Why is music haram?
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:
Why is music haram?
i am asking this question as a really confused teen about his religion..
1.the other day a friend of mine told me that Mohammed(pbuh) will consider me a
homosexual and an adulterer if i listen to or play music (i do not belive this
one bit bcus he had no quranic proof of it and even if it is true i belive i
should not bother with it as Allah is my judge and not Mohammed (pbuh) )
2. Nowadays since i decided to move closer to my religion and refrain from many
things alot of doubts have arisen in me.
I do understand that my life is one big test
and i am supposed to bow down to allah , but it seems like that THAT is all i
am here to do...just to be a slave and only listen to his order , and i am
constantly reading about ramifications that i will face in hell if i do not follow
his will (by saying this i am not forgetting the fact that i also know that he
is the most merciful and will forgive my sins if i ask him)..but since v r
given free will Y r v not entitled to atleast entertain ourselves in other ways
(alcohol is rong for a good logical reason, so is smoking and so are drugs) i
dont find music harmful to me at all ..and i have read in forums that instead i
should be reading the Quran and performing salah.
i have no doubts about the 5 prayers cus it makes me more disciplined , no
doubts about all other orders except this that i am not allowed to play
music..ok fine it might make me forget about everything else all around me..SO
what!!? if allah has said that he loves me 70 times more then my mother y can
he not entitle me to be able to play music...?????? correct me if im wrong but
the Quran doesnt tell muslims that all of us have to become aalims and imams
and hafiz`s ..it tells us to pray five times to allah,pay zakat,perform our
pilgrimage,fast in ramadan....so y is it that i should rather only pray the
quran and do ibadat at the times that i have to myself...of course it is not a
bad thing BUT it is not compulsory..personally it just seems wrong to me that
Allah has mentioned his creations and how magnificent they are in this world
and how v r to appreciate them in their natural form. How am i to appreciate
them if for every idle moment i have i am supposed to be praying or reciting
the hole Quran??
i do not appreciate the idea that v have been
put in this world ONLY to bow down to allah and that this test forbids us
to do many harmless things such as joking or sitting around wit our friends in
free time..at times i think why would a god put ppl wit free will in this world
(btw imperfect people) to only bow down to him and if they dont they suffer
throughout eternity, to me that seems a tad bit sinister (astaghfirullah i hope
Allah forgives me for saying that , im only looking for a logical answer . It
is my duty to ask questions)
3. Mohammed (pbuh) is our role model basically , he is the greatest muslim of
all time. i belive he was such a gr8 muslim only because he was shown heaven
..he was shown the reward of being a muslim. im sure if i saw heaven today i
would gladly forget everything and become a scholar of islam .
could some1 please clarify this satan instigated thought in me or more like
could some1 falsify my opinion.
4. i have read in many places and also thought
to myself at times....how can muslims be sure that Hadith are authentic and
intact??? most of our prohibitions come from hadtih. has the quran mentioned
the writings of hadith and how v r to strictly follow them?
Thank you for looking through my questions ..i am very sorry if they are not
very clear...i am very confused at this point of time and might have conveyed
and angry or aggresive tone in my writing and for that i apologise incase any
offence was taken.
(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:
Why Music Discouraged
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.
Why is music haram?
Beloved brother in Islam, if one takes ‘music’ to mean the
melodious sound of the Muazzin while calling to prayer, or the beautiful sound of the ‘Qari’ when he
recites the Holy Quran, or the musical
sound of the ‘daff’ (tambourine) that is played to celebrate one’s wedding, or
the tunes of chorus sung by the mujahideen, etc.; these are not only permitted,
these types of music are absolutely encouraged in Islam.
Thus, ‘music’ per say is not forbidden in Islam; what is indeed
forbidden in Islam is the illegal string music which is so rampant in movies,
television, radios, etc. which encourage ‘fahisha’ and indecency.
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 7.494B Narrated by Abu Amir
that he heard the Prophet (saws) saying, "From among my followers there
will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing
of silk, the drinking of alcoholic drinks,
and the use of musical instruments as lawful
(although it has been declared unlawful).”
If one looks around the society we live in today, one
would notice that conventional ‘music’ is related to almost every place that
encourages ‘fahisha’ or indecency; and it is this concept of ‘fahisha’ that
Allah has strictly declared haraam for the believers. The principle in Islam is that every road that leads to the
forbidden is also forbidden; and as illegal conventional ‘music’ is an
accomplice to and leads or encourages ‘fahisha’ and indecency, it too would be
considered forbidden.
