Some students of knowledge say that whoever installs a satellite dish in his home will enter the Fire because he is a deceiver to his dependents, as stated in the hadith. I ask for clarification of this issue.
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The questioner : O Shaykh, regarding the matter of the satellite dish, some students of knowledge understood that: any person who installs this device will not enter Paradise. Therefore, they issued a ruling based on the fatwa, so we need clarification of the issue?
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you, there is no problem. The texts of warning remain in their generality, but they are not applied to every specific individual, because we do not know; perhaps Allah will forgive him.
So the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): This hadith is general. If we find a person whom Allah has placed in charge of a group of people, and he dies while being a deceiver to them, he falls under this warning. But we do not testify specifically about him, saying: "Muhammad is forbidden from Paradise" or "Abdullah is forbidden from Paradise because he was a deceiver to his dependents." This is the point of no problem. However, considering that the general public do not understand the difference between specifying and generalizing, we wrote instead of "Allah has forbidden him Paradise": "It is feared that the warning will befall him" or a similar phrase, and nothing else. Otherwise, the hadith is general and applies to this, because if we asked any person: "Did Allah place this man in charge of his dependents, his family? I am asking you?"
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : You answered.
The questioner : I did not hear.
The Shaykh : How do you say yes when you have not heard? Did Allah place this man in charge of his dependents? Yes, without a doubt. Is it from advice and trustworthiness that he brings this satellite dish for them, or enables them to access it, while he has the ability to prevent it? I am asking you.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : From trustworthiness?
The questioner : From trustworthiness, it is that he does not bring it into the house.
The Shaykh : So it is not from trustworthiness. Is he a deceiver or not a deceiver?
The questioner : A deceiver.
The Shaykh : A deceiver. If he dies, the hadith applies to him, but you do not testify specifically about one person.
Now, for example, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1731Sahih (Darussalam) Is that not so? If we find a person dragging his garment out of arrogance, do we testify specifically about him that Allah does not look at him?
The questioner : We do not testify specifically about him.
The Shaykh : We do not testify specifically about him, but we say: You are included in the generality. As for specifically, it is not permissible for us to testify, because perhaps Allah will accept his repentance, or he may have good deeds that overwhelm his bad deeds, or he may be forgiven, or someone who prays for him may intercede for him, because:Sahih Muslim 948.
Now, for example, the believer who does good deeds, is he in Paradise or in the Fire?
The questioner : In Paradise.
The Shaykh : Do we testify specifically about a man we know is a believer who does good deeds that he is in Paradise? No. People must know the difference between generalizing and specifying.
A man was killed in the battlefield in jihad in the path of Allah, killed by the enemy. Whoever is killed in the path of Allah is a martyr. Do we say: This killed man is a martyr? We do not say that.
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you, there is no problem. The texts of warning remain in their generality, but they are not applied to every specific individual, because we do not know; perhaps Allah will forgive him.
So the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him):
No servant whom Allah places in charge of a group of people, and he dies while being a deceiver to them, except that Allah has forbidden him Paradise.
ما من عبد يسترعيه الله على رعاية يموت يوم يموت وهو غاش لها إلا حرم الله عليه الجنةThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : You answered.
The questioner : I did not hear.
The Shaykh : How do you say yes when you have not heard? Did Allah place this man in charge of his dependents? Yes, without a doubt. Is it from advice and trustworthiness that he brings this satellite dish for them, or enables them to access it, while he has the ability to prevent it? I am asking you.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : From trustworthiness?
The questioner : From trustworthiness, it is that he does not bring it into the house.
The Shaykh : So it is not from trustworthiness. Is he a deceiver or not a deceiver?
The questioner : A deceiver.
The Shaykh : A deceiver. If he dies, the hadith applies to him, but you do not testify specifically about one person.
Now, for example, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Whoever arrogantly drags his garment, Allah will not look at him
من جر ثوبه خيلاء لم ينظر الله إليهThe questioner : We do not testify specifically about him.
The Shaykh : We do not testify specifically about him, but we say: You are included in the generality. As for specifically, it is not permissible for us to testify, because perhaps Allah will accept his repentance, or he may have good deeds that overwhelm his bad deeds, or he may be forgiven, or someone who prays for him may intercede for him, because:
If any Muslim dies and forty men who associate nothing with Allah stand over his prayer (they offer prayer over him), Allah will accept them as intercessors for him.
ما من رجل مسلم يموت فيقوم على جنازته أربعون رجلاً لا يشركون بالله شيئاً إلا شفعهم الله فيهNow, for example, the believer who does good deeds, is he in Paradise or in the Fire?
The questioner : In Paradise.
The Shaykh : Do we testify specifically about a man we know is a believer who does good deeds that he is in Paradise? No. People must know the difference between generalizing and specifying.
A man was killed in the battlefield in jihad in the path of Allah, killed by the enemy. Whoever is killed in the path of Allah is a martyr. Do we say: This killed man is a martyr? We do not say that.