Haadi Questions for Sheikh Yaser

[Sr.Sara]

assalaamu alaikum illuminating faith,

Good question! mashaAllah, inshaAllah the sheikh will answer the question soon. I often think about it, and am praying that we recieve an answer not far in the future inshaAllah.

GO HAADI!

[Yaser Birjas]

As salaamu alaikum wa rahmatullaah

InshaAllah you're well Sheikh Yaser.

MashaAllah Wedad had some nice questions and I think Haadians might have some as well.

My first question:

1) 'Amr ibn Salmah said, "We used to sit by the door of Abdullah ibn Mas'ood before the morning prayer, so that when he came out we would walk with him to the masjid. (One day) Abu Moosa al-Ash'aree came to us and said, 'Has Abu 'Abdurrahmaan come out yet?' We replied, 'No.' So he sat down with us until h (ibn Mas'ood) came out. When he came out we all stood along with him, so Abu Moosa said to him, 'O Abu Abdurrahmaan! I have just seen something in the masjid which I deemed to be evil, but all praise is for Allaah, I did not see anything except good.' He enquired, 'Then what is it?' (Abu Moosa) replied, 'If you live you will see it. I saw in the masjid people sitting in circles awaiting the prayer. In each circle they had pebbles in their hands and a man would say, "Repeat Allaahu Akbar a hundred times." So they would repeat it a hundred times. Then he would say, "Say Laa ilaaha illallaah a hundred times." So they would say it a hundred times. Then he would say, "Say subhaanallaah a hundred times." So they would say it a hundred times.' (Ibn Mas'ood) asked, 'What did you say to them?' (Abu Moosa) said, 'I did not say anything to them. Instead I waited to hear your view or what you declared.' (Ibn Mas'ood) replied, 'If only you had ordered them to count up the evil deeds they acquired and assured them that their good deeds would not be lost!' Then we went along with him (Ibn Mas'ood) until he came to one of these circles and stood and said, 'What is this which I see you doing?' They replied, 'O Abu Abdurrahmaan! These are pebbles upon which we are counting takbeer, tahleel and tasbeeh.' He said, 'Count up your evil deeds. I assure you that none of your good deeds will be lost. Woe to you, O Ummah of Muhammad sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam! How quickly you go to destruction! These are the Companions of your Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam and who are widespread. There are his sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam clothes which have not yet decayed and his bowl which is unbroken. By Him in Whose Hand is my soul! Either you are upon a religion better guided than the religion of Muhammad sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam or you are opening the door of misguidance.' They said, 'O Abu Abdurrahmaan! By Allaah, we only intended good.' He said, 'How many there are who intend good but do not achieve it. Indeed Allaah's Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said to us, "A people will recite the Qur'aan but it will not pass beyond their throats." By Allaah! I do not know, perhaps most of them are from you.' Then he left them."


Does this mean that doing tasbih on anything other than the fingers is not permissable? Many people in Muslim cultures around the world are used to making tasbih by using beads on a string (it's called a tasbih too).


So would this be makruh/haram?

In class we learned:

In matters of worldly things, they are accepted until proven otherwise. In matters of ‘Ibaadah, they rejected until proven to be accepted.



Jazak Allahu khairan.


My apology for the delay:

The story of Ibn Masoud radiya Allahu anhu, was reported in sunan Al Darimi ‘Chapter: The abomination of Rai’. Rai means the employment of human reasoning in matters of Shari’ah. It was also reported with different details in other collections of hadith.

There is no doubt that using hands and counting Tasbih ‘words of Dhikr and remembrance’ with fingers is the best act. Abu Dawood reported, Abdullah ibn Amre saw the Messenger of Allah salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam counting his Tasbih with his right hand. In another narration which is deemed to be ‘hassan’ or good the Messenger of Allah salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam instructed the women to count their Tasbih using their fingers and informed them of the reward awaiting for them that on Judgment Day these fingers will testify for them for engaging them in a act of worship. Reported by Ahmad and Abu Dawood and At-Tirmidhi.

There were other reports regarding the usage of ‘Ha-saa’ i.e. beads or ‘Na-waa’ i.e date-stones. Conflicting judgments by scholars of hadith on these reports resulted in two different opinions, some allows it and some abominates and prohibits it.

Sheikh Bakr Abu Zaid, in his book “The ‘Subha’ beads, the history and ruling” collected these ahadith and their sources:
Reports from Sahaba on practicing the use of ‘Ha-saa’:
1. Umm Al-Mu’meneen Juwayriyyah
2. Abu Hurayrah
3. Ali ibn Talib
4. Abud Dardaa
5. Sa’ad ibn Abi Waqqas
6. Abu Safiyyah servant of Rasulullah

Reports on prohibiting the use of ‘Ha-saa’:
1. Ibn Masoud, and his report is the most authentic.
2. Umm Al-Mu’meneen Aisha
3. Omar ibnul Khattab

Sheikh Bakr Abu Zaid then concluded with the prohibition of this practice.
The prohibition of using beads is also the opinion of many other scholars like Sheikh Al-Albaani rahimahullah.

Some other scholars dispute this ruling and refuse to call the use of beads as Bid’ah and innovation. Amongst them were Sheikh Ibn Baaz and Ibn Uthaymeen. I myself heard the permissibility of this practice from both scholars personally. Provided that they also recommended the use of ones hand as being more virtuous.

Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah is in favor of the opinion of permissibility. In the collection of his Fataawa ‘Al-Majmou’ 22/506 we read in the translation –as much accurate as possible: “And counting Tasbih with fingers is Sunnah. The Messenger of Allah said to women: “Make Tasbih and count with your fingers, for they –the fingers- will be asked and will testify (for you on the Day of Judgment)”.
As for counting Tasbis using Na-waa and Ha-saa (date-stones and beads respectively) or anything like that; it is good. Some Sahaba used to do it and the Messenger of Allah saw Umm Al Mu’meneen using Ha-saa for counting Tasbih and approved it tacitly. It was also reported that Abu Hurayrah did it as well.” ‘Al-Majmou’ 22/506

Now this above quote was about using beads without being assembled in one unit like the one used regularly for this purpose. But Ibn Taymiyyah then further elaborated on the use of what is known in Arabic as Subha or Misbaha, which is the assembly of collection of beads in one unit, using usually strings.

He –Ibn Taymiyyah- continues:
“As for doing Tasbih using what people make of assembled beads and the alike, some people (i.e. scholars) disliked it and some didn’t. If the intention of using it was good then it is also good and not disliked.
As for using it without any need necessitating that, or just for showing it to the public by hanging it around the neck or making it like a bracelet around the arm or something of that nature, then it whether becomes Riyaa ‘showing off’ or most likely a place for Riyaa and resembling those who are showing off.
(If it was done for) the first reason that is for (Riyaa) then its Haram ‘prohibited’. And if it was done for the second reason (without the intention of showing off) then disliked is the least can be said about it. Because showing people off in the practice of the very exclusive acts of worship such as Salah, fasting, Dhikr, reciting the Qur’an is considered among the greatest sins.”

From the above quote it seems Ibn Taymiyyah was criticizing one of the common practices popular once amongst the followers of the Sufi Tareeqas during his life time. People back then used to display that very often in public and common people would assume of those individuals a degree of devotion or a show of a sign of dedication.
Today this practice can still be found in some Muslim countries and by some people of the same mystical methodology around the world.

However, in some other areas in the Muslim world such as in the Arabian Peninsula, carrying ‘Subha’ or beads became part of the common tradition and the predominant culture. There it does no longer carry the religious connotation or mystical purpose and therefore it has become permissible.

The obviation of Ibn Taymiyah to limit the use of counting Tasbih, besides the fingers, to the beads and date-stones alludes to keep the ruling opened to any other method might be used to serve the same purpose. In multiple places he says ‘and alike, and anything like that’ etc....
In this age, I’m sure that many have already seen the mechanical and digital counting machines taking the place of the traditional beads. You can see it today in the hands of many people in Makkah, Madinah and everywhere else in the world. It is needless to say that this new and any other contemporary method will eventually fall under the same criterion and the same discussion and general ruling of beads is also applied to them.

Finally, once again the best practice is the practice of the Messenger of Allah salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, and that is using one’s right hand for counting the Tasbih.

Using beads or any other method is no where equivalent to the use of the right hand in terms of virtue and reward. However, for those who cannot keep up the correct count, if they use their hand, using beads or machines should not be completely banned and they should not be scolded for their practice.

This though does not justify the congregational Dhikr, because the story of Ibn Masoud which we started with still stands as an evidence to prohibit such practice.

And Allah knows best.

[Yaser Birjas]

wa alaikum as salam wa rahmatullah

jazaki Allahu khairan for your support sister justicekiz :D InshaAllah we'll get an answer soon!

Here are 2 questions the sisters had from the study sessions, inshaAllah sheikh YaserB can answer these as well:

1) On p.22 of the Usool Alfiqh binder, it is said: "Whoever doesn't perform the emphasized sunnahs (Sunnah Muakkadah) is blameworthy."

Q: What exactly does blameworthy mean? Does it mean sinful or is the act just Makruh?

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The issue of a blameworthy act or abstinence is disputable in books of Usool. Some Usoolis count this as a Haram or Wajib because it is blameworthy if you do and if you do not respectively, some other Usoolis consider it of the act of Makrooh.

This is all based on the definition of blame, is it a punishment of its own right and therefore could be Haram, provided that this blame is coming from Allah Almighty?
Or is it just a degree of doing what is 'khilaaf Al Awlaa' against what is more preferable, and therefore people deserve being blamed for?
In this case it is considered Makrooh.

Either way this does not affect the rulings in this dunya i.e. it does not change or establish a reward or punishment in this dunya. The ramification of this act or blame is in the akhirah.

And Allah knows best

[Yaser Birjas]

2) Q: Where should one draw the line between Mustahhab and Fard Kifaya? For example, in the book it says giving adhan is mustahhab kifaya. But if no one does it, wouldn't it become fardh?

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Fard Kifaayah is an absolute wajib. If a group of people does it then the sin will be removed from the whole ummah and if no one does it then all will share the sin such as funeral prayers. If no one took care of the janazah all will be part of that abandonment of that command so all will share the sin.

Mustahab Kifayah comes from the Mustahab ruling itself. So if anyone does it will get the reward for it, but if no one does it, there is no sin on them. Such as salat Taraweeh in Ramadan and the Adhan.
According to the answer given to the previous question if blame is not a punishment then the complete abandonment of this act of Mustahab is blameworthy i.e. leaving the most preferable. Some Usoolis call it Makrooh.

And Allah knows best