The Conditions of the Testimony of Faith

What are the conditions of the testimony of faith?

There are seven conditions of the testimony of Faith :
Knowledge which negates ignorance. Certainty which negates doubt. Sincerity and purity of intent which negates shirk. Truthfulness which negates hypocrisy. Love and devotion which negates disdain of Allah’s religion. Submission which negates disobedience. Acceptance which negates rejection or denial.

al-Tayyib (the Good) is one of the names of Allaah, may He be exalted

Is al-Tayyib (the Good) one of the names of Allaah, or is it a description? What is the guideline for distinguishing names from descriptions or attributes?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

Al-Tayyib (the Good) is one of the names of Allaah, because of the report narrated by Muslim (1015) from Abu Hurayrah who said: “O people, Allaah is Good and does not accept anything but that which is good. Allaah has enjoined upon the believers that which He has enjoined upon the Messengers. He says: ‘O (you) Messengers! Eat of the Tayyibaat [all kinds of Halaal (lawful) foods which Allaah has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables, fruits)] and do righteous deeds. Verily, I am Well‑Acquainted with what you do’ [al-Mu’minoon 23:51], and He says: ‘O you who believe (in the Oneness of Allaah — Islamic Monotheism)! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you with’ [al-Baqarah 2:172]. Then he mentioned a man who has undertaken a lengthy journey and is disheveled and dusty, raising his hands towards heaven and saying, ‘O Lord, O Lord!’ but his food is haraam, his drink is haraam, his clothing is haraam, he is nourished with haraam so how can he receive a response?”

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) listed al-Tayyib as one of the names of Allaah that are proven according to the saheeh Sunnah. See: al-Qawaa’id al-Muthla, which is included in Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (3/278).

Secondly:

The difference between names and attributes:

In Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (3/16) there is a question about the difference between names and attributes. The answer was:

The names of Allaah are all those that refer to the Divine Essence with attributes of perfection that exist in Him such as al-Qaadir (the All-powerful), al-‘Aleem (the All-knowing), al-Hakeem (the Wise), al-Samee’ (the All-hearing), and al-Baseer (the All-seeing). These names refer to Allaah, and to what exists in Him of knowledge, wisdom, hearing and seeing. As for the attributes, these are attributes of perfection that exist in His essence such as knowledge, wisdom, hearing and sight. The name points to two things and the attribute points to one thing. It may be said that the name includes the attribute and the attribute implies the name. End quote.

See also question no. 22642.

Shaykh ‘Alawi ibn ‘Abd al-Qaadir al-Saqqaaf said: In order to know what distinguishes the name from the attribute, and the attribute from the name:

1 – With regard to names, attributes may be derived from them, but with regard to attributes, names cannot be derived from them. From the names of Allaah al-Raheem (the Most Merciful), al-Qaadir (the All-powerful) and al-‘Azeem (the Almighty) are derived the attributes of rahmah (mercy), qudrah (power) and ‘azamah (might), but from the attributes of will, coming and plotting we cannot derive names such as “Willer”, “Comer” or “Plotter”.

His names are descriptive, as Ibn al-Qayyim said in al-Nooniyyah.

2 – The names cannot be derived from the actions of Allaah. The fact that He loves and hates and gets angry does not mean that we can derive names such as “Lover” “Hater” or “Angry”. As for His attributes, they may be derived from His actions. So it is proven that He has the attributes of love, hate and anger etc., hence it is said that the category of attributes is broader than the category of names.  

Madaarij al-Saalikeen (3/415)

Thirdly:  

The names and attributes of Allaah may both be used when seeking refuge and swearing oaths, but a distinction is made when it comes to describing people as slaves of Allaah and supplication. We may describe people as His slaves by using His names, so we say ‘Abd al-Kareem (slave of the Most Generous), ‘Abd al-Rahmaan (slave of the Most Gracious) and ‘Abd al-‘Azeez (slave of the Almighty), but we do not describe people as His slaves by using His attributes, so we do not say ‘abd al-karam (slave of generosity) or ‘abd al-rahmah (slave of mercy) or ‘abd al-‘izzah (slave of might). Similarly, Allaah is called upon by His names, so we say Ya Raheem, arhamna (O Most Merciful, have mercy on us) or Ya Kareem, akrimna (O Most Generous, honour us) and Ya Lateef, altif bina (O Most Kind, be kind to us), but we do not call upon His attributes and say, O mercy of Allaah, have mercy on us, or O generosity of Allaah, or O kindness of Allaah. That is because the attributes are not the same as the One described. Mercy is not Allaah, rather it is an attribute of Allaah; the same applies to might etc. These are attributes of Allaah but they are not Allaah, and it is not permissible to describe anyone as a slave of anything but Allaah, or to call upon anything but Allaah, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me”

[al-Noor 24:55]

“Invoke Me [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism) and ask Me for anything] I will respond to your (invocation)”

[Ghaafir 40:60]

End quote from Sifaat Allaah ‘azza wa jall al-Waaridah fi’l-Kitaab wa’l-Sunnah, p. 17

As for the difference between discussing the names and attributes of Allaah and what comes under the category of talking about Him, there are two points:

1 – The divine names and attributes are tawqeefi i.e., limited strictly to that which is mentioned in the Qur’aan and saheeh Sunnah. So it is not permissible to ascribe to Allaah anything except that which He has ascribed to Himself or His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has ascribed to Him. But when speaking of Him, it is permissible to speak of Allaah in ways that are not narrated in the Qur’aan or Sunnah if the meanings are sound, such as saying He is eternally good and very generous.  

2 – His names are beautiful and His attributes are sublime, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allaah, so call on Him by them, and leave the company of those who belie or deny (or utter impious speech against) His Names. They will be requited for what they used to do”

[al-A’raaf 7:180]

“For those who believe not in the Hereafter is an evil description, and for Allaah is the highest description. And He is the All‑Mighty, the All‑Wise”

[al-Nahl 16:60]

al-Shawkaani said in Fath al-Qadeer (4/314): al-Khaleel said: “The highest description” means: His is the highest (or most sublime) description in the heavens and on earth. End quote.

As for speaking about Allaah, it is permissible to speak of Allah in ways that imply no imperfection, even if it is does not imply the highest perfection, such as saying that Allaah exists from eternity, or saying that He exists, or referring to Allaah as a “thing” or “something” and so on. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): What thing is the most great in witness? Say: Allaah (the Most Great!) is Witness between me and you” [al-An’aam 6:19].

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: You should note some things here:

(i)                That which is included under the heading of speaking about Him (may He be exalted) is broader in scope than that which comes under the heading of His names and attributes, such as referring to Him as a ‘thing” or “something”, or saying that He exists and is self-sufficient, because this is talking about Allaah and that does not come under the heading of His beautiful names or sublime attributes.

(ii)              If a word may imply perfection or imperfection, depending on the context, then it is not one of His names, rather may be used to describe Him when it implies perfection, such as willing, doing and making. These words are not included in His names, hence the one who calls Allaah al-Saani’ (the maker) is mistaken. Rather He is the One Who does what He wills, for will, doing and making are words that may imply perfection or imperfection. Therefore Allaah attributed to Himself that which implies the greatest perfection in action and the greatest perfection when speaking of Him.

(iii)            Talking about His actions does not mean that we can derive names from these actions, as some later scholars mistakenly did and included among His names al-Mudill (the Misguider), al-Faatin (the Tempter) and al-Maakir (the Plotter) – exalted be He above what they say. These names cannot be given to Allaah, may He be glorified, because Allaah did not ascribe these names to Himself, rather He only mentioned these things as specific actions in specific circumstances, therefore He should not be named on the basis of these actions. …

(vii) The names and attributes that may be given to Him are tawqeefi, i.e., limited to those that are found in the Qur’aan and saheeh Sunnah, but when it comes to speaking about Him, the terms used do not have to be tawqeefi, such as saying that He exists from eternity, or referring to Him as a “thing” or “something”, or saying that He exists and is self-sufficient.  

These are the decisive guidelines on the issue of whether the names of Allaah are tawqeefi or is it permissible to call Him by names that are not narrated in Qur’aan and Sunnah?

(viii) With regard to the names of Allaah, such as al-Samee’ (the All-hearing), al-Baseer (the All-seeing) and al-Qadeer (the All-powerful), it is permissible to derive from them nouns which may be attributed to Him, such as hearing, seeing and power, and it may be said that He did those actions, such as saying “Allaah has indeed heard” [al-Mujaadilah 58:1] and “So We did measure; and We are the Best to measure (the things)” [al-Mursalaat 77:23].  This applies if the verb is transitive. If it is intransitive, such as al-Hayy (the Ever-Living), then it this case we do not use the verb when speaking of Him, rather we use the verbal noun, but not the verb.  

