The Albaani Site

Translation from the Works of the Reviver of this Century

Category: Fiqh

April 29, 2025

On Fanatical Blind-Followers


The Imaam said, “The problem is between us and the bigoted blind-followers. It is not between us and the Imams of the Madhhabs … the Imams of the Madhhabs were on the Salafi methodology: [that of] the Book and the Sunnah … none of them would prioritize an opinion over the Book and the Sunnah if in their view a text from the Book and the Sunnah had been established, unlike these people—just now you heard what I am talking about, he was saying, “If there is an āyah or a ḥadīth that contradicts the Madhhab then it is taken as having been abrogated.” This is elevating/exalting the madhhab over and above the Qurʾān and the Sunnah!

The Imams did not say this at all.

Thus the disagreement is between the Salafi daʿwah and those who [fanatically] adhere to the madhhab, and not between the Salafi daʿwah or the callers to the Salafi daʿwah and the Imams of the Madhhabs. No, we are proud that they were upon guidance from their Lord.”
Tasjