The Prophet Never Tried to Impose His Message on Anyone.

Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'Ala says in the Holy Quran:
"I have not created Jinn and Mankind(for any other
purpose)except to worship me"(51:56)

Right from the start of his mission, the Prophet (peace be
upon him) advocated Islam at every occasion, with all
people,as long as they would listen to him. He never tried
to impose his message on anyone, because he knew that Islam
only accepts those who embrace it through conviction. There
is no room in Islam for compulsion or coercion.

The Prophet called on all people to believe in Islam. He
would spend as much time as needed with an individual who
was willing to listen to him.

A new believer was an important gain, no matter how low was
his standing in society, because class distinction is
unacceptable in Islam. All people are equal and all are
addressed by the Islamic message.

Amr ibn Absah used to say of himself that at one point he
constituted one quarter of the Muslim community. When he
was asked to explain his claim, he said: “Prior to Islam, I
used to feel that people were following erroneous beliefs
and that the idols were nothing. I then heard of a man in
Makkah who says things and mentions something strange. I
mounted my she-camel and aimed to Makkah.

“When I arrived I found that the Prophet was keeping a low
profile and his people were hard on him. I started to
gather information discreetly, then I went to him and
asked: ‘What are you?’ He said: ‘I am God’s prophet.’ I
asked: ‘What is God’s prophet?’ He said: ‘I am God’s
Messenger.’ I asked: ‘Has God sent you?’ He said: ‘Yes.’ So
I asked him: ‘With what message has He sent you?’ He said:
‘My message is that God is one with whom no partners can be
associated, the idols must be destroyed and that the bond
of kinship must be upheld with kindness.’ I asked him:
‘What following do you have?’ He said: ‘One free man and
one slave.’ (It was apparently that Abu Bakr and Bilal were
his followers.) I said: ‘I wish to be with you.’ He said:
‘You cannot do that today. It is better that you rejoin
your people. When you hear that I have prevailed, you join
me.’

“I went back to my people after I had embraced Islam. Then
the Prophet immigrated to Madinah, and I was keen to hear
his news. Some travelers from Yathrib arrived and I asked
them about the Makkan man who settled with them. They said:
‘His people wanted to kill him, but they were prevented
from doing so, and when we left, people were flocking to
him.’ I traveled on my she-camel to Madinah. When I
entered, I said: ‘Messenger of God! Do you know me?’ He
said: ‘Yes. Are you not the man who came to me in Makkah?’
I asked him to teach me something of what God has taught
him.” (Related by Ahmad, Muslim and Al-Tabarani).

This is the case of a man who wanted to make his stand
clear. According to commentators, his desire to follow the
Prophet implied that he would declare his belief
straightaway in Makkah.

When the Prophet told him that he could not follow him
then, he meant that he could not make a public stand,
because there were only very few Muslims and he was not one
of the people of Makkah.

This meant that he would be target of abuse, and he may
risk his life. Hence, he accepted Islam, but kept that
secret and went to his people waiting for the Prophet’s
signal so that he could join him.

Another version of this Hadith gives some more details. It
mentions that when the man asked about God’s message the
Prophet was to deliver, he said: “That ties of kinship
should be maintained, blood should not be shed, people’s
roads should be safe, idols destroyed, and all worship
should be devoted to God alone, without partners.”

Amr said: “Fine is the message God has entrusted to you,
and I want you to witness that I believe in you and accept
your message. Shall I stay with you, or what do you think?”
The Prophet said: “You will see that people are averse to
what I am advocating. Stay with your people, and when you
hear that I have immigrated, then come to me.”

Another person the Prophet invited to Islam on his own in
the early days of his message was Khalid ibn Saeed ibn
Al-Aas, who was the first among his brothers to become a
Muslim.

It all started with a dream in which he saw himself
standing by a huge fire, and that someone was trying to
push him into it. (One version suggests that he saw his
father pushing him toward it).

