How do we reconcile the prohibition of saying "if only" with what is reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?
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The questioner : All right; regarding what was mentioned about the prohibition of "if only," the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih al-Bukhari 7229 to the end of it, ...?
The Shaykh : I had read a reconciliation between the prohibition of one of us saying "if only," because "if only" opens up what?
Another questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, and what was mentioned in a hadith like this one, but the truth is that I do not recall the answer right now, so you must recall it; please inform the listeners.
Another questioner : Understood.
The Shaykh : Half of knowledge is that I do not know, so by my refusal to answer, I have become a half-scholar, so let none of us be distressed if he does not know the answer and says: I do not know.
The questioner : Regarding the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), what is said about this? Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that because he legislates for his Ummah, so he said: I am showing you the better or obligatory matter, as is the saying of some of the scholars of knowledge.
The Shaykh : But no, this is not the answer to the problem you raised; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) could have used an expression that did not contain "if only," yes, but—Glory be to Allah!—it has slipped my mind, because a matter like this is not a practical issue that a person reads, and then with time andThe Shaykh : fatigue and exhaustion, the matter becomes a forgotten thing.
The questioner : By Allah, I recall that you mentioned in the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) sermon that if it is for lamentation, it is not permissible, if it is for wishing for good; like saying: If only I had money.
The Shaykh : Raise your voice so your brothers can hear.
The questioner : The saying I recall that you mentioned in the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) sermon is that if it is for lamentation, it is not permissible, but if it is for wishing for good, like if someone says, for example: If only I had like so-and-so's wealth, I would give charity...
The Shaykh : Correct, this is it, this is the sought-after merchandise.
If I had formerly known what I came to know recently
لو استقبلت من أمري ما استدبرتThe Shaykh : I had read a reconciliation between the prohibition of one of us saying "if only," because "if only" opens up what?
Another questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, and what was mentioned in a hadith like this one, but the truth is that I do not recall the answer right now, so you must recall it; please inform the listeners.
Another questioner : Understood.
The Shaykh : Half of knowledge is that I do not know, so by my refusal to answer, I have become a half-scholar, so let none of us be distressed if he does not know the answer and says: I do not know.
The questioner : Regarding the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), what is said about this? Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that because he legislates for his Ummah, so he said: I am showing you the better or obligatory matter, as is the saying of some of the scholars of knowledge.
The Shaykh : But no, this is not the answer to the problem you raised; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) could have used an expression that did not contain "if only," yes, but—Glory be to Allah!—it has slipped my mind, because a matter like this is not a practical issue that a person reads, and then with time andThe Shaykh : fatigue and exhaustion, the matter becomes a forgotten thing.
The questioner : By Allah, I recall that you mentioned in the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) sermon that if it is for lamentation, it is not permissible, if it is for wishing for good; like saying: If only I had money.
The Shaykh : Raise your voice so your brothers can hear.
The questioner : The saying I recall that you mentioned in the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) sermon is that if it is for lamentation, it is not permissible, but if it is for wishing for good, like if someone says, for example: If only I had like so-and-so's wealth, I would give charity...
The Shaykh : Correct, this is it, this is the sought-after merchandise.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.