Manners and High Moral Standards. Many of the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and members of his household have described his manners and moral standards which he applied in all situations. These descriptions give us a clear idea of what sort of person the Prophet was in his life and how he dealt with different situations. Needless to say, the people who knew him most intimately were aware of his reactions to a wide variety of events and small incidents. They are the ones who could describe for us the Prophet’s behavior and personality. None of these was more intimately associated with him than his wives.Among these Khadeejah and Aishah were the best source of information about him. The first was his only wife for 25 years, sharing with him all his concerns as a husband and a father, long before he started to receive God’s message. Aishah was the one he loved most among his later wives. Moreover, she was endowed with profound knowledge and deep insight. What do they have to tell us about Muhammad’s character? When the Prophet met the angel Gabriel for the first time and he was informed that he was the one chosen to bear God’s message, the encounter weighed heavily on him, and he went speedily home. He related the encounter to his wife and told her that he feared for himself. He did not specify what sort of fear he felt, but it is clear from the general conversation that he feared that some evil creature might have touched him, to trouble his soul. What would any woman have to say in such a situation? Khadeejah, always wise and firm in her perception, reflected on her husband’s personality and concluded that this could not be the case. How could she tell? Her words show that she was sure of her grounds: “You have nothing to fear; be calm and relax. God will not let you suffer humiliation, because you are kind to your relatives, you speak the truth, you assist anyone in need, you are hospitable to your guest and you help in every just cause.” As reassurance is repeatedly needed when a person is clearly shaken, Khadeejah was not slow with her comforting and reassuring words. She also told him: “By God, you are truthful to your trust, kind to your kinsfolk and you always tell the truth.” These words describe his habitual behavior before he began to receive any revelations. He was keen to maintain a high standard of traditional virtue. Hence, he never told a lie and was kind and faithful, ready to help anyone in need. Such a personal high standard of morality and fine behavior earned him great respect among his community, even though his people were idolaters. They called him Al-Ameen, a title which means “honest, worthy of trust”. Hence, they always believed what he said, knowing him to never tell a lie. It is not surprising, therefore, that when the Prophet wanted to carry out God’s instructions and outline in public what his message meant, calling on his people to believe in God’s oneness and abandon idolatry, he sought to re-establish this position of trust with them. He stood on top of the small hill at the center of Makkah, known as Al-Safa, and called on them to gather for he had an important announcement to make. When they had gathered, he asked them whether they would believe him if he were to tell them that a force of armed men were riding toward their city, aiming to launch a surprise attack on them, would they believe him? Their reply was prompt, clear, expressing full confidence: “You are a man of trust and we have never known you to tell lies.” The story is well known, and when Muhammad went on to tell his people of his message and that he received revelations from God, they immediately rejected his call and started to level all sorts of accusation against him. But what concerns us here is the fact that they acknowledged his honesty and that he was never known to tell a lie to anyone. Needless to say, a man who never tell lies about other people knowing that they may never find out, would never tell a lie about God knowing that He never accepts anything but the truth, and that the truth is always known to God. Muhammad was certainly helped by God to maintain such a standard of basic morality in pre-Islamic days. This did not only establish his firm reputation as a man of trust and perfect honesty; it also made such qualities and moral virtue come naturally to him. This would be of great help to him when he would encounter stiff opposition that sought to suppress his message and annihilate his followers. God’s help in all this was implicit. The Prophet was not aware of it. He did not have to go through any extraordinary experience at any time, other than a mysterious event which is akin to a heart operation, performed by an angel, at the age of five. But God has chosen him for the task, and given him the character, moral inclination, and personal manners to facilitate his task. As for his choice, the Prophet is quoted as saying: “I have been given my message in the best human generation, with one generation succeeding another until I lived in my own generation.” (Related by Al-Bukhari). Another authentic Hadith quotes him as saying: “God has chosen the Quraysh from among Ishmael’s descendants; and He has chosen the Hashimite clan from among the Quraysh; and has chosen me from among the Hashimites.” (Related by Muslim). What we need to know here is that such choice is not based on any consideration to which different communities attach importance in their world. It is not based on lineage, family position, influence, race or power. It is based on personal virtue only. God chose Muhammad, knowing him to be worthy of bearing the divine message. He helped him to acquire the best moral standard that is universally appreciated. He then complemented this with the high standard Islam advocates. We need to remember here the Qur’anic verse that says: “God knows best to whom to entrust His message.” (6: 124) Buying a House With a Mortgage. Q.Could you please tell me whether buying a house with a mortgage is permissible,considering that this is the only way I can buy a house for my family’s living. A. The European Council for Islamic Rulings, presided by Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, a leading authority, has recently published a ruling that it is permissible for Muslims living in Western countries to use the facility provided by banks and building societies to buy a house with a mortgage. The two provisos the council makes are that the house is for one’s family’s living and that there is no comparable way for buying a house that meets Islamic requirements. The council bases its ruling on the fact that owning a house is a necessity for living, and the alternative of renting a house does not provide a satisfactory solution. There is no doubt that the council’s ruling is right, and it answers a felt need of Muslims not only in the West but also in many other parts of the world. However, I feel that an added reason for considering the mortgage facility permissible to use is that the borrower gets more than the amount of the loan which he pays back in a higher amount. He gets the full ownership of the house he buys, although, apart from the mortgage loan, he puts in the price of only a share of it. He also uses the house for the duration of the loan. Both these are quantifiable benefits, which are always greater than the increase in the amount he pays back on his loan. Leaving an Unacceptable Job