But God’s Messenger held him by his robes so that he would
not fall into it. He suddenly woke up, and thought: “By
God, this is a true dream.”

Khalid then met Abu Bakr and related his dream to him. Abu
Bakr said: “This is to your good. Here is God’s Messenger.
Follow him and be a Muslim with him, for Islam will protect
you from falling into the fire, while your father is
certain to be in it.” Khalid then met the Prophet at Ajyad
in Makkah and asked him: “What are you inviting people to
believe?” the Prophet said: “I call on you to believe in
God as the only deity and who has no partners, and that
Muhammad is God’s servant and messenger. You should abandon
what you believe in now, worshipping idols of stone which
neither hear nor see, cause neither harm nor benefit, and
do not know who worship them and who does not.” Khalid
declared: “I bear witness that there is no deity other than
God and that you are God’s Messenger.” The Prophet was very
pleased with that.

Khalid stayed away from home, but his father heard of his
embracing Islam. He sent for him until he was taken to him.
He reproached Khalid severely, hitting him with a whip he
held until it broke. He then said to Khalid: “By God! I
will deprive you of food.” Khalid said: “If you deny me
that, then God will provide for me what I need to live.”
Khalid then went to the Prophet and stayed with him.
(Related by Al-Bayhaqi and Al-Hakim).

This is the case of a young man who responded to an
indication and made sure of the new religion before taking
a decision to adopt it. Once he realized that it was
superior to everything he knew and that its message is the
truth, he did not hesitate to believe in it, knowing that
his father was very hostile to it. Other details suggest
that his father abused him verbally in front of his
brothers. He also threatened his other sons with similar
fate if they followed Khalid’s suit and believed in Islam.
Khalid was among the first Muslims to immigrate to
Abyssinia(present day Ethiopia).

Zakah and Proceeds of Investment.

Q.1. An amount is invested with an Islamic bank where the
returns are credited to the owner’s current account at
regular intervals. These returns are immediately withdrawn
and used for the family expense. What zakah is liable on
such an investment?

Q.2. Can I hold my zakah for a couple of years so that I
use it to establish a health care unit for the poor in my
hometown?

A.1. According to scholars, the zakah due on your
investment is taken from the proceeds. When your current
account is credited with returns from your investment, you
pay 10 percent of the returns in zakah, and this is due on
receiving the returns, regardless of whether you spend them
in a day or a week. The amount invested is not liable to
zakah while the arrangement is continuing.

A.2. You cannot hold your zakah for a couple of years.
Zakah should be paid out as soon as possible after it
becomes due. What you can do is to estimate your zakah for
the next couple of years and add this amount to your zakah
liability for this year, and pay for the health unit now.
This means that you pay your zakah in advance for a couple
of years in order to establish the health care unit for the
poor in your area. Alternatively, you can get some of your
friends to join in this effort and all of you pay your
zakah into this project, establishing it as soon as
possible after you pay in your zakah money.

Investment and Zakah

Q. I have invested money in a mutual fund, and paid zakah
last year at the rate of 2.5 percent for the entire amount.
Does the same apply this year and in subsequent years.

A. Contemporary scholars have dealt with the situation
where a person invests an amount of money in a scheme,
which means that he leaves that amount for several years to
generate an income or to improve in value. Where the
investment generates an income, which is paid on annual
basis or twice a year, or at other regular interval, zakah
is due on the income he receives at the rate of 10 percent.


The principal amount of investment is not liable to zakah
as long as it is in such an investment. The zakah is due
immediately after he receives the income. The late Shaikh
Mustafa Al-Zarqa, a leading scholar of the twentieth
century, states this in his Fatwas.

Where the investment is held for growth, and the investor
has access to it, then it is zakahable every year at the
rate of 2.5 percent, at its value on the zakah date.
Suppose you have invested Dalassi 100,000, and your
investment gives you growth only, with no regular income,
then you pay your zakah on the value of your investment
every year, because this value changes, or increases, year
after year.

If the investment is tied up and you have no access to it
for the term of investment, which could be 3, 5, or any
number of years agreed, then you pay zakah on the total sum
you receive at the end of the term, at the rate of 2.5
percent.

Should a man listen to his wife’s suggestions and consult
her about matters?

Question :
I wish to know something regarding the way women should be
handled. I wish to know ARE MEN SUPPOSE TO TAKE ADVICE or
SUGGESTIONS from women? I ask this question because I see
that women advise and suggest from emotions and heart
rather than their minds. I want to know to what level does
a man listens to his wife?.

Answer :

Allaah says,enjoining kindness towards one's wife
(interpretation of the meaning):

“and live with them honourably”

[al-Nisa’ 4:19]

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “And treat women with kindness, and treat women with
kindness.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5186; Muslim, 1468.

And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“The best of you is the one who is best to his womenfolk,
and I am the best of you to my womenfolk.” Narrated by
al-Tirmidhi, 3895; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3314.

Undoubtedly consulting one's wife and listening to her
advice and accepting it is part of living with them
honourably and treating them with kindness. It softens her
heart and makes her feel that she is playing a role in the
family and that she is responsible for her family,
especially if the man finds that his wife has wisdom and
common sense, and has intuition, and she does not jump to
conclusions or let herself be swayed by emotions.

Moreover, the benefits to be gained by consulting one's
wife and accepting her opinion, or not doing so, may vary
according to the topic concerning which the wife is being
consulted and asked for her opinion: is her emotional
nature going to affect her view on this matter or not?

It may also vary according to the nature of each of the
spouses and how much wisdom and common sense each of them
has.

If the husband thinks that it makes sense to reject her
opinion or he thinks that her view is mistaken, he has to
be kind in the way in which he rejects her opinion or
advice, and he should not accuse her of being silly or say
that her opinion is worthless, and he should explain to her
what is correct, as much as he can.

Look at the story of al-Hudaybiyah and what happened there,
then you will understand the value of consulting a wise and
smart woman. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) made a treaty with Quraysh and agreed
to go back, and not enter Makkah that year, he said to his
companions: “Get up and offer your sacrifices.” But not a
single man among them got up, until he had said that three
times. When no one got up, he entered upon Umm Salamah and
told her what had happened with the people. Umm Salamah
said: “O Prophet of Allaah, is that what you want? Go out
and do not speak a word to any one of them until you have
slaughtered your sacrifice and called your barber to shave
your head.” When he did that, they got up and offered their
sacrifices.

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
This points to the virtue of consultation, and that it is
permissible to consult a virtuous wife.

Also think about the story of Moosa, and how Allaah caused
him to be raised in the house of Pharaoh, and how much
blessing there was in the advice of Aasiya, the wife of
Pharaoh (may Allaah be pleased with her), of whom Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And the wife of Fir‘awn (Pharaoh) said: ‘A comfort of the
eye for me and for you. Kill him not, perhaps he may be of
benefit to us, or we may adopt him as a son.’ And they
perceived not (the result of that)”

[al-Qasas 28:9]

In the same soorah there is the story of the two women at
the well of Midyan, and how one of them said to her father
(interpretation of the meaning):

“ ‘O my father! Hire him! Verily, the best of men for you
to hire is the strong, the trustworthy’”

[al-Qasas 28:26]

Look at how wise she was, and how she knew who was the best
qualified to be hired and entrusted with work, and what a
great blessing this advice brought to her family.

And Allaah is the Source of strength.




  Question : Is it permissible to sell haraam things like
pork to non-Muslims?

