Explanation of the Book of Tawhid-09

The Shaykh : The author (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "And Ahmad narrated from Ruwayf that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me:

You may live for a long time after I am gone, Ruwaifi',

يا رُوَيفِع ! لعل الحياة تطول بك

Mishkat al-Masabih 351

" This is an expectation, meaning that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) expected that his life would be long, and that indeed happened, for he lived a long life. This implies prohibition. First, his statement: Tying the beard is well known. The beard among the Arabs was left as it was, neither cut nor shaved, as that is the Sunnah, but they would tie their beards for reasons.
The first reason is for boasting and grandeur. You find someone tying it, for example, or tying it in the middle with a large knot to declare that he is a great man and the master of his people, and the like, and he boasts with it.
And perhaps they tie it out of fear of the evil eye, because if it is beautiful and fine, then when it is tied, its appearance becomes ugly and there is a kind of ugliness in it, so they do this out of fear of the evil eye. This is a form of taking an omen as a bad sign. As for those who tie their beards, the Messenger (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) says: This is of the type that some of the common people among us do. When food comes from the market, they take a piece of it and throw it on the ground. They throw it on the ground, thinking this is for the evil eye, and they believe that whoever eats that piece will be struck by the evil eye. If a bunch of grapes comes, they take a grape from it and throw it on the ground. If a container of dates comes, they take a date and throw it on the ground. This is found among the common people among us, but I think, and praise be to Allah, it has decreased now; otherwise, it was present, and it was impossible for anyone to eat anything that came from the market before throwing something of it on the ground.
The student: For Satan.

The Shaykh : No, it is not for Satan. They say this is for the evil eye... The evil eye: what we threw is a belief that is not correct. It is a belief that is not sound. If the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) says: Why do they throw it away? Then... It is also a belief, a defective belief. If there is an evil eye in it... eat it, whether this thing was removed from it or not.
Likewise, whoever wears a bowstring. What is a bowstring? It is a type of sinew from the sinews of a sheep or a camel or the like. They use it in the bow, the bow with which one shoots; they put this bowstring in it. They use it in bows, and they also use it as necklaces, wearing it, for example, around their necks, around the necks of their camels, around the necks of their horses, and the like. They claim that this drives away the evil eye. This is also not permissible. And the Messenger said: Because it is a type of associating partners with Allah, and Allah the Exalted does not forgive shirk, even if it is minor.
The student: The description of the bowstring.

The Shaykh : It is a thread from this... are there additional things on it or not?
The student: In the form of a bowstring.

The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: Or... specific.

The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : No, it is usually made from sinews because it is stronger. They wear it around their necks and the necks of their camels.
The student: ... the description of the manufacture...

The Shaykh : The description of the manufacture, meaning how?
The student: In the form of a bowstring.

The Shaykh : Yes, in the form of a bowstring.
The student: Or in a specific form.

The Shaykh : No, no, in the form of a bowstring... Likewise, whoever wears a bowstring, or cleans himself with the dung of an animal. "Cleans himself" is derived from "najw," which is removal. This is because the person who wipes himself after relieving himself removes its trace. However, the jurists (may Allah have mercy on them) define cleaning oneself with water as istinja' and with stones as istijmar. But this hadith defines cleaning oneself with stones, with a dry thing. He said: What is the dung? The excrement with which one cleans oneself with the dung of an animal, so Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is disassociated from him. Why? Because the dung of human animals is feed for the beasts of the jinn. They have nothing but the leftovers, the leftovers of our beasts. The dung becomes feed for their beasts. Or a bone, the one who cleans himself with a bone, so Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is disassociated from him, because the bone is food for the jinn. They find it to be the most full of meat. Glory be to Allah, it is before our eyes, a bone that appears to have nothing on it, but for the jinn it is full of meat, the most full of meat. But we do not see it because we do not see the jinn, nor do we see their food or drink. Rather, this is a matter of the unseen with Allah (Mighty and Majestic). We must believe in it even if we do not see it. The Messenger disassociates himself from this. And I think this is in which chapter? What is the number of the chapter? The eighth on... Yes.
And his statement: Every sin from which one is disassociated by the declaration of disassociation is from the major sins, as is well known among the people of knowledge. So every sin from which Allah and His Messenger disassociate is considered from the major sins. What is derived from this hadith that the author cited for its sake? What did the author cite it for? Because his current discussion is about ruqyah and amulets.