The phenomenon of relapse has spread recently. Is there a word on this? And what are the factors that help in steadfastness?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and guide your steps. Recently, we see and hear of many cases of relapse. We ask Allah for steadfastness for us and for you.
So, in your view, what are the driving causes of this phenomenon, and what are the foundations that help in steadfastness? We ask for clarification.
The Shaykh : The reality is that the question says: In this recent period, we see a lot of relapse.
Relapse, and praise be to Allah, is not widespread. On the contrary, we see many people turning to the right path. But the truth is that the youth need wise leadership, people in whom the youth have trust, and who possess religious knowledge derived from the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and the methodology of the righteous predecessors, the Companions, the Successors, the Imams after them, and the followers of the Imams.
A correct and strong methodology that looks at the present and looks to the future, and is also based on knowledge and faith in Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
So the youth, in reality, in the present time, need wise leadership, because reckless leadership leads them to destruction. Reckless leadership that wants to reform people overnight is impossible, by the decree of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
We give you an example: Our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had revelation descending upon him morning and evening, and he remained in Mecca for thirteen years calling people, but only a few responded to him, to the point that he was forced to migrate and leave the secure land of Allah, because he did not find the obedience of people that he wanted, so he migrated. Even though he was the Messenger of Allah, with revelation descending upon him and being supported by signs, until they said: "Show us a sign." So he pointed to the moon, and the moon split into two parts, the moon in the upper world. And yet, when the Messenger pointed to it and it split into two, did they believe? No, they did not believe. Allah said about them:[Al-Qamar 54:2] Is it possible for us to reform the rulers and the people overnight, or in a set number of days, or in months? This is not possible for us.
If the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not find it easy to achieve that, how can we?
So we do not want impulsive leadership for the youth at all, and we do not want slow, gentle, dead leadership either. We want wise, knowledgeable leadership that looks at the consequences and effects before looking at the present. Because if a person looks at the present and sees, for example, with regret, that in our local press, which is broadcast to us from outside, and which is more wicked and more of a trial, the one who looks at this and also looks at what recently happened with the satellite channels, he is torn apart by grief at how people are rushing to such things. And praise be to Allah, none of the committed ones rush to it, but the uncommitted do, and he regrets this thing.
So some people are seized by zeal and rush to enter houses from other than their doors, they want to climb over walls, and this is not possible. If one wants to climb over a wall, his consequence is that he will break or be broken.
But if we approach matters from their proper doors and we warn people from these newspapers, these magazines, and these visual media, there is much good in this. But some people, when they want to forbid this thing, first stand up against the government and ask: Why do you allow this thing? But the government has channels that can be reformed; it can be addressed directly, not in assemblies, mosques, and gatherings.
The one who addresses the people in mosques, assemblies, and gatherings is the people themselves. Warn them of this, show them its harm. So if you direct advice to the people, they will respond to you and benefit.
Let us give an example: In these houses of usury called banks, if we want to reform the matter, do we direct our anger at the government and say: Why did you enable this? The answer is: This is not wisdom. Advise the government between you and it, there is no harm. Or if the official is in front of you, address him and discuss with him, as they used to discuss with 'Umar ibn al-Khattab in front of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). But from behind the scenes, it is wrong. Who do you address to reform this situation regarding the banks? The people. Warn them of it, and I say: Do not deal with it. If the banks see that people are turning away from them, they will be forced to reform the situation, or open branches that conduct their transactions in accordance with the Shari'ah. Because who corrects these banks? The people. They are the ones who correct them. So if the bank owners see that people have turned away and are seeking other places, it will go bankrupt and will be forced to reform the situation.
And address the government; you will find among them, for example, someone who says to it: These banks are lawful. Perhaps some of you have read what was written in the newspapers about this topic, and what was also published about this topic, that banks are not forbidden. Why? He said: Because the forbidden thing is the usury that contains injustice, and these do not contain injustice. The bank benefits from it, and the one who withdraws from the bank benefits from it. How does the bank benefit? By the increase. For example, it gives you ten thousand and takes eleven thousand. The one who withdraws benefits by building a factory, building a farm, building a trade, so everyone benefits and there is no injustice.
