Part 30

..And the Prophet #8 said, (gh Ges Al 3S iy oy SueY isp

“Verily, deeds are only by their intentions, and for every person is only that which he intends.”’ So he does not intend divorce but

instead intends an oath, in which, if he breaks it, it is sufficient for him to perform the atonement that is prescribed for oaths. And this is the stronger opinion.’""]

e) Do not say to a hypocrite, “Sayyid (chief, master, mister),” or “Sayyidee (my chief, my master).”” Buraidah related that the Messenger of Allah 2 said,

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“Do not say ‘Sayyid’ to a hypocrite, for even if he is a Sayyid (for example, he is the leader of a people or he owns slaves), you will have angered your Lord ‘Azza Wa-Jall [by saying it to him].’!

“Even if he is a Sayyid’ means, even if he is the leader of a people, an honored member of society, a person of wealth, etc. By calling a known hypocrite ‘Sayyid, one angers Allah 4%, because one is honoring and venerating a person who deserves neither honor nor veneration. And that is if the person is really a Sayyid; if he isn’t a Sayyid, then one adds lying and hypocrisy to the list of his sins. Ibn Al-Atheer said, “Do not say, ‘Sayyid,’ toa hypocrite, for if he really is a hypocrite, and if he really is a Sayyid, then [by calling him ‘Sayyid’] your situation is lower than his (ie. you lower yourself to being lower than even a hypocrite), and Allah 3¢ is not pleased with that for you.”

f) Do not curse the time. Abu Hurairah .@ reported that the Messenger of Allah #% said,

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Guy Ahn Lil hy “Allah ‘Azza Wa-Jall said: The son of Adam offends Me when he curses the time, for I am the time: the matter is in My Hand - I

i] The Fataawa Of Shaikh Muhammad As-Saaleh Al-‘Uthaimeen (2/796)

"I Related by Abu Daawood (4977), and the wording mentioned above is from his narration, which Al-Albaanee ruled to be authentic; by Ahmad (22430); and by Bukhaaree, in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad (760).

make the night alter into day.’

And this is from the narration of Ahmad:

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SL ay Sly Js rau) wast “Do not curse the time, for indeed Allah ‘Azza Wa-Jall said, ‘I am the time: the days and the nights are Mine - I renew them

and cause them to decay (i.e., to end); and I bring kings after kings.’ 2)

When people would be afflicted with a calamity during preIslamic times - the times of ignorance - it was customary for them to curse the time; some people from this Nation - and they are few - are guilty of the same ignorance. The reason why it is prohibited to curse the time is because it involves cursing the Creator of the time, for He 4 is the one who makes time pass. Cursing time is prohibited, then, so that one does not, as a direct consequence, curse his Creator - and we seek protection from Allah 48.

Question: Is it permissible to say, “This is a treacherous time,” or, “What a failure is the time wherein I saw you,” or other similar phrases?

Answer: Ibn ‘Uthaimeen - may Allah have mercy on him ~ said that such phrases can be said in two different ways:

1) One says such phrases with the intention of cursing time, and that is Haram, for whatsoever occurs in time is from Allah 3. Therefore, when one curses time, he is in fact cursing Allah 8 - and we seek refuge in Allah 8. And that is why Allah 4 said in a Qudsee hadith:

1 Related by Bukhaaree (4826), Muslim (2246), Ahmad (7204), Abu Daawood (5274), and Maalik (1846).

"1 Related by Ahmad (10061). Commenting on this narration, Ibn Hajar said, “Its chain is authentic.”

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“The son of Adam offends Me when he curses the time, for | am the time: the matter is in My Hand - I make the night alter into day.”

2) One says such phrases with the intention of imparting information, of expressing the situation of a certain point in time or of a certain era. An example of this is in the following verse, wherein Allah 4% relates from Loot 2%:

“He said: “This is a distressful day.” (Quran 11:77)

Everyone says at some time or another, “his is a difficult day,” or, “Such and such happened today,” and there is no sin upon people for doing so.

But when one says, “This is a treacherous time,” then that is a form of cursing that is certainly not permissible. In regards to the phrase, “What a failure is the time wherein I saw you,” if one intends, ‘What a failure I was,” or something similar, then there is nothing wrong with what he said; but if his intention is to curse the actual day or time, then he is cursing time, which is forbidden.

g) To say, “Haraamun ‘Alaik (It is forbidden upon you)” or “Haraamun ‘Alaik An-Taf al Kadhaa (It is forbidden upon you to do such and such)” about matters that are not forbidden. To put these phrases in context, we must understand that it has become customary among some Arabs to use these expressions to describe commonplace occurrences, using the word “Haraam (forbidden)” to describe mistakes that are not forbidden in the Shariah. In a sporting event, for example, if a player misses an easy opportunity to score, people might say, “Haraamun ‘Alaihi {it was Haram for him (to miss such an easy opportunity)]!” And this of course shows carelessness that is not acceptable in Islam.

