Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear Burhan,

How I believe that what you say is 100% correct. You have not acquired

knowledge of Islam neither Fatemin. I do not agree with your views.

Regards

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

How can I be sure what you are preaching is true?

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: How I believe that what you say is 100% correct.

My beloved brother in Islam, there is no bigger Truth in this Universe than what has been Declared by the One Who Created this Universe in The Glorious Quran! And we always base our answers from the Revelations of the Glorious Quran and the authentic traditions of the Messenger of Allah (saws). Neither is there a third source of guidance, nor is one needed to follow the Straight Path of Islam.

We swear by the One in Whose Hands Alone is our soul, our only intention in starting this forum is to declare the teachings and guidance of Allah and His Messenger (saws) to all who care to listen to good caution. We ask for no reward from our brothers and sisters, nor do we seek to gain absolutely anything for our humble efforts; except the Pleasure and Good Will of our Lord and Creator.

Beloved brother in Islam, we fail to understand why is it that whenever something is declared by Allah and His Messenger (saws), people start to challenge its authenticity? But these same people, who are foremost in challenging the Commands and Guidance of Allah and His Messenger (saws), never ever challenge the system they have been following since their birth, or the system they found their forefathers following?

You are obviously referring to our answer no. 1945 regarding the iddah of the believing widow?

Let me pose a few simple questions:

• Where in the Quran and Sunnah does it say that a widow of a deceased believing man has to ever repeat her ‘iddah’ if she intentionally or unintentionally happens to sees a small non-mehram boy or a non-mehram male? (as practiced in the Bohra sect!)

• Where in the Quran and Sunnah does it say that a widow in iddah must wear only white clothes? (as practiced in the Bohra sect!)

• Where in the Quran and Sunnah does it say that a woman in iddah cannot look at herself in the mirror? (as practiced in the Bohra sect!)

• Where in the Quran and Sunnah does it say that a widow in iddah cannot leave her home in an emergency or to fulfill her absolute basic needs? (as practiced in the Bohra sect!)

• Where in the Quran and Sunnah does it say that the iddah period starts after 3 days of her husband’s death (as practiced in the Bohra sect!)

• Where in the Quran and Sunnah does it say that the heirs of the deceased have to pay an exorbitant amount called the ‘haqq-un-nafs’ to the Syedna, for the deceased to enter Paradise? (as practiced in the Bohra sect!)

• Where in the Quran and Sunnah does it say that the heirs have to give a feast on the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 9^th, 10^th, 30^th, 40^th, etc. days after the death of the deceased? (as practiced in the Bohra sect!)

I can go on and on and on…asking my Bohra brethren to justify these evil innovations and self-invented rituals which they are following for generations, without a shred of evidence or proof from the Quran and Sunnah!!!

Have they ever bothered to ask the Syedna if these evil innovations and throttling self-invented rituals are from the Quran and Sunnah?

The same people who stand with their hands folded in obedience to every command of the Syedna; the same people who bow down in sajdah in the direction of the Syedna; the same people who constantly kiss the feet and shoes of the Syedna; the same people who dare not even ask if what he says is from the Quran and Sunnah…….are always the foremost in challenging any Direct and Clear Command of Allah and His Messenger (saws)!!!!

My beloved brother in Islam, have you ever wondered why?

It is because these poor souls have been trained since childhood to obey only, and I repeat only, what is told to them by the Syedna; and disregard and deny everything else….even if Allah and His Messenger (saws) have guided otherwise!

It is because, and this is not a new phenomina, that these people are content in following the ways of their forefathers; regardless of what is the guidance and teachings of Allah and His Messenger (saws)!

My beloved brother in Islam, this is precisely the characteristics of the disbelievers, deniers, and the rejecters of the Revelations of Allah Subhanah did in the generations of times gone by; as described by Allah Subhanah in the Glorious Quran.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 170-171:When it is said to them, “Follow the Commands that Allah has sent down”, they reply, “We will follow only what we found our forefathers practising.” Well, will they go on following their forefathers even though they did not use common sense and did not find the Right Way! The mental condition of those who rejected the way of Allah may be likened to that of the cattle whom the shepherd calls but they hear nothing except the sound of shouts and cries. They are deaf, they are dumb, they are blind; therefore they do not understand anything.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Al Aaraf verse172-173:This We did lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, “We were unaware of this thing.” Or lest you should say, “Our forefathers started the practice of ‘shirk’ before us and we were born after them to their descendants. Do You, then, punish us for the sin that was committed by the wrong-doers?” Behold, this is how We make Our Signs clear, so that these people may return to Us.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 21 Surah Anbiyaa verse 52-54:Recall to mind the occasion when Ibrahim said to his father and his people, “What are these images to which you are so devoted?” They replied, “We found our forefathers worshipping them.” Ibrahim said, “You have gone astray and so had your forefathers manifestly deviated from the Right Way.”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 26 Surah Shuaraa verse 69-82:And tell them the story of Ibrahim, when he asked his father and his people: “What are these things that you worship?” They answered, “These are idols which we worship and we serve them devotedly.” Ibrahim asked, “Do they hear you when you call on them? Or do they bring any good or harm to you?” They replied, “No, but we have found our elders doing the same.” At this, Ibrahim said, “Have you ever seen with open eyes the things which you and your elders have been worshipping? They are all enemies to me, except the One Lord of the Worlds, Who created me, then He it is Who guides me, Who gives me food and drink, and Who gives me health when I am ill, Who will cause me to die and then will give me life again, and of Whom I expect that He will forgive me my errors on the Day of Judgment.”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 31 Surah Luqman verse 21:And when it is said to them, “Follow what Allah has sent down”, they say, “We shall only follow that upon which we found our forefathers.” What! Will they still be following them even if Shaitaan had been calling them to the raging Fire?

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 34 Surah Saba verse 43:When Our clear Revelations are recited to these people, they say, “This person only wants to turn you away from those deities whom your forefathers have been worshipping.”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 43 Surah Zukhruf verse 22-25:Nay! But they say, “We found our forefathers on a way and we are only walking in their footsteps.” Even so, whenever before you We sent a warner to a habitation, its people of means said, “We have found our forefathers on a way and we are only following in their footsteps.” Every Prophet asked them, “Will you still go on following the same old way even if I guide you to a more right way than that you found your forefathers following?” They replied, “We disbelieve the religion with which you have been sent.” Consequently, We took vengeance on them. Just consider what was the end of those who denied.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 12 Surah Yusuf verses 39-40:(Yusuf said), “O my fellow prisoners, say, which is better: various lords or the One Omnipotent Allah? The lords whom you worship other than Allah are nothing more than mere names that you and your forefathers have invented; for Allah has sent down absolutely no authority for them. Sovereignty belongs to none but Allah. He has commanded that you shall not worship anyone but Him. This is the Right and Straight Way, but most people do not know this”.

Man might think that he has gained a lot of knowledge and prospered much since the days when the Quran was being revealed; but the mentality of the people engrossed in ‘shirk’ and ‘bida’ will never change until they read and understand the Glorious Quran, even if only once! Far Exalted and High is Allah Subhanah above everything else that they associate with Him!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraat verse 157:(So, now mercy has been assigned to those) who follow this Messenger, the Gentile Prophet, whose mention they shall find in the Torah and the Gospel with them. He enjoins them to do good and forbids them from evil; he makes pure things lawful for them and impure things unlawful; he relieves them of their burdens and frees them from the shackles (of rites and rituals) that bound them. For this reason, those alone who believe in him, support him, succour him, and follow the Light that has been sent down with him shall attain true ‘success’.

Had only these people who are foremost in challenging the clear guidance and teachings of Allah and His Messenger (saws) read the Glorious Quran with understanding, even only once, they would have been Rightly Guided!

My beloved brother in Islam, Allah is our witness, and He Alone suffices as a witness; that we have absolutely no reason or motive to lie or ascribe to Allah Subhanah and His Noble Messenger (saws) something which they have not declared! Our only intention is to declare the Truth from what is related from Allah and His Messenger (saws); it is upto the individual to accept it or deny it!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imran verse 31-32:O Prophet, tell the people, “If you sincerely love Allah, follow me. Then Allah will love you and forgive you your sins, for He is All Forgiving, All Merciful.” Also say to them, “Obey Allah and His Messenger.” And if, in spite of this, they do not accept your invitation, warn them that Allah does not love those, who refuse to obey Him and His Messenger.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verse 29:Proclaim, “This (Quran) is the Truth from your Lord: now whosoever wills may accept it, and whosoever wills may reject it.” (As for those who reject it) We have prepared for such workers of iniquity a fire whose flames have encircled them. There, if they ask for water , they will be given a drink like the dregs of oil, which will burn their mouths! What an evil drink, and what an evil abode!

Your Question: You have not acquired knowledge of Islam neither Fatemin.

I humbly challenge you to give me an Aayah from the Quran which states that one must have knowledge of the ‘fatemin’ to understand the Quran and Sunnah!

Beloved brother in Islam, Allah Subhanah has not made any such pre-conditions for one to accept and follow His Approved Deen of Al-Islam; and when Allah Subhanah and His Messenger (saws) have not declared any such pre-conditions, it does not behove a believer, who sincerely fears Allah and the Last Day, to invent his own pre-conditions!

Did you ask the one who told you that one must have the ‘ilm’ of the ‘fatemin’, whether his this pre-condition was endorsed by Allah and His Messenger (saws)??? Can you give me a shred of evidence from the Quran to support this claim?

Or by making such a claim that one must have the ‘ilm’ of the ‘fatemin’ to understand Islam, are you ascribing something to Allah Subhanah which the All-Mighty has never Decreed?

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verse 17:Who can be a greater sinner than the one who himself forges a lie and ascribes it to Allah, or falsifies His real Revelations? Indeed, the criminals can never attain true success.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 11 Surah Hud verses 18-24:And who can be more unjust than the one who ascribes false things to Allah? Such persons shall be brought before their Lord and the witnesses will say, “These are the people who ascribed false things to their Lord.” Beware! Allah’s curse rests upon the unjust people, who debar others from Allah’s Way, and seek to make it crooked, and who disbelieve in the Hereafter. They were unable to frustrate Allah on the earth, nor had they ‘auliyaas’ to defend them against Allah. Now they shall be given double chastisement for they would neither listen to others nor see the Truth for themselves. These are the people who brought about their own loss and all that they had invented vanished from them. No doubt they shall be the greatest losers in the Hereafter. As regards those who believed and did righteous deeds and dedicated themselves exclusively to their Lord, most surely they shall be dwellers of Paradise, and shall abide therein for ever. These two groups may be likened to two men, one of whom is blind and deaf, and the other can see and hear! Can they be alike and equal? Do you not ponder?

My beloved brother, we too lived a life of ignorance on the path of our forefathers, until the Merciful and Benevolent Lord guided us to understand the clear teachings and guidance of the Glorious Quran. All Praise is due to Allah Subhanah Alone Who has opened the breast of the believers to leave alone everything else, and submit, accept, obey and follow His Guidance and Teachings.

Allah says in Chapter 2, Surah Baqarah aayat 185:"Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was sent down: this Book is a Perfect Guidance for mankind and consists of CLEAR teachings which show the Right Way and are a Criterion of the Truth and falsehood."

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verses 125-126:So (the fact is that) whomever Allah wills to guide aright, He makes his breast wide open to Islam. And whomever He wills to let go astray, He makes his breast narrow and squeezes it so tight that (at the very idea of Islam) he begins to feel as if his soul were climbing up towards the sky. Thus Allah puts the wrath over those who do not believe, whereas this Way is the Straight Way of your Lord, and We have made its Signs quite clear for those who are open to advice.

Your Statement: I do not agree with your views.