Q.1. A person is working in an entertainment company which provides all types of channels. He wants to leave his job as he considers it unacceptable from the Islamic point of view, but the company would not release him to a different employer. He is the only wage earner in his family, and if he leaves, both his parents and his own family would suffer. What is he to do? Q.2. After the death of a relative, people organize some functions after 3 days and after 40 days, inviting relatives, neighbors and friends, and distributing food. Is this according to Sunnah or not? A.1. As this person is the only wage earner in his family, he must not leave his job until he has secured an alternative. However, he must try his best to secure a different job which gives him satisfaction and a reasonable salary. He may try to speak to his employer and explain why he wants to leave, or he may get a prospective employer to take up his case with his present employer. If all routes are closed and he must remain with this company, then he should try to move to a job that does not involve anything forbidden. He should continue to try to move into something better and more acceptable from the Islamic point of view, praying to God to help him to find a more suitable job. A.2. All these customs and traditions are cultural, not Islamic. This is why you do not find them practised in the same way in all Muslim countries. In Islam, death is considered a beginning of a new phase, not the end of all life. Therefore, our attitude should be one of total acceptance, as this is part of God’s will. We pray for the deceased, but the customs done by people on particular days and anniversaries are un-Islamic. A deceased person is no less in need of our prayers on the fourth, 12th or 50th day of his death than the third, 10th or 40th day. Nor do anniversaries signify anything from the Islamic point of view. Certain Aspects of Worship Allowed to Prophet Only. Q. A Hadith mentions that the Prophet always prayed the Sunnah of Fajr, and two rak’ahs after Asr; but it is well known that there is no Sunnah to be offered after Asr. A. The Prophet (peace be upon him) had certain aspects of worship which were allowed for him only, even though he made it clear to his followers that they must not do them. The clearest example is fasting two days in succession without breaking his fast. He made clear that this must not be done by us. Yet it was allowed to him, and he explained that God gave him sustenance during such periods. The voluntary prayer he did after Asr is another such example. It was permissible for him, but he made clear that we should not do it. The reason for this is that people would often delay their prayers and it becomes close to sunset. Since other communities worshipped the sun, we must try hard to show that our worship is unlike others who worshipped deities other than God. Q. There are several contradictory reports about glorifying God aloud. A. Glorifying God is recommended in all situations, whether in private, vocally, or aloud, provided that one does not raise his voice so loud that it disturbs others. However, the best and most rewarding method is to glorify and praise God privately, vocalizing the words. The reason is that since no one knows what we do, our action is more sincere and stems from pure feelings of love of God and being in awe of Him. What is objectionable is for a group of people to hold special sessions where they engage in a chorus-like glorifications. This is a deviation from the Sunnah, since it was not done by the Prophet or his companions, nor is there any statement by the Prophet recommending it. Q. According to a Hadith in Al-Bukhari, when Abu Bakr rebuked his daughter Aishah for the singing and music he heard, the Prophet stopped him saying that it was the Eid. Yet we often hear that musical instruments are forbidden in Islam. A. The Hadith you refer to is reported by Aishah who says: “The Prophet entered my home when I had two maidens singing some of Bu’ath songs. He reclined on the bed and turned his face away. Abu Bakr came in and rebuked me, saying: ‘What! Satan’s horn at the Prophet’s!’ The Prophet turned to him and told him to leave them alone. When he slept I signalled them to leave.” The Hadith does not speak of musical instruments, but of the two maids singing. Abu Bakr used the word ‘horn’, which in Arabic refers to a wooden instrument like the oboe, but this may be figurative. Anyway,the Hadith is cited by scholars as evidence for the permissibility of singing,and some scholars cite it also in argument that musical instruments are allowed in Islam, except where the music is used for a purpose contrary to Islamic values and principles. There is certainly no clear-cut, definitive statement by the Prophet that musical instruments are forbidden. Hence, the issue is controversial,with many scholars arguing for and against prohibition. I personally feel that the evidence of permissibility is stronger.But I value the opposite view supported by a number of highly respectable scholars. Q. It is well known that the sermon is given after the Eid prayer.Yet it is mentioned in Al-Bukhari’s Sahih that Marwan, the governor of Madinah, did it before the prayer explaining this as necessary because people left without listening to the sermon.Can we do the same? A. Marwan was the governor of Madinah when he did this. Abu Saeed Al-Khudri, the reporter of this Hadith, was a learned companion of the Prophet. He objected to the action at first,telling Marwan, who was also a scholar, that he has changed the Prophet’s practice. Nevertheless, he stayed and offered the prayer with Marwan. This means that there is no clear ruling by the Prophet making the khutbah or sermon a requirement after the prayer. It is certainly preferable that it should be so, because it would then be following the Prophet’s practice. However, Marwan used his discretion, opting for what is less preferable in order to serve what, to him, was a more important purpose, which was to ensure that people stayed to listen. This is up to the Imam to do. Q. If someone lends another a large sum of money which the borrower does not repay for sometime, who is required to pay zakah for this amount. There are 4 different views in books of Islamic Fiqh. Can we apply any of these views? A. If the loan is a short term one, and it is repaid on time, zakah is due on the amount of the loan normally, paid by the creditor who owns the money on his normal zakah date. If it is given for a long period, such as a couple of years or longer, and the borrower is of sound financial position and able to repay it on demand, at any time, then it is treated as if the amount is in the creditor’s keeping. In other words, he pays its zakah every year, in the normal way. If it is given for a long period, or it is originally for a short period but remained unpaid for sometime, and the owner is unsure that it will be paid in the near future, then zakah is paid for the amount when it is repaid, once only, even though the loan remained with the borrower for several years. In this last case, the creditor actually lost control and was unsure whether the money would be repaid, or when it will be repaid. He is not required to pay zakah for what he does not have under his control. ____________________________________________________________ Too much spam in your inbox? Yahoo! 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