Imam barbahari institute

Shaykhul Islām Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله was asked about someone among the Muslims who engages in actions like preparing food for Christians or eating the food of Christians during their new year and participates in other festivals like Epiphany, Christmas, Holy Thursday, and Holy Saturday, and the one who sells items that they use during their festivals. Is it permissible for Muslims to do any of these actions or not?

وسئل عمن يفعل من المسلمين : مثل طعام النصارى في النيروز . ويفعل سائر المواسم مثل الغطاس والميلاد وخميس العدس وسبت النور ومن يبيعهم شيئا يستعينون به على أعيادهم أيجوز للمسلمين أن يفعلوا شيئا من ذلك ؟ أم لا ؟

So He رحمه الله answered;

All praise belongs to Allah; it is not permissible for the Muslims to imitate them in anything that is related to their festivals, either in terms of food or clothes or bathing or lighting of fires, or vacating any parts of one's worldly or religious practices, etc., and it is not permissible to host a feast or give out gifts or sell items that can be used to carry out such action, nor is it permissible to give access to children to playthings that are used in their festivals or showcasing decorations.

فأجاب : الحمد لله لا يحل للمسلمين أن يتشبهوا بهم في شيء مما يختص بأعيادهم لا من طعام ولا لباس ولا اغتسال ولا إيقاد نيران ولا تبطيل عادة من معيشة أو عبادة أو غير ذلك . ولا يحل فعل وليمة ولا الإهداء ولا البيع بما يستعان به على ذلك لأجل ذلك . ولا تمكين الصبيان ونحوهم من اللعب الذي في الأعياد ولا إظهار زينة .

Generally, it is not permissible for them to specify their festivals with any form of their symbols; rather, the day of their festivals is just like any other day in the sight of the Muslims; the Muslims don't make anything specific for it.


وبالجملة ليس لهم أن يخصوا أعيادهم بشيء من شعائرهم بل يكون يوم عيدهم عند المسلمين كسائر الأيام لا يخصه المسلمون بشيء من خصائصهم .

As for if the Muslims coincide with it by choice, then some of the early and later Muslim (scholars) have shown dislike for it; as for specifying it with any of the aforementioned things, then there is no difference of opinions among the scholars; rather, some of the scholars hold the opinion that such a person who does these things has fallen into kufr (disbelief) due to it consisting of gratifying the symbols of kufr, and some of them said: anyone who slaughters a ram on the day of their festival is like someone who slaughters a pig.

وأما إذا أصابه المسلمون قصدا فقد كره ذلك طوائف من السلف والخلف . وأما تخصيصه بما تقدم ذكره فلا نزاع فيه بين العلماء . بل قد ذهب طائفة من العلماء إلى كفر من يفعل هذه الأمور لما فيها من تعظيم شعائر الكفر . وقال طائفة منهم : من ذبح نطيحة يوم عيدهم فكأنما ذبح خنزيرا .

And AbduLlaah B. Amr B. Aas رضي الله عنه said: anyone who follows the actions of the land of the non-Arab (non-Muslims) and participates in their new year and autumn festival and imitates them until he dies while in that state, then he would be raised with them on the day of resurrection.

وقال عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص : من تأسى ببلاد الأعاجم وصنع نيروزهم ومهرجانهم وتشبه بهم حتى يموت وهو كذلك حشر معهم يوم القيامة .

And in the sunan of Abu Dāwud, from Thābit B. Dhahāk, he said: A man made an oath in the time of the prophet, peace and blessing of Allaah upon him, that he would slaughter a camel at Buwana, so he came to the messenger of Allaah, peace and blessing upon him, so he said: I took an oath to slaughter a camel at Buwana, so the prophet, peace and blessing of Allaah be upon him, said: Is there any form of idol there that is being worshipped beside Allah from the pre-Islamic period? He said, No, he (peace and blessing upon him) said, Is there any festival that is held there? He said no, so the messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, Then fulfill your oath, because there is no fulfillment for an oath that contains disobedience to Allah and something that the son of Adam has no power over.

So the prophet, peace and blessing of Allaah be upon him, didn't give the man the permission to fulfill his oath, despite the fact that the basic ruling is that fulfilling one's oath is compulsory, until he informed him that there is no pagan festival held there, and he said, There is no fulfillment of oath when it contains disobedience to Allaah.