It is forbidden to describe something as being Haram (forbidden) unless Allah 3% or His Messenger # forbade it. Even if one has a good intention, he is transgressing his limits as a created being - for only Allah 3 has the right to decree what is lawful and what is forbidden; furthermore, by saying such phrases, one gives the impression that something is Haram when it really isn’t Haram. Therefore, it is safer for a person, in protecting his practice of the religion, to avoid such phrases. And it is feared that the one who says them falls under the ruling of this verse:

“And say not concerning that which your tongues put forth falsely: “This is lawful and this is forbidden,” so as to invent lies against Allah. Verily, those who invent lies against Allah will never prosper’ (Qur’an 16:116)

In explaining this verse, Ash-Shawkaanee said, ‘“Do not rule that something is Haram (unlawful) or something is Halal (lawful) based only on what your tongues say and not on proof.”

The Manners Of Eating And Drinking

“O (you) Messengers! Eat of the Tayibaat [all kinds of Halal (legal) foods which Allah has made legal (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables, fruits, etc.], and do righteous deeds. Verily! I am Well-Acquainted with what you

And Allah 3& said:

“Eat and drink of that which Allah has provided and do not act corruptly, making mischief on the earth’’ (Quran 2:60)

And the Messenger of Allah 2% said to a boy,

“O’ young boy, say Allah's Name (before you eat), eat with your right hand, and eat from what is nearest to you.”"4]

The Etiquettes Of Eating And Drinking

1) It Is Forbidden To Eat Or Drink From Any Kind Of Dish Or With Any Kind Of Utensil That Is Made From Gold Or Silver

"1 Related by Bukhaaree (5376), Muslim (2022), Ahmad (15895), Abu Daawood (3777), Ibn Maajah (3267), Maalik (1738), and Ad-Daarimee (2045). And the wording mentioned above is taken from Bukhaaree’s narration of the hadith.

Chapter - 9 The Manners Of Eating And Drinking 193

Hudhaifah # reported that he heard the Prophet 2% say,

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“Do not wear silk or Ad-Deebaaj (a kind of silk); do not drink

from containers of gold and silver, and do not eat from bowls that

are made from them, for they (i.e., containers and bowls made of

gold and silver) are for them in this world, and for us in the Hereafter."")

The following hadith contains an even severer warning: Umm Salamah % - wife of the Prophet #% - reported that the Messenger of Allah #¢ said,

On the grounds of these narrations, scholars agree that it is forbidden to drink from the aforementioned kinds of dishes and containers.

There is no mention of the reason behind the prohibition; nonetheless, when a Muslim learns of an authentic proof, he must follow it to the letter, and he must not embark on a desperate search for an interpretation that justifies a forbidden deed. That being said, scholars have attempted to explain the reason behind the ruling, though they don’t agree on what that reason is. Some scholars say that when one eats from a bowl made of gold, he imitates tyrants and kings of foreign empires, and that is the reason for the prohibition. Other scholars maintain

(I Related by Bukhaaree (5426), Muslim (2067), Ahmad (22927), AtTirmidhee (1878), An-Nassaaee (5301), Abu Daawood (3723), Ibn Maajah (3414), and Ad-Daarimee (2130).

"1 The word for flow in the narration is Jarjara, which means the sound that water makes when it falls inside [of something].

that using dishes made of gold and silver is an act of arrogance and extravagance, both of which are prohibited. And yet other scholars say that using such dishes is an insult to the poor, who cannot even find food to fill their simple containers and dishes. (And perhaps all of these reasons sufficiently explain the wisdom behind the prohibition.)

Related Issue: Commenting on the phrase, “And they are for you in the Hereafter,” Al-Ismaa’eelee said, ‘You will use them as a reward for not using them in the world, and they will not use them as a punishment for disobeying [Allah] by using them [in this world].” Ibn Hajr pointed out that there is a similarity between this ruling and the ruling for alcohol, because it is indicated in another hadith that those who drink it in this world will not drink it in the Hereafter, and vice-versa.