April fool's day! an Islamic perspective

An article written by a Saudi scholar dealing with April fool's day.

April Fools!

Praise be to Allaah, we praise Him and seek His help and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allaah from the evil of our own selves and from our evil deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides, none can lead astray, and whomsoever He sends astray, none can guide.

Lying is an evil characteristic, which all religions and systems of ethics warn against and which man's innate common sense (fitrah) agrees that it is wrong. Those who possess chivalry and sound reason also say this.

Truthfulness is one of the pillars on which the moral survival of the world depends. It is the foundation of praiseworthy characteristics, the cornerstone of Prophethood, the result of taqwaa. Were it not for truthfulness, the rulings of all divinely-revealed laws would collapse. Acquiring the characteristic of lying is akin to shedding one's humanity, because speaking is an exclusively human trait.

(Bareeqah Mahmoodiyyah, Muhammad al-Khaadimi, 3/183)

Our purely monotheistic sharee’ah warns against lying in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and there is consensus that it is haraam. The liar will have bad consequences in this world and in the next.

According to sharee’ah, lying is not permitted except in specific cases which do not lead to loss of rights, bloodshed or slander of people’s honour, etc., but which concern saving lives, reconciling between people, or creating love between husband and wife.

There is a never a day or a moment when sharee’ah permits a person to tell lies or to say whatever he wants based on lies. One of the things that have become widespread among the common people is the so called “April Fool’s Day”, where they claim that the first day of the fourth solar month is a day when lying is permitted without being subject to any shar’i guidelines.

Many bad things may result from this, some of which we will mention below.

The prohibition of lying.

1. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“It is only those who believe not in the Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allaah, who fabricate falsehood, and it is they who are liars

[al-Nahl 16:105]

Ibn Katheer said:

“Then Allaah tells us that His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is not a fabricator or a liar, because only the most evil of people who do not believe in the signs of Allaah, the kaafirs and heretics who are known amongst the people for telling lies, tell lies about Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the most truthful of people, the most righteous, the most perfect in knowledge, action, faith and certain belief. He was known amongst his people for his truthfulness; none of them doubted that, to such an extent that he was known amongst them as ‘al-Ameen (the trustworthy) Muhammad.’ Hence when Heraclius, the ruler of Rome, asked Abu Sufyaan about the characteristics of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), one of the things he asked was, ‘Did you ever accuse him of lying before he said what he said?’ He said, ‘No.’ Heraclius said: ‘If he refrained from telling lies about people he would not go and tell lies about Allaah.’

(Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 2/588)

2. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The signs of the hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted with something, he betrays that trust.”
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 33; Muslim, 59)

al-Nawawi said:

“What the commentators and most of the scholars said – which is correct – is that this means that these characteristics are the characteristics of hypocrisy, and the one who has these characteristics resembles the hypocrites in this sense.

The words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), ‘he is a pure hypocrite’ mean that he strongly resembles the hypocrites because of these characteristics. Some of the scholars said: this is concerning one in whom these characteristics predominate; one in whom these characteristics rarely appear is not included in this. This is the favoured view concerning the meaning of this hadeeth. Imaam Abu ‘Eesa al-Tirmidhi (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated this meaning from the scholars and said: ‘The meaning of this according to the scholars is hypocrisy in one's actions.’”

(Sharh Muslim, 2/46-47)

The most evil kinds of lies are:

1. Lies told about Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
This is the most serious kind of lie, and the one who does this is subject to a severe warning. Some of the scholars said that the one who does this is to be denounced as a kaafir.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say: ‘Verily, those who invent a lie against Allaah will never be successful’”

[Yoonus 10:69]

It was narrated that ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him): “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Do not tell lies about me. Whoever tells lies about me, let him enter the Fire.’”

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 106).

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever tells lies about me, let him take his place in Hell.”

(narrated by al-Bukhaari, 110; Muslim, 3).

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

“… ‘Whoever tells lies about me, let him take his place in Hell’, i.e., let him take his place in Hell where he will abide and settle; it is not like a manzil or camp where he stays for a while and then moves on.”

(Tareeq al-Hijratayn, p. 169)

Lying also includes lies told about or to other people, such as

2. Lying in buying and selling.
It was narrated from Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are three to whom Allaah will not speak on the Day of Resurrection and He will not look at them or praise them, and they will have a painful torment.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) repeated this three times. Abu Dharr said: “May they be doomed and lost, who are they, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “The one who lets his garment hang below his ankles, the one who reminds others of his favours, and the one who disposes of his goods by swearing a false oath.”