Question :


I work in a seaport and serve ships that are passing
through. Most of these ships are foreign and the people
working on them are non-Muslims. The company owner sells
pork to these ships sometimes, then he distributes the
profits of these sales to us employees and we accept it on
the basis that selling pork to non-Muslims is not haraam,
and there is no text in the Qur’aan or Sunnah that says
that it is haraam to sell it to non-Muslims. And we cannot
compare alcohol to pork because pork existed at the time of
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
and if he had wanted to forbid it and curse it he would
have done so as he did with alcohol. But there are some
people who made us doubt whether this money is halaal. Is
it halaal or haraam?
If we do not participate in the sale, will it not matter if
we take these profits if the company owner gives them to us
like an act of charity? Do we have the right to accept
charity when we know its origin? Is there any hadeeth in
which the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) stated clearly and unequivocally that it is haraam to
sell pork to non-Muslims? Because pork is not haraam for
the People of the Book.

Answer :

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

It is not permissible for anyone to issue fatwas concerning
the religion of Allaah without knowledge. It is essential
to understand the seriousness of doing that, because Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say (O Muhammad): (But) the things that my Lord has indeed
forbidden are Al‑Fawaahish (great evil sins and every
kind of unlawful sexual intercourse) whether committed
openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous
oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allaah for
which He has given no authority, and saying things about
Allaah of which you have no knowledge”

[al-‘Araaf 7:33]

So it is not permissible for anyone to say, this is halaal
and that is haraam, if he has no sound evidence to that
effect. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And say not concerning that which your tongues put forth
falsely: ‘This is lawful and this is forbidden,’ so as to
invent lies against Allaah. Verily, those who invent lies
against Allaah will never prosper”

[al-Nahl 16:116]

Secondly:

Selling pork is haraam whether it is sold to a Muslim or
Non-Muslim. The evidence for that is as follows:

1 – Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say (O Muhammad): I find not in that which has been
revealed to me anything forbidden to be eaten by one who
wishes to eat it, unless it be Maytah (a dead animal) or
blood poured forth (by slaughtering or the like), or the
flesh of salcohol (pork); for that surely, is impure or
impious (unlawful) meat (of an animal) which is slaughtered
as a sacrifice for others than Allaah (or has been
slaughtered for idols, or on which Allaah’s Name has not
been mentioned while slaughtering”

[al-An’aam 6:145]

And the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) taught us an important principle when he said: “When
Allaah forbids a thing, He (also) forbids its price.”
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3488; classed as saheeh by Shaykh
al-Albaani in Ghaayat al-Maraam, 318.

2 – It was narrated from Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah
be pleased with him) that he heard the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say when he was
in Makkah at the time of the Conquest: “Allaah and His
Messenger have forbidden the sale of alcohol, dead meat,
pork and idols.” It was said: “O Messenger of Allaah, what
do you think of the fat of dead animals, for ships are
caulked with it and animal skins are daubed with it, and
the people use it to light their lamps?” He said: “No, it
is haraam.” Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “May Allaah curse
the Jews, for when Allaah forbade them (animal fat), they
melted it down and sold it, and consumed its price.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1212; Muslim, 1581.

Al-Nawawi said:

With regard to dead meat, alcohol and pork, the Muslims are
unanimously agreed that it is haraam to sell all of these.

Al-Qaadi said: This hadeeth indicates that whatever we are
forbidden to eat or make use of, we are also forbidden to
sell, and it is not permissible to consume its price, as in
the case of the animal fat mentioned in this hadeeth.

Sharh Muslim, 11/8

Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali said, after quoting the ahaadeeth
about the prohibition on alcohol:

The conclusion we may draw from all these ahaadeeth is that
whatever Allaah has forbidden us to make use of, it is also
haraam to sell it and consume its price, as is stated
clearly in the hadeeth: “When Allaah forbids a thing, He
(also) forbids its price.” This is a general, comprehensive
phrase which applies to everything which is intended to be
used in haraam ways. These fall into two categories:

(i)                Things which are to be used and will
remain as they are, such as idols. The purpose for which
they are used is shirk or association of others with
Allaah, which is the greatest of all sins. We may add to
that books of shirk, witchcraft, innovation (bid’ah) and
misguidance, forbidden images, forbidden means of
entertainment and also buying slave women who will serve as
singers.