Your Statement: i am
asking this question as a really confused teen about his religion..the other
day a friend of mine told me that Mohammed(pbuh) will consider me a homosexual
and an adulterer if i listen to or play music (i do not belive this one bit
bcus he had no quranic proof of it and even if it is true i belive i should not
bother with it as Allah is my judge and not Mohammed (pbuh) )
To the best of our knowledge, there is absolutely no
evidence in the Quran or Sunnah which declares or prescribes the precise
punishment for one who is ‘addicted’ to music; thus the brother who ‘dared’ to
declare the punishments either receives ‘inspiration’ (Wahi) from Allah
Subhanah, or knows more than the Messenger of Allah (saws), or has without
right invented them himself!!!
Allah is our witness, the last ‘wahi’ was revealed upon
the Last and Final Messenger of Allah, Mohamed ar-Rasool Allah (saws), and no
believer can claim that he knows more about the rewards and punishments of the
Hereafter than the Noble Messenger of Allah (saws)! Thus it is evident that the person who has ‘dared’ to prescribe
or declare the precise punishments has, without any right, invented them
himself!
Although ‘illegal’ music, without a doubt, is an
undesirable and absolutely discouraged act in Islam, you are absolutely right
in disbelieving the self-invented punishments described by your friend.
Your Question:
Nowadays since i decided to move closer to my religion and refrain from many
things alot of doubts have arisen in me.
Sahih Muslim Hadith 6473 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah
Allah's Messenger (saws) said that Allah thus
stated: ‘When My servant draws close to Me by the span of a palm, I draw close
to him by the space of a cubit; and when he draws close to Me by the space of a
cubit, I draw close to him by the space (covered) by two hands; and when he
draws close to Me by the space (covered) by two hands, I go in hurry towards
him!’
All Praise is due to Allah Who has guided you to move
closer to His Approved ‘Way of Life’ called Al-Islam. May Allah Subhanah increase your quest for knowledge, and bless
the path of Truth you have chosen for yourself. Ameen.
Your Statement: A
lot of doubts have arisen in me.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah
Nisaa verses 118-121:
118 Allah did curse him (the Shaytaan) but he said: "I will take of
Thy servants a portion marked off.
119 I will mislead them and I will create in them false desires;
I will order them to slit the ears of cattle and to deface the (fair) nature
created by Allah." Whoever
forsaking Allah takes the Shaytaan for a friend hath of a surety suffered a
loss that is manifest.
120 Shaytaan makes them promises and creates in them false desires;
but Shaytaan's promises are nothing but deception.
121 They (his dupes) will have their dwelling in Hell and from it they
will find no way of escape.
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.254 Narrated by Ali bin Al Husain
The Prophet (saws) said, "Shaytaan
circulates in the human being as blood circulates in the body!”
Beloved brother, the Shaytaan circulates in the human
being as blood circulates in the body, and his only desire and aim is to take
as many human beings as he can with him to the Hell Fire. False promises, deception, and doubts are
the weapons he uses to justify his evil attack on the hearts of mankind!
All Praise is due to Allah Subhanah Alone Who sent His
Messenger (saws) and His Book to guide the believers to the Path that leads to
the Mercy and Forgiveness of their Lord Creator.
Your Question: I do
understand that my life is one big test and i am supposed to bow down to allah
, but it seems like that THAT is all i am here to do...just to be a slave and
only listen to his order
Allah says in the Holy Quran in Chapter 67 Surah
Al Mulk verse 2:
He (Allah) created death and life that He may test
you, to see which of you is the best in deeds.
My dear and Beloved Brother in Islam, indeed this short
transitory life is no more than a test, to see who amongst mankind is grateful
and thus obedient to his Lord Who Created him, and who amongst them is
ungrateful and thus disobedient!
The Majestic Lord and Creator declares the ‘mission’ of
the creation of men (and Jinn) in this one simple far-reaching verse of His
Glorious Quran:
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 51 Surah
Dhariyat verse 56:
I have not created the jinn and men except
for this that they should worship Me
Alone.
Beloved brother, it is in the fair nature of the created
to be absolutely obedient to its creator!
Just as the car created by ‘Toyota’ is obedient to its creators, and the
phone created by ‘Nokia’ is obedient to its creators, and the computer program
created by ‘Microsoft’ is obedient to its creators; it is the nature of the
created he be obedient to its creator!