(Narrated by Muslim, 106)

It was narrated that Hakeem ibn Hizaam (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The two parties involved in a transaction have the option [of cancelling it] until they part. If they are honest and truthful, their transaction will be blessed for them and if they conceal something and tell lies, the blessing of their transaction will be wiped out.’”

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1973; Muslim, 532)

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:

“Allaah has enjoined truthfulness and honesty, and He has forbidden lies and concealment with regard to matters which should be known and revealed to people, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said in a hadeeth whose authenticity is agreed upon: ‘The two parties involved in a transaction have the option [of cancelling it] until they part. If they are honest and truthful, their transaction will be blessed for them and if they conceal something and tell lies, the blessing of their transaction will be wiped out.’ And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

‘O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allaah as just witnesses; and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety’

[al-Maa’idah 5:8].”

(Minhaaj al-Sunnah, 1/16)

3. The prohibition on lying about visions and dreams
This refers to when some of them claim to have seen such and such in a dream, but they are not telling the truth, then in the morning he starts to tell the people something that he did not see.

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever tells of a dream that he did not see will be commanded [on the Day of Resurrection] to tie two grains of barley together, but he will never be able to do it. Whoever eavesdrops on people’s conversation when they dislike that – or they try to get away from him - will have molten copper poured in his ears in the Day of Resurrection. And whoever makes an image will be punished and will be told to breathe life into it, and he will not be able to do so.”

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6635)

Al-Manaawi said:

“ ‘to tie two grains of barley together, but he will never be able to do it’ – because tying one to the other is not possible ordinarily. He will be punished until he does that, and he will never be able to do it. It is as if he is saying that he will be enjoined to do something that he can never do, and is being punished for it. This is a metaphor for continuous punishment… The reason why barley (sha’eer) is mentioned specifically is because dreams are connected to feelings (shu’oor); the words sha’eer (barley) and shu’oor (feelings) come from the same root in Arabic.

The punishment for that is so severe – even though lies when awake may cause more damage, because they may involve testimony that may lead to execution or a hadd punishment – because lying about a dream is a lie about Allaah, may He be exalted, for dreams are a part of Prophethood, so they come from Him, and lying about the Creator is worse than lying about created beings.

(Fayd al-Qadeer, 6/99)

4. The prohibition of speaking about everything that one hears
It was narrated that Hafs ibn ‘Aasim said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘It is sufficient lying for a man to speak of everything that he hears.’”

(Narrated by Muslim, 5)

With regard to the meanings of the hadeeth and reports on this topic, they discourage speaking about everything that one hears. For usually a person will hear both true things and lies, so if he were to speak of everything that he hears, he would be lying, by telling of something that did not happen. We have stated above the view of the people of truth: that lying means telling of something in a manner other than the way it happened. It is not conditional upon it being done deliberately, but its being done deliberately is a condition of it being a sin. And Allaah knows best.”

(Sharh Muslim, 1/75)

5. Lying in jest
Some people think that it is permissible to tell lies if it is in jest. This is the excuse that they use for telling lies on April 1st or on other days. This is wrong. There is no basis for this in the pure sharee’ah. Lying is haraam whether the one who does it is joking or is serious.

Lying in jest is haraam just like other kinds of lies.

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘I joke, but I speak nothing but the truth.’”

(narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer, 12/391)

This hadeeth was classed as hasan by al-Haythami in Majma’ al-Zawaa’id, 8/89, and classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) in Saheeh al-Jaami, 2494)

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: “They said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, you joke with us.’ He said, ‘But I only speak the truth.’”

(narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1990)

Abu ‘Eesa said: this is a saheeh hasan hadeeth.

A similar hadeeth was narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Awsat (8/305) and classed as hasan by al-Haythami in Majma’ al-Zawaa’id, 9/17

‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Abi Laylaa said: the companions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that they were travelling with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). A man among them fell asleep and some of them went and took his arrows. When the man woke up, he got alarmed (because his arrows were missing) and the people laughed. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “What are you laughing at?” They said, “Nothing, except that we took the arrows and he got alarmed.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “It is not permissible for a Muslim to frighten another Muslim.”

(Narrated by Abu Dawood, 5004; Ahmad, 22555 – this version narrated by Ahmad).

This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 7658)

It was narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Saa’ib ibn Yazeed from his father from his grandfather that he heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “None of you should take the belongings of his brother, whether in jest or otherwise. Whoever has taken the stick of his brother, let him return it.”

