Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Writing to my child's public school about Islamic practices, Dogs & Pictures |
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| Kathy |
| 07/07/01 at 01:18:18 |
| slm School starts for my son in two days. I've got everything ready. Clothes, crayons, paper and scissors. But the most important thing I don't have ready- is a letter for his teacher! He is going into first grade in a public school system. Is there a standard letter I can borrow upon that will deal with- Food, Holidays, Music, Pledge of Alliegence, Gender mixing, Fasting, Eid, Jummah, and what ever else... for the teacher? Sound Vision has an introductory letter. But I want more meat and potatoes. Putting it in writing is always best! Bottom line is I need help- because I waited until the last minute- and didn't take care of the most important thing first! May Allah swt forgive me. |
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| bhaloo |
| 09/03/00 at 23:00:10 |
| Asalaam alaikum wrt wb, Sister is there a full time Muslim school in your community? I unfortunately went to public schools here and didn't go to Muslim schools. This is something we really need for our communities. During one of the khutbahs, the khatib mentioned that there is going to be some sort of ballot initiative that will give parents the right to choose if they want to send their children to public or private schools (i.e. Islamic schools) and that the government will give $4,000 a year per student to the parents to reimburse them for the school expenses if they go to a private institute. Has anyone heard of this? Sister Kathy, I haven't seen a letter about this, but I thought a few months back Sound Vision sent an email about this? Maybe I am wrong? ??? |
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| Kathy |
| 09/04/00 at 10:33:02 |
| slm Yes there is an Islamic school here, but run by sufi's so my husband does not want our child there. Sound Vision did send out a letter, but it was merely an introduction of my child and a request to meet the teacher to discuss religious needs. Our state has not passed the bill yet. I assume it will take years. My son's last year teacher had had many Muslim children in her classroom in the past few years. It gave me a false sence of comfort, I thought she knew what my son could and could not do. To my dismay- after constantly arguing with her thru the year it became obvious, after talking with the other Muslim parents of her privious students that those parents had not wished to "make waves" and allowed the holidays, pledge, etc... So this year I want to be ahead of the game. Arshad- I checked your site out- I enjoyed the home page quote regarding Knowledge. I e-mailed it to many of my friends! |
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| bhaloo |
| 09/04/00 at 13:50:35 |
| Asalaam alaikum wrt wb, I'm about 2 months behind in updating articles on my website (about 20 or more) and so many more things I have to add. That's good to hear there are other Muslim children at the school, and its important that everyone voices their concern and are all together. If the teacher gives you a hard time, try the principal of the school. CAIR might even be able to do something, and come to think of it, they might even have the necessary letters you are looking for. Have you tried them? |
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| Kathy |
| 09/05/00 at 07:25:41 |
| slm Cair is a good suggestion, but alas, I couldn't find anything on the internet, but I did find a pamphlet that will give me a head start from them. It is called An Educator's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices. Perhaps I better start writing! |
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| Kathy |
| 09/05/00 at 10:01:45 |
| slm Here is a drafted version of my letter. Please send me your comments and suggestions. Teacher: Aid: Art Teacher: Music Teacher: Cafeteria Monitor: Here is a guide to my son's religiously - mandated practices as a Muslim. I have covered a little of each area to help you understand my son more. This is not an official guide for all Muslims. Some families have stricter guidelines, while others are more lenient. Please feel free to call me with any questions. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag: Islam discourages acts of reverence to anyone or anything but God. Therefore my son does not pledge allegiance to a flag. This, however, should not be taken as a sign of disrespect to the symbol of our nation. He will not participate by saying the words, but he will stand in respect of his country. Holidays: He may be exposed to the holidays the school celebrates, but he is not allowed to celebrate them. These include: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, St. Valentines Day, St. Patrick Day, Easter, Please contact me regarding any celebrations so that we can offer a suitable alternative for him. Dietary requirements: -No pork or pork by products. Some objectionable foods items include: bacon, pepperoni, sausage, and hot dogs containing pork. Animal Shortening- in some breads, cookies, cakes, donuts...Vegetable shortening is acceptable. Gelatin- in Jell-O, candies, marshmallows. Lard- in any product. He is very sensitive about this at lunch time. Music: Please have the music teacher send me the songs that she will be expecting my son to learn and sing. Also if there is any involvement with instruments, he can only use drums. Art: You will often see him placing an “X” over the picture of a dog. This is part of his Islamic teachings. Gender Relations: Muslim men and women observe personal modesty. Ali may be reluctant to touch girls. He may be reluctant to shake a woman’s hand, or touch a girl. Scullcap: Muslim men often wear a small head covering, called a kufi. He sometimes wears one. Vocabulary: Allah- You will probably hear him saying this. It is Arabic for God. Bismillah - He will say this before eating. It means "in the name of God"- (it attributes all thanks to God for his food) Humdulillah- Praise be to God- He will say this when he sneezes, and at other times. Fasting: This is the Islamic month of Ramadan. Observing Ramadan fast means refraining from eating and drinking from the break of dawn to sunset. This will begin toward the end of November. Fasting is not required until children reach puberty. Still, he may want to experiment with fasting. This will help him learn self- restraint and it is a time for him to empathize and reflect on those less fortunate than him and appreciate what one has. We do not expect him to fast but will support him if he chooses to. Friday Prayer: Friday is the day for congregational prayer, called Jum’ah. The prayer lasts about an hour and takes place at the mosque in the beginning of the afternoon. When able, my husband will take him. I will keep you posted. Muslim Holidays: The two major Muslim celebrations are called Eid. I will write you a note as the holidays approach. He will be taking off at least one day. Culturally they usually take three days to celebrate. I will contact you to see if this is possible when the time is nearer. I do not expect that he should be given an absent mark on this day- because he will be ful-filling a religious obligation. |
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| bhaloo |
| 09/05/00 at 10:48:27 |
| slm Alhumdullilah it looks like you covered all the points. I am not sure about the standing up part during the pledge of allegiance, if that is permissible or not. Its been a while since I heard the rulings on that matter. Perhaps someone else knows about that? Please keep us posted here of how things go. Also what about a place where they can pray Zuhr prayer? You should mention that. One of the persons on this message board established a prayer room in their school so that all the Muslims could pray there when they had a break. I think it would be a good idea if you sent a copy to the principal. How about the other Muslim parents there? It would be nice if all them made use of this. Its good when others are doing this as well, this way your child won't feel alone in the classroom, like he is the ONLY one there, he might feel odd. Adults can understand this, but for children I think its hard. |
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| se7en |
| 09/05/00 at 13:23:52 |
as salaamu alaykum wa rahmatAllahi wa barakatuh, Sister Kathy, you have no idea how happy it makes me to see parents actively involved in their children's public school. I'd suggest joining the PTA, there are many issues discussed there that are so important to Muslim youth, issues like sex education, holidays, prayer in school etc. In my school, the majority of the parents in the PTA are Jewish. Because they are active in the school community, and are seen by the administration as concerned for their children's welfare, they have great influence over the school's policies. May Allah reward you, and reward your family. |
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| Saleema |
| 09/05/00 at 14:23:51 |
| Salam all, Can someone please explain the following? >>Art: You will often see him placing an “X” over the picture of a dog. This is part of his Islamic teachings. >> wassalam |
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| bhaloo |
| 09/05/00 at 14:31:48 |
| slm bsm I'm not sure what kind of art class this is? But as you know it is not permitted for us to make pictures of animate beings, and/or sculptures of them. I could be wrong, but I think this topic was brought up on the old board? If you need the proof I can go get it for you insha'Allah. |
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| Arsalan |
| 09/05/00 at 15:32:56 |
| I thought it had to do with that particular animal (dog, considered to be impure in Islam) and not drawing. Kathy? Wassalamu alaikum. |
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| Kathy |
| 09/05/00 at 21:36:05 |
| slm Along time ago an Islamic teacher crossed off a picture of a dog on a piece of paper. When I asked- he referred to: Whoever keeps a dog in his house is denied the blessing of the angels’ presence in his house, as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 3225). This is all that I know on this subject. Allah who Allum Re: Art class. Just the typical paper and paste type you would find in elementary schools. You all got me thinking.... Now I have the problems of drawing pictures like little kids do. Also, the problem of music and singing. Many scholars say the above is wrong to do. So by sending this note I am condoning this behavior. |
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| Saleema |
| 09/08/00 at 14:44:19 |
| Assalamoalykum, Umm.. how does drawing a picture of a dog keeps the angels away from your home? How does putting a cross on it keep it away? I heard you can keep a dog for your protection but it should be kept a certain feet away from the home. But anyway what's wrong with drawing? Wassalam |
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| Arsalan |
| 09/08/00 at 15:15:22 |
| Putting up "pictures" of living things in your home keeps the angels away - according to a hadith of Rasulullah. The exact definition of "pictures" is a disagreed matter. Some say he was referring to statues (the arabic word is Suwar - with a Saad), some say snapshots of a camera are ok but hand-drawn pictures are not, some reject any sort of picture of living things. Wallahu a'lam. |
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| Saif |
| 09/08/00 at 18:20:57 |
| Assalamu Alaikum, Sr. Kathy, Al hamdulillah, it's wonderful to hear that you are taking steps to 'soften' the blow American public schools will give your son... May Allah bless you and reward you immensely for that... (I realize I'm going to talk about a sensitive topic now, and my intent is not a debate)... However, it hurts me to hear that you prefer a school run by kuffar, to a school run by Sufis... It saddens me to hear from people that Shaykh Hamza Yusuf is a "Sufi" scholar, so what he says doesn't count... Or, if you read Imam Ghazali's books, you are a kafir (ouch, and yes... Some brothers have said this, believe it or not)... I do realize that a lot of Sufism, and particularly in the West, may be objectionable to some... Traditional Sufism is hard to find, nowadays. But at least, it would be "the lesser of two evils" perhaps? I personally feel that true Sufis have aided Islam with the pen and the sword and have contributed to spreading Islam over entire countries... At the very least they are better than the kuffar... Allah knows best. Regarding food products, maybe you should mention unslaughtered meats too? After all, dead meat, is just the same as pork... Although in the Shafi'i school, it is considered only Sunnah (obligatory in hanafi school) to recite bismillah while slaughtering the chicken and it is offensive (Makruh, but permissible) to hack off the head of the chicken (like with a hatchet, from Reliance of the Traveller, Shafi'i Fiqh manual)... So chicken *may* be ok according to some... But I think the rest is off limits... (Beef, etc). I think pictures are also haram, but I also think it's only fair to give another (well respected) view... From : ---------------------------------- About the Use of Pictures in This Book Imam at-Tahawi al-Hanafi said: "The Lawmaker (s) first forbade pictures entirely, even stripes on clothes, because people had only recently turned away from worshipping images, so that was prohibited across the board. When his prohibition of such images became solidly ingrained, he permitted striped clothes due to the necessity of using clothes, and he permitted whatever is practiced as a matter of trade, because the ignorant are safe from exalting such practice. As for what is not practiced as a matter of trade, it remained forbidden." The scholar of comparative fiqh ("jurisprudence") cAbdur Rahman al-Jaziri wrote in his three-volume Fiqh cala-l-Madhahib al-arbaca: "The prohibition of making pictures stems, in the eye of the Law, from the use of pictures towards the corruption of belief, as for example the use of statues for the worship of other than Allah... As for their utilization in the context of a sound matter, such as teaching and learning something, then pictures are permitted and there is no sin in them." Readers are invited to look up further discussions of the views of the Fours Schools in the aforementioned book. Muslim relates on the authority of cA'isha (r): 'We had a curtain on which was the picture of a bird, and which every person would face upon coming in. The Prophet (s) said one day, 'Put this somewhere else, for every time I come in I remember the dunya (the world).'' The scholar of "Salafi" thought, which follows the strictest mashrab ("Drinking-well") of Ibn Taymiyyah, Sayyid Sabiq, after mentioning the hadith of Muslim quoted above, said: "This hadith indicates that pictures are not unlawful (haram), because if it were unlawful in the final analysis, he would have ordered that it be destroyed, and not contented himself with having it placed somewhere else. He then mentioned that the