(ii)              Things which are to be used and which
will be used up. If in the majority of cases a thing is
used for haraam purposes, then it is haraam to sell it. For
example, it is haraam to sell pork, alcohol and dead meat
even though they may – on rare occasions – be used for a
permissible purpose, such as eating dead meat for those who
are in extreme need, or using alcohol to stop oneself
choking or to putt out a fire, or using pig hairs for
beading, or making use of the hair and skin of a pig –
according to those who approve of that.  But because these
are not the reason for which these things are produced, and
the usual use for pigs and dead meat is to eat them, and
the usual use for alcohol is to drink it, so no attention
should be paid to these reasons, and it is haraam to sell
these things.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
indicated this when it was said to him: “What do you think
of the fat of dead animals, for ships are caulked with it
and animal skins are daubed with it, and the people use it
to light their lamps?”  He said: “No, it is haraam.”

Jaami’ al-‘Uloom wa’l-Hukam, 1/415, 416

The Standing Committee was asked: Is it permissible to deal
in alcohol and pork if one is not selling them to a Muslim?
They replied: It is not permissible to deal in foods and
other things that Allaah has forbidden, such as alcohol and
pork, even if one is selling them to Non-Muslims, because
it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “When Allaah forbids a thing, He
also forbids its price.” And because the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed alcohol, the one
who drinks it, the one who sells it, the one who buys it,
the one who carries it, the one to whom it is carried, the
one who consumes its price, the one who squeezes (the
grapes, etc) and the one for whom it is squeezed.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 13/49.

Thirdly:

With regard to the questioner saying, “selling pork to
non-Muslims is not haraam, and there is no text in the
Qur’aan or Sunnah that says that it is haraam to sell it to
non-Muslims”, this is not correct. We have quoted above
evidence from the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and have stated that
the scholars are agreed that it is haraam to sell pork. The
general meaning of the evidence indicates that it is haraam
to sell it to Muslims and Non-muslims alike, because the
evidence indicates that the prohibition on selling it is
general in application, and no differentiation is made
between Muslims and others.

Indeed, if we were to say that what is meant by the
prohibition on selling it is selling it to Non-Muslims,
that would not be far-fetched, because the basic assumption
concerning the Muslim is that he would never buy pork: what
would he do with it when he knows that Allaah has forbidden
it?

Similarly, the questioner’s saying that “pork existed at
the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), and if he had wanted to forbid it and curse it
he would have done so as he did with alcohol” is also not
correct, because it is not essential for a thing to be
forbidden that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) should have cursed the one who does it. Rather
it is sufficient that he forbade it or stated that it is
haraam, as he forbade the sale of pork.

Fourthly:

With regard to your taking this money, now that you know
that it is haraam, it is more befiiting for you to refuse
to take it, especially since your taking it is like giving
approval to what the company owner is doing. You have to
advise him, denounce what he is doing and exhort him to
give up these haraam actions. Whoever gives up something
for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will compensate him with
something better than it.

With regard to the money that you took before you found out
that it is haraam, there is no sin on you, in sha Allah.
Allaah says in the verses in which He forbids riba (usury,
interest) (interpretation of the meaning):

“So whosoever receives an admonition from his Lord and
stops eating Ribaa, shall not be punished for the past; his
case is for Allaah (to judge)”

[al-Baqarah 2:275]

We ask Allaah to granted you a halaal and blessed
provision. And Allaah knows best.


Islamic Network Present a One-Day Seminar Entitled:

Trials and Tribulations.

Topics:

The Boy and the King:: The Explanation of Surah al-Buruj
Muslims on Trial:: Lessons from History

Speakers:

Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
Abu 'Abdissalam

LONDON
Date:
Sunday 1st August 2004
Time:
1pm to 5pm

Venue:

Regent's Park Mosque
146 Park Road
London

Contact: 07092 092 950

email: [log in to unmask]


All Welcome
FREE ADMISSION









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