(Narrated by Abu Dawood, 5003; al-Tirmidhi, 2160 in brief)

The hadeeth was classed as hasan by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 7578

6. Lying when playing with children
We must beware of lying when playing with children, because that will be written down (in the record of deeds of) the one who that. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned against doing that. It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Aamir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “My mother called me one day when the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sitting in our house. She said, ‘Come here, and I will give you (something).’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘What do you want to give him?’ She said, ‘I will give him a date.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If you had not given him something, you would have been lying.’”

And it was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever says to a child, ‘Come here and take this,’ then does not give him something, this is counted as a lie.’”

(Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4991)

This hadeeth was classed as hasan by Shaykh al-‘Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1319.

7. Lying to make people laugh
It was narrated that Mu’aawiyah ibn Haydah said: “I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘Woe to the one who talks to make the people laugh and tells lies, woe to him, woe to him.’”

(narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 235. He said: this is a hasan hadeeth. Also narrated by Abu Dawood, 4990).

The punishment for lying:

The liar is warned of destructive punishment in this world, and humiliating punishment in the Hereafter. These include:

1. Hypocrisy in the heart.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“So He punished them by putting hypocrisy into their hearts till the Day whereon they shall meet Him, because they broke that (covenant with Allaah) which they had promised to Him and because they used to tell lies

[al-Tawbah 9:77]

‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: “You may know the hypocrite by three things: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted with something he betrays that trust.”. He said: “Recite this aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

‘And of them are some who made a covenant with Allaah (saying): “If He bestowed on us of His Bounty, we will verily, give Sadaqah (Zakaah and voluntary charity in Allaah’s Cause) and will be certainly among those who are righteous.”

Then when He gave them of His Bounty, they became niggardly [refused to pay the Sadaqah (Zakaah or voluntary charity)], and turned away, averse.

So He punished them by putting hypocrisy into their hearts till the Day whereon they shall meet Him, because they broke that (covenant with Allaah) which they had promised to Him and because they used to tell lies

[al-Tawbah 9:75-77].”

(Musanaaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, 6/125)

2. Guidance to evildoing and to the Fire
It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said:

“The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Truthfulness is righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. A person will continue to tell the truth until he is written with Allaah as one who tells the truth. Lying is evildoing, and evildoing leads to Hell. A person will keep on telling lies until he is written as a liar.’”

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5743; Muslim, 2607)

al-San’aani said:

This hadeeth indicates that whoever continues to speak the truth, it will become a feature of his, and whoever deliberately tells lies and persists in it, it will become a feature of his. This is the same as any other good or evil characteristic, if a person persists in it, it becomes a feature of his.

This hadeeth indicates how serious the matter of telling the truth is, and that it may lead a person to Paradise, and it indicates how ugly lying is and how it may lead a person to Hell. This is in addition to the consequences in this world, for the one who tells the truth will have his words accepted by people, and his testimony will be accepted by judges and he will be liked for what he says, whereas for the liar the opposite will be the case.

Subul al-Salaam, 2/687

3. His testimony will be rejected
Ibn al-Qayyim said:

[The reason why the testimony of the liar is rejected]

The strongest reason why testimonies, fatwas and reports may be rejected is lying, because it corrupts the very essence of the testimony, fatwa or report. It is like the testimony of a blind man concerning sighting the new moon, or the testimony of a deaf man concerning having heard the admission of someone. The lying tongue is like some faculty that is no longer working, indeed it is even worse than that, for the most evil thing a man may possess is a lying tongue.

A’laam al-Muwaqqi’een, 1/95

4. Blackening of the face in this world and in the Hereafter
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And on the Day of Resurrection you will see those who lied against Allaah (i.e. attributed to Him sons, partners) their faces will be black”[al-Zumar 39:60]

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

Hence on the Day of Resurrection Allaah will make blackened faces the sign of the one who told lies about Him and His Messenger. Lying has a great effect in blackening the face and covering it with a mask of shame which every truthful person will be able to see. The feature of the liar is clearly visible in the face, and everyone who has the eyes to see can see it. But Allaah will bless the truthful person with dignity and respect, so whoever sees him will respect him and love him, and He will give the liar humiliation and shame, so whoever sees him will loathe him and despise him. And Allaah is the Source of strength.

