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,

 
As salam alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa baraqatuhu. Thank you for guiding me and several other brothers and sisters like me to the right path of islam. May Allah bless you. I again have a question to ask please try to help me.

 
My mother's sister is very poor. All my life I have seen my mother helping her financially. My aunty is very kind and helpful. She took care of me as a child. Her children however, are very selfish and rude. They are not grateful either. Whatever we do for them they behave badly when their need is not there. They take zakaat too from us. They are in debts but still they do qurbaani, they spend lavishly and go to mazars and durgahs. In pain and need they dont say Ya Allah they say Ya Khwaja or ya Maqdoom etc. I tried to correct them several times but they dont listen to me they say uparwaley ke saath neechey waley ko bhi yaad karna chahiye to kaam banta hain. My aunty too has spent all her life in shirk and her children are following her. They dont treat her well but she defends her children like a fort.. she doesnt want us to rectify her children or say anything to them. Sometimes they take money n dont return when we ask they fight. They have too much of ego. They help us by doing some household chores when they need but now they dont. Other relatives too are jealous of us. Since childhood everyone has insulted me and treated me badly. My parents never said anything to them. Inspite of that I helped these people but still they treat me badly and are jealous of my status. Some have done black magic on us that we should not live peacefully and financially also we should be at loss. Everyone in the family has severed ties with us. It hurts me a lot because my mother has helped and always wanted good for others whereas they are thinking and doing bad to her and me. Please suggest what to do in this matter?

 
You said in one of your mails that you should try and do good and teach others too good things and if they follow you, you shall be rewarded. In this case brother, what if no one is ready to follow the good things I say like only to pray Allah and no one else they dont listen so will Allah punish me for this? Secondly is their qurbaani accepted by Allah or are they eligible to do qurbaani inspite of being in debt and taking zakat and they do qurbaani with borrowed money and boast also that they are doing qurbaani.

 
I, too am in a debt because of the helping nature of my husband. He too spends money lavishly on his friends, relatives and others. But Alhamdulillah we are in a condition to repay the loan which we are doing. We are trying to mortgage our property and pay the loan but for this we have to pay interest. There is no other option left is it valid? Because people whom we lent wont help us in our bad times without interest and there are chances that they may cheat and keep our property for themselves. Please help me in this matter too as soon as possible. May Allah bless you. Jazakallah khair.

 
Your sister in Islam.

(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:

Repel evil with good

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 none 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-1: ……It hurts me a lot because my mother has helped and always wanted good for others whereas they are thinking and doing bad to her and me. Please suggest what to do in this matter?

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 41 Surah Haa Meem verses 34-35:

34 Nor can goodness and evil (ever) be equal! Repel (evil) with that which is better (goodness): then will he, between whom and thee was hatred, become as it were thy friend and intimate!

35 And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint; none but persons of the greatest good fortune.

Dear and beloved Sister in Islam, Islam guides that the character, dealings, and relations of a believer should always be ‘straight’, absolutely regardless of how the other party chooses to treat them….if one finds that the other party deals with them ‘straight’ and with justice, one should treat them with in a manner which is even ‘straighter’ than theirs….and if one finds that the other deals with them in a ‘croocked’ manner or with injustice, Islam guides that the believer should still treat them in a ‘straight’ manner and with justice.

Although it requires a world of courage and patience to repel the evil of others by doing genuine goodness towards them, without an iota of a doubt, if that person who did evil to you has even an iota of good in their hearts, there will come a time when they will feel ashamed and remorse at their evil, and their enmity and hatred will turn into sincere and lasting friendship.

Respected sister in Islam, the above is the guidance of Islam for the believers for their dealings with all mankind…..one can only imagine the level of goodness and patience the guidance of Islam expects from the believers when dealing with one’s own relatives and kith and kin!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzaab verse 6 (part):

Blood-relations amongst each other have closer personal ties in the Decree of Allah….