Can one imagine the chaos and disruption and anarchy when the created
becomes disobedient to the mission of its creator!
The difference between the creation of these material
things and human beings is that our Creator bestowed us with a ‘free will’ to
choose between obedience and disobedience as a test for a short, limited, and
transitory period of one life!
Whoever amongst man studies and ponders over the
innumerable wonders and Signs in the various creations of the Majestic Lord,
and uses his bestowed intelligence and power of reasoning to understand his
mission of creation, recognize His Supreme Lord and Creator, and of his own
‘free will’ chooses to submit his will to the Will of his Creator, and chooses
to live his life in accordance with the guidance of his Creator, passes the
test of life and is promised the Eternal Mercy, Grace, and Rewards of Allah
Subhanah.
And whoever amongst man uses his bestowed intelligence and
power of reasoning to do everything else but does not recognize or denies his
Supreme Creator, refuses to submit his will to the Will of His Creator, and of
his own ‘free will’ chooses to live his life in accordance with any guidance
other than that of His Supreme Creator, miserably fails the test of life and
will have a severe accounting in the Presence of His All-Mighty and Majestic
Lord on an Inevitable Day.
Your Statement: but
it seems like that THAT is all i am here to do...just to be a slave and only
listen to his order
Beloved Brother, if one ponders over the options of
obedience, he will have no more than three options:
- Listen
or be obedient to himself, and thus do whatever his heart desires!
- Listen
or be obedient to others amongst mankind!
- Or,
listen and be obedient to the One and Only Lord Who created everything in
existence, including him and the rest of mankind!
One might very well try listening to himself and derive
some ‘temporary’ pleasure; but society, where everyone is allowed to do what is
best for himself, will be turned into an absolute anarchy where might would be
right, and the strong would oppress the weak!
To save oneself from the ‘law of the jungle’ where might
alone is right, one might chose to be obedient to others in society, like
governments, legislators, man-made laws, etc.
Because the laws are man-made, they will always be prone to error, and
regardless of how hard man tries to be just to all parties, he will never be
able to do justice. A good example of
this would be any of the so-called ‘industrialized nations or even the
‘tried-and-now-dumped’ communist regimes!
Every method made by man will be a ‘trial-and-error’ process, and will
never result in mankind living in peace and harmony with each other!
Or finally, man can get rid of his arrogance, and submit
to the ‘laws’ created by the One Who Created him and everything that
exists! If one chooses to obey and
follow the Creator, not only has this Merciful Creator promised a life of peace
and harmony in the life of this world; but has solemnly promised an eternal
life of Bliss and Happiness in the everlasting never to end life of the
Hereafter!
If one studies the only three options available to him and
tries to decide which amongst them is the most superior option, intelligence
dictates that his best (and actually only) option is to follow the fair nature
of being created, and submit oneself to the Will of their Supreme and Majestic
Creator; if indeed he wishes peace and harmony with himself and his fellow
mankind!
Your Statement: and i am constantly reading about
ramifications that i will face in hell if i do not follow his will (by saying
this i am not forgetting the fact that i also know that he is the most merciful
and will forgive my sins if i ask him)..
Beloved Brother, even in the nature of this worldly life,
it is only obvious that one who is constantly engaged in breaking the laws of a
country, will be constantly concerned and bombarded with ramifications of the
punishments he will face if he intends to break the laws.
On the other hand, one who is constantly engaged in
obeying all the laws of the country, will be regarded as a good citizen of the
nation and will enjoy all the benefits of living in that country.
Similarly, if one is constantly engaged in breaking the
‘Laws’ of the Creator, he will and should be concerned with the ramifications
of the punishments the Majestic Creator has prescribed for those who transgress
His Laws! But if one is constantly
engaged in obeying the Laws of his Creator, he will remain content in the hope
of receiving the promised rewards he has accumulated with his deeds of
obedience on the Day when the results will be declared.
And my beloved brother, just as you have admitted to the
extent of the Lord’s Mercy, I humbly ask you to ponder and try to figure out a
person, or a household, or a society or even a country or nation where the
‘law’ is that no matter what you do, just ask for sincere forgiveness for any
evil you might have done, and you will be forgiven instantly!