A’laam al-Muwaqqi’een, 1/95

5. The liar will have the flesh of his cheeks torn to the back of his head
It was narrated that Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) often used to say to his companions, ‘Has anyone among you seen a dream?’ Then whoever Allaah willed would tell of his dream. One day he said to us, ‘Two (angels) came to me last night and woke me up, then they said to me, ‘Let’s go!’… so we set out and came to a man who was lying flat on his back and another man standing over his head with an

iron hook, and behold, he would put the hook in one side of the man's mouth and tear off that side of his face to the back (of the neck) and similarly tear his nose from front to back and his eye from front to back. Then he turned to the other side of the man's face and did just as he had done with the other side. Hardly had he completed this side when the first side was restored to its normal state. Then he went back and did that all over again. I said to my two companions, 'Subhaan Allah! Who are these two persons?' They said to me, ‘Move on, move on!' (Then he said, describing how the two angels explained the things that he had seen): ‘As for the man you came across, the sides of whose mouth, nostrils and eyes were being torn off from front to back, he is the symbol of the man who goes out of his house in the morning and tells so many lies that it spreads all over the world.’”

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5745)

The comments of the Salaf on lying:

1. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: “A man may speak the truth and persist in doing so until there is in his heart not even room for evil the size of a needle. Or a man may tell lies and persist in doing so until there is in his heart not even room for truth the size of a needle.
2. And it was narrated that he said: “It is not correct to tell lies whether in jest or in seriousness,” then ‘Abd-Allaah recited the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
“O you who believe! Be afraid of Allaah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds)”

[al-Tawbah 9:119]

3. Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq said: “Beware of lying, for it has nothing to do with faith.”
4. It was narrated that Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqaas said: “The believer may acquire all sorts of characteristics except treachery and lying.”
5. It was narrated that ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “True faith is not achieved until one gives up lying in jest.”
(Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, 5/235, 236)

Permissible kinds of lies

Lying is permissible in three cases: war; reconciling between two disputing parties; and a husband lying to his wife or vice versa for the sake of love and harmony.

It was narrated from Umm Kalthoom bint ‘Uqbah that she heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “He is not a liar who reconciles between people and narrates something good or says something good.”

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2546; Muslim, 2605)

It was narrated that Asmaa’ bint Yazeed said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘It is not permissible to tell lies except in three (cases): when a man speaks to his wife in a way to please her; lying in war; and lying in order to reconcile between people.’”

(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1939)

This hadeeth was classed as hasan by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 7723

April fool

But with regard to “April Fool” (in Arabic, Kidhbat Neesaan or the lies of April), the origin of this lying is not known for sure. There are differing opinions concerning that:

Some of them said that it developed from the celebrations of spring at the equinox on March 21.

Some of them said that this innovation appeared in France in 1564 CE, after the introduction of a new calendar, when a person who had refused to accept the new calendar became the victim of some people who had subjected him to embarrassment and made fun of him, so he became a laughing-stock for others.

Some of them said that this innovation goes back to ancient times and the pagan celebrations connected to a specific date at the beginning of spring, so this is the remnant of pagan rituals. It was said that hunting in some countries was unsuccessful during the first days of the hunt in some countries. This was the origin of these lies which are made up on the first day of April.

Le poisson d’avril

The Europeans call “April Fool” le poisson d’avril (lit. “April fish”). The reason for this is that the sun moves from the zodiacal house of Pisces to the next house, or because the word poisson, which means fish, is a distortion of the word passion, which means suffering, “so it is a symbol of the suffering endured by Jesus (peace be upon him), according to the claims of the Christians, and they claim that this happened in the first week of April.

Some of the kuffaar call this day All Fools’ Day, as it is known to the English. That is because of the lies that they tell so that those who hear them might believe them and thus become a victim for those who are making fun of him.

The first mention of April Fool in the English language was in a magazine known as Dreck Magazine. On the second day of April in 1698 CE, this magazine mentioned that a number of people were invited to come and watch the washing of black people in the Tower of London on the morning of the first day of April.

One of the most famous incidents that happened in Europe on April 1st was when the English newspaper, the Evening Star, announced in March 1746 CE that the following day – April 1st – that there would be an parade of donkeys in Islington, in England. The people rushed to see these animals and there was a huge crowd. They continued waiting and when they got tired of waiting, they asked about when the parade would be. They not find anything, then they knew that they had come to make an exhibition of themselves, as if they were the donkeys!

‘Aasim ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Qurawayti

After knowing this reality,let us make a promise to ourselves never to celebrate this day. We have to learn from the Spanish and adhere to the reality of Islam and never allow our faith to be weakened again.

I say: it does not matter what the origins of April fool are. What matters more is knowing the ruling on lying on this day, which we are sure did not exist during the first and best generations of Islam. It did not come from the Muslims, but rather from their enemies.