وفي سنن أبي داود عن ثابت بن الضحاك قال : { نذر رجل على عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أن ينحر إبلا ببوانة فأتى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال : إني نذرت أن أنحر إبلا ببوانة فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم هل كان فيها من وثن يعبد من دون الله من أوثان الجاهلية ؟ قال : لا قال : فهل كان فيها عيد من أعيادهم ؟ قال : لا . قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أوف بنذرك فإنه لا وفاء لنذر في معصية الله ولا فيما لا يملك ابن آدم } فلم يأذن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لهذا الرجل أن يوفي بنذره مع أن الأصل في الوفاء أن يكون واجبا حتى أخبره أنه لم يكن بها عيد من أعياد الكفار وقال : { لا وفاء لنذر في معصية الله }

So if slaughtering an animal in a place where their festival is held is a disobedience (to Allaah), then what about participating with them in the festival itself? In fact, the leader of the Muslims, Umar B. Khattab, in conjunction with the rest of the companions and the rulers of the Muslims, made it a condition upon them not to publicize their festivals in the Muslim lands; rather, they only do it in private in their homes, so what about when the Muslims themselves are the ones publicizing it? To the extent that Umar B. Khattab, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: Don't learn the language of the non-Arabs, and do not enter upon the idol worshippers in their churches on the day of their festivals, because the wrath (of Allaah) descends upon them.

فإذا كان الذبح بمكان كان فيه عيدهم معصية . فكيف بمشاركتهم في نفس العيد ؟ بل قد شرط عليهم أمير المؤمنين عمر بن الخطاب والصحابة وسائر أئمة المسلمين أن لا يظهروا أعيادهم في دار المسلمين وإنما يعملونها سرا في مساكنهم . فكيف إذا أظهرها المسلمون أنفسهم ؟ حتى قال عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه " لا تتعلموا رطانة الأعاجم ولا تدخلوا على المشركين في كنائسهم يوم عيدهم فإن السخط ينزل عليهم " .

So if the one who enters a space or something like it is prohibited from that, because the wrath (of Allah) descends upon them, how then is the one who does things that are symbols of their religion that made Allah angry with them? Some of the early Muslims have said about the statement of the most high

{ And the one who do not witness falsehood }

They said (the falsehood} is referring to the festival of the disbelievers, so if this is said about witnessing it without engaging in it, how then are practices that are specific to it?

وإذا كان الداخل لفرجة أو غيرها منهيا عن ذلك ; لأن السخط ينزل عليهم . فكيف بمن يفعل ما يسخط الله به عليهم مما هي من شعائر دينهم ؟ وقد قال غير واحد من السلف في قوله تعالى { والذين لا يشهدون الزور } قالوا أعياد الكفار فإذا كان هذا في شهودها من غير فعل فكيف بالأفعال التي هي من خصائصها

And it has been transmitted from the prophet, peace and blessing of Allaah upon him, in Al-Musnad and the books of Sunnan that he said: {Anyone who imitates a people, then he is one of them.} And in another diction, {Anyone who imitates any group besides us is not one of us.} And it is an authentic narration, so if this is said about imitating them, even in matters of customs, then how then is imitating them in things worse than that? And the majority of the Muslim scholars already stated the dislike—dislike that means haram, or that means unadvisable—of eating what has been slaughtered for their festivals and sacrifices, classing it under what has been slaughtered as a sacrifice to other than Allah or slaughtered upon a stone altar.

And similarly they prohibited supporting them in their festivals by giving gifts or trading; they said it is not permissible for the Muslims to sell anything to the Christians that contains benefit to them in their festival, not meat, not blood, not cloth, nor lend them a ride or aid them in anything pertaining to their religion, because that is gratifying their idol worship and aiding them in committing disbelief, so it is recommended that the Muslim ruler prohibit the Muslims from that, because Allaah the most high said

{ Aid one another in goodness and piety and do not aid one another in sins and transgression}

وقد روي عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في المسند والسنن أنه قال : { من تشبه بقوم فهو منهم } وفي لفظ : { ليس منا من تشبه بغيرنا } وهو حديث جيد . فإذا كان هذا في التشبه بهم وإن كان من العادات فكيف التشبه بهم فيما هو أبلغ من ذلك وقد كره جمهور الأئمة - إما كراهة تحريم أو كراهة تنزيه - أكل ما ذبحوه لأعيادهم وقرابينهم إدخالا له فيما أهل به لغير الله وما ذبح على النصب وكذلك نهوا عن معاونتهم على أعيادهم بإهداء أو مبايعة وقالوا : إنه لا يحل للمسلمين أن يبيعوا للنصارى شيئا من مصلحة عيدهم لا لحما ولا دما ولا ثوبا ولا يعارون دابة ولا يعاونون على شيء من دينهم ; لأن ذلك من تعظيم شركهم وعونهم على كفرهم وينبغي للسلاطين أن ينهوا المسلمين عن ذلك . لأن الله تعالى يقول : { وتعاونوا على البر والتقوى ولا تعاونوا على الإثم والعدوان } .