But in the Realms of our Gracious and Bounteous Lord,
regardless of whatever one might have done in one’s past, if one turns to the
Creator and seeks sincere forgiveness, He has Promised to forgive the person
completely and instantly! And just for
those who think that forgiveness from sin is not enough mercy, He has promised
those who constantly fear Him and seek His Forgiveness, Eternal and Magnificent
Gardens of Bliss in the everlasting abode of the Hereafter! Our Lord is indeed the Most Merciful of all
those who show mercy!
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumur verses 53-54:
(O Prophet) say: “O My
servants who have wronged their own souls….Do not despair of Allah’s
Mercy! Surely, Allah forgives all sins. He indeed is the All Forgiving, All Merciful. Return to your Lord and submit to Him before the scourge
overtakes you; for then you may get no
help from anywhere.”
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imraan verse 135-136:
Allah likes such good
people very much, who, if ever they
commit a base deed or wrong their own soul by the commission of a sin, remember Allah instantly, and ask for forgiveness from Him for their
shortcomings. For who, but Allah, can
forgive sins? (And Allah loves those)
who do not knowingly persist in the wrongs they did. These will be rewarded with forgiveness from Allah, and with Gardens beneath which canals
flow, and they will reside therein forever! How excellent is the reward of those who do
good deeds!
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 54:
When those come to you
who believe in Our Signs, say:
"Peace be on you! Your Lord had
inscribed for Himself (the rule of) Mercy.
Verily if any of you did evil in ignorance, and thereafter repented and amended (his conduct), Lo! He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
Your Statement..but
since v r given free will Y r v not entitled to atleast entertain ourselves in
other ways (alcohol is rong for a good logical reason, so is smoking and so are
drugs) i dont find music harmful to me at all
Beloved brother, because the ‘Laws’ of the Creator are
based on His Absolute and Perfect Knowledge and Wisdom, each and everything He
permits is good for man; and each and everything He forbids will bring nothing
but ruin upon man!
Alhamdolillah, you yourself have admitted alcohol, smoking
and drugs are wrong and harmful to man!
But someone obviously thinks these things are ‘good’ enough for them to
make, manufacture, and market them! In
fact of the three things you listed, two of them are legal in most ‘modern’
societies, and there are legislators trying to make even ‘drugs’ a legal
substance in some nations!
Again, we go back to the three options available of who
should be obeyed? Oneself, society, or
The One Who Created? You personally
think alcohol, smoking and drugs are evil and wrong, but someone else thinks
they are fine; in fact, in almost all the ‘modern’ nations two of the three things
you think are evil and wrong are absolutely legal!!!
Your Question: i
dont find music harmful to me at all
Man, because of his ignorance and imperfection of
knowledge and wisdom, may pick and choose and even change one’s laws and likes
and dislikes with experience; but because the Laws of the Creator are based on
His Perfect and Absolute Knowledge, there is absolutely no chance of them ever
being wrong, mistaken, or changed with the wisdom of knowledge and experience.
Just as one who used to think the consumption of alcohol
was not harmful to him until he did a deed in his state of drunkenness; which
he regretted for the rest of his life; or just as one who thought smoking gave
him pleasure till he regretted ever picking up a cigarette when he was diagnosed
with lung cancer; it is possible that one day you might realize the harmful
effects ‘illegal’ music has had on you!
Beloved Brother, the Truth is that He Who created us
created our nature, and Knows for a surety what is good and what is harmful for
us! Allah is our witness, anything that
initiates the dislike and disapproval of Allah Subhanah cannot be good or a
mode of true relaxation. If one abstains from a forbidden thing only for the
sake and Pleasure of Allah Subhanah even if one dearly loves it and is
attracted to it, not only will he be safe from its evil in the life of this
world, it is expected he will get his due reward from the Merciful Lord.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale
Imraan verse 92:
You can never attain piety unless you give up
(or spend in the way of Allah) of what you love. Surely, Allah will have
full knowledge of what you give up (or spend).
Your Questions:..and
i have read in forums that instead i should be reading the Quran and performing
salah.
i have no doubts
about the 5 prayers cus it makes me more disciplined , no doubts about all
other orders except this that i am not allowed to play music..ok fine it might
make me forget about everything else all around me..SO what!!? if allah has
said that he loves me 70 times more then my mother y can he not entitle me to
be able to play music...??????
