Some people compel a guest in the name of Allah, saying things like, “By the face of Allah, you must take your right from me,” and the like. Is this permissible?
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The questioner : Some people compel a guest in the name of Allah, saying things like, “By the face of Allah, you must take your right from me,” and the like. What is the ruling of the Shari'ah in your view regarding such statements?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
What a person should do in his dealings with his brothers is not to put them in a difficult position regarding what he wants to bestow upon them in kindness. In fact, true kindness is to make things easy for them, to be patient with them, and not to burden them with compulsion or obligation. Excessive kindness is an insult, and many people have found themselves in this situation, where they are compelled or forced to do or leave something, which puts them in a difficult position. They may even be harmed by agreeing with the person who compelled them. Therefore, a person should not put his brother in a difficult position in such matters. Rather, he should present the matter to him; if he agrees, that is fine, and if he does not agree, he knows his own situation best.
The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) have mentioned that if a man knows that the one who is giving him a gift or offering him a present is doing so out of shyness and embarrassment, not out of generosity and willingness, then it is forbidden for him to accept the gift or present. Similarly, this man who compelled his companion or forced him may be sinful for putting his brother in a difficult position.
Worse than that is what some people do in their method of compulsion or obligation, where they swear by divorce, saying, “I divorce my wife if you do such and such, or if you do not do such and such,” or the like. In that case, he puts himself in a difficult position and puts others in a difficult position. His companion may refuse to agree with him, and then the one who swore by divorce finds himself in a difficult position. He may be given a fatwa based on the opinion of the majority of scholars that his wife is divorced if the condition is not met. This divorce may be the last of three divorces, in which case the woman is divorced from him. The important point is that I advise my Muslim brothers not to make things difficult for others or put them in a difficult position. Rather, they should present kindness in a way that allows for acceptance; if they are successful, that is good, and if not, they should leave the person with room to maneuver.
As for asking in the name of the Face of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), the Face of Allah the Exalted is too great for a person to ask for anything of this world in it. Making one’s request in the name of the Face of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is like a means by which one seeks to achieve one’s purpose from the person to whom one is making the request. Therefore, no one should engage in such a request; that is, one should not say, “By the Face of Allah,” or “I ask you by the Face of Allah,” or the like.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
What a person should do in his dealings with his brothers is not to put them in a difficult position regarding what he wants to bestow upon them in kindness. In fact, true kindness is to make things easy for them, to be patient with them, and not to burden them with compulsion or obligation. Excessive kindness is an insult, and many people have found themselves in this situation, where they are compelled or forced to do or leave something, which puts them in a difficult position. They may even be harmed by agreeing with the person who compelled them. Therefore, a person should not put his brother in a difficult position in such matters. Rather, he should present the matter to him; if he agrees, that is fine, and if he does not agree, he knows his own situation best.
The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) have mentioned that if a man knows that the one who is giving him a gift or offering him a present is doing so out of shyness and embarrassment, not out of generosity and willingness, then it is forbidden for him to accept the gift or present. Similarly, this man who compelled his companion or forced him may be sinful for putting his brother in a difficult position.
Worse than that is what some people do in their method of compulsion or obligation, where they swear by divorce, saying, “I divorce my wife if you do such and such, or if you do not do such and such,” or the like. In that case, he puts himself in a difficult position and puts others in a difficult position. His companion may refuse to agree with him, and then the one who swore by divorce finds himself in a difficult position. He may be given a fatwa based on the opinion of the majority of scholars that his wife is divorced if the condition is not met. This divorce may be the last of three divorces, in which case the woman is divorced from him. The important point is that I advise my Muslim brothers not to make things difficult for others or put them in a difficult position. Rather, they should present kindness in a way that allows for acceptance; if they are successful, that is good, and if not, they should leave the person with room to maneuver.
As for asking in the name of the Face of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), the Face of Allah the Exalted is too great for a person to ask for anything of this world in it. Making one’s request in the name of the Face of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is like a means by which one seeks to achieve one’s purpose from the person to whom one is making the request. Therefore, no one should engage in such a request; that is, one should not say, “By the Face of Allah,” or “I ask you by the Face of Allah,” or the like.