Allah Subhanah has given mankind (and Jinn) two things which He has not bestowed upon any other amongst His Creation:

1. Intelligence and the Power of Reasoning
2. A Free Will to choose the Path he wishes to live his life.

Whoever, uses his intelligence and power of reasoning, and of his own free will, accepts, obeys, follows, and submits to the Path ordained by Allah Subhanah, will deserve His Mercy and Grace.

Whoever, of his own free will chooses to reject the clear guidance and teachings of Allah Subhanah, and rejects the Path ordained by Him; will deserve His Wrath and His Anger!

My beloved brother in Islam, you are absolutely within your rights as a human being to agree or disagree with what we say from the Quran and Sunnah. Our duty as your brothers and sisters in faith and humanity, is to declare the Truth from the Quran and Sunnah; it is upto the individual to accept it or deny it. And that is precisely the test Allah Subhanah has ordained for mankind in the life of this world.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verse 29:Proclaim, “This (Quran) is the Truth from your Lord: now whosoever wills may accept it, and whosoever wills may reject it.” (As for those who reject it) We have prepared for such workers of iniquity a fire whose flames have encircled them. There, if they ask for water , they will be given a drink like the dregs of oil, which will burn their mouths! What an evil drink, and what an evil abode!

My beloved brother in Islam, we humbly urge you to read the Message of Guidance revealed by the All-Merciful with understanding, even only once; and beseech and implore the Merciful Lord to guide you to the Truth.

Although we stand to gain nothing, we beseech you in the name of the Merciful Lord and as our beloved brother in faith; to take this one humble advice and read the Divine Message revealed by the All-Merciful for the guidance of mankind with understanding; and then make your decision whether to accept or reject it.

We swear by the One in Whose Hands is our souls, there is no better guidance in this Universe than the Book revealed by the One Who is All-Knowing, All-Wise: the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth and everything that exists in between: The Al-Quran!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 44 Surah Dukhan verse 58:We have made this Book easy in your own tongue so that they may ponder and take good counsel.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 89:We have sent down to you this Book, which makes everything plain, and is a guidance, blessing and good news to those who have surrendered themselves entirely.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verse 1-3:All praise is for Allah Alone, Who has sent down this Book to His Servant (Mohamed (saws), and assigned nothing crooked to it. This Book says everything directly, so that he may warn the people of the severe chastisement of Allah and give good news to the believers, who do righteous deeds, that they will have an excellent reward.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 99:We have sent down to you Revelations that clearly expound the Truth, and none but the disobedient reject them.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 43 Surah Zukhruf verses 43-44:So, hold fast to the Book that has been revealed to you, you are surely on the Siraat al Mustaqeem. The fact is that this Book is a great honor for you and your people, and soon you shall be CALLED TO ACCOUNT for it.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 157-158:Now that a clear proof, a Guidance and Blessing, has come to you from your Lord, who can be more unjust than the one who treats Our Revelations as false and turns away from them? We will inflict the severest torment on those who turn away from Our Revelations because of their aversion. Do the people now await that the angels should come down before them? Or that your Lord may Himself come down? Or that the manifest Signs of your Lord should appear?

May Allah Subhanah have Mercy on you and us, and guide you, us, and whoever is willing to listen to good caution to the Path that is Straight, Al-Siraat Al-Mustaqeem. Ameen.

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), he can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), he can be assured of being led astray.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah Hajj verse 78:Exert your utmost for the cause of Allah, as one should. He has chosen you for His service and has not laid on you any hardship in your deen. Therefore, be steadfast in the religion of your father, Abraham. Allah had called you ‘Muslims” before this, and has called you (by the same name) in this Quran also, so that the Messenger may be a witness in regard to you, and you may be witnesses in regard to the rest of mankind. Therefore, establish the ‘salaat’ and pay the ‘zakaat’, and hold fast to Allah. He (Allah) is your ‘MAULA’: what an excellent ‘MAULA’ and what an excellent Helper!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah Hajj verses 13:Then, instead of Allah, he invokes those who can do him neither harm nor good. This is the last extremity of deviation! He invokes those who are more likely to do him harm, than good! What an EVIL ‘MAULA’ he chooses, and what an evil companion.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan