqi) remarked that this is a weak report. Other Hadith experts have said that it is not weak but unknown as a hadith. None of the dozen or so major collectors recorded this hadith.

But the fabricated hadith suites many a pigeon.

On the contrary, the Prophet has said something else. A Sahih hadith of Tirmidhi reports that the Prophet was asked, “Messenger of Allah, what is equal to Jihad?” He answered, “You do not have the ability for it.” They asked him two or three times, every time he told them that “you do not have the ability.” At the third time he said, “The example of a Mujahid in the way of Allah is like someone in Prayers and fasts, who continues to Pray and fast until the Mujahid returns from Allah’s path.”

If one can look straight into his eyes in the mirror and promise himself that he will be honest, he cannot but ask himself, “How can zuhd-activities be ever superior to Jiahd in the way of Allah, when all that a man does to reform himself, by way of giving up good food, night’s sleep, or, on the positive front: Pray, fast, and perform zikr, are not only possible for a mujahid, but, much of which he is forced to do anyway?” That is, if someone practicing his Jihad Akbar is avoiding good food, praying and fasting much within the town, then someone in Jihad Asghar does these things all the time because of the circumstances in the battle-field. In addition, he allows his blood flow on his shoulders and breast, in comparison to the passive exertions of a zuhd-activist, whose exercises are no more than a piece of cake in comparison to the efforts of a mujahid, nor are the efforts to lead an Islamic life within the peaceful conditions of a town comparable to the option between life and death that a mujahid faces.

Yes, it is allowed for travelers to do jam` and qasr of Zuhr and `Asr Prayers, or Maghrib and `Isha Prayers.

The Hanafiyyah explain that the two Prayers may be offered at the borderline of the allowed times between the two. Let us say one is intending Zuhr and `Asr together. He must offer the `Zuhr Prayer at the time when Zuhr-time is coming to an end and then immediately offer `Asr Prayer, as the `Asr time just starts. This is the preferable way. But if it doesn’t suit certain conditions of travel, then one might do what suits taqwa-requirement best.

While millions in Palestine face starvation, invaders in Iraq and Afghanistan keep relentlessly bombing civilians for resisting their occupation, and while the Arab and Ajam look the other way, to be discussing the length of beard borders crime.

The Prophet recommended lengthening of the beards to oppose the pagans. But he did not issue a threat for not doing as he suggested. Those pagans are not there anymore. What is the permanent rule? There is no agreement and can never be arrived at because there is no hadith which says that if the beard is not this much long, a Muslim will enter Hellfire.

The middle path is always the best path. Ibn `Umar is reported to have held his beard in his hand-grip and got the rest clipped.

If someone clipped it to invisibility, he may not be criticized. If some others took it to the navel, they may not be criticized.

After a mark of identification, one’s appearance is important in reference to the beard and the clothes one puts on. One should not look like a yogi – for the length of the beard, nor should he acquire a scary figure with whom a non-Muslim would not like to appear together. But, one need not be unduly moved by their criticism either. If they do not approve of any beard, long or short, then, they may know that we follow neither beardless Pope for whom Jesus Christ is no model, nor Jews who care for the most minor details of the Law of Torah, but can cold-bloodedly murder thousands in Palestine. We present ourselves as no fanatics, but, as examples of good behavior and care of the weak. That is our true identity, not the length of the beard.

No, it is the wrong sector to work for.

You could enter into share market business. But it is pretty risky. At one point you lose all and end up bankrupt. Accountancy is far better.

Your son playing music around is definitely not acceptable. Nor it is a passing fad. If it was mere listening, it could be treated as a passing fad. But a player rarely comes out of it. Playing music leads to dance and drugs. Let alone Islamically, otherwise too this is a field filled with risks of various sort, affecting not only the health of the soul, but that of the body and mind.

What’s the way out? You will have to place social pressure on him. Get together his close kin to the agreement that so long as he plays music, he need not enter any of their homes, at any time, including at functions. This boycott will have good effect, although it will be some time before he feels the pinch.

Next, collect together a few men and women and visit the joint in which he plays music. Tell them that they do not depend on him for the success of their business. But the success of the family depends on him. Therefore, he may not please be hired. If he changes to other joints, follow him up there.