The things that happen on April fools’ day are many. Some people have been told that their child or spouse or someone who is dear to them has died, and unable to bear this shock, they have died. Some have been told that they are being laid off, or that there has been a fire or an accident in which their family has been killed, so they suffer paralysis or heart attacks, or similar diseases.

Some people have been told about their wives, that they have been seen with other men, and this has led them to kill or divorce their wives.

These are the endless stories and incidents that we hear of, all of which are lies which are forbidden in Islam and unacceptable to common sense or honest chivalry.

We have seen how Islam forbids lying even in jest, and it forbids frightening a Muslim whether in seriousness or in jest, in words or in actions.

This is the law of Allaah in which is wisdom and care for people’s circumstances.

And Allaah is the Source of Strength.

Why a 'Dua' may remain unanswered....

Below is an article by a Saudi scholar based on Ibn alQayyim's works. In it is a description of why supplications are sometimes left answered, or what warrants a delayed response.

And Allah knows best.

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“Du’aa’ and ta’awwudhaat [prayers seeking refuge with Allaah] are like a weapon, and a weapon is only as good as the person who is using it; it is not merely the matter of how sharp it is. If the weapon is perfect and free of faults, and the arm of the person using it is strong, and there is nothing stopping him, then he can lay waste the enemy. But if any of these three features is lacking, then the effect will be lacking accordingly.”(al-Daa’ wa’l-Dawaa’, p. 35).

From this it will be clear that there is an etiquette and rulings which must be fulfilled, in the du’aa’ and in the person making the du’aa’. There are also things that may prevent the du’aa’ reaching Allaah or being answered – these things must be removed from the person making the du’aa’ and from the du’aa’. When all of these conditions are fulfilled, then the du’aa’ may be answered.

Sincerity in making du’aa’. This is the most important condition. Allaah has commanded us to be sincere when making du’aa’, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“So, call you (O Muhammad and the believers) upon (or invoke) Allaah making (your) worship pure for Him (Alone) (by worshipping none but Him and by doing religious deeds sincerely for Allaah’s sake only and not to show off and not to set up rivals with Him in worship)”
[Ghaafir 40:14]
.


Sincerity in du’aa’ means having the firm belief that the One upon Whom you are calling – Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted – is alone Able to meet your need, and it also means avoiding any kind of showing off in your du’aa’.

Repentance and turning back to Allaah. Sin is one of the main reasons why du’aa’s are not answered, so the person who is making du’aa’ should hasten to repent and seek forgiveness before he makes du’aa’. Allaah tells us that Nooh (peace be upon him) said:

“I said (to them): ‘Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft-Forgiving; He will send rain to you in abundance, And give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers.’ ” [Nooh 71:10-12]


Beseeching, humbling oneself, hoping for Allaah’s reward and fearing His punishment. This is the spirit, essence and purpose of du’aa’. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not the aggressors” [al-A’raaf 7:55].


Urgently beseeching and repeating the du’aa’, without getting exasperated or bored; this is achieved by repeating the du’aa’ two or three times. Restricting it to three times is preferable, in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) liked to say a du’aa’ three times and ask for forgiveness three times. This was narrated by Abu Dawood and al-Nasaa’i.


Making du’aa’ at times of ease, and saying more du’aa’s at times of plenty. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Remember Allaah during times of ease and He will remember you during times of hardship.” Narrated by Ahmad.


Seeking to draw closer to Allaah by calling upon Him by His Most Beautiful Names and Sublime Attributes at the beginning of the du’aa’ or at the end. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allaah, so call on Him by them” [al-A’raaf 7:180].


Choosing the clearest and most concise words and the best of du’aa’s. The best of du’aa’s are the du’aa’s of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but it is permissible to say other words according to the specific needs of a person.

Other aspects of the etiquette of making du’aa’, although they are not waajib (obligatory), are: to face the Qiblah; to make du’aa’ in a state of tahaarah (purity); to start the du’aa’ with praise of Allaah and blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It is also prescribed to raise the hands when making du’aa’.

One of the things that helps to bring a response to du’aa’ is to seek the best times and places.

Among the best times is the time just before Fajr (dawn), the last third of the night, the last hour of Jumu’ah (Friday), when rain is falling, and between the Adhaan and iqaamah.

Among the best places are mosques in general, and al-Masjid al-Haraam [in Makkah] in particular.

Among the situations in which du’aa’ is more likely to be answered are: when one is mistreated or oppressed, when one is travelling, when one is fasting, when one is in desperate need, and when a Muslim makes du’aa’ for his brother in his absence.