Also, it is not permissible for a Muslim to assist them in drinking alcohol by crushing and pressing it or something of that nature, so what then on something that is a symbol of disbelief? If it is not permissible for him to aid them, what then if he is the actual doer of those actions? And Allah knows best. This was said by Ahmad Ibn Taymiyyah.

ثم إن المسلم لا يحل له أن يعينهم على شرب الخمور بعصرها أو نحو ذلك . فكيف على ما هو من شعائر الكفر . وإذا كان لا يحل له أن يعينهم هو فكيف إذا كان هو الفاعل لذلك والله أعلم . قاله أحمد ابن تيمية

Source Majmu Fatawa volume 25 page 229 to 332

Mu'awiyyah B Abī Sufyān رضي الله عنه said :

Give charity and let none of you say: I am poor, for the charity of the poor is better than the charity of the rich.

تصدقوا ولا يقل أحدكم : إني مقل، فإن صدقة المقل أفضل من صدقة الغني .
Source | siyar A'lam nubala (3/151)

Let the people of bid'ah continue wailing

Our esteemed Shaykh, Rabi’-u-Sunnah, may Allah preserve him, said:

نقيـق الضفادع ، وطنيـن الذبـاب لا يـسـقـط الـجـبـال ولا يـهـزهـا.

"The croaking of frogs and the buzzing of flies can not bring down mountains nor shake them."

Source: ‘Umdat al-Abi, p. 347.

The ruling of laughing during Solah.

Ash-Shaykh AbdulAzīz B. Bāz رحمه الله was asked ;

Question ;-

What is the ruling of laughing during Solah? Is it obligatory that a person who laughed while praying makes the solah again?

His answer :-

Laughing during Solah nullifies it (the solah) by unanimous consensus of the people of knowledge , so if a person laughs during Solah, the Solah becomes invalid. And the same thing applies if he intentionally speaks( speech that is not part of the solah) , the solah becomes invalid, unless he said it forgetfully or while being ignorant, the solah of the one who forgets or is ignorant would not be nullified.

But laughing renders the solah invalid in all cases (whether in a state of forgetfulness or ignorance) , because it is an act of belittling the solah and being negligent about it.

Source | Majmu'u-l- Fatāwa volume 29 page 344

The fitnah of modern Facebook fake scholars and students of knowledge

Be sure of who you take from !!

The Eminent Scholar , Shaykh Muhammad B. Sālih Al-uthaymīn - may Allāh have mercy on him- said :-

" Verily, we are in an era where there are so many people who speak without knowledge, because of this , it is mandatory on every man not to rely on the verdict of anyone except someone who is known and trusted ".

Source | Liqā Bābil maftūh 16/32

‏قال العلامة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين رحمه الله:

"إننا في عصر كثر فيه المتكلمون بغير علم، ولهذا يجب على الإنسان أن لا يعتمد على أي فتيا إلا من شخص معروف موثوق."

مصدر | لقاء الباب المفتوح ج ٣ ص١٦

What does it mean to believe that Allaah sees and knows everything we do?

Shaykh Muhammad B Sālih Al-uthaymīn رحمه الله said

” The fruit of believing that Allaah sees is that you don't do something that enrages Allaah, because you know that if you looked (at something) in a prohibited way, people won't realize it is haram, but Allaah sees that gaze and he knows what is in your heart

{{ يعلم خائنة الأعين وما تخفي الصدور}}
( He knows the fraud of the eyes and that which the hearts conceals) Sura Gaafir 19)

Be shy (of committing sins) in front of Allaah just like you are ashamed in front of the person who is closest to you and respect you the most.

Therefore, when you believe that Allaah sees, we would avoid every action that leads to Allah's anger, or else our faith is not complete.

Taken from شرح العقيدة الواسطية page 116

Shaykh Muhammad Al-Amīn Ash-Shinqiti رحمه الله

The evil depiction of Allah in cartoons !!

Shaykh Muhammad B. Saalih Al-uthaymīn - رحمه الله - (after explaining the fact that likening Allah with any of his creation is disbelief) said :-

One of them is what is depicted in cartoons today, where Allah azza wa jal is depicted as an evil-looking elderly man with a long beard, a giant hovering above the clouds who controls the wind, and acts as he pleases.