May Allah grant you success. The short ahadith published by us are meant for the purposes of memorization. Your effort at getting them memorized is dissemination of knowledge. You have glad tiding from the Prophet in your favor. It says, “May Allah keep shiny and bright the face of a person who received a statement from us and then passed it on to others exactly as he heard.”

Mufti Shafi` Deobandi (may Allah rest him in peace) had issued the ruling in this connection that since the Provident Fund scheme is run by the Government, which feels its obligation to look after its employees after they retire and get old, it is legal to contribute to the Fund, and receive whatever the government returns, even if it is more than one’s contribution because the government utilizes the funds and creates income from them. Whatever bonus is added to it is also legal. It becomes unlawful only if interest is paid on the amount.

It is an interesting question. Why did it occur to you that the Arabs do not understand the Qur’an? Do you imply that, could those who understood the Qur’an be in the state they are? Or, did you mean that just as Shakespeare is no more understood by the British, do the Arabs also fail to understand the Qur’an because it is in archaic language? The latter is probably the likelier question. And the answer is, yes, most Arabs understand most of what they hear of the Qur’an – including even the illiterate Arabs. This is because the Qur’an has such influence on the Arabic language, that it has rendered it incapable of development on such lines as where Qur’anic vocabulary and literary style will become unfamiliar. In other words, Qur’anic diction, phraseology, sentence structure and grammar influence the Arabic language so much, that such changes as will make the modern language a different dialect is implausible.

The classical Persian is no more understood in Iran, the classical Greek is no more understood in Greece, the classical Hebrew is no more understood in Israel, although these languages are their respective national languages, but the classical Arabic is not only understood today, but the best writing is still in the classical Arabic. Why? It is because of the Qur’an.

Since Allah (swt) has promised that He will preserve the Qur’an, the plain implication is that the Arabic of the Qur’an will also be preserved.

As for rewards, there are two kinds of rewards in reciting or listening to the Qur’an. One: the basic reward for lending the ear, giving the time, entering into a phase of worship that prevents harm to others, staying away from sins, and so on. This reward is everyone’s share who enters into one of the devotional acts, e.g., doing taraweeh Prayers. Two: the reward of understanding what one is listening to. If someone knows the language of the Qur’an, then the understanding of what is being recited, goes deep down into the mind and soul, stays there for short or long time, and has its influence on the behavior of a person. This indeed is the higher and truer level in addition to the basic, level-1 reward. To give an example, a man who is in the taraweeh Prayers for say an hour, cannot be lying during that particular hour. But, having not understood what of the Qur’an he is listening, he may speak out his first lie at the doorsteps of the mosque as he converses while leaving. On the other hand, an Arabic knowing person listens to the Qur’an in taraweeh Prayers, maybe for a much shorter while, but he hears how Allah disapproves of liars. He finds a strong voice within which prevents him from speaking out untruth. Maybe once in a while he loses control and speaks out a lie, but quite a few times the message planted in his heart by the Qur’an prevents him from lying. Thus, knowing the Arabic language helps a listener of the Qur’an in taraweeh Prayers, to achive a higher reward. Not only he is not lying during the Prayers, but also after the Prayers.

The Hanafiyy position is that smoking is “makruh” (undesirable). Therefore, working in a cigarette factory should be lawful.

Rights of the kin and especially the mother are so well known that we doubt your brother is unaware of them. There could be several reasons for his present behavior:

(i) Maybe he is a spoilt child who thinks that the family exists for him or that the family is nothing without him. Extra care of children, especially doting by mothers, leads some children to this kind of behavior towards those who have gone out of their way to please them, throughout their life. This will need counseling and can be brought to normalcy.

(ii) Maybe he is not able to control himself because of the flux of hormones that are produced in undue quantities during teenage. If this is the case, it will go away by itself.

(iii) May be he has fallen into the company of rebellious class of young men, who rebel against everything. Change of company promises the cure, otherwise it may last a while, but not more than perhaps five years.

(iv) Perhaps he is a victim of a psychiatric disorder, such as, for example, bi-polarism. Only a psychiatrist can confirm this.

To find that out, and if you know a Muslim psychiatrist, or, if unavailable, a Muslim psychologist, then, invite him to your house for a cup of tea, during and after which, let him probe into the young man.

The above are all probabilities. For greater certainty we need to know a lot more about him as well as the family background. Maybe, there is exacerbation of the problem from others of the family. A face to face conversation is required to determine this.

A similar question had been asked earlier. You may please look into the answer given there.