Things which may prevent du’aa’ from being answered include:

When the du’aa’ is weak in itself, because it involves something inappropriate, or involves bad manners towards Allaah, may He be exalted, or it is inappropriate, which means asking Allaah for something which it is not permitted to ask, e.g. when a man asks to live forever in this world, or he asks for a sin or something haraam, or he prays that he will die, and so on. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A person's du’aa’s will continue to be answered so long as he does not pray for something sinful or for the breaking of family ties.” Narrated by Muslim.


When the person who is making du’aa’ is weak in himself, because he is faint-hearted in his turning towards Allaah. This may be either because of bad manners towards Allaah, may He be exalted – such as raising his voice in du’aa’ or making du’aa’ in the manner of one who thinks he has no need of Allaah; or because he pays too much attention to the wording and tries to come up with unnecessarily ornate phrases, without paying attention to the meaning; or because he tries too hard to weep or shout without really feeling it, or he goes to extremes in that.


The reason why his du’aa’ is not answered may be because he has done something that Allaah has forbidden, such as having haraam wealth – whether it be food or drink or clothing or accommodation or transportation, or he has taken a haraam job, or the stain of sin is still in his heart, or he is following bid’ah (innovation) in religion, or his heart has been overtaken by negligence.


Consuming haraam wealth. This is one of the major reasons why du’aa’s are not answered. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O people, Allaah is Good and only accepts that which is good. Allaah commanded the pious to follow the same commandments as He gave to the Messengers. He says (interpretation of the meaning):

‘O (you) Messengers! Eat of the Tayyibaat [all kinds of Halaal (lawful) foods which Allaah has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables, fruits)] and do righteous deeds. Verily, I am Well-Acquainted with what you do’ [al-Mu’minoon 23:51]


‘O you who believe (in the Oneness of Allaah — Islamic Monotheism)! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you with’ [al-Baqarah 2:172]


Then he mentioned a man who has travelled on a long journey and is dishevelled and covered with dust; he stretches forth his hands to the heaven, (saying) “O Lord, O Lord”, but his food is haraam, his drink is haraam, all his nourishment is haraam, so how can he du’aa’ be accepted?” Narrated by Muslim.

The man described by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had some of the characteristics which help du’aa’s to be answered – he was travelling and he was in need of Allaah, may He be exalted and glorified – but the fact that he consumed haraam wealth prevented his du’aa’ from being answered. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.


Trying to hasten the response. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The du’aa’ of any one of you will be answered so long as he is not impatient and says, ‘I made du’aa’ but it was not answered.’” Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.


Making the du’aa’ conditional, such as saying, “O Allaah, forgive me if You will” or “O Allaah, have mercy upon me if You will.” The person who makes du’aa’ has to be resolute in his supplication, striving hard and earnestly repeating his du’aa’. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Let not any one of you say, ‘O Allaah, forgive me if You will, O Allaah, have mercy on me if You will.’ Let him be resolute in the matter, whilst knowing that no one can compel Allaah to do anything.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.

In order for du’aa’s to be answered, it is not essential to adhere to all of these points and be free of all that could prevent one’s du’aa’s from being answered. That is something which happens very rarely. But one has to try hard and strive towards achieving this.

Another important point is to realize that the response to the du’aa’ may take different forms: either Allaah will respond and fulfil the desire of the person who made the du’aa’, or He will ward off some evil from him because of the du’aa’, or He will make something good easy for him to attain because of it, or He will save it with Him for him on the Day of Resurrection when he will be most in need of it. And Allaah knows best.

'ARRIVALS' Review

The following is a review of the popular 'Arrivals' video. I have place it here from the blog mentioned below for our benefit. Very valid points noted! - let me know your thoughts.

http://loga-abdullah.blogspot.com/2010/02/arrivals-video.html

It is important to think with an abstract approach so as not to be lead blindly in our daily affairs. Reviews such as these help us.
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Bismillah. At the outset I’d like to honor the pursuit of the truth and the efforts the video makers made in seeking understanding as opposed to hate. This is a noble venture and the points below are not aimed at discrediting that.

A note of caution: The documentary repeats and replays images of lewdness, music, sexuality and drug use. Likewise, there are some differences of Aqeedah mentioned within (such as the idea that Allah created the universe with laws and left it or the Shi’ite perspective of Islam). I’ll try to stick to the main points regarding the factual presentations given and one can read about the issues of aqeedah on other posts.

Remember: It is a form of shirk to associate the Power and Will of Allah with anyone or anything other than Allah. Saying that Shaytan gives someone power and makes people powerful is not from the aqeedah of Ahl Sunna because Allah is the only One who Decrees what Will be.

