The Shaykh’s advice to those who say that a person is compelled to commit forbidden acts.
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The questioner : We observe these days that the Muslim falls into what is forbidden, meaning he is compelled, meaning it is not by his choice. For example, I cannot become a Muslim in the present day one hundred percent unless something compels you. How can it be? What you eat is forbidden, or you fall into what is forbidden. For example, I am a Muslim and I have a car, and the law compels me to insure it, and insurance is forbidden. I am an employee, and the law compels me to receive my salary from the bank, and the bank is forbidden. Meaning, against my will. My son must go to school in the school uniform, the pants. I am a teacher, of course, what am I supposed to do? It is all forbidden. There is forbidden in forbidden. I cannot even leave my house. I say to my children, “Worship, we will wear the dishdasha and we will not go out...” The society will not become... Forbidden in the street, meaning without blame. I am a merchant, and a woman enters upon me, meaning without blame, all of them are unveiled, meaning without blame. By Allah, sometimes you want to close your eyes. Truly, things are compelled. You...
The Shaykh : Let us agree on a common word. Just as I agree with you now, you may also agree with me. I agree with you that there are matters in which a person is compelled, correct?
The questioner : Correct.
The Shaykh : Do you agree with me that there are matters in which he is not compelled?
The questioner : By Allah, there are matters in which we are negligent.
The Shaykh : So if we address this and leave that.
The questioner : Address what you are able to address.
The Shaykh : Now, what is your job?
The questioner : My job is opening a shop, I am a merchant.
The Shaykh : Do you not have an employee? So why do you not have a female employee? This poor woman?
The questioner : Negligence.
The Shaykh : So if we were trying to find excuses for ourselves in the things we are compelled to do, and we forget the things in which we have a choice, we must address the issues that are in our hands.
The questioner : In the things we are compelled to do, we have no claim.
The Shaykh : When you are compelled, you have no... I said earlier, the important thing is that a person compelled... I do not think you will forget. When we gave the example of our brother here, the soldier, were you not here?
The questioner: Present
The Shaykh : We said this is compelled, but we distinguished between his serving in compulsory military service and what is voluntary. So now, he is compelled, but after he finishes his compulsory military service, if he does not like the pension and withdraws it, it remains by his choice, okay? So now, you brought examples that we agreed are necessary, but there are things that are not necessary. So when a person wants to address the voluntary things, he should do so with the fear of Allah, the Exalted. Our Lord will make the path easy for him to address the other issues. You gave the example of compulsory car insurance. There are two parts to insurance, is that not so? So there is something in which you have a choice, and there is something in which you have no choice. So in the thing in which you are compelled, may Allah not hold us accountable. But in the thing in which you have a choice, it is not permissible for you to say, “I want to insure my car for fear of an accident.” No accident. If we always keep before our eyes that a person is sometimes one who has a choice and sometimes one who is driven, as they say, let us look into the things in which we have a choice, not the things in which we are driven. Clear? Thank you.The Shaykh : You are not tired, Abu Usamah.
The Shaykh : Let us agree on a common word. Just as I agree with you now, you may also agree with me. I agree with you that there are matters in which a person is compelled, correct?
The questioner : Correct.
The Shaykh : Do you agree with me that there are matters in which he is not compelled?
The questioner : By Allah, there are matters in which we are negligent.
The Shaykh : So if we address this and leave that.
The questioner : Address what you are able to address.
The Shaykh : Now, what is your job?
The questioner : My job is opening a shop, I am a merchant.
The Shaykh : Do you not have an employee? So why do you not have a female employee? This poor woman?
The questioner : Negligence.
The Shaykh : So if we were trying to find excuses for ourselves in the things we are compelled to do, and we forget the things in which we have a choice, we must address the issues that are in our hands.
The questioner : In the things we are compelled to do, we have no claim.
The Shaykh : When you are compelled, you have no... I said earlier, the important thing is that a person compelled... I do not think you will forget. When we gave the example of our brother here, the soldier, were you not here?
The questioner: Present
The Shaykh : We said this is compelled, but we distinguished between his serving in compulsory military service and what is voluntary. So now, he is compelled, but after he finishes his compulsory military service, if he does not like the pension and withdraws it, it remains by his choice, okay? So now, you brought examples that we agreed are necessary, but there are things that are not necessary. So when a person wants to address the voluntary things, he should do so with the fear of Allah, the Exalted. Our Lord will make the path easy for him to address the other issues. You gave the example of compulsory car insurance. There are two parts to insurance, is that not so? So there is something in which you have a choice, and there is something in which you have no choice. So in the thing in which you are compelled, may Allah not hold us accountable. But in the thing in which you have a choice, it is not permissible for you to say, “I want to insure my car for fear of an accident.” No accident. If we always keep before our eyes that a person is sometimes one who has a choice and sometimes one who is driven, as they say, let us look into the things in which we have a choice, not the things in which we are driven. Clear? Thank you.The Shaykh : You are not tired, Abu Usamah.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.