Beloved brother, let me relate and try to explain the
point through a worldly example. Lets
say you were giving a very important exam in your university, one that would
make or break your future, and you were given five hours to complete the
exam. A student who is serious about
his education and his future, would not even waste one minute of these five
hours, hoping that this investment of his five hours will benefit him for the
rest of his working and living life! But
one who was not serious about his results and his future and thinks five hours
is just too long for the exam, would take a coffee break, or even probably take
a nap, and take it easy for he really believes that he can pass with flying
colors if he gave a few minutes of concentration to the exam paper.
Beloved Brother, I ask you in all humility? Which amongst
the two students would you bet on passing the exam?
Similarly, our Lord has put us through the ‘exam’ of life
and Decreed a time limit for each of us, maybe 60 or 70 or even 100 years! The one who takes heed from the Message and
Warning of the Lord tries to invest as much time as he possibly can in giving
his exam, thereby keeping himself thoroughly engaged in doing deeds that will
enable him to get a successful result.
The one who is heedless, instead of investing his time in
doing deeds that will get him successful results tries to waste the stated time
in search of modes of ‘relaxation’! As
if ‘wasting’ time was not enough, the person tries to waste time in doing deeds
that will actually earn him negative points in his test!
Beloved Brother, I ask you in all humility? Which amongst
the two persons would you bet on being successful in their test of life?
Beloved Brother in Islam, Islam is a complete and full way
of the ‘approved’ conduct of life; and it absolutely allows relaxation; but one
must take heed and relax only in the manner and way which are permissible.
One may relax by exercising or playing a sport which will
improve one’s health; one may relax by meeting one’s loved ones, and family,
and friends; one may relax by taking one’s wife and children on a walk or a
drive, one may even relax listening to the recitation of the Glorious Quran,
etc.
Why does one have to choose a mode of relaxation which is
discouraged and disapproved and disliked by Allah and His Messenger (saws),
when so many modes of relaxation are approved and encouraged; unless of course
one has allowed one’s shaytaan to lead him towards false promises and desires.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah
Nisaa verse 120:
120 Shaytaan makes them promises and creates in them false desires;
but Shaytaan's promises are nothing but deception.
Your Question:
correct me if im wrong but the Quran doesnt tell muslims that all of us have to
become aalims and imams and hafiz`s ..it tells us to pray five times to
allah,pay zakat,perform our pilgrimage,fast in ramadan....so y is it that i
should rather only pray the quran and do ibadat at the times that i have to
myself...of course it is not a bad thing BUT it is not compulsory..personally
it just seems wrong to me that Allah has mentioned his creations and how
magnificent they are in this world and how v r to appreciate them in their
natural form. How am i to appreciate them if for every idle moment i have i am
supposed to be praying or reciting the hole Quran??
i do not appreciate
the idea that v have been put in this world ONLY to bow down to allah and that
this test forbids us to do many harmless things such as joking or sitting
around wit our friends in free time..at times i think why would a god put ppl
wit free will in this world (btw imperfect people) to only bow down to him and
if they dont they suffer throughout eternity, to me that seems a tad bit
sinister (astaghfirullah i hope Allah forgives me for saying that , im only
looking for a logical answer . It is my duty to ask questions)
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 51 Surah
Dhariyat verse 56:
I (Allah) have not created the jinn and men except
for this that they should worship Me (alone).
Dear and Beloved Brother, prayer, fasting, zakah,
pilgrimage, etc. are but the obligatory rituals which when done in with the
correct spirit and sincerity develop the ‘taqwa’ or God-consciousness that
inspires man to do good deeds, not only for his Creator but also for mankind in
general.
Islam is not a ‘path of rituals’ (which unfortunately it
has become in this ungodly world), but a perfect ‘way of life’ as ordained by
our All-Wise, All-Knowing Creator. It
is not as if one who fulfills the obligatory rituals is free to do whatever he
wills in the other aspects of his life!
Every single aspect of one’s life, and I repeat, every single aspect of
one’s life must be lived in the obedience of their Lord Creator…then and only
then does one fully fulfill his covenant of ‘submission’ to the Will of their
Lord.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah
Taubah verses 111-112:
111 Allah has purchased of the believers their persons and their
goods; for theirs (in return) is the Garden (of Paradise): they fight
in His Cause, slay and are slain: a Promise binding on Him in truth through the
Law, the Gospel and the Qur'an: and who is more faithful to his covenant than
Allah? Then rejoice in the bargain
which ye have concluded: that is the achievement supreme.