[The following points will follow relatively chronologically along with the episodes – they are not in order of importance]

1) In The Arrivals many theories and ideas are presented as if they are one cohesive body (conspiracy), however the linking data or linking evidence to connect these ideas is not given. I am not saying that these theories are wrong or right, rather than they are presented as if they are all connected without supporting evidence. These ideas and theories include:

a. The planned and strategic usage of sexual imagery in children’s television and the greater promotion of lewdness and degradation of sexual morality.
b. The imagery of the Lion/Horse crest on Government/Cigarette/Alcohol symbols (based upon Biblical prophecy)
c. The symbolism of the Freemason Architect “eye” and membership of powerful elite
d. The secret possession from Jerusalem at the time of the Crusades that gives power and control (originally found by Templars)
e. The Skull and crossbones symbolism
f. The illuminati and its relation to the music industry
g. Emergence of the “new world order” of wars and globalization
h. The symbolism of pyramids and tapping of the earth’s hidden energy grid
i. The global support of the State of Israel
j. The occult, paganism, magic and Satanism
k. The theory of energy and vibes/vibrations and other related theories
l. The concept of sacred geometry and sacred mathematics
m. The proliferation of mass media, music, television, movies and the like.
n. Belief that ancient pyramids facilitated global communication and special power sourcing
o. The belief that the Dajjal is a system not a person (as described in the Sunnah)
p. The death of Michael Jackson and the plots behind it
q. That freemasonry is actually based upon Kabbalah, or Jewish Magic and magic that pre-dates Judaism
r. Hollywood’s stereotyping of Arabs, Muslims and the Arab world
s. Alternative 9/11 explanations
t. UFOs and the New World Order’s plan to stage a UFO attack on the world
u. That all powerful elites and world leaders are Satanists
v. That the Pharaoh’s bloodline is the current ruling Monarch in Britain

Each of these theories are in need of reflection and consideration, however one cannot assume that they are connected and linked in a planned effort by a single body without sufficient evidence to make such a claim. The Arrivals presents these theories as if they are all a plot from a specific group (empowered by Shaytan), however it does not account for any other factors, such as: the market demand for sexual imagery and the advantage that sexual imagery has in advertising; the supply and demand and ease of world trade in globalization; the “crest” image is not exact representations on each product, rather these are similar logos and there is a historical usage for such emblems; the distinct membership and separation between the organizations related to the freemason symbolism and the Skull and cross bone symbolism; the structural advantages to the pyramid in ancient times (ex: ease of construction, ability to increase height and durability) that facilitated its global usage in pre-modern times; and the socio-political, geo-political and religious reasons that the State of Israel has gained support; the fact that the lion is a common symbol because of its power and dominance in the animal kingdom; the role of superstition in everyday life and that is it often correlated by the mind but does not necessitate a plot to confuse the masses; the factor of green in global business as it affects the new world order and globalization as well as the use of sexuality in advertisements and the proliferation of goods such as alcohol and cigarettes; the role of addition in the sale of products such as alcohol and cigarettes; the effectiveness of using geometry and geometric patterns in construction and for aesthetic purposes; the demand and profitability in mass media; the freedom within mass media, to create such shows as The Arrivals; the other factors that played into the war on terror, such as the existence of actual extremist groups executing acts of terror; the geo-political and economic reasons for invading Iraq and Afghanistan; certainly the events of 9/11 have been called into question as it related to the US governmental explanation, however no clear alternative has yet emerged and thus we cannot assume that our best guess is correct, et cetera.

2) The condescending attitude of “soon you’ll know” and “soon you’ll understand” and “soon you’ll be free” makes the viewer feel as if the documentary makers have some secret information they’ve yet to share with the audience. However, the continual blaring of this messaging is using the similar tools and methods which were “evidence” that media came from Shaytan.

3) The use of cult movies, such as the Matrix, Fight Club and the Lord of the Rings throughout, clearly undermine their message as they are promoting the mainstream Hollywood media which they claim to be a part of the master plan for the new world order.

4) “Connections” are made between relatively unrelated topics to promote their theories. For example: Part 11 begins with Hamza Yusuf talking about the Sun God of the Pharaoh’s and its relation to the Freemason Architect “eye” along with the word ray coming for that Pharaonic origin and then the title of Madonna album “Ray of Light” is portrayed as something seemingly shaytanic. This connecting of unrelated imagery and tidbits of information without factual evidence to link them is not evidence at all.

