A young man wished to propose to one of the girls, so her father asked him to go out for four months in the cause of Allah, and this going out would be her mahr

The questioner : The Shaykh : please.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : There is a question, if you please, and it is a very urgent matter. A brother among the brothers wanted to ask for a sister among the sisters, and her father—may we consider him to be of good character, and we do not praise anyone before Allah—the man imposed a condition on him: first, no mahr, no sadaq, and nothing else. But he told him, "Go out for four months in the cause of Allah." No problem, excuse me, because the question...

The Shaykh : I have not done anything until I hear you.

The questioner : He said to the brother, he told him: "Go out for four months in the cause of Allah, and without anything, I will give you my daughter."

The Shaykh : What Allah willed.

The questioner : But as soon as you go out for four months in the cause of Allah, this brother is now confused. He does not want to go out, but he wants the girl. What is the way out for this brother? He is asking a question and the answer is necessary, right?

The Shaykh : I think the answer has already been given. I am not speaking about this specific case, but rather I am speaking about and meaning such cases. Do you know how?

The questioner : How?

The Shaykh : Does the end justify the means, or does it not? What did we understand from the previous lecture? Does the end justify the means? Were you with us in the previous discussion or not? I think he was absent.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Were you with us?

The questioner : With you, yes.

The Shaykh : How? Does the end justify the means?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : I do not like people who are kind to me in their speech. I want them to be understanding with me. May Allah reward you.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : Half of the knowledge, I do not know.

The questioner : Yes, exactly.

The Shaykh : Is that not so?

The questioner : Yes, exactly.

The Shaykh : So, if you were absent from our previous topic and did not clarify it, do not be kind to me in your speech, but tell me that you did not pay attention. But if you were understanding, you will subject yourself to a very simple test: What is the meaning of "the end does not justify the means," and is this an Islamic rule or a non-Islamic rule? Did you understand this?

The questioner : By Allah, we know it.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : We know it.

The Shaykh : We said just now that this rule is not Islamic, but Muslims proceed from it. They disbelieve in it with their tongues and believe in it with their actions. We gave many, many examples. If you remember, the one who puts his money in the bank and takes out a thousand or ten thousand in riba says, "I am better off taking them and giving them in charity." And we said, "I wish she had not committed zina and had not given charity." Do you remember this discussion?

The questioner : The beginning of the speech.

The Shaykh : Likewise, we gave some other examples, among them that many Muslims today expose their women to fitnah and to stumbling in the path of acquiring knowledge. This knowledge, I say now, is not an individual obligation, but rather a collective obligation. For example, a Muslim woman graduating as a doctor. But you know that for a doctor to graduate today, she must be exposed to much fitnah, mixing with young men and men, from doctors to students, and so on. So, how do some Muslims make it permissible to expose their daughters to such fitnah? The end justifies the means...