Truth be told, I swear by Allaah that this is a method of promoting flagrant disbelief, because if a young child were to watch something like this at the beginning of his awareness, it would remain ingrained in his memory till his death. The messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said (( His parents are the ones who make him a Jew, a Christian or a majoos)), Unless Allah provides him with someone who could deliver him from this dilemna.

For this reason, I say that the people who expose such material to Muslim children will have a very difficult time accounting for their actions to Allah on the Day of the Resurrection, because they desire -either they accept or not- to steer people towards a clear misguidance.

And when we see films like this, it is our duty to warn our family to keep them safe from this widely prevalent evil, which is considerably worse than the harmful effects of music and others, as it is -without an iota of doubt- one of the greatest evils for a person to represent Allah azza wa jal in this repulsive image.

Consider how the enemies of Allah aim to diminish The Lord of honour and grandeur by using things that circulate among the people in a way similar to how fire burns through charcoal without anyone noticing it or how poison spreads throughout the body without anyone noticing it.

We -the muslims- must thus be vigilant and observant since our lands are under attack from all sides in terms of beliefs, morals, and actions.

Taken from شرح العقيدة السفارينية page 32 - 33

Rebelling against the ruler

Al-Imām Ahmad B. Hanbal رحمه الله said ;

" And whosoever rebels against one of the Muslim rulers after the people have united and acknowledged his rule either through their own satisfaction or through aggression has shattered the solidarity of the Muslims and turned down the athar of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). And if the rebellious person dies (in this state), he or she has already passed away in the Jahiliyyah state.

Furthermore, fighting the ruler is prohibited and it is not permitted for anyone to rebel against him, anyone who does so is a mubtadi and is not upon the sunnah and the straight path.

Sharh Al-I'tiqād of Al-Lālakā'ī 1/ 160-161

Praying behind an innovator

The eminent scholar, Shaykh Muhammad B. Sālih Al-Uthaymīn-may Allāh have mercy on him- was asked :

Is it permissible for us to stop praying in the community masjid and boycott the innovators who run it, knowing that there are innovations in the distant masjid (as well), but the innovations are less, also we do not meet the congregation in all five prayers, but solely in magrib and isha prayers?

He answered :

" Regarding a person whose innovation takes him out of Islam, it is not permissible to pray behind him, because his prayer is not valid.

Regarding the one whose innovation doesn't render him a kāfir, if there are other options, then prayers shouldn't be done behind him, even if some parts of the prayer are missed. So pray in the masjid where there is no innovation or the innovation in it is less, and abandon the one that has inovations(or greater innovation)."

Source | Fatāwa ala Tarīq pg 93 [ Shaykh Muhammad B. Sālih Al-Uthaymīn (1422)]

Khateeb Al-Bagdādi رحمه الله said :-

ينبغي للطالب أن يبدأ بحفظ كتاب الله عز وجل ، إذ كان أجل العلوم وأولاها بالسبق والتقديم

It is necessary that the student of knowledge begins with memorisation of the book of Allaah, since it is the most honourable field of knowledge and most deserving to come first and be placed front.

الجامع لأخلاق الراوي وآداب السامع ١/١٠٦

Imam Ibn AbdilBarr رحمه الله also said :-

فأول العلم حفظ كتاب الله جل وعز، وتفهمه وكل ما يعين على فهمه فواجب طلبه معه ، ولا أقول : إن حفظه كله فرض، ولكن أقول : إن ذلك واجب لازم على من أحب أن يكون عالما

The first knowledge (one should embark upon) is memorising the book of Allaah, and trying to understand it, and it is obligatory to seek everything that aids in its understanding along with it, and I'm not saying that memorising all of it is mandatory, rather I'm saying it is obligatory and compulsory on everyone that wants to be a scholar.

جامع بيان العلم وفضله ٢/١١٢٩

Al-Imam Ibn Rajab - rahimahuLlaah - said: -
“Patiently awaiting a breakthrough is an act of worship, for trials do not continue forever.”

Majmu Rasä'il ibn Rajab (155/3)

Shaykh Muhammad B. Saalih Al-uthaymeen -rahimahuLlaah- said: -

“Anyone who waits patiently for a breakthrough will be rewarded for his waiting, since waiting for a breakthrough is a type of having positive thoughts about Allaah, and having excellent thoughts about Allaah is a good deed for which a person is rewarded.”

Fatäwa Nur Ala Darb (225)