And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) made us cease from usury and said:[Al-Baqarah 2:279] What? [Al-Baqarah 2:279] And this does not contain injustice.
People come who are pointed to as doctors or scholars or the like, and they confuse the government. Also, another one comes and says to you: Who said that these papers contain usury? These are papers, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan ad-Darimi 18:49 In which of the types do these papers fall? Yes, they do not fall, neither gold nor silver, but they are like the metal coins. And the metal coins, according to the text of the previous scholars, do not contain usury. Look at it in al-Rawd al-Murba' and others. The government says this. The government remains now between two wings: a lowering wing and a raising wing, and it discusses this.
But as for us going to disparage the government for this, while we want people to be cautious, no. We start with the people first, and we discuss with the government. And we say to the one who said: The forbidden usury does not contain injustice, this is a mistake, it is not correct, it is not correct. And the evidence for that is: It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he Does this transaction contain injustice? I ask you, my brothers? No, otherwise, O 'Abd al-Rahman.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : There is no injustice, why? Because the good sa' equals two bad sa's, there is no injustice. And yet the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So the argument of the one who says: The forbidden usury is what contains injustice is refuted. We say: This does not contain injustice.
Also: The one who says: These papers are not gold or silver? We say: But people have now taken them as currency, just as they took the dirhams and dinars. And the dirhams are silver and the dinars are gold, so people have taken them as currency and use them as they used to use the dirhams and dinars previously. And the legal principle is that "the substitute has the ruling of the substituted" So this argument is also refuted.
But I brought this example to you so that you know that the state does not always have only those who see the prohibition of usury in these papers or in this transaction. People come to it from every place, and it has those who read books, and it has those who read newspapers. And this is just an example, otherwise there are also other things.
Did you not know that Ibn Hazm, who is well known as an imam in Islamic jurisprudence from the Zahiri school, did you not know that he permits singing and musical instruments? He permits them, and some people are publishing his opinion now. A week ago, we read this in the newspapers, and it became clear to us that there is a doctoral thesis in it that permits singing and musical instruments. Yes, very well. What is the position of people? Ibn Hazm was among the early scholars, and those who followed him followed him, and some of our later scholars permit this. Yes, and we see that this is wrong, and that the hadith is valid, the hadith of Abu Malik al-Ash'ari or Abu Musa al-Ash'ari which al-Bukhari narrated: that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 5590 So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) placed musical instruments with what? With zina, intoxicants, and silk for men, because these four matters, by the permission of Allah, are associated, may Allah keep us safe, or are comparable. So if the Messenger placed musical instruments in the position of these things, we know that they are forbidden, there is no doubt in that, and we did not pay attention to the saying of Ibn Hazm or anyone else.
But my intention is that I am giving you an example that attacking the government openly is wrong, and following this methodology is wrong, contrary to what the righteous Salaf were upon.
But it is obligatory for the callers to Islam and for the leaders of the youth to look at the public benefits, and to look at the consequences and results. What led an Arab state to have sixty thousand people killed in five years or less, some killing each other, except such opinions? The deviant opinions that want to reform people overnight, and then they pour out their anger on the government. All of this is from error.
And the correct path, and praise be to Allah, is that matters are straight, meaning: in a limited way, there is no doubt. But we hope, by the permission of Allah Mighty and Majestic, that the youth will take a sound, moderate direction in which there is no negligence and no excess.
As for the path to steadfastness, the path to steadfastness is multiple: among them is a person turning to the worship of Allah, and that he occupies himself with his own self rather than the faults of others, because if a person occupies himself with reforming his own self regarding the faults of others, he wins the battle. But if his only concern is tracking the faults of people and thinking about them, his time is wasted and his heart's attachment to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) decreases. So you turn to your Lord, and reform what is between you and Allah, and strive as much as you can to reform the servants of Allah.
Second: increasing in worship.
Increasing in worship, without doubt, necessitates steadfastness, by the evidence of the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He)
So, in your view, what are the driving causes of this phenomenon, and what are the foundations that help in steadfastness? We ask for clarification.