112 Those that turn (to Allah) in repentance: that serve Him and praise
Him; that wander in devotion to the Cause of Allah; that bow down and prostrate
themselves in prayer; that enjoin good and forbid evil; and observe the limits
set by Allah; (these do rejoice). So
proclaim the glad tidings to the Believers.
Your Question:
Mohammed (pbuh) is our role model basically , he is the greatest muslim of all
time. i belive he was such a gr8 muslim only because he was shown heaven ..he
was shown the reward of being a muslim. im sure if i saw heaven today i would
gladly forget everything and become a scholar of islam . could some1 please
clarify this satan instigated thought in me or more like could some1 falsify my
opinion.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale
Imraan verse 179:
179 Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which ye are now
until He separates what is evil from what is good. Nor will He disclose to you the secrets of the Unseen. But He chooses of his Messengers whom
He pleases. So believe in Allah
and His Messengers: and if ye believe and do right, ye shall have a reward
without measure.
It is the All-Wise, All-Knowing Lord Alone Who Decides and
Decrees who amongst His slaves is appointed and entrusted with the Divine
Mission to deliver Allah’s Divine Message to mankind. None in creation, not even the Prophets or the Angels have a say
in this or any matter which is Decreed and Determined by the Lord Most High,
Most Supreme!
Allah is our witness brother, we absolutely agree with you
that no man in creation was better, greater, or worshipped, obeyed and feared
Allah Subhanah more than the Last and Final Messenger of Allah, Mohamed
ar-Rasool Allah (saws); and he (saws) is indeed the best example for one to
follow.
But it is unjust to say that the Prophet Mohamed (saws)
was such a great muslim only because he was shown Paradise; for the ‘Mairaaj’
or ‘Ascensions to the Heavens’, when the Prophet (saws) was shown Paradise and
Hell amongst the other Magnificent Signs of Allah only took place almost twelve
years after his appointment to the office of Prophethood!
Beloved Brother, it is Allah Subhanah Alone Who Knows the
exact conditions of one’s faith and character, and it is He Alone Who chooses
who amongst His creation would fulfill His heavy trust and honor of being His
Messenger! It is the Lord Alone Who Knows how much burden one amongst His
creation can bear, and it is Allah Alone Who Determines and Decrees the levels
and conditions of each test.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah
Baqarah verse 286:
286 On no soul doth Allah place a burden
greater than it can bear.
Your Statement: im
sure if i saw heaven today i would gladly forget everything and become a
scholar of islam .
Allah is our witness brother, Allah
and His Messenger (saws) have given us ample and sufficient warning regarding
the Truth of what exactly will transpire on the Day of Judgment; but how many
amongst mankind have truly taken this warning of Truth??
Your Statement:
could some1 please clarify this satan instigated thought in me or more like
could some1 falsify my opinion.
The thing that brought the curse of Allah upon the
Shaytaan was his false pride and arrogance; and it is this tool of arrogance
with which the Shaytaan tries to take mankind away from the Straight Path of
obedience and humility.
It would indeed be a manifest form of arrogance to believe
that if only one was shown Paradise, they would become obedient slaves of the
Lord!
Your Question: i
have read in many places and also thought to myself at times....how can muslims
be sure that Hadith are authentic and intact??? most of our prohibitions come
from hadtih. has the quran mentioned the writings of hadith and how v r to
strictly follow them?
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisa verse 79-80:
We have sent you (O Mohamed) as a Messenger to
mankind, and Allah’s witness suffices
for this. Whoever obeys the Messenger,
in fact obeys Allah, and whoever turns away from him, he will be accountable
for his deeds. Anyhow, we have not sent
you (O Mohamed) to be a guardian over them.
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 has commanded the believers to obey and follow the
Prophet (saws). For the fortunate
believers who saw the Prophet (saws), his every action, his every deed and his
every word was to be obeyed and followed.
But those who did not see the Prophet (saws) have to depend on the
narrations of those who saw the Prophet (saws) and narrated his Sunnah or way
to those who did not see him.
It is indeed unfortunate that
some people have gone to the two extremes when dealing with the ‘ahaadiths’ of
the Messenger of Allah (saws). One
extreme declares belief in each and every hadith of the Prophet (saws), without
confirming whether the hadith is authentic or not! The other extreme declares their complete opposition and
rejection of any and all ahaadiths, regardless of whether they are fabricated
or not!
