I have been invited for a dinner to my brother`s house for his son`s birthday.
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
brother in islam assalamo aleikum
could
you please clarify the questions in detail
can a
jinn see and touch a human being?
are
the jinns capable of hurting human beings?
i have
been invited for a dinner to my brother`s house for his son`s birthday. is it
against islam for me to go? since all the relatives will be gathered to
celebrate and if i donot go there will be problems in the family as my sister
in law will make a big issue. in that case what should i do? pls. help and
guide me.
is it
gunah to keep t.v at home?
can a
muslim english medium school celebrate golden jubilee? while celebrating they
can cut the cake? it is compulsory for all the teachers to attend the function,
is it sin for a muslim teacher to participate for this programme?
pls.
reply me at your earliest.
thanking
you in anticipation
a
sister
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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:
Attend birthday
party
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: can a
jinn see and touch a human being?
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah
Aaraaf verse 27:
27 O ye children of Adam! Let
not the Shaytaan seduce you in the same manner as he got your parents (Adam and
Hawwa) out of the garden stripping them of their raiment to expose their shame:
for he (the Shaytaan) and his tribe watch you from a position where ye
cannot see them: We made the evil ones friends (only) to those without
faith.
In light of the above absolutely clear guidance of the
Holy Quran, it is absolutely evident that the Jinns can see human beings, but
the human beings cannot see them.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah
Baqarah verse 275:
275 Those who devour riba will not stand except as stands one whom
the Shaytaan by his touch hath driven to madness. That is because they say: "Trade is
like usury but Allah hath permitted trade and forbidden usury. Those who after receiving direction from
their Lord desist shall be pardoned for the past; their case is for Allah (to
judge); but those who repeat (the offence) are companions of the fire: they
will abide therein (for ever).
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.641 Narrated by Said bin Al Musaiyab
Abu Huraira said, "I heard Allah's Messenger
(saws) saying, 'There is none born among the off-spring of Adam (except Prophet
Jesus (a.s.)), but the Shaytaan touches it. A child therefore,
cries loudly at the time of birth because of the touch of the Shaytaan
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.255 Narrated by Ali bin Al Husain from
Safiya
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “… The Shaytaan
circulates in the body of Adam's offspring as his blood circulates in it!"
The vast majority of the good scholars and commentators
are of the opinion that the above mentioned ‘touch’ relates to Shaytaan’s
influence or whisperings on the human heart and mind, and not a physical touch
whereby a Jinn can pull, push, hurt, or benefit a human being by his physical
touch. And Allah Alone Knows Best.
Your Question: are
the jinns capable of hurting human beings?
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 114 Surah
An-Naas verses 4-6:
4 (Say: I seek refuge in
Allah ) from the mischief of the whisperer (of evil) who withdraws
(after his whisper)
5 (The same) who whispers into the hearts
of mankind
6 Among Jinns, and among men.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 14 Surah
Ibraheem verse 22:
22 And the Shaytaan (on the Day of Judgment) will say when the matter
is decided: "It was Allah Who gave you a promise of Truth: I too promised,
but I failed in my promise to you. I
had no authority over you except to call you, but ye listened to me: then
reproach not me but reproach your own souls.
I cannot listen to your cries nor can ye listen to mine. I reject your former act in associating me
with Allah. For wrongdoers there must
be a Grievous Penalty."
In light of the above absolutely clear guidance of the
Quran, the absolute maximum the Jinn has the power to do is to whisper some
evil into the hearts of men, and inspire man to transgress the boundaries of
Allah and commit some evil! They have
absolutely no power to help or hurt any human being, and they absolutely do not
possess the power to physically hurt or possess a human being. Thus one who sincerely believes in Allah
should keep their absolute and full trust and belief in none save the Lord Most
High, and know with total conviction that Absolute and Complete Power and
Strength is with none save their Lord, Allah Subhanah, the Lord of everything
that exists.
If one fears any mischief from the evil Jinns, all one
needs to do is follow the example of the Prophet (saws) and recite the Muawidaat
or the 113th Surah Al-Falaq and 114th Surah An-Naas and
reaffirm their seeking refuge in the Lord Most High from the mischief of the
Shayaateen; it is expected that the Lord Most High will protect them from any
and all mischief of the Shaytaan.
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 4563 Narrated by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri
Allah's Messenger (saws) used to seek refuge
in Allah from the Jinn and the ‘evil eye’ in men till the Mu'awwidhatan (113th
Surah Al-Falaq and 114th Surah An-Naas) were revealed, after which
he made use of them and abandoned everything else.
Once one has sought refuge with Allah Subhanah, they
should keep their absolute trust and belief in the Power and Strength of their
Lord Alone, and need not fear any harm approaching them from any jinn, or
magic, or evil eye, or any other quarter of the unseen! Allah Subhanah Alone suffices as one’s
Protector and Helper.
Your Question: i
have been invited for a dinner to my brother`s house for his son`s birthday. is
it against islam for me to go? since all the relatives will be gathered to
celebrate and if i donot go there will be problems in the family as my sister
in law will make a big issue. in that case what should i do? pls. help and
guide me.
If one celebrates
or commemorates the Prophet’s birthday with innovated religious rites or
rituals, believing that their celebration or commemoration is pleasing and
acceptable to Allah….then indeed it would constitute a ‘bida’ or innovation in
the pure and perfect deen of Islam.
Beloved sister in Islam, celebrating one’s or someone’s
birthday has more to do with imitating a pagan culture, than following or
observing a ‘bida’ or innovation in the deen of Islam.
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.780 Narrated by Nafi
Ibn Umar reported that the Prophet (saws)
said, "Do the opposite of what the pagans do!”
Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4020 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar
The Prophet (saws) said: ‘He who copies any
people is one of them.’
Every people have a culture and Islam too has its own
culture; and celebrating or commemorating one’s birthday or anniversary with a
feast or a party cannot be considered a part of Islamic culture. Islam guides towards the notion that every
single day one is blessed to be alive is a day of celebration and a cause to be
grateful and thankful to the Lord Creator for his innumerable blessings and
favors. Besides, Islam has nominated
its own special days of joyous commemoration and celebration, namely the two
blessed days of Eid (Fitr and Adha) and every Friday of the week.
If one celebrates one’s birthday or anniversary with a
feast or a party amongst loved ones, cuts a cake, lights candles, sings the
nominated song ‘Happy Birthday to you…..’, gives presents, etc.; one cannot say
with conviction that this rite or ritual has a religious connotation…..but
without an iota of a doubt, this rite and ritual of celebrating birthdays
and/or anniversaries is an imitation of the unbelievers; and it definitely does
not behove and befit a believer who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last
Day to imitate the pagans or their rituals in any matter whatsoever!
Beloved Sister, it would be best, purest, and closer to
piety and righteousness if you abstain from attending the birthday party. To make sure your brother and his wife
understands your position, it would be prudent to call or visit them a couple
of days before the party and explain with absolute humility, wisdom and
politeness why you are unable to attend their birthday party; if you explain
with humility, politeness and wisdom, it is expected that your brother and his
wife will appreciate your honesty and piety and will not only excuse you from
attending it, but maybe you might be able to instill the fear of Allah into
their hearts and they stop celebrating birthdays in the future.
Beloved sister, in any case, a believer who sincerely
fears and believes in Allah and the Last Day does not and should not willingly
disobey Allah and His Messenger (saws) only to please fellow human beings!
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 3696 Narrated by An-Nawwas ibn Sam'an
Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "A
creature is not to be obeyed when it involves disobedience to the
Creator."
Your Question: is it gunah to
keep t.v at home?
Beloved sister in Islam, the television was obviously not invented at the time of the Revelation of the Quran, and thus obviously the Quran and the Sunnah are silent on the particular subject. Thus the scholars in Islam have the responsibility of forming an opinion on such issues in light of the guidance of the Quran and Sunnah.
Allah Says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 24 Surah Noor verses 30-31:
30 Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard
their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: and Allah is well
acquainted with all that they do.
31 And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and
guard their modesty.
Allah Says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verse 33:
Say: ‘The
things that my Lord hath indeed forbidden are: shameful deeds whether open or
secret; sins and trespasses
against truth or reason; assigning of
partners to Allah for which he hath given no authority; and saying things about Allah of which ye
have no knowledge.’
There are basically three
opinions amongst people regarding television:
- Some people take one extreme and declare it
absolutely forbidden and impermissible to watch any television.
- Some people take the other extreme and watch
everything that comes on television.
- And some people take the medium route, and
watch only the good and educational programs on television, and abstain from the shameful and
indecent programs which you have so rightly pointed out.
Beloved sister in Islam, in our
humble opinion, the television if put
to good use is a great invention and must be used effectively by the Ummah to
propagate the Truth of Al-Islam, or
used to watch good scientific or educational programs, or news programs, etc. There are many Islamic Channels on television
like the Iqra Channel, or Saudi Channel
2, or Peace TV by Dr. Zakir Naik, etc. which are extremely good and wholesome
channels, and at times they invite some
of the best scholars of our times on their programs to give their views and
sermons. There is absolutely no harm
in watching these channels on television which have absolutely no ‘fahisha’, or
indecency, or songs, or dances, etc.
But if indeed, one watches the
regular channels which are nothing but a door-way to ‘fahisha’, and indecency,
and songs, and dances, and other evils; then indeed being a witness to and
watching these programs would be considered a sin in the Sight of Allah
Subhanah.
It is not that an instrument
like the television, or computers, or internet, or cd-players, or books, or
magazines, etc. itself which are evil or unlawful; it is how one uses and
utilizes that product which would determine whether its usage is a virtue or a
sin.
Your Question: can a
muslim english medium school celebrate golden jubilee? while celebrating they
can cut the cake? it is compulsory for all the teachers to attend the function,
is it sin for a muslim teacher to participate for this programme?
Celebrating a silver or golden jubilee of a school or an
institution is no different from and are simply a manifestation of the
celebration of birthdays and anniversaries; and it would be best for the
believers to abstain from such gatherings.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to
Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only
Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
Wister