reason for placing it somewhere else was that it made him remember dunya. This is also the view of at-Tahawi. "As for pictures that have no shadow, such as engravings on the wall or on metal; and pictures which are found on clothes and curtains and photographic prints [in books, calendars, passports, and nowadays videotapes for a didactic purpose etc.]: these are all permitted (fa hadhihi kulluha ja'izah)." -------------------------------- Now, you may disagree (like me), but it is a valid opinion, from Imam Abu Ja'far al-Tahawi al-Hanafi (239-321 AH)... So you may decide to follow that view, if it seems to make sense to you. Also music is a disputed issue (just as pictures are, I guess). "11.Lastly no prolonged arguments about any issues that even the scholars of Islam over the centuries have not come to a consensus on! This includes controversial issues. (ie music, sunni/shia/sufi/salafi/whatever debates) This is not a Fiqh discussion board. Prolonged threads of arguments on fiqh issues will be locked." :) I think the hanafi Muftis Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi and Shah Waliullah (of Delhi), may Allah have mercy on them, permitted music. Rumi may have been getting a lot of bad press lately, because he is becoming a popular poet here in the West (so they translate at will, however they like)... But Shah Waliullah is... al hamdulillah... :) Ok, hope that helps... And Insha Allah, I didn't say anything offensive. Salam, Saiful Haque. |
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| bhaloo |
| 09/08/00 at 19:04:24 |
| slm Please don't post any links from Hisham Kabbani's site. I have deleted the URL, people should not be visiting that site for authentic information, though there may be some. There are lot of wack concepts they have such as Fana (just take a look at the definition they use, that they reach such a state that they become Allah, astargfullah!) and another concept where they become one with Allah (SWT) and another concept where they believe all paths are valid (i.e. Christians and Jews, hindus, etc. ) Jazak Allah khairen |
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| Kathy |
| 09/08/00 at 19:10:18 |
| As salaamu alaykum. Thank you for your constructive critism. If you have the time would you please re- write my letter using your suggestions in a manner you would find correct? As a matter of point. I did not say that I prefer a kaffer school over a sufi school. It is my husbands decision. I assume he knows much more than he is telling me. Thank you for taking the time to post your replies. |
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| chachi |
| 09/08/00 at 22:31:23 |
Sis i think if you want to read about islamic advanced concepts please try a reputable islamic scholar . Imam hamza yusuf is pretty good even though he dosn't like to have himself called a scholar. Most of the rest of the stuff you could find under the heading of phd thesis whether from al-azhar or other places, remember we muslims invented thesis as well as doctorates! it is a tragedy that muslims who invented the concept of ANYBODY being able to walk into a lecture and study have now borrowed the non-muslim concepts of academic years and enrollments etc Try http://www5.jaring.my/istac/Library/librarypage.htm for advanced islamic subjects and http://www.iiu.edu.my/deed/index_ie.html |
| Regarding Dogs |
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| bhaloo |
| 09/09/00 at 00:54:05 |
| slm bsm Sheikh Munajidd talked about dogs here: . According to Islaamic Sharee’ah, it is not permitted to keep a dog except within narrowly-defined limits, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained: "Whoever keeps a dog, his good deeds will decrease every day by one qeeraat (a unit of measurement), unless it is a dog for farming or herding." According to another report: ". . . unless it is a dog for herding sheep, farming or hunting." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 2322) Dogs are extremely naajis (impure, unclean). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "If a dog drinks from the vessel of any one of you, let him wash it seven times" (reported by Muslim, no. 279). According to another report: ". . . and clean it the eighth time with earth." (Saheeh Muslim, no. 280). It is forbidden in Islaam to sell a dog and to receive payment for it, as is reported in Saheeh al-Bukhaari from Abu Mas’oud al-Ansaari: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade (accepting) the price of a dog. (al-Fath, no. 2237) The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us not to resemble dogs by placing our forearms on the ground during sujood (prostration), as in reported in the hadeeth narrated by Anas ibn Maalik, according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Do sujood properly; none of you should spread his forearms like a dog does." (al-Bukhaari, Fath, no. 822). Whoever keeps a dog in his house is denied the blessing of the angels’ presence in his house, as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 3225). Keeping dogs nowadays is the habit of the kuffaar, who adopt them as friends, kiss them, let them lick them and their clothes, sleep with them and even leave them money in their wills. Keeping a dog is an imitation of the kuffaar. Some Muslims may claim that they need to keep a dog at home for purposes of protection, to which we respond that nowadays there are burglar alarm systems and other measures one may take for security purposes, and there is no need to keep a dog, praise be to Allaah. It only remains for us to say that the fact that it is forbidden to keep a dog and interect closely with it does not mean that we should not be kind or feel compassion towards dogs if we see them in a pitiful state. These are two entirely separate matters. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that "a man saw a dog biting the dust because of thirst, so he took his shoe and started to scoop water up with it until the dog’s thirst was quenched. Allaah appreciated his good deed and granted him entry to Paradise for it." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, no. 174). According to another report, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whilst a man was walking he became very thirsty, so he went down to a well and drank from it. When he came out, he saw a dog panting and biting the soil because of thirst. The man said, ‘He is suffering the same as I suffered,’ so he filled his shoe (with water), came out and let the dog drink until his thirst was quenched. Allaah appreciated his good deed and forgave him because of it." The people asked, "O Messenger of Allaah, will we be rewarded for how we treat animals?" He said, "In every living thing there is a reward." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, no. 2363). |
| Regarding Pictures |
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| bhaloo |
| 09/09/00 at 01:08:27 |
| slm bsm Regarding pictures: Sheikh Munajidd said: Among the daleel (evidence) that image-making is the exclusive preserve of Allaah are the following: 1. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “He it is Who shapes you in the wombs as He wills” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:6] “And surely, We created you (your father Adam) and then gave you shape (the noble shape of a human being); then We told the angels, ‘Prostrate yourselves to Adam’” [al-A’raaf 7:11] “He is Allaah, the Creator, the Inventor of all things, the Bestower of forms. To Him belong the Best Names. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorify Him. And He is the All‑Mighty, the All‑Wise” [al-Hashr 59:24] “O man! What has made you careless about your Lord, the Most Generous? Who created you, fashioned you perfectly, and gave you due proportion. In whatever form He willed, He put you together.” [al-Infitaar 82:6-8] These aayaat clearly state the belief that creating and giving form to creation is the preserve of their Lord, Creator and Fashioner, so it is not permissible for anyone to encroach on that and to try to match the creation of Allaah. 2. It was reported from ‘Aa’ishah Umm al-Mu’mineen that Umm Habeebah and Umm Salamah mentioned a church which they had seen in Ethiopia, in which there were images. They told the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about it, and he said: “Those people, if there was a righteous man among them and he died, they would build a place of worship over his grave and put images in it. These will be the most evil of creation before Allaah on the Day of Resurrection.” (narrated by al-Bukhaari, 417; Muslim, 528) Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said: This hadeeth indicates that making images is haraam. (Fath al-Baari, 1/525). Al-Nawawi said: Our companions and other scholars said: making images of animate beings is extremely haraam and is a major sin, because severe warnings have been issued against it in the ahaadeeth. Whether the image is made to be used in a disrespectful fashion or for other purposes, it is haraam to make it in all cases, because it implies that one is trying to match the creation of Allaah, whether the image is to appear on a garment, carpet, coin, vessel, wall or whatever. With regard to pictures of trees, camel saddles, and other pictures in which no animate beings appear, these are not haraam. This is the ruling on making images. (Sharh Muslim, 14/81). 3. Sa’eed ibn Abi’l-Hasan said: I was with Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) when a man came to him and said, O Abu ‘Abbaas, I am a man who lives by what his hands make, and I make these images. Ibn ‘Abbaas said: I will only tell you what I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say. I heard him say: “Whoever makes an image, Allaah will punish him until he breathes life into it, and he will never be able to do that.” The man became very upset and his face turned pale, so [Ibn ‘Abbaas] said to him, Woe to you! If you insist on making images, then make images of these trees and everything that does not have a soul. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2112; Muslim, 2110). 4. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: The people who will be the most severely punished before Allaah on the Day of Resurrection will be the image makers. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5606; Muslim, 2109). 5. It was reported from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Those who make these images will be punished on the Day of Resurrection. It will be said to them, Give life to that which you have created! (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5607; Muslim, 2108). 6. It was reported that Abu Hurayrah entered a house in Madeenah and saw somebody making images in it. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: [Allaah says:] Who does greater wrong than one who goes and creates something like My creation? Let them create a seed or a small ant! (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5609; Muslim, 2111). Al-Nawawi said: Concerning the words of Allaah. “Let them create a small ant or a seed or a grain of barley!” means, let them create a small ant which has a soul and moves by itself, like this small ant which was created by Allaah. Or let them create a grain of wheat or barley, i.e., let them create a grain which is eaten as food or which can be planted so it will grow and which has the characteristics of a grain of wheat or barley or other seeds which were created by Allaah. This is impossible, as stated above. (Sharh Muslim, 14/90). None can bring forth living vegetation out of nothing except Allaah, may He be glorified. 7. Abu Juhayfah said: the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade the price of a dog and the price of blood, and he forbade tattooing and asking to be tattooed, and the consumption or paying of ribaa, and he cursed those who make images. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1980). II. Islam prescribes that idols should be destroyed and smashed, not made and repaired. Among the evidence for this is the following: 1. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered Makkah [at the Conquest], there were three hundred and sixty idols around the Ka’bah. He started hitting them with his stick and saying, “Truth has come and Baatil (falsehood) has vanished. Surely, Baatil is ever bound to vanish” [al-Israa’ 17:81 – interpretation of the meaning]. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2346; Muslim, 1781). 2. Abu’l-Hiyaaj al-Asadi said: ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib said to me: Shall I not send you on the same basis as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent me? Do not leave any statue without destroying it, and do not leave any built-up grave without razing it to the ground. (According to one report: and do not leave any picture without erasing it). (narrated by Muslim, 969). Ibn al-Qayyim said: Tamaatheel is the plural of Timthaal (statue), which refers to a representative image. Shaykh al-Islam (Ibn Taymiyah) said: The command is to destroy two types of images: images which represent the deceased person, and images which are placed on top of graves – because Shirk may come about from both types. (Majmoo’ al-Fataawaa, 17/462). (al-Fawaa’id, p. 196). III. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned against bringing images into the house, and said that this is a sin and deprives a person of good. Among the evidence for that is the following: 1. Abu Talhah said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: The angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or statues.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3053; Muslim, 2106). 2. ‘Aa’ishah Umm al-Mu’mineen (may Allaah be pleased with her) said that she bought a pillow on which there were images. When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw it, he stood at the door and did not enter. She saw on his face that he was upset, and said: O Messenger of Allaah, I repent to Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). What is my sin? The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: What is this pillow? She said, I bought it for you so that you could sit on it and recline on it. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: On the Day of Resurrection, the makers of these images will be punished and it will be said to them, Give life to that which you have created. And he said: The angels do not enter a house in which there are images. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1999; Muslim, 2107). IV. Making images is a way of falling into Shirk, because Shirk starts with the veneration of those who are depicted in the images, especially when people have little or no knowledge. The evidence for this is: Ibn ‘Abbaas said: The idols of the people of Nooh were known among the Arabs later on. Wadd belonged to (the tribe of) Kalb in Dawmat al-Jandal. Suwaa’ belonged to Hudhayl. Yaghooth belonged to Muraad, then to Bani Ghutayf in al-Jawf, near Sabaa’. Ya’ooq belonged to Hamadaan. Nasar belonged to Humayr of Aal Dhi’l-Kalaa’. These were names of righteous men from the people of Nooh. When they died, the Shaytaan inspired their people to set up idols in the places where they had used to sit, and to call those idols by their names. They did that but they did not worship them, but after those people died and knowledge had been forgotten, then they started to worship them. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4636). Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: The reason why al-Laat was worshipped was the veneration of the grave of a righteous man which was there. (Iqtidaa’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem, 2/333). And he said: This problem – i.e., veneration – which is why Islam forbids (images), is the reason why so many of nations have fallen into committing Shirk to a greater or lesser degree. (al-Iqtidaa’, 2/334). Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, describing how the Shaytaan plays with the Christians: He plays with them with regard to the images which they have in their churches and which they worship. You cannot find any church which is free of these images of Maryam (Mary), the Messiah, George, Peter and others of their saints and martyrs. Most of them bow to these images and pray to them instead of to Allaah. The Patriarch of Alexandria even wrote a letter to the ruler of Rome supporting the idea of bowing to these images: (he said) Allaah commanded Moosa to make images of cherubim in the Tabernacle; and when Sulayman the son of Dawood built the Temple, he made images of cherubim and put them inside the Temple. Then he said in his letter: this is like when a king sends a letter to one of his governors and the governor takes the letter and kisses it then touches it to his forehead [a sign of respect], and stands up to receive it. He does not do this to venerate the paper and ink, but to venerate the king. In the same way, when one bows to an image, it is to venerate the person represented by the image, not to venerate the paints and colours. This is exactly the same as the example given to justify idol worship. (Ighaathat al-Lahfaan, 2/292). And he said: In most cases, the reason why nations fall into Shirk is because of images and graves.” (Zaad al-Ma’aad, 3/458). V. The aayaat and ahaadeeth quoted above indicate that the prohibition of images is for two reasons: The first is: because it implies that one is trying to match the creation of Allaah. The second is: because it is an imitation of the kuffaar. The third is: because it is a means of veneration and falling into Shirk. From the above it is clear that it is forbidden to make statues, whether the statue is of a Muslim or a kaafir. Whoever does that is trying to match the creation of Allaah and thus deserves to be cursed. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound, and to guide us. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad. Dr. Siddiqi (President of ISNA) said this: Images and statues are forbidden in Islam. Muslims should neither make them nor display them, but, many jurists now a days do not consider the photographic pictures in the category of prohibited images and statues. It is permissible to make photos and also to display them. However, it is haram to display them in the places of worship. At home they also should not be placed in those areas or direction where you perform your prayers. Wedding pictures also should not be displayed in areas where non-mahram people come and see those pictures, unless the ladies in pictures are in their proper Hijab. Some people display the pictures of their parents or elders and garland them. This should not be done as it resembles those who do ancestor worship. |
| Re: Allah swt forgive me.... |
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| Saif |
| 09/09/00 at 16:44:00 |
| Assalamu Alaikum, I apologize if pasting from that site caused controversy, it was not my intention. I realize that the concepts of fana fillah (annihilation in Allah) and baqa, everlasting existence in Allah... Don't sit well with a lot of people... But I didn't know they defined it as crudely as you have mentioned... Can you e-mail me, where they define Fana, and let me have the URL too... I'd be interested in having a look. And also where they say that all religions are equal. I have read Sh. Kabbani's enyclopedia on Islamic doctrine, 7 volumes, and I didn't find anything untoward in them (ideas of pantheism, or all religions being valid, I didn't see it). But I would be interested in seeing where they said all religions are valid, at their site, please... I have benefitted a lot from that site, but I will take care not to paste it in here. Once again, I apologize if I caused some controversy... Ma'assalamah, Saiful Haque. |
| Re: Allah swt forgive me.... |
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| bhaloo |
| 09/09/00 at 20:06:36 |
| slm Jazak Allah khairen brother. Alhumdullilah I will go into much more detail with you in emails, and anyone else interested, can email me offline. |
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