5) The idol worship of celebrities is considered shaytanic when done for pop stars that are supported by the claimed illuminati-dominated music industry, however cult like following of Michael Jackson, Bob Marley and Diana (called our hero) is not deemed so. Again, selective use of information to promote an idea.

6) The evidence of the music industry’s dominance by illuminati and their agenda being encoded in all forms of messaging revolves around only a few people, in particular the documentary focuses upon Madonna and Britney Spears. And, no evidence is provided to show that these people in particular or their bosses are in fact a part of Illuminati – rather it is given as if it were fact (for arguments sake, one needs to prove the point not just state what one believes to be truth).

7) The use of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion as “evidence” when clearly this document is a forgery as has been deemed so by Western Academia and Islamic scholarship, its roots, agenda and plagiarized portions are well known.

8) The lack of “smoking-guns” and reports from previous workers – for example: if Disney has a master plan to indoctrinate the children through sexual imagery in cartoon films, there would be at least one editor/artist or otherwise who would come forward speaking about the fact that he’d be told and/or directed to create a cartoon based upon the imagery of sexual organs/imagery. And yet, such has not happened in the case of Disney or any of the others.

9) On The Arrivals own website Part 21, Part 23 and Part 37 are missing (there are files but they direct you to the following section)

10) The section regarding UFOs conveniently mixes actual images with Hollywood and other footage of UFOs. Granted, UFOs may be explained by the testing of yet to be released military technology, but that of itself is not proof that the “New World Order” is plotting to use UFOs to stage an attack to finalize their control of Earth.

11) The film confuses the “satanic” hand sign (which is shown) with the American Sign Language sign for “I love you,” which is close to the “satanic” hand sign but it also extends the thumb. The documentary mixes these two images / hand signs as if they were the same and had the same meaning.

12) The Dajjal being our ruler as a system goes against many ahadith in the Sunna. It puts aside the physical description of a person, it leaves aside all the ahadith that describe the dajjal and what he looks like, it does not discuss the ahadith regarding the precursors and timeline that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has related for us. The Arrivals selectively uses some ahadith to “prove” that the “Architect eye” is the one-eyed dajjal system and that the dajjal is alive and ruling us. They have interpreted the ahadith of “one year” to mean one heavenly year and this it equals 1000 years and goes forth with a theory of who ruled the world during this time, after the speech given by a speaker there is no authentic evidence to advocate this understanding of the ahadith, nor the rest of the narrations relating to dajjal, which were not mentioned at all. One who is slightly versed in the dajjal as is presented in the authentic sunna will realize this argument and this idea of the dajjal being a system is not correct.

13) The aspect of why all the leaders are practicing and embracing Satanism and dominating the world, who are working to eradicate religion and the belief in Allah, neglects to address to fact that the Most-Powerful and the Most-Merciful is Greater. Allah is All-Knowing not unaware of the plots of Satan for surely the pen has been lifted and nothing occurs without the knowledge and Will of Allah, Most-High. Let us not forget this crucial and important point as we are told that Satan is taking over the world through the whims and pacts of the elite and leaders.

14) The Arrivals states that only evil jinn “cross the dimensional boarder” and therefore we do not / cannot encounter good jinn. They also state that only sacrifice “opens the door” for that cross dimensional communication, symbolized by a cross checkered floor, and that all leaders of the world today practice these rituals of sacrifice. I don’t feel the need to comment on this. Had there been authentic religious evidence for the former one might consider it and had there been anything beyond opinion for the latter is may have be entertained.

15) Much of the theories and information regarding the plans of Shaytan rely upon one long interview from an unknown source taken by unmentioned journalists and presented by an unknown speaker. How can a logical person take this as the “key” to unlocking this truth? This is pure opinion given by an unknown source regarding Satanism and is the foundation for the latter part of the entire series.

In Sum we have a collection of antidotal evidence and a listing of various controversial theories. It is stated that there are a lot of things going wrong. There is a massive negative trend in society. However, a collection of images, photos and clips of music/movies does not prove that the Freemasons/Illuminati/Pharaohs are running society. As was mentioned in the film, there are a lot of people who have similar world views, but they are not necessarily working in concerted efforts. Those similar views include greed (globalization, sexual marketing), control (New World Order, clubs of secret societies), power and the like. Although many of these above mentioned plots are said to have a Shaytanic origin, many have had positive effects and thus the dichotomy is not as black and white as is presented.
Occam’s Razor states: entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity.

I rest my case upon Occam’s Razor until facts, sources and ideas are connected justly.

Wa’Allahu ‘alem.