End quote from Badaa’i’ al-Fawaa’id (1/170).

And Allaah knows best.

He concealed his Islam and was buried in the kaafir graveyard. Is he a kaafir?

Let us assume that there was a Christian who became Muslim but he did not tell his family. After a while he died, but his family did not know that he had become Muslim so they held a funeral for him in the church in the Christian manner. I would like to know what is the ruling on that? Did he die as a Muslim or as a kaafir?.

Praise be to Allaah.

You should note, first of all, that the fuqaha’ are unanimously agreed that it is not permissible for a Muslim to be buried in the kaafir graveyard, or for a kaafir to be buried in the Muslim graveyard, except in cases of necessity. See al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah,21/20; Ahkaam al-Maqaabir fi’l-Sharee’ah al-Islamiyyah by Dr. ‘Abd-Allaah al-Suhaybaani, p. 231-232.

If a Muslim dies in a kaafir land, then his heirs, or whoever among the Muslims knows of him, must take him to a Muslim land so that he may be buried there.

Taking him to a Muslim land depends on being able to do it. If it cannot be done, then he may be buried in the kaafir land, but not in their graveyards. See: Ahkaam al-Maqaabir, p. 225-226.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This is more important than being distinguished from them in life, by wearing different clothes etc, because there is mercy in the graveyards of the Muslims, but there is punishment in the graveyards of the kaafirs. Al-Ikhtiyaaraat, p. 94.

 Secondly:

The situation that you asked about is one that happens frequently for many Muslims in positions of weakness in kaafir countries, because they are not able to migrate to a land where they can practise their Islam openly and be safe, nor can they practise Islam openly in the lands where they live, either for fear of aggression from their own relatives, as is the case in your question, or for other reasons. These people will be resurrected [?] according to their intentions, and the ruling in the Hereafter will depend on what they have of faith and righteous deeds, not the ruling on the land in which they died or the grave in which they were buried. It was narrated that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “Each person will be resurrected according to the state in which he died.” Narrated by Muslim (2878).

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) offered the funeral prayer and said: “O Allaah, forgive our living and our dead, our young and our old, our males and our females, those who are present and those who are absent. O Allaah, whomever among us You cause to live, cause him to live in faith, and whomever among us you cause to die, cause him to die in Islam. O Allaah, do not deprive us of his reward and do not let us go astray after him.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (3201); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

Shaykh Muhammad al-Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

“O Allaah, whomever among us you cause to live, cause him to live in faith, and whomever among us you cause to die, cause him to die in Islam” – with regard to life he mentioned Islam, meaning outward submission, and with regard to death he mentioned faith, because faith (eemaan) is better, and its seat is the heart, and what matters at the time of death and on the Day of Resurrection is what is in the heart.

Sharh Riyadh al-Saaliheen (2/1200)

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about what some people say, that Allaah has angels who move people from the Muslim graveyards to the Christian and Jewish graveyards, and from the Jewish and Christian graveyards to the Muslim graveyards, and their purpose is that whoever met a bad end in the sight of Allaah, although he was outwardly Muslim when he died, or he was a kitaabi (a Jew or Christian) but he met a good end and died as a Muslim in the sight of Allaah, although he appeared to be a kaafir when he died, so these angels move them. Has any report been narrated concerning this or not? Is there any proof for this or not?

He (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: As for the bodies, they are not moved from the graves but we know that some people who are outwardly Muslims are in fact hypocrites, either Jews, Christians or apostates. Whoever is like that will be with his peers on the Day of Resurrection, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Assemble those who did wrong, together with their companions” [al-Saaffaat 37:22], i.e., those who were like them and their peers.

And there may be some who died appearing to be kaafirs, but they believed in Allaah before the death rattle reached their throats, but there were no believers with them and they concealed that from their families, either because of inheritance or some other reason. But they will be with the believers even if they are buried with the kuffaar.

As for the report about the angels moving them, I have never heard any report about that. End quote from al-Fataawa al-Kubra (3/27).

And Allaah knows best.

Can praise and thanksgiving to Allaah be accompanied by gratitude to parents?

Is it permissible for me to say: all praise and thanks be to Allah, and thanks to my parents. According to Allah’s verse: “Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal”.

Praise be to Allaah.

Honouring one’s parents is one of the greatest means of drawing close to Allaah and one of the best acts of obedience. It is an important right that they are given in Islamic sharee’ah, so much so that Allaah has mentioned obedience to parents alongside obedience to Him, and their rights alongside His rights, in more than one place.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And We have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship, and his weaning is in two years __ give thanks to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the final destination”

[Luqmaan 31:14].

Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him)said in his Tafseer (5/171): The scholars said: Those who are most deserving of gratitude, kindness, honour and obedience after the Creator are those whom Allaah mentions kindness towards alongside worship, obedience and gratitude to Him, namely one’s parents. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “give thanks to Me and to your parents” [Luqmaan 31:14].

It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The Lord is pleased when the parents are pleased and He is angry when the parents are angry.” Al-Albaani said: It is hasan li ghayrihi (hasan because of corroborating evidence).

Clearly expressing gratitude to the parents and acknowledging their virtue is undoubtedly included in the meaning of the verse, but the verse should not be understood as meaning this only, rather what is meant by giving thanks here is more general than that: a person should fulfil the rights that his Lord has over him in his heart and his words as well as his physical actions, and he should fulfil his parents’ rights over him in like manner.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Madaarij al-Saalikeen (2/244-246):

Gratitude is based on five foundations:

Humility of the thankful one towards the One Who is thanked, his love for Him, his acknowledgement of His blessing, his praise of Him for that and not using it for anything that He hates.

These five are the foundations of gratitude which is built on them. If one of them is missing, then one of the foundations of gratitude is missing. Whoever (of the scholars) speaks of gratitude as an independent quality must be referring to all of these five foundations.

Gratitude is shown in the heart by humility, on the tongue by praise and acknowledgement, and in one’s physical actions by obeying and submitting. End quote.

In his commentary on this verse, Shaykh al-Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: When He enjoined fulfilling His rights by giving up shirk, which means establishing Tawheed, He also enjoined fulfilling parents’ rights, and said: “And We have enjoined on man” i.e., We have commanded him and made it an obligation upon him, and We shall question him about his fulfilment thereof, did he fulfil it or not? And We have enjoined on him “(to be dutiful and good) to his parents” and have said to him: “give thanks to Me” by worshipping Me and fulfilling your duties towards Me, and not seeking the help of My blessings in disobeying Me; “and to your parents” by treating them kindly, speaking gently to them, treating them nicely, being humble towards them, honouring them, respecting them, taking care of them and avoiding mistreating them in any way, in word or deed.

We have enjoined this upon him and We have told him that “Unto Me is the final destination” i.e., you will return, O man, to the One Who enjoined this upon you and ordained these duties for you, and He will ask you: Did you fulfil them? In which case He will reward you greatly, but if you failed, He will punish you severely. End quote. Al-Tafseer, 648.

There is nothing wrong with accompanying thanksgiving to Allaah with thanksgiving to one’s parents, and combining the two, but he should not do that all the time as if it were a dhikr narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because there is no such report from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

There are a number of questions on our site that discuss the command to honour one’s parents. Please see: 13783, 22782 and 35533.

And Allaah knows best.

Interruption of wudu.

If during wudu'ablution), one finds dirt stuck on his fingers, does working on removing the dirt by scrubbing it off disrupt the continuity of the wudu' and require repeating it?

Continuity would not disrupted by such action (according to the most viable opinion) even if his body had dried, because he was delayed due to an action required for his purity. The same is true if he were to move from one faucet to another in search of water.

However, if continuity were disrupted due to an action not related to his , like removing impurity from his clothes, eating or drinking and the like, and the limbs became dry, then he needs to repeat the wudu'.1

From the book What Should You Do in the Following Situations... ?

1 Fatawi ibn Uthaimeen 4/145-146 (Dar al-Qutni)

Beware of the whispers of the shaytaan about Allaah

For two weeks this question has been haunting me and I cannot find an answer to it, but in sha Allaah you will have the answer:
What is the evidence that Allaah does not lie, or what is the evidence that He always tells the truth, and why will He never lie?
I know that this is a strange question, and I felt too embarrassed to ask anyone about it for a while, but I looked for an answer and I feel a kind of anxiety even when praying.

Praise be to Allaah.

By Allaah, we do not know which of your two issues we find stranger, that you have gone along with the whispers of the Shaytaan to such an extent that brought you to the brink of the abyss and nearly made you fall in, or that you find this question difficult and are not able to find an answer to it.  

What do you know of your religion, if you do not know this?

What do you think of your Lord, if you are asking about this?

When her freed slave asked her: O my mother, did Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) see his Lord? ‘Aa’ishah, the Mother of the Believers (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: My hair stood on end at what you said.  

If the hair of the Mother of the Believers stood on end because of alarm for the one who asked her this question: Did Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) see his Lord, i.e., in this world – although the believers will see Him in Paradise and that will be the greatest of their joys (may Allaah not deprive us of it) – then how should one react to your question?

Have you left your heart empty to such an extent that the Shaytaan can toy with it and cause it to end up like this?

Have you heard of the report narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh (2268) from Jaabir who said: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allaah, I saw in a dream as if my head was cut off. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) smiled and said: If the Shaytaan toys with one of you in his sleep, he should not tell the people about it.”

If a dream such as this is regarded as the Shaytaan toying with a person, then what would the Prophet’s response be to one who saw what you have seen in a dream? What would he say if the Shaytaan toyed with him when he was awake, and not in a dream?

It is natural that you should feel ashamed and you should weep for yourself if the Shaytaan has gained so much power over you.  

Yes, we understand that the Shaytaan may toy with a person in such ways, but he should not go along with the ideas instilled by the shaytaan and ry to discuss it and look for evidence for it. Rather his deeply rooted faith should protect him, for the shaytaan is evil and his plot is weak: “ever feeble indeed is the plot of Shaytaan (Satan)” [al-Nisa’ 4:76].

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The Shaytaan comes to some of you and says, ‘Who created such and such? Who created such and such?’ – until he says, ‘Who created your Lord?’ If that happens, then let him seek refuge with Allaah and stop thinking about that.”

What do you think the Prophet’s answer would be to this “difficult” question posed by the accursed enemy?

One should seek refuge with Allaah from this waswaas, and stop thinking about it or getting carried away with it, because the accursed one does not need an answer to this question. He knows that his question is pure fallacy, for it is not befitting that the Creator should have a creator, otherwise He would be another created being.  

Rather his aim is to stir up doubts until he gains control over one who dies in such a state, if he can. Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his commentary on the hadeeth quoted above:

“‘Who created your Lord?’ If that happens, then let him seek refuge with Allaah and stop thinking about that” i.e., let him stop getting carried away with that, and turn to Allaah in warding it off; he should realize that he (shaytaan) wants to corrupt his religious commitment and his reasoning with these whispers, so he should strive to ward them off by thinking of something else.

Al-Khattaabi said: The point of this hadeeth is that if the Shaytaan whispers such thoughts, one should seek refuge with Allaah from him and stop debating with the shaytaan about it, then this waswaas will diminish. … There is no end to the shaytaan’s whispers, rather every time proof is produced to silence him, he moves on to something else until he finally makes one confused. We seek refuge with Allaah from that. … But his saying ‘Who created your Lord?” is contradictory and is a flawed argument, because it is impossible for the Creator to be created.

Al-Teebi said: Rather he enjoined seeking refuge with Allaah and distracting oneself with something else; he did not tell us to ponder and look for evidence, because the knowledge that Allaah does not need a creator is a basic fact that is not open to debate, and because getting carried away in thinking about that will only make a person more confused. If a person is in such a state, he has no option except to turn to Allaah and seek His protection.

The hadeeth also implies criticism of asking too much about that which does not concern one and that which one has no need to ask about. It is also one of the signs of Prophethood, namely his foretelling something that was going to happen and then it happened. End quote.

As the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined putting an end to such whispers and not indulging in them, then the believer, if he is overwhelmed by any such thing, and if the accursed enemy instills such a thing in his heart, then he will regard this waswaas as something serious that has befallen him.

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: Some of the companions of the Prophet (S) came and asked him: We find in ourselves something that is too awful for any of us to speak of it. He said: “Do you really find that?” They said: Yes. He said: “That is clear faith.” Narrated by Muslim (132).

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: What this means is: the fact that you think of this waswaas as something terrible is a clear sign of faith, for if you dare not utter it and you are so afraid of it and of speaking of it, let alone believing it, this is the sign of one who has achieved perfect faith and who is free of doubt

O slave of Allaah, the man of dignity who has some standing among people would refrain from lying and would hate lies to be attributed to him. The story of Abu Sufyaan with Heraclius concerning this matter is well known, so how about if this noble and dignified man is a believer? For lying is incompatible with faith.  

How about if one imagines the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) telling lies when he is the truthful one? This is an idea that would make the skin crawl and the hair stand on end.  

It seems most likely that there are two reasons why the Shaytaan has gained control over you:

1-    You have turned away from focusing on remembrance (dhikr) of the Most Merciful, studying His verses and what it says in His Book of His most beautiful names and sublime attributes, and acknowledging His greatness, majesty, beauty and perfection that are mentioned in His Book and in the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

2-    Perhaps it is a punishment from Allaah because of the first reason, which is your keeping company with the devils among men, who have been supported by the devils among the jinn and helped by them against you.  

Those companions were not necessarily friends of yours who come and go with you, rather that may have been via the internet as idle curiosity may have led you to go to some atheist and anti-religion chat rooms, where one of them stated his specious argument and it settled in your heart and led to the problem that you are now suffering. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And whosoever turns away blindly from the remembrance of the Most Gracious (Allaah) (i.e. this Qur’aan and worship of Allaah), We appoint for him Shaytaan (Satan ‑ devil) to be a Qareen (a companion) to him.

37. And verily, they (Satans / devils) hinder them from the path (of Allaah), but they think that they are guided aright!

38. Till, when (such a one) comes to Us, he says [to his Qareen (Satan/devil companion)] ‘Would that between me and you were the distance of the two easts (or the east and west’  __a worst (type of) companion (indeed)!

39. It will profit you not this Day (O you who turn away from Allaah’s remembrance and His worship) as you did wrong, (and) that you will be sharers (you and your Qareen) in the punishment”

[al-Zukhruf 43:36]

 Set your heart straight and turn to your Lord, and acknowledge Him as He has told you in His Book. Turn to His Book and read it and ponder it, and keep your tongue busy with remembrance of Him (dhikr), for that will protect you:

“I command you to remember Allaah, for the likeness of that is that of a man who enemy comes after him, until he comes to a strong fortress where he protects himself from him. Similarly, a person cannot protect himself against the Shaytaan except by remembering Allaah.”  Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2863) and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.

And Allaah knows best.

Answer of one who has become Muslim to the question “Why did you become Muslim”?

One of the guys at work was asking me why I became Muslim and I told him it is the path I must follow. I dont know sometimes what I should say, for me it is the path I must follow. What can I say to someone; I dont want to push what I believe, so how should I answer someone if ask, what is the right way to answer the questions? Sometimes I feel I dont give the right answers... Any clues what i can say ?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

We ask Allaah to accept your Islam and to make you steadfast in adhering to the truth, and to guide you to that which He loves and which pleases Him.

You should understand that you have followed the right path, and that Islam is the religion of sound human nature (al-fitrah), the religion of security and happiness. This is felt by everyone who belongs to this great religion, but it is felt most by those who were drowning in the darkness of ignorance, misguidance and disbelief. The one who utters the Shahaadatayn feels something in his heart that cannot be described to anyone, hence most of them are overcome with tears of joy and happiness. Undoubtedly Allaah has given Islam a flavour and has given faith sweetness. This is what is stated in the texts of our religion. This flavour and sweetness is tasted by everyone who believes in Allaah as his Lord, Islam as his religion, and Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as his Prophet.

Secondly:

The one whom Allaah honours by bringing him into Islam may have reasons for entering it that no one else has, and he may see aspects in it that no one else sees. That is because of the greatness of this religion, and the many aspects of good that there are in it, and the fact that it is suitable for all classes of people, in all environments and all cultures. Hence a person who enters this great religion may mention reasons for doing so that no one else usually mentions, but all of them are correct answers that speak of their reality and the reality of Islam itself. You can read some of these answers and benefit from them. We would like you to tell us your own feelings and the reason why you entered this religion, because it tells us about your situation and you are best able to express that.

There is no reason why we should not mention some of the reasons why other people have become Muslim; there may be something in common between you and them.

1.

A Bedouin was asked: Why did you become Muslim? He said: I have never seen any word or deed that reason regards as good or sound human nature (al-fitrah) indicates is right but Islam encourages it and enjoins it and the Lord of Glory permits it. And I have never seen anything that reason sees as bad and sound human nature indicates is wrong, but Allaah prohibits it and forbids it to His slaves.

2.

Robert Dixon, the head of the American Lawyers’ Association, said: My answer to the one who asks me why I became Muslim is: Islam is the religion of monotheism, happiness, peace of mind and dignified living, if I adhere to it and apply its teachings. It is the religion of divine justice.

3.

Muhammad Asad, the Austrian politician and author, said: It was not any particular teaching that attracted me, but the whole wonderful, inexplicably coherent structure of moral teaching and practical life programme.  

4.

Sylvie Fawzy, a French lady who became Muslim, said: In Islam I found a way of life that answers all questions and organizes man’s life in a way that benefits him and is suited to his nature, with regard to his clothing, his food, his work, his marriage, his choices in life, and his relationship with others. So it comes as no surprise that the one who adheres to Islam feels content and secure, which in my opinion are the most important factors in life.

5.

Umm ‘Abd al-Malik, an American Muslim woman, said: I was amazed by the way in which Islam raised the status of parents.

6.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:  An Indian philosopher studied the history of all religions, and he conducted an independent, fair-minded study. He studied Christianity at length, because of the power, influence and prominence in the arts and industry of the nations that claim to be Christian. Then he examined Islam, and realized that it is the true religion, and he became Muslim, and he wrote a book in English called “Why I became Muslim,” in which he described what he saw as the advantages of Islam over other religions, one of the most important of which was: Islam is the only religion that has a true, preserved history. The one who follows it knows that this is the religion that was brought by Muhammad ibn ‘Abd-Allaah, the unlettered Arab Prophet who is buried in Madeenah al-Munawwarah in Arabia. He was astonished that Europe would allow itself to follow a religion which raised the one after whom it is named from the status of a human being and made him into a god, when they know little of his history. The origin of these four Gospels is not proven, and their dates and authors are not known for sure. They only mention a few events of the history of Christ which happened – as they say – within a few days, and they do not mention anything much about this man’s upbringing, education, childhood or youth. But Allaah decrees what He wills.  

Fataawa al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem (1/48).

7.

Yusuf Khattab – a convert from Judaism to Islam – said, when he was asked why he had become Muslim: Because Islam is the religion of monotheism. I read a great deal about it and finally I was convinced that it is the way to Paradise.

There are many words, which may be summed up as saying that Islam is the religion of sound human nature (al-fitrah), security, happiness, wise rulings, and lofty morals. Whoever compares Islam with other, distorted religions or human systems and laws will clearly see the difference, and that there is no room for comparison at all.

8.

Mary Watson – an American woman with three academic degrees, one of which is in theology – describes the moment when the light of faith shone into her heart: I felt one night, as I was lying in my bed about to fall asleep, that something strange had settled in my heart. I sat up and said: O Lord, I believe in You alone, and I uttered the Shahaadah, and after that I felt peace and tranquillity envelop my entire body. Praise be to Allaah for Islam; I have never regretted that day which I consider to be the day of my birth.

End quote.

We advise you to read the book Islam and the World:
The Rise and Decline of Muslims and its Effect on Mankind, by Shaykh Abul Hasan al-Nadvi and Islam at the Crossroads and The Road to Makkah by Prof. Muhammad Asad. All three books are available in English.  

We also advise you to read true stories of people who have been guided to the Straight Path and have submitted to Allaah. These stories explain how they were guided and what their first steps towards Islam were. You will find them by following this link:

http://www.themwl.com/AlDaawa/default.aspx?ct=1&cid=7&l=AR

We ask Allaah to make you steadfast in adhering to the truth and to help you to acquire beneficial knowledge and to do righteous deeds.

And Allaah is the Source of strength.

Evidence that Allaah is exalted high above His creation and that He is above the heavens

Some people say that Allah is above the heavens (according to one of the ayahs of the quran), and may scholars say that Allah exists without a place, since only the creation has the characteristic of needing a place and We know the ayah "Laysa-ka-mislly-he-shay" - (proving allah does not resemble his creation), is he everywhere, existing without a place, or above the heavens?

Praise be to Allaah,

The people of Sunnah and Jamaa’ah (Ahl al-Sunnah) believe that Allaah is exalted above His creation because of the evidence of the Qur’aan, Sunnah, consensus of the scholars, common sense and man’s innate instinct (fitrah).

(1) The Qur’aan describes the "exaltedness" or "highness" of Allaah in different ways, as His being High and Above, and by describing how things come down from Him, and go up to Him, and by stating that He is above heaven. For example (interpretations of the meaning):

(Highness):
". . .and He is the Most High, the Most Great." [al-Baqarah 2:255]

"Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High." [al-A’la 87:1]

(Above):
"And He is the Irresistible, above His slaves . . ." [al-An’aam 6:18]

"They fear their Lord above them, and they do what they are commanded." [al-Nahl 16:50]

(Things coming down from Him):

"He arranges (every) affair from the heavens to the earth . . ." [al-Sajdah 32:5]

"Verily We: it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e., the Qur’aan). . ." [al-Hijr 15:9]

(Things going up to Him):

". . . To Him ascend (all) the goodly words, and the righteous deeds exalt it . . ." [Faatir 35:10]

"The angels and the Rooh (Jibreel) ascend to Him . . ." [al-Ma’aarij 70:4]

(Allaah is above heaven):

"Do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven, will not cause the earth to sink with you . . .?" [al-Mulk 67:16]

(2) The Sunnah: many reports were narrated "mutawaatir" (i.e. with a large number of narrators at every stage of the isnaad, such that it is impossible for them all to have agreed on a lie) from the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him), describing his words and deeds and things of which he approved. For example, he used to say "Subhaana Rabbi al-A’laa (Glory be to my Lord Most High)" in sujood, and in some ahaadeeth he is reported to have said "By Allaah Who is above the Throne."

Among his deeds is the gesture of pointing up with his finger, when addressing the people in the greatest gathering, on the Day of ‘Arafaah during his Farewell Pilgrimage. He asked the people, "Have I not conveyed the message?" and they said, "Yes!" He asked again, "Have I not conveyed the message?" and they said, "yes!". He asked a third time, have I not conveyed the message?" and they said "Yes!" Each time, he said: "O Allaah, bear witness!" - pointing up to the sky and then at the people. He also used to raise his hands towards heaven when he made du’aa’, as it reported in tens of ahaadeeth. This is proof via his actions that Allaah is exalted and high.

An example of an approval of the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) which indicates that Allaah is exalted and high is the hadeeth concerning the young slave girl, to whom the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: "Where is Allaah?" She said: "In heaven" He asked, "Who am I?" She said, "The Messenger of Allaah." So he said to her master: "Set her free, for she is a believer."

This young girl was uneducated, as many are, and she was a slave, but she knew that her Lord is above heaven. Some misguided people deny that Allaah is above heaven, and say, "He is neither above nor below; neither to the right nor to the left. He is everywhere!"

(3) The consensus of the scholars: the salaf agreed that Allaah is above heaven, as is reported by scholars such as al-Dhahabi, may Allaah have mercy on him, in his book Al-‘Aluw li’l-‘Aliy al-Ghaffaar.

(4) Common sense: highness is a quality which is associated in people’s minds with perfection. If this is the case, then it should be attributed to Allaah because every absolute perfection should be attributed to Him.

(5) The innate instinct of man (fitrah). There should be no dispute that man instinctively knows that Allaah is above heaven. Whenever something overwhelming befalls a person, and he turns to Allaah for help, he looks towards heaven, not in any other direction. But it is strange that those who deny that Allaah is above His creation still raise their hands in supplication to no other direction than towards heaven.

Even Pharaoh, the enemy of Allaah who disputed with Moosaa about his Lord, told his minister Haamaan (interpretation of the meaning): "O Haamaan! Build me a tower that I may arrive at the ways, - the ways of the heavens, and I may look upon the god of Moosaa . . ." [Ghaafir 40:36-37]

He knew in his heart of hearts that Allaah is real, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): "And they belied them (those aayaat) wrongfully and arrogantly, though their own selves were convinced thereof . . ." [al-Naml 27:14]

These are a few of the indications that Allaah is above the heavens; this proof comes from the Qur’aan, the Sunnah, the consensus of the scholars, common sense, man’s own instincts and even the words of the kuffaar.

We ask Allaah to guide us towards the Truth.

Allaah is above His Throne and He is close to us by His Knowledge

Quran says "Angels and Gabriel ascents to Allah in a day equivalent to 5000 terrestrial years. Does it imply that Allah is controlling the earthly matters sitting on the throne? Then how can be Allah nearer to us than the veins?