The Shaykh : The reality is that the question says: In this recent period, we see a lot of relapse.
Relapse, and praise be to Allah, is not widespread. On the contrary, we see many people turning to the right path. But the truth is that the youth need wise leadership, people in whom the youth have trust, and who possess religious knowledge derived from the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and the methodology of the righteous predecessors, the Companions, the Successors, the Imams after them, and the followers of the Imams.
A correct and strong methodology that looks at the present and looks to the future, and is also based on knowledge and faith in Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
So the youth, in reality, in the present time, need wise leadership, because reckless leadership leads them to destruction. Reckless leadership that wants to reform people overnight is impossible, by the decree of Allah (Mighty and Majestic).
We give you an example: Our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had revelation descending upon him morning and evening, and he remained in Mecca for thirteen years calling people, but only a few responded to him, to the point that he was forced to migrate and leave the secure land of Allah, because he did not find the obedience of people that he wanted, so he migrated. Even though he was the Messenger of Allah, with revelation descending upon him and being supported by signs, until they said: "Show us a sign." So he pointed to the moon, and the moon split into two parts, the moon in the upper world. And yet, when the Messenger pointed to it and it split into two, did they believe? No, they did not believe. Allah said about them:
And if they see a miracle, they turn away and say, "Passing magic."
وَإِنْ يَرَوْا آيَةً يُعْرِضُوا وَيَقُولُوا سِحْرٌ مُسْتَمِرٌّIf the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not find it easy to achieve that, how can we?
So we do not want impulsive leadership for the youth at all, and we do not want slow, gentle, dead leadership either. We want wise, knowledgeable leadership that looks at the consequences and effects before looking at the present. Because if a person looks at the present and sees, for example, with regret, that in our local press, which is broadcast to us from outside, and which is more wicked and more of a trial, the one who looks at this and also looks at what recently happened with the satellite channels, he is torn apart by grief at how people are rushing to such things. And praise be to Allah, none of the committed ones rush to it, but the uncommitted do, and he regrets this thing.
So some people are seized by zeal and rush to enter houses from other than their doors, they want to climb over walls, and this is not possible. If one wants to climb over a wall, his consequence is that he will break or be broken.
But if we approach matters from their proper doors and we warn people from these newspapers, these magazines, and these visual media, there is much good in this. But some people, when they want to forbid this thing, first stand up against the government and ask: Why do you allow this thing? But the government has channels that can be reformed; it can be addressed directly, not in assemblies, mosques, and gatherings.
The one who addresses the people in mosques, assemblies, and gatherings is the people themselves. Warn them of this, show them its harm. So if you direct advice to the people, they will respond to you and benefit.
Let us give an example: In these houses of usury called banks, if we want to reform the matter, do we direct our anger at the government and say: Why did you enable this? The answer is: This is not wisdom. Advise the government between you and it, there is no harm. Or if the official is in front of you, address him and discuss with him, as they used to discuss with 'Umar ibn al-Khattab in front of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). But from behind the scenes, it is wrong. Who do you address to reform this situation regarding the banks? The people. Warn them of it, and I say: Do not deal with it. If the banks see that people are turning away from them, they will be forced to reform the situation, or open branches that conduct their transactions in accordance with the Shari'ah. Because who corrects these banks? The people. They are the ones who correct them. So if the bank owners see that people have turned away and are seeking other places, it will go bankrupt and will be forced to reform the situation.
And address the government; you will find among them, for example, someone who says to it: These banks are lawful. Perhaps some of you have read what was written in the newspapers about this topic, and what was also published about this topic, that banks are not forbidden. Why? He said: Because the forbidden thing is the usury that contains injustice, and these do not contain injustice. The bank benefits from it, and the one who withdraws from the bank benefits from it. How does the bank benefit? By the increase. For example, it gives you ten thousand and takes eleven thousand. The one who withdraws benefits by building a factory, building a farm, building a trade, so everyone benefits and there is no injustice.
And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) made us cease from usury and said:
But if you repent, you may have your principal
وَإِنْ تُبْتُمْ فَلَكُمْ رُؤُوسُ أَمْوَالِكُمْyou do no wrong, nor are you wronged.