The true muslims must take a
balanced view or the ‘middle way’ when dealing with anything. Just because someone calls a statement or a
deed a hadith, we are not to completely submit to it, nor completely reject it;
but the right and correct mode of conduct would be to do a thorough
investigation to determine whether the Messenger of Allah (saws) indeed did do
or say the thing claimed by the ‘raavi’ or narrator.
Some great and eminent scholars
have spent their entire lives and done an exhaustive research and investigation
in each of the hadiths to determine their authenticity, and only when they were
completely satisfied, they recorded these hadiths in their ‘Sahih’ or Book of
Authentic Hadiths. The most respected
and accepted collections came to be recognized as the ‘Sihah Sitta’ or the ‘Six
Authentic Collections’ of hadiths.
These eminent scholars of hadith investigated each aspect of the saying
or deed whether it was in conformity with the Quran or not, for it is
inconceivable for a believer to assume that the Messenger of Allah (saws) would
have done or said anything against the dictates of the Quran. Then they thoroughly checked and investigated
the chain of narrators to see whether they were truthful people or not, or
whether one who claimed to have heard it from the other was alive at the same
time or not, and if alive, did they ever meet each other or not! If there was even a slight doubt in any
event or chain of events, these eminent scholars refused to accept the hadith
as authentic.
Even after all their exhaustive
efforts and thorough investigations, it is impossible to claim, nor does anyone
ever claim, that each and every hadith in their collection of ‘sahih’ is
absolutely authentic; for after all, this is a work of man, and man is prone to
shortcomings and error. For the
believers, the only guaranteed authentic Book of Guidance has to be the
Glorious Quran, whose authenticity is guaranteed until the end of time by none
other than Allah Subhanah. For every
aspect of guidance, ‘emaan, belief, faith, ‘aqeedah’, ‘tawheed’, ‘shirk’, etc.,
one need not look beyond the Quran. The
hadiths, once they have been declared authentic by the scholars, will only be used when one finds the Quran
silent on a particular subject.
My beloved brother in Islam,
study the Glorious Quran in as much depth as you possibly can, and you will
realize from the ‘noor’ of the Quran, how easy it is to determine the authentic
hadiths from the fabricated ones. Just
because one has heard that some hadiths are fabricated, it would not be
construed as intelligence to reject each and every hadith, or reject the
science of collecting authentic hadiths by the eminent scholars of Islam. Conversely, just because a hadith is
included in the Sihah Sitta, would not automatically mean that it is an
absolutely authentic hadith.
The most one should say
regarding the ‘Sihah Sitta’ is that amongst the available books of hadiths,
these books by the six eminent scholars are recognized and accepted by the
believers to be the most authentic; and Allah Alone Knows Best. May Allah Subhanah bless and raise the honor
and status of these eminent scholars who did a huge service to Islam and to the
muslims of future generations in the science of collecting the various hadiths
of the Messenger of Allah (saws).
Your Statement:
Thank you for looking through my questions ..i am very sorry if they are not
very clear...i am very confused at this point of time and might have conveyed
and angry or aggresive tone in my writing and for that i apologise incase any
offence was taken.
Beloved
brother in Islam, the deen or ‘way of life’ called Al-Islam is based on the
Wisdom and Knowledge of the All Knowing Lord, and every single command of the
All Wise Lord is abundant in common-sense and logic. Asking any type of questions in Islam to gain more knowledge, or
to confirm the Truth so that one’s heart is more content, or to understand and
thus follow with more conviction the dictates of the deen is not only
permissible, but absolutely encouraged in Islam. It is the right of the brother or sister to ask anything they
wish to clarify in the deen; and it is the responsibility and duty of the good
scholars to address the question asked to the best of their knowledge and
ability, and in the most polite and humble manner.
What is discouraged in Islam is if one asks questions for
the sake of asking, or arguing to ridicule the Truth with absolutely no
intention of obeying or following when the Truth is made clear to them,
etc. But if one asks questions to
clarify and seek knowledge so that one may better follow the deen; such seeking
of the Knowledge of Truth is absolutely encouraged in Islam
My dear and beloved brother, never ever hesitate or
apologize for seeking knowledge of the Truth from any scholar in the deen. If any scholar takes offence at your
questions, know for sure that either he has misunderstood your intentions, or
he is not genuine in his mission. So
ask and learn of the Truth till your heart is absolutely content, for nothing
brings contentment to the heart than the remembrance of this Divine Truth.
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