Praise be to Allaah.

It is proven in the Qur’aan and Sunnah and by the consensus (ijmaa’) of the salaf (early generations) of this ummah that Allaah is above His heavens on His Throne, and that He is the Exalted, Most High. He is Above all things, and there is nothing that is above Him. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  

“Allaah it is He Who has created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them in six Days. Then He  rose over (Istawaa) the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). You (mankind) have none, besides Him, as a Wali (protector or helper) or an intercessor. Will you not then remember (or receive admonition)?”

[al-Sajdah 32:4]  

“Surely, your Lord is Allaah Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and then rose over (Istawaa) the Throne (really in a manner that suits His Majesty), disposing the affair of all things [Yoonus 10:3]

 “To Him ascend (all) the goodly words, and the righteous deeds exalt it (i.e. the goodly words are not accepted by Allaah unless and until they are followed by good deeds) [Faatir 35:10]

 “He is the First (nothing is before Him) and the Last (nothing is after Him), the Most High (nothing is above Him) and the Most Near (nothing is nearer than Him) [al-Hadeed 57:3]

 The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “You are the Most High and there is nothing above You…”

 There are many similar ayaat and ahaadeeth. But at the same time, Allaah tells us that He is with His slaves wherever they are:

 “Have you not seen that Allaah knows whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth? There is no Najwa (secret counsel) of three but He is their fourth (with His Knowledge, while He Himself is over the Throne, over the seventh heaven), — nor of five but He is their sixth (with His Knowledge), — nor of less than that or more but He is with them (with His Knowledge) wheresoever they may be” [al-Mujaadilah 58:7]

 Allaah has combined mention of His being above His Throne with mention of His being with His slaves in one aayah, where He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and then rose over (Istawaa) the Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). He knows what goes into the earth and what comes forth from it, and what descends from the heaven and what ascends thereto. And He is with you (by His Knowledge) wheresoever you may be [al-Hadeed 57:4]  

Saying that Allaah is with us does not mean that He is mixed with (or dwells in) His creation; rather He is with His slaves by His knowledge. He is above His Throne and nothing is hidden from Him of what they do. With regard to the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein (by Our Knowledge)” [Qaaf 50:16]

- most of the mufassireen said that what is meant is that He is near by means of His angels whose task it is to record people’s deeds. And those who said that it means that He is near explained it as meaning that He is near by His knowledge, as is said concerning how He is with us.

 This is the view of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, who affirm that Allaah is above His creation and that He is also with His slaves, and they state that He is far above dwelling in His created beings. With regard to the denial of all Divine attributes as voiced by the Jahamiyyah and their followers, they deny that His Essence is above His creatures and that He rose above His Throne, and they say that He is present in His Essence everywhere. We ask Allaah to guide the Muslims.

The mercy of Allaah towards His slaves

How merciful is Allah, because i heard he loves you more than 70 mothers. Is that true? please explain?.

Praise be to Allaah.  

Allaah is the Most Merciful, Most Compassionate, and He is the most Merciful of those who show mercy. His Mercy encompasses all things. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“and My Mercy embraces all things”

[al-A’raaf 7:156]

In Saheeh Muslim it is narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has one hundred parts of mercy, of which He sent down one between the jinn, mankind, the animals and the insects, by means of which they are compassionate and merciful to one another, and by means of which wild animals are kind to their offspring. And Allaah has kept back ninety-nine parts of mercy with which to be merciful to His slaves of the Day of Resurrection.”

Muslim, al-Tawbah, 6908.

It was narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab said: “Some prisoners were brought to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and there was a woman among the prisoners who was searching (for her child). When she found her child she embraced him and put him to her breast. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to us, ‘Do you think that this woman would throw her child in the fire?’ We said, ‘No, by Allaah, not if she is able not to.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Allaah is more merciful to His slaves than this woman is to her child.’”  

Agreed upon. Al-Bukhaari, 5653; Muslim, 6912.

One aspect of the mercy of Allaah to His slaves is that He sent the Messengers and revealed the Books and laws to organize their lives according to the ways of wisdom, far removed from hardship and difficulty. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And We have sent you (O Muhammad) not but as a mercy for the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists)”

[al-Anbiya’ 21:107]

The mercy of Allaah is what will admit His believing slaves to Paradise on the Day of Resurrection. No one will ever enter Paradise because of his deeds alone, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No one’s deeds will ever admit him to Paradise.” They said, “Not even you, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “No, not even me, unless Allaah shower me with His Mercy. So try to be near to perfection. And no one should wish for death; he is either doing good so he will do more of that, or he is doing wrong so he may repent.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5349; Muslim, 7042

So the believer must remain in a state between hoping for the mercy of Allaah and fearing His punishment, for Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Declare (O Muhammad) unto My slaves, that truly, I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful.

 And that My Torment is indeed the most painful torment”

[al-Hijr 15:49-50]

With regard to your saying that Allaah loves us more than seventy mothers, Allaah knows best concerning that. It is sufficient for us to know that the mercy of Allaah encompasses all things. O Allaah, have mercy upon us, O Most merciful of those who show mercy.

Should she tell her husband about her previous relationships?

I am a young woman who has received a proposal for marriage from a man who has all the qualities that a Muslim girl could hope for in her life partner, praise be to Allaah. I accepted and the nikaah (marriage contract) was done a short time ago. I do not see anything but good in this young man, but the problem is that before he proposed to me, he asked my friend about me, and she told him that a long time ago I had a relationship with another young man, but the relationship ended and I repented to Allaah. I only found out that she had told him about that a short while ago, and I bear witness that I have repented to Allaah and come back to my senses, and I stopped speaking to that man. But I got upset when she told me about that and I shouted at her, but she told me that it was her duty to tell him, because it is the matter of a lasting relationship and I have to be frank with him about that. My question is, do I have to tell him frankly if he asks me? Or should I conceal it? I am afraid that this past will destroy my life.

Praise be to Allaah.

Your friend made a mistake by telling the one who came to propose marriage to you about your previous relationship from which you have repented. What she did is not good and is not in accordance with sharee’ah, nor is it wise.  The Muslim is enjoined to conceal his brother’s faults if he sees him committing sin in secret, so how about a sin from which the person has repented?! 

What she did is not naseehah (sincerity or sincere advice) which is enjoined by sharee’ah on the one who is asked about a person with a view to marriage because that has to do with what he knows of the characteristics that are present at the time of asking, and it is not permissible for anyone to mention a bad past from which the person has repented. 

What we understand from your words is that your friend told your husband  of your previous relationship before he proposed to you. This indicates that he has forgiven you for that because he knows that you have repented and become righteous. 

He did right by doing so, for there is no one who does not make some mistakes, but if he repents from them, he cannot be blamed or punished. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The one who repents from sin is like one who did not sin at all.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 4250; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah. 

What you should do is avoid bringing this subject up with your husband, but if he brings it up you should tell him that it was a passing relationship and one of the tricks of the Shaytaan, but you regret it, and Allaah has guided you and enabled you to repent. 

Do not worry about this past so long as you have indeed repented and become righteous. Ask Allaah for strength and guidance and to accept your repentance.  

“And verily, I am indeed forgiving to him who repents, believes (in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does righteous good deeds, and then remains constant in doing them (till his death)”

[Ta-Ha 20:82] 

Allaah says: “Every son of Adam is prone to err, and the best of those who err are those who repent.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2499; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. 

We ask Allaah to bless you and bring you both together in goodness.  

And Allaah is the Source of Strength.

Ruling on suicide and on offering the funeral prayer and praying for one who has committed suicide

I have a cousin (the daughter of my maternal aunt) who died, and it seems most likely that she committed suicide. What is the ruling on one who commits suicide? What is his position before his Lord? What can her parents do to reduce her punishment?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Suicide is a major sin. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated that the one who commits suicide will be punished with something like that with which he killed himself. 

Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever throws himself down from a mountain and kills himself will be in the Fire of Hell, throwing himself down therein for ever and ever. Whoever takes poison and kills himself, his poison will be in his hand and he will be sipping it in the Fire of Hell for ever and ever. Whoever kills himself with a piece of iron, that piece of iron will be in his hand and he will be stabbing himself in the stomach with it in the Fire of Hell, for ever and ever.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5442; Muslim, 109. 

It was narrated from Thaabit ibn al-Dahhaak (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever kills himself with something in this world will be punished with it on the Day of Resurrection.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5700; Muslim, 110. 

It was narrated that Jundub ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Among those who came before you there was a man who was wounded and he panicked, so he took a knife and cut his hand with it, and the blood did not stop flowing until he died. Allaah said: ‘My slave hastened to bring about his demise; I have forbidden Paradise to him.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3276; Muslim, 113. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) refrained from offering the funeral prayer for one who had committed suicide, as a punishment to him and so as to deter others from doing what he had done. But he gave the people permission to offer the funeral prayer for him, so it is Sunnah for the people of knowledge and virtue not to offer the funeral prayer for one who has committed suicide, following the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). 

It was narrated that Jaabir ibn Samurah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: A man who had killed himself with a broad arrow-head was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he did not offer the funeral prayer for him. Narrated by Muslim, 978. 

This hadeeth is evidence for those who say that the funeral prayer should not be offered for one who killed himself because of his sin. This is the view of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez and al-Awzaa’i. But al-Hasan, al-Nakha’i, Qataadah, Maalik, Abu Haneefah, al-Shaafa’i and the majority of scholars said that the funeral prayer should be offered for him. They responded to this hadeeth by pointing out that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not offer the funeral prayer for him himself so as to deter the people from doing something similar, but the Sahaabah offered the funeral prayer for him. End quote. 

Sharh Muslim, 7/47 

This does not mean – if it is proven that your cousin did commit suicide – that you should not pray for mercy and forgiveness for her, rather you must do that because she needs that. Suicide is not kufr that puts a person beyond the pale of Islam as some people think, rather it is a major sin that is subject to the will of Allaah on the Day of Resurrection: if He wills, He will forgive it, and if He wills He will punish for it. So do not neglect to make du’aa’ for her and be sincere in doing so; perhaps that may be the means of Allaah forgiving her.  

And Allaah knows best.

Enthusiasm when one first repents, followed by slackening off

When a person repents, he makes a vigorous start and says, “The Shaytaan is telling me to slow down,” so he does more acts of worship. Then his enthusiasm cools down, and he says, “Allaah does not burden any person beyond his scope,” and his acts of worship become less until he goes back to the way he was.
 My question: What advice can you give? Should he make a vigorous start, or take a gradual approach until it is established and then add more after a while, or should he follow the saying, “When your wind blows, then make the most of it”?.

Praise be to Allaah.

The blessing of guidance and repentance is one of the greatest blessings that Allaah can bestow upon the Muslim, whereby he changes himself for the better in ways that will bring him closer to Allaah, may He be exalted. Usually the person who has repented starts to do acts of worship in an enthusiastic manner, seeking thereby to make up for what he missed out on during the time that he spent in sin and misguidance. 

This is something natural that happens to everyone who is sincere in his repentance. This was mentioned by our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who also described the cooling off and reduction of enthusiasm that comes after that. This is also something natural, but the danger in the case of one who has repented is that this loss of enthusiasm may lead to him going back to the way he was. Hence it is essential to pay attention to this matter. If the one who repents finds his enthusiasm waning, he must adopt a moderate approach and adhere to the Sunnah so that he can preserve his capital, then he can start again with energy and strength, because starting from the middle is better than starting from zero. 

It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every deed has a period of enthusiasm, and every period of enthusiasm is followed by a slackening off. If a person’s enthusiasm is for my Sunnah, then he has succeeded, but whoever chooses something else when he slackens off is doomed.”

Narrated by Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh (1/187); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 56. 

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every deed has a period of enthusiasm, and every period of enthusiasm is followed by a slackening off. If a person is moderate and avoids extremes, then you may have hope for him, but if fingers are pointed at him, then do not count him as anything.”

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2453; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 57. 

Al-Mubaarakfoori (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

“Every deed has a period of enthusiasm” means, enthusiasm and energy for doing a thing, whether it is for good or evil. 

“and every period of enthusiasm is followed by a slackening off” means, one becomes tired, weak and lethargic 

“If a person is moderate and avoids extremes” means, if he controls his enthusiasm and avoids the extremes of excess and negligence when his enthusiasm wanes. 

“then you may have hope for him” means, there is the hope that he will succeed, for he can continue to adhere to something moderate, and the most beloved of deeds to Allaah are those which are done consistently. 

“but if fingers are pointed at him” means, he is striving hard in order to become famous for his worship and asceticism, so that he will be famous and people will point at him. 

“then do not count him as anything” means, do not think of him as special or regard him as one of the righteous, for he is showing off. He did not say, “Do not have any hope for him,” because he has already fallen and he cannot catch up with what he has missed. 

Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi, 7/126 

In order for the Muslim to avoid either extreme, he must be moderate and not go to extremes in doing acts of worship and obedience lest he get bored and give it up, and he should not refrain from doing them out of laziness and carelessness lest he gets used to that and never goes back to worship. Both attitudes are wrong, but the one who follows a middle path is following the right path, and whoever follows the right path will attain that which Allaah loves and is pleased with. 

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No one of you will be saved by his deeds.” They said: Not even you, O Messenger of Allaah? He said: “Not even me, unless Allaah bestows mercy upon me. So do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and worship Allaah in the forenoon and in the afternoon and during a part of the night, and always adopt a moderate course whereby you will reach your target (Paradise).”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6098 

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:  

“So do good deeds” means, strive to do what is right. 

“moderately” means, do not go to extremes in worship, lest you become tired and give up, and thus fall short. 

This hadeeth indicates that we are encouraged to be gentle and moderate in worship; the words used liken worship to walking at various times of day and night, with the aim of reaching one's abode, namely Paradise. 

“Always adopt a moderate course” means adhere to the middle way. The literal translation would be, “Moderation, moderation”; the word is repeated for emphasis. 

Fath al-Baari, 11/297 

Conclusion: We invite you to ponder the ahaadeeth quoted above and think about what they mean. Remember that the one who repents should be grateful, and the best way of showing gratitude is to persist in repentance, which means persisting in worship. Remember that “The dearest of actions to Allaah is that which is done regularly, even if it is small.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim. So do not start in an overenthusiastic way and then stop completely; rather be moderate in worship. This is something that it is possible for you to do. Whenever you feel more energetic, then focus on obeying and worshipping Allaah, and whenever you feel tired than go back to the moderate way. We ask Allaah to make things easy for you, and to guide you to the best of words, deeds and attitudes. 

And Allaah knows best.

Should she cut off ties with her family who are trying to lead her astray and are opposed to her becoming righteous?

I am married -Alhamdulillah- I live with my husband abiding by Allah’s path. My family is not religious; they even fight us for our adherence to Islam (including my niqab and our obvious way of life). They overstepped that by interfering in the details of my life, and they want me to obey them in everything. Because I refuse their orders that are contrary to Allah’s command, they increase their enmity to me, especially my mother. I do not see them but as a factor destroying my religion, righteousness, and even my marriage life. It nearly led us to divorce, but Allah saved us from that. I am far from them now. I do not visit them or keep the family relations with them, to protect my religion and save my family. My mother claims that I have cut the ‘womb’ relation with them by doing that. Am I sinful?
Knowing that being with them forces me to hear what displeases Allah, this may sometimes be cursing Allah, the religion, the companions and all the aspects of religion and righteousness. Note that I have tried so many times to guide them but they never listened.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: 

Verily to Allaah we belong and unto Him is our return. By Allaah, it fills the heart with sorrow to hear that there is such severe suffering and pain in Muslim families for the one who wants to adhere to his religion and straight path. We have often heard of Muslim men and women who suffer because of their Christian or idol-worshipping families, but for a Muslim woman to suffer because of her family who claim to be Muslims and to flee from her so-called Muslim family for the sake of her religious commitment is something that is very sad. 

We ask Allaah to make you and your husband steadfast in adhering to Islam and true guidance, and to make you strong in adhering to the truth, and to make you righteous and bless you with righteous offspring. 

Muslim narrated in his Saheeh (145) that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Islam began as something strange and will revert to being something strange, so glad tidings to the strangers.” If the people regard you as strange because of your religious commitment, then glad tidings to you. If the Muslim sees that he is a stranger because of his Islam, even among his family, then this is glad tidings for him that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) conveyed to him: “Glad tidings to the strangers.” 

There can be no doubt that reviling the Lord and Islam, as done by your mother and other family members, is major kufr that puts a person beyond the pale of Islam and dooms them to Hell for eternity, if the one who did that dies without coming back to Islam. 

Hence your duty towards those among your family who have fallen into such sins is to call them to refrain from this kufr and tell them that they must come back to Islam, and they should understand their situation and the Islamic ruling on their case, which is that they are apostates whose good deeds have been cancelled out. 

You should realize that the fact that your mother has fallen into kufr does not mean that you should sever your relationship with her, rather you should be more concerned about it lest she die in this state. 

You have to honour her and treat her kindly even if she is a kaafir and, moreover, even if she calls you to kufr and strives hard to do that, as our Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And We have enjoined on man to be good and dutiful to his parents; but if they strive to make you join with Me (in worship) anything (as a partner) of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not”

[al-‘Ankaboot 29:8] 

“But if they (both) strive with you to make you join in worship with Me others that of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not; but behave with them in the world kindly”

[Luqmaan 31:15]. 

It was narrated that Asma’ bint Abi Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: My mother came to me when she was a mushrik. I consulted the Messenger of Allaah (S) and said: O Messenger of Allaah (S), my mother has come to me and she is expecting (something), should I uphold the ties of kinship with my mother? He said: “Yes, uphold the ties of kinship with your mother.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2620) and Muslim (1003). 

But this honouring and showing kindness does not mean that you have to mix with them in their homes and get involved in their lives where they commit sins and revile Allaah and His Messenger and His Religion, unless your presence will put a stop to this kufr and these sins. But if they will are ongoing and there is the possibility that you may be affected by what you hear, then it is haraam for you to stay in that gathering with them. If they repeat that every time you visit, then there is nothing wrong with you not visiting them, and that is not being disobedient to them, rather it is a shar’i obligation. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And it has already been revealed to you in the Book (this Qur’aan) that when you hear the Verses of Allaah being denied and mocked at, then sit not with them, until they engage in a talk other than that; (but if you stayed with them) certainly in that case you would be like them”

[al-Nisa’ 4:140] 

Do not pay any attention to your family’s forsaking you because of your and your husband’s commitment to the rulings of sharee’ah on clothing and other matters, because this is one of the tricks of the shaytaan. 

The scholars of the Standing Committee said, concerning a similar issue: 

Obeying one's parents is required in that which is good and proper, but if they tell you to commit sin, then there is no obedience to them, because it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Obedience is only in that which is good and proper.” So adhere to your hijab and try to convince them and explain the rulings to them, and do not pay any attention to their threats. Seek the help of Allaah, may He be glorified, in that, then seek the help of good people among your relatives who can advise them, in the hope that Allaah may benefit them thereby. End quote. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Ifta’ (1/541) 

It is strange that your mother has fallen into kufr, evil and sin, then we see her showing concern about your disobedience to her, and accuses you thereof. This contradiction is indicative of ignorance of sharee’ah and a lack of concern about its rulings. 

To sum up: The Muslim woman is obliged to treat her family and parents well, and to do her utmost to advise them with goodness, wisdom and beautiful preaching. She should regard the period when she cuts off ties with them – for the sake of her religious commitment – as a temporary remedy, and if she feels that her family have made some change for the better, she should hasten to resume ties with them and guide them towards that which is good. 

Do not forget to pray for your mother and your family, asking Allaah to guide them and bring them back to their true religion before it is too late. 

And Allaah knows best.

His mother treated him badly after he got married

One year ago I got married to my neighbour and Allaah knows that the girl whom I married is of good character, well mannered and respectable. She came to live with my family in the same apartment. There are five young men in my family and a girl who is 17 years old. Since I got married, my mother has started to change completely. She has started to insult me and swear at me in front of my wife and in front of my siblings. I am the oldest of my siblings and she insults me for the silliest reasons. If I try to speak to my brothers she comes and creates a reason to insult me. She has thrown me out of the house a number of times. I do not know why this change has come over my dear mother, despite the fact that I am not stingy towards them in any way. I am not of the type that prefers his wife over his family, but my mother is very irritable. I hope that you can explain things to me because I am not able to rent an apartment as my salary is barely sufficient. I hope that you can advise me, may Allaah bless you.

Praise be to Allaah.

We ask Allaah to help you to honour your mother and treat her kindly, to set her straight and to reconcile between you and help you both to obey Him and please Him. 

What you are suffering may be caused by feelings of jealousy on your mother’s part, or because she feels that she has lost you after you got married and someone else has taken possession of you. Some mothers have these feelings when their sons get married, but they are inappropriate feelings and she should strive to rid herself of them. 

You should try to help her to go back to the way she was before. You can do this in several ways: 

1-     Strive to treat her kindly, by honouring her, taking care of her and making her feel that you still care about her as you did before and are still keen to respond to her wishes.

2-     Avoid praising your wife or paying her attention in front of your mother, but still give your wife her rights to good treatment and respect, doing that out of your mother’s sight, until your mother’s situation  improves and things go back to normal.

3-     Encourage your wife to get close to your mother, by speaking to her, taking care of her, giving her gifts and so on.

4-     Be patient with her insults, swearing and throwing you out, for you are commanded to honour her, and it is not permissible for you to respond to her bad treatment in kind. If you bear that with patience, then you will find a way out, for good consequences are for those who are patient, and support comes with patience, and with hardship comes ease. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allaah orders the faithful believers to be patient at the time of anger, and to excuse those who treat them badly) then verily he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend” [Fussilat 41:34].  Every time she mistreats you, you should hasten to be kind, honour her and treat her well. That guarantees that the negative feelings in her heart will go away, in sha Allaah.

5-     Pray for her, that Allaah will guide her aright and set the situation straight. She is the person who most deserves your du’aa’s and kind treatment. No matter what you do, you can never repay her for her kindness and previous good treatment.

6-     Strive to be a good example to your siblings, so that they may learn from you the best way of dealing with this problem which may happen to them too after they get married. Be an example of patience, good treatment and respect. Beware of letting the shaytaan gradually make you scorn her or be rude to her or rebuke her, for you will never find any good in such things. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour” [al-Isra 17:23].

7-     You should discuss the problem with one of your siblings, for perhaps there are other aspects of the problem that you are not aware of, or you have done something that has made your mother angry without realizing it. Finding out the reason will make it easier for you to deal with the problem. 

We ask Allaah to guide us and you. 

And Allaah knows best.

He wants the names of books that deal with solving social problems

I would like to specialize in the field of solving social problems – on the basis of the Qur’aan and Sunnah, of course – what are the books that I should study?.

Praise be to Allaah.

There are many social problems, some of which have to do with husbands, wives, youth, girls, women and the family in general. 

Our brother has done well to ask about books that deal with solving these problems in accordance with the Qur’aan and Sunnah, because there is no better way of solving them than relying on the Revelation of Allaah Who created mankind and knows what is best for them, so He has guided them to it and warned them against what is harmful for them. 

Books which deal with solving all kinds of problems include the following: 

1-      Athar Tatbeeq il-Sharee’ah il-Islaamiyyah fi Hall il-Mushkilaat il-Ijtimaa’iyyah by Ibraaheem ibn Mubaarak al-Juwayr

2-      Usrah bila Mashaakil by Maazin ‘Abd al-Kareem al-Furayh

3-      Athar al-Tarbiyah al-Islamiyyah fi Amn il-Mujtama’ il-Islami by ‘Abd-Allaah Qaadiri al-Ahdal

4-      Waajibaat al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah fi Daw’ il-Kitaabi wa’l-Sunnah by Shaykh Khaalid a-‘Akk

5-      Min Akhta’ al-Zawjaat by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraheem al-Hamad

6-      Tarbiyat al-Abna’ wa’l-Banaat fi Daw’ il-Kitaabi wa’l-Sunnah by Shaykh Khaalid al-‘Akk

7-      Al-Taqseer fi Tarbiyat il-Awlaad, al-Mazaahir, Subul al-Wiqaayah, al-‘Ilaaj, by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraheem al-Hamad.

8-      ‘Ilaaj al-Humoom by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-Munajjid (this book is available in English in the Books section of this site under the title Alhomoom – Dealing with Worries and Stress)

9-      Mushkilaat wa Hulool by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-Munajjid (this book is available in English in the Books section of this site under the title Problems and Solutions)

10- Arba’oona Naseehah li Islaah al-Buyoot by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-Munajjid (this book is available in English in the Books section of this site under the title The Muslim Home – 40 recommendations)

11- Khamsoon Haalah Nafsiyyah by Dr. Muhammad al-Sagheer.

He found out that his wife was having a relationship with a man, then she repented. Should he divorce her?

I am from a conservative family, Allah has blessed me by *marrying a righteous woman from a religious family. My wife’s father is active in da’wah and a social reformer. All his sons and daughters have fully or partially memorized the Quran.
The problem: my wife has changed a lot recently, and I have discovered that she has a relationship with some person. Was initially just through the telephone, then they met several times. Since I knew about this relationship, she is unwell in bed, regretful, and in a very bad state. She swore by Allah to me while we are in the sacred mosque that it was just talking and that she did not commit adultery with him. She also said that she wanted to leave him but he threatened her. She is very regretful now. The reasons behind what she did were:
1- I do not talk a lot to my wife, and I do not fulfill her emotionally by praising her or other things.
2- I was recently looking for a home for my family which made me busy.
3- I allowed her to continuously visit some of her relatives who are bad women affected her and they were who dragged her to this dirty lake.
4- I committed some great sins before and after marriage, and I think this is my punishment from Allah (the sins I committed were adultery and much much greater sins).
5- My wife’s mood has been abnormal most of the time lately; she feels things she hasn’t before. Now I testify in front of Allah that I have repented for my sins. And as for my wife, she is in pain and regretful, she does not believe what she did, knowing that we have children.
The question: 
What shall I do now?
1- Shall I divorce her although I am sure she repented? Can her repentance be accepted?
2- Shall I keep her with our children (the secret of my pain), or leave her and exchange her by another wife?
3- Shall I forgive her and supplicate to Allah to cool my heart of the sadness and the grief?
4- If I do that will be considered one of who the prophet (PBUH) described as dayouth (shameless)?
Our home is breaking down. All due to our sins. But I testify in front of Allah that I repented as well as she did.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: 

We congratulate you both for repenting from the sins that you committed, which is by the grace of Allaah to you both. Allaah calls all His believing slaves to repent, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And all of you beg Allaah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful”

[al-Noor 24:31]. 

You should realize that Allaah rejoices at the repentance of His slave. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah rejoices more over the repentance of His slave when he repents to Him than one of you who was on his mount in the wilderness, then he lost it, and his food and drink are on it, and he despairs of finding it. He goes to a tree and lies down in its shade, having lost hope of finding his mount, and whilst he is like that, there it is standing in front of him, so he takes hold of its reins and says, because of his intense joy, ‘O Allaah, You are my slave and I am your lord,’ making this mistake because of his intense joy.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5950) and Muslim (2747).  

You should realize that Allaah has promised to turn bad deeds into good deeds. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):  

“Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Furqaan 25:68-70] 

But this depends on the repentance being sincere. The conditions thereof are:

 1.     Giving up the sin

2.     Regretting what one has done

3.     Resolving not to go back to it. 

Secondly: 

Undoubtedly what your wife did is a bad thing, but now she has repented from it, so we hope that because of her repentance she will go back to the way she was before, or become even better.

We cannot be certain that it is better for you to stay with her, but we say to you: 

If you think that her repentance is sincere, and that she deeply regrets what she did, and that she has changed for the better, and her sin will not had any negative effect such as making you doubt her and hate her, then what we think is that you should keep her, so as to maintain her repentance and protect your children from being lost. 

We hope that her case is like this, and that you will keep her in kindness, and that what she has done will not affect you, especially since you say that you also committed sins and immoral actions before Allaah enabled you to repent.  

Undoubtedly your falling short with regard to her rights played a major role in your wife’s turning against you and falling into sin, even though it does not justify what she did. You have to watch yourself and fulfil the rights that Allaah has enjoined you to give to your wife and children. 

One of her rights over you is that you should help her to repent sincerely and guide her towards good and warn her against evil. It is not permissible for you to allow her to visit those who play a role in corrupting her and leading her astray, even if they are the closest of people to you. You are a shepherd and the head of your household, and Allaah will ask you about your flock and whether you neglected them or did the duties that Allaah enjoined upon you. 

What we think is that you should conceal her sin and appreciate her repentance and stay with her. It is not diyaathah (cuckoldry) to keep her after she has repented, rather diyaathah is keeping her when she has not repented and is persisting in having haraam relationships, which is what we hope she has repented from sincerely. 

And Allaah knows best.

Delay of marriage and its connection to al-qada’ wa’l-qadar

Does the delay of a girl’s marriage have anything to do with al-qada’ wa’l-qadar (the divine will and decree)? I am a girl who fears Allaah and I pray, but marriage has been delayed for me. Very few men have proposed marriage to me and all of them have faults, mostly in the area of religious commitment. I am asking: does the delay in marriage have any connection to the will and decree of Allaah or is it that I have committed a sin and Allaah is angry with me, although I fear Allaah greatly and Allaah has given me a share of beauty? I want to put my mind at rest by asking you.

Praise be to Allaah.

The Qur’aan and saheeh Sunnah, and the consensus of the early generations of this ummah, indicate that it is obligatory to believe in al-qadar (the divine decree), both good and bad, and that this is one of the six basic principles of faith without which a person’s faith is incomplete. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but it is inscribed in the Book of Decrees (Al‑Lawh Al‑Mahfooz) before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allaah”

[al-Hadeed 57:22] 

“Verily, We have created all things with Qadar (Divine Preordainments of all things before their creation as written in the Book of Decrees - Al‑Lawh Al‑Mahfooz)”

[al-Qamar 54:49] 

It was narrated from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, defining faith: “It is to believe in Allaah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day and to believe in the divine decree, both good and bad.” Narrated by Muslim, 8. 

Everything that happens in the universe happens only by the decree of Allaah, so the one who believes in al-qadar must believe that Allaah knew all things before they happened, then He wrote that in al-Lawh al-Mahfooz (the Book of Decrees), then He willed that they should be, then He created them. These are the four well-known stages of al-qadar, and there is evidence for each of these stages, as has already been explained in detail in the answer to question no. 49004. 

Marriage and whether it comes sooner or later, or is easy or difficult, is all subject to the decree of Allaah. This does not mean that the Muslim should not avail himself of the means that Allaah has decreed as the steps leading to it, and applying the means does not contradict the idea that a thing has been decreed from eternity. Man does not know what has been decreed for him, but he is enjoined to apply the means. 

The calamities that Allaah decrees for a person are good for the believer if he bears them with patience and seeks reward for that, and does not panic, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “How marvelous is the affair of the believer, for all his affairs are good, and that does not apply to anyone except the believer. If something good happens to him he gives thanks for it and that is good for him. If something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience and that is good for him.” Narrated by Muslim, 2999. 

These calamities may be a punishment for sin, but that is not necessarily the case. They may come in order to raise the believer in status and increase his reward if he is patient and content… or there may be other great reasons behind it. 

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: 

If a person is tested with sickness or a calamity that strikes him or his wealth, how can he know whether that is a test or is a sign of the wrath of Allaah? 

He replied: 

Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, tests His slaves with good things and bad, with hardship and with ease. He may test them in order to raise them in status and to increase their reward, as He did with the Prophets and Messengers (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon them) and the righteous slaves of Allaah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The people who are most severely tested are the Prophets, then the next best and the next best.” Sometimes Allaah does that because of sins, so the punishment is hastened, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much”

[al-Shoora 42:30] 

Usually people fall short and fail to fulfil their duties, so whatever befalls them is because of their sins and shortcomings in obeying the commands of Allaah. If one of the righteous slaves of Allaah is tested with sickness and the like, this is akin to the testing of the Prophets and Messengers which raises them in status and increases their reward, so that they may be examples to others of patience and seeking reward. 

Conclusion: it may be a test in order to raise a person in status and increase his reward, as Allaah does with the Prophets and some of the elite, or it may be an expiation for sins, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“whosoever works evil, will have the recompense thereof”

[al-Nisa’ 4:123] 

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No tiredness, exhaustion, worry, grief, distress or harm befalls a believer in this world, not even a thorn that pricks him, but Allaah expiates some of his sins thereby.” 

And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When Allaah wills good for a person, He afflicts him (with calamity so that he may earn reward by bearing it with patience).” 

That may also be a punishment that has been hastened because of sins and a failure to hasten to repent, as stated in the hadeeth in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When Allaah wills good for a person, He hastens his punishment in this world, and when He wills bad for a person, He withholds the (punishment) for his sins from him until he comes to Him with that sin on the Day of Resurrection.” Narrated and classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi. End quote. 

Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat, 4/370 

As you refused to marry those who came and proposed to you, for the sake of Allaah and because they are not adhering to Islam, Allaah will compensate you with something better than them. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty).

3. And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine”

[al-Talaaq 65:2-3] 

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “You will never give up a thing for the sake of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, but Allaah will compensate you with something that is better for you than that.” Narrated by Imam Ahmad; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Hijaab al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah, 47. 

You should turn to Allaah with du’aa’ and acts of worship, and do not despair. Remember that the mercy of Allaah is close to those who do good.

 And Allaah knows best.