لا تَظْلِمُونَ وَلا تُظْلَمُونَPeople come who are pointed to as doctors or scholars or the like, and they confuse the government. Also, another one comes and says to you: Who said that these papers contain usury? These are papers, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Gold for gold, silver for silver, wheat for wheat, dates for dates, barley for barley, and salt for salt.
الذهب بالذهب، والفضة بالفضة، والبر بالبر، والتمر بالتمر، والشعير بالشعير، والملح بالملحBut as for us going to disparage the government for this, while we want people to be cautious, no. We start with the people first, and we discuss with the government. And we say to the one who said: The forbidden usury does not contain injustice, this is a mistake, it is not correct, it is not correct. And the evidence for that is: It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he
He was brought to him good, fine dates, so he said: "What is this?" They said: "O Messenger of Allah! We take one sa' of this for two sa' of the inferior, and the two sa' for three." He said, (peace and blessings be upon him): "Ow-ow" (meaning he expressed pain), "It is pure riba, it is pure riba."
أُتي إليه بتمر طيب جيد فقال: ما هذا؟ قالوا: يا رسول الله! نأخذ الصاع من هذا بصاعين من الرديء، والصاعين بالثلاث، فقال عليه الصلاة والسلام: أوّه -أوّه يعني يتوجع- عين الربا ، عين الرباThe student: ...
The Shaykh : There is no injustice, why? Because the good sa' equals two bad sa's, there is no injustice. And yet the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
That it is pure riba.
إنه عين الرباAlso: The one who says: These papers are not gold or silver? We say: But people have now taken them as currency, just as they took the dirhams and dinars. And the dirhams are silver and the dinars are gold, so people have taken them as currency and use them as they used to use the dirhams and dinars previously. And the legal principle is that "the substitute has the ruling of the substituted" So this argument is also refuted.
But I brought this example to you so that you know that the state does not always have only those who see the prohibition of usury in these papers or in this transaction. People come to it from every place, and it has those who read books, and it has those who read newspapers. And this is just an example, otherwise there are also other things.
Did you not know that Ibn Hazm, who is well known as an imam in Islamic jurisprudence from the Zahiri school, did you not know that he permits singing and musical instruments? He permits them, and some people are publishing his opinion now. A week ago, we read this in the newspapers, and it became clear to us that there is a doctoral thesis in it that permits singing and musical instruments. Yes, very well. What is the position of people? Ibn Hazm was among the early scholars, and those who followed him followed him, and some of our later scholars permit this. Yes, and we see that this is wrong, and that the hadith is valid, the hadith of Abu Malik al-Ash'ari or Abu Musa al-Ash'ari which al-Bukhari narrated: that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
From among my followers there will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk, the drinking of alcoholic drinks and the use of musical instruments, as lawful.
ليكونن من أمتي أقوامٌ يستحلون الحر والحرير والخمر والمعازفBut my intention is that I am giving you an example that attacking the government openly is wrong, and following this methodology is wrong, contrary to what the righteous Salaf were upon.
But it is obligatory for the callers to Islam and for the leaders of the youth to look at the public benefits, and to look at the consequences and results. What led an Arab state to have sixty thousand people killed in five years or less, some killing each other, except such opinions? The deviant opinions that want to reform people overnight, and then they pour out their anger on the government. All of this is from error.
And the correct path, and praise be to Allah, is that matters are straight, meaning: in a limited way, there is no doubt. But we hope, by the permission of Allah Mighty and Majestic, that the youth will take a sound, moderate direction in which there is no negligence and no excess.
As for the path to steadfastness, the path to steadfastness is multiple: among them is a person turning to the worship of Allah, and that he occupies himself with his own self rather than the faults of others, because if a person occupies himself with reforming his own self regarding the faults of others, he wins the battle. But if his only concern is tracking the faults of people and thinking about them, his time is wasted and his heart's attachment to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) decreases. So you turn to your Lord, and reform what is between you and Allah, and strive as much as you can to reform the servants of Allah.
Second: increasing in worship.
Increasing in worship, without doubt, necessitates steadfastness, by the evidence of the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He)