Letters to the Editor

April, 2005 Letters 0 Comments

Fatwa Off-line

Saif Hadi (via email)

Your magazine mentions the Jamaa’ah at-tableegh , Jamaa’at-al-islaamee etc. as among the ahl al-sunnah wa al-jamaa’ah. But the following article from fatwa-online says otherwise.

YMD

The length of the article forced deletion of its major portion. Below however, we reproduce relevant parts.

I respect the Ulema of Deoband, and also the scholars of ‘Hay’atu kibaar al ulema-KSA’, as well as others … but this article seems to say that their ‘aqaaid might not be the same. Specifically, my reference is to the Tableegh.

YMD

Although we are not sure how authentic the report is, but it is said that once an Arab scholar was given a detailed account of the supposed Shirk and Bid`ah of the Tableeghi Jama`ah. His reply to the long complaint was in a single sentence. He said: “A tree is known by its fruits.”

Whether the incident is authentic or not, the words of reply can be authentically applied to the Jama`ah Tableegh (or Jama`ah Islamiyyah if you will). Look at the fruits. Do you see the members of Tableegh visiting tombs, going around graves, distributing Kheer-poori on auspicious days, conducting Fatihah, Ghyarwheen, or involved in such other practices? If the answer is a vigorous no, then, you know the tree from the fruit. Online fatwas of this kind may be turned off-line.

Objection 1: It is said that there are teachings of Shirk in the Book “Fadaa’il A’maal” under the chapter “Fadaa’il Durood.” The Messenger of Allah (allegedly) said: “Whoever wants something from anyone should go to his grave and supplicate to Allah for it.”

YMD

This passage is a bit unclear in the original also. If the apparent meaning is taken, then, it is clearly stated that one should ask Allah, which negates shirk. But it is not clear what the Sheikh meant by “Whoever wants something from anyone.” It is likely that there was an error from the scribe (kaatib).

Objection 2: On page 109, Hikayat no. 48: Sh. Abu Khair Qattah said: I went to Madinah and stayed there for five days but did not achieve pleasure and satisfaction. I went to the graves of the Prophet, Abu Bakr and `Umar and said, “O Messenger of Allah I am your guest tonight.” Then I left the place and slept behind the minbar. I saw the Prophet in my dream with Abu Bakr on his right, ‘Umar on his left, and `Ali in front. `Ali shook me and said that the Messenger of Allah was coming to visit me. I got up and kissed the Prophet between his eyes. The Messenger of Allah gave me a piece of bread half of which I ate, half was in my hand as I woke up.”

YMD

We do not understand what is your objection to this story? It is a dream. Everyone experiences dreams at night of the kind and nature he dreams during the day. In this present case, the person was perturbed that he had not been able to achieve the spiritual satisfaction that he was longing for. He was rewarded – perhaps because of love – with the dream in question. What’s wrong in it? Dreams are merely dreams.

We know of a person who used to feel extremely vexed because of the little children he had who took away his time from studies and Da`wah works. One night he saw the Prophet in his dream playing with children. He got the message: giving time to one’s children is a kind of `Ibaadah.

As for the half piece of bread, either it was from Allah, or picked up from somewhere by an angel, or, perhaps someone passing by felt sorry for the haggard man and placed a piece in his hand while he was dreaming. The confluence of the real and the unreal during a dream is a well known phenomenon.

Objection 3: The ‘aqeedah being promoted about the Messenger of Allah is that he is Haadhir wa Naazir (Omnipresent).

YMD

This is not correct. On the contrary, the Ahl al-Bid`ah are angry with the Tableegh because they do not believe in this kind of things. They call them Wahaabis for their puritanical beliefs.

Fossils

Those that bark

About love

Fake pearls

Police Protection

Md. Shaariq Ahmed (via email)

I joined a college (first year), staying in a hostel in another city. I grew a beard. When I came back home my parents were shocked at my appearance. They urged me to shave it off. My elder sister told me of the consequences: that with this appearance I wouldn’t get a job in any non-Muslim country including India.

YMD

Why does your sister have such a poor opinion of you? We are sure she knows that the talented can never be stopped from climbing into higher positions.

She might not be a fully committed Muslim, but you have to be, and try to convert her and your family to Islam. You must teach them the basics of belief in God viz. it is not non-Muslim countries, including India, which feed the people. It is Allah. If you have to live a life whose rules are written by someone else and not determined by yourself, then, it is not a life worth living. It is slavery. A Muslim is a free person, and a man of principles. No one can bend him and nothing can deter him. He will drive a taxi rather than sell his person, personality, or principles.

At this moment you need to take a stand and ignore your family.

She says that nowadays the police are after bearded persons.

YMD

Good. If you spent a million you would not be able to get police protection. If police is after you, then, since you are not a criminal, you are actually getting police protection at no cost. And this, just because of your beard. Imagine, how many rewards are not waiting for those who follow the Sunan of the Prophet?! Very soon you will get used to the police and secret service agents giving you company, learn to chat with them and maybe convert them to Islam. Once when a Tableeghi Ijtama was taking place in Britain (perhaps in a football stadium), a police helicopter was flying overhead to monitor any terrorist activity by the dangerous congregation. When the helicopter came down, two of the officers became Muslims.

Please let me know whether it will be a sin to shave off the beard with the intention to grow it again somewhere in future.

YMD

Shaving off would be a false deed and a cowardice under false intention. A good intention leads to a good deed, and an evil deed speaks of an evil intention, no matter what the tongue says.

Is 19 an Interesting Number?

Zeeshan Gene (via email)

I am regular reader of your monthly magazine. It’s very informative all the time. But I was shocked to see in the April (2004) issue an article on no. 19. You have noticed a good facts from Qur’an, Chemistry, and Biology, about numbers i.e. 5 (salah) 145 (life, death) 19 for amino acids etc. But identifying 19 as an interesting number by pooling lots of information is not appealing. I can say you are a good mathematician, because somehow you managed to get the number 19 either by adding or subtracting, etc., so that the outcome should be 19. E.g. Bismillah hirrahman nirraheem has 19 alphabets so can you issue a challenge that no other sentence in the Arabic language has 19 alphabets. If it exists, still, can you challenge that sentence will glorify Allah and doesn’t mean bad.

YMD

We have made no such challenge.

Assigning a number to bismillah..= 786 is neither by the command of Allah nor of the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and so it has no importance in Islam.

YMD

You are right.

E.g. B=8, A=5, D=6 (8+5+6=19) = BAD & G=9, O=2, O=2, D=6 (9+2+2+6=19) = GOOD

YMD

Good! But you should assign the numbers in some order, e.g., a=1, b=2, c=3, etc., and add up numerical values for words and sentences. Try make a sentence which is complete, perfect, and musical, and which also yields number 19 as its value.

If you achieved it, we will say, “Well! That’s interesting.”

If numerology has some importance in Islam then what of other religions like Hinduism? They are also right that the number 13 is an unlucky number, or that 5 is a lucky number etc.

YMD

That’s the reason why Islam spreads among the intelligent.

Some people say that we write 786 to Bis… to protect the modesty. But see, if we use 786, many people will not even know that we are praising Allah. So, we can write the English translation instead of Arabic text so that others will also know about Allah’s attributes.

YMD

Correct.

Can you challenge that bad meaning sentences yielding no. 786 or 19 cannot be made?

YMD

Issuing challenges is not in our gene, br. Gene.

Letters to the Editor

Fatwa Off-line

Fossils

Those that bark

About love

Fake pearls

Police Protection

Is 19 an Interesting Number?

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