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 177:

177 It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces toward east or west; but it is righteousness to believe in Allah, and the Last Day, and the Angel,s and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance out of love for Him for your kith and kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient in pain (or suffering) and adversity and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of Truth, the Allah-fearing.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 90:

90 Allah Commands justice the doing of good and liberality to kith and kin and He forbids all shameful deeds and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you that ye may receive admonition.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.17 Narrated by Abu Huraira

The Prophet (saws) said, "The word 'Ar-Rahm (womb) derives its name from Ar-Rahman (i.e., one of the names of Allah) and Allah said: 'I will keep good relation with the one who will keep good relation with you (the womb, i.e. kith and kin), and sever the relation with him who will sever the relation with you (the womb, i.e. kith and kin).’”

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.20 Narrated by Abdullah bin Amr

The Prophet (saws) said, "’Al-Wasil’ (the one who does good to his relatives) is not he who recompenses the good done to him by his relatives, but ‘Al-Wasil’ is he who keeps good relations with those relatives who had severed the bond of kinship with him."

Although it is only natural that one expects good from those to whom one has been good….Islam guides the believers that when dealing with those whom none other than the Lord Most Majestic Himself has created in the bond of relationship, one should strive their absolute utmost to develop and maintain good and cordial relations with them only for the Sake of Allah Subhanah….that would be piety and righteousness in the Sight of the Lord Most Gracious.

Thus my respected sister, regardless of the behavior or response of your blood-relatives to the good you might have done towards them…..you as a believer who sincerely fears Allah and the Last Day are obliged to and should continue doing sincere good towards them without stint, only for the Sake and Pleasure of your Lord Most Gracious; seeking the rewards for your good from none save your Lord Most Merciful, Most Bounteous.

Your Question: …You said in one of your mails that you should try and do good and teach others too good things and if they follow you, you shall be rewarded. In this case brother, what if no one is ready to follow the good things I say like only to pray Allah and no one else they dont listen so will Allah punish me for this? Secondly is their qurbaani accepted by Allah or are they eligible to do qurbaani inspite of being in debt and taking zakat and they do qurbaani with borrowed money and boast also that they are doing qurbaani.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 19 (part):

85 Whoever recommends and helps a good cause becomes a partner therein: and whoever recommends and helps an evil cause shares in the burden (of the sin): and Allah hath power over all things.

Sahih Muslim Hadith 6470 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘He who called (people) to righteousness, there would be reward (assured) for him like the rewards of those who adhered to it, without their rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who called (people) to error, he shall have to carry (the burden) of its sin, like those who committed it, without their sins being diminished in any respect.’

Respected sister in Islam, it is not we who said ‘….if they follow you, you shall be rewarded’……but it is Allah and His Messenger (saws) who have declared this Truth; we have merely quoted what is Declared in Truth by Allah and His Messenger (saws)!

Your Question: ….In this case brother, what if no one is ready to follow the good things I say like only to pray Allah and no one else they dont listen so will Allah punish me for this?

Allah says in the Holy Quran: Chapter 16, Surah An-Nahl Ayat 125:

Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and excellent admonition and argue with people in the best manner. Your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Way and who is Rightly guided.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anam verse 70:

And leave alone those who have taken their ‘deen’ as a sport and past-time, and have been deluded by the life of this world. Nevertheless, you go on admonishing them by reciting the Quran to them, lest any person should be seized because of his own deeds; and that too, at a time, when there would be no protector, no helper, and no intercessor to rescue him from Allah; when no conceivable amount of ransom would be accepted from him. This is because such people shall be seized in consequence of what they themselves had earned!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale-Imraan verse 110:

110 Ye (O believers) are the best of peoples evolved for mankind, ye enjoin that what is right, forbid that what is evil, and ye believe in Allah.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah Hajj verse 78:

78 And (O ye who believe) strive in His cause as ye ought to strive! He has chosen you and has imposed no difficulties on you in religion; it is the cult of your father Abraham. It is He (Allah) Who has named you ‘Muslims’ both before, and in this (the Al-Quran); that the Messenger may be a witness for you and ye be witnesses for mankind! So establish regular prayer, give regular charity, and hold fast to Allah! He is your Protector; the Best to protect; and the Best to help!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verses 40-44:

Some of these people will believe in (The Message) and others will not. Your Lord knows these mischief-makers very well indeed. If these people deny you, say to them: “I am responsible for my deeds and you are for yours. You are not accountable for what I do, nor am I for what you do.” There are many among them who hear what you say, but will you make the deaf to listen to you, even though they be incapable of understanding this? Then there are many others among them who see you. But will you show the way to the blind, even though they be bereft of sight? The fact is that Allah does not in any way wrong the people, but they wronged themselves.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chatper 7 Surah Aaraaf verse 164:

164 When some of them said: "why do ye preach to a people whom Allah will destroy or visit with a terrible punishment?" Said the preachers: "to discharge our duty to your Lord and perchance they may fear him."

Respected sister in Islam, if in all sincerity you have declared the Truth to one and invited them to worship their Lord Creator Alone without associating or invoking any ‘partners’ with Him…..rest absolutely assured sister that regardless of whether they chose to accept your noble invitation or not, you would have deemed to have done your duty and will be absolutely blameless for the deeds they do in the Just Court and Presence of your Lord Most Majestic Most Supreme on that Inevitable and Tumultuous Day of Judgment!

Your Question: Secondly is their qurbaani accepted by Allah or are they eligible to do qurbaani inspite of being in debt and taking zakat and they do qurbaani with borrowed money and boast also that they are doing qurbaani.

Respected sister in Islam, it is not for us humans to decide whose worship the Lord Most Majestic Wills and Pleases to accept and whose worship the Lord Most Supreme Wills and Pleases to reject!

If one fulfills one’s rites of worship in accordance with the guidance only for the Sake and Pleasure of their Lord, it is expected they will find their striving accepted by their Lord…..but if one were to fulfill the prescribed rites of worship with an intention other than that, their case is with their Lord Creator Alone.

Your Question: We are trying to mortgage our property and pay the loan but for this we have to pay interest. There is no other option left is it valid?

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 274-276:

But those who devour ‘riba’ become like the one whom Shaitaan has bewitched and maddened by his touch. They have been condemned to this condition because they say, “Trade is just like ‘riba”, whereas Allah has made trade halaal and ‘riba’ haraam. Henceforth, if one abstains from taking ‘riba’ after receiving this admonition from his Lord, no legal action shall be taken against him regarding the ‘riba’ he had devoured before: his case shall ultimately go to Allah. But if one repeats the same crime even after this, he shall go to Hell, where he shall abide for ever! Allah deprives ‘riba’ of all blessing and develops charity, and Allah does not like an ungrateful, sinful person.

Allah says further in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 278:

O Believers!, fear Allah and give up that ‘riba’ which is still due to you, if you are true believers. But if you do not do so, then you are warned of the declaration of war against you by Allah and His Messenger!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisa verse 161:

That they took ‘riba’, although they were forbidden. And that they devoured men’s substance wrongfully. We have prepared for those among them who reject faith a grievous punishment (of Hell Fire)!

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale-Imraan verses 130-132:

130 O ye who believe! Devour not ‘riba’ doubled and multiplied; but fear Allah; that ye may (really) prosper.

131 Fear the Fire which is prepared for those who reject faith.

132 And obey Allah and the Messenger; that ye may obtain mercy.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 30 Surah Rome verse 39:

39 That which ye lay out for ‘riba’ through the property of (other) people will have no increase with Allah: but that which ye lay out for charity seeking the Countenance of Allah (will increase): it is these who will get a recompense multiplied.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 276:

276 Allah will deprive ‘riba’ of all blessings, but He will give increase for deeds of charity: for He loveth not creatures ungrateful and wicked.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2829 Narrated by Ali ibn AbuTalib

Ali said he heard Allah's Messenger (saws) invoke the curse of Allah on those who took ‘riba’, those who paid it, those who recorded it, and those who refused to give sadaqah.

Dear and beloved sister in Islam, every single type, derivation, and manifestation of ‘riba’ (including usury, interest, etc.) is absolutely and categorically forbidden for the believers who sincere believe, trust, fear, and have faith in Allah and the Last Day…..thus let no one convince you otherwise!

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one 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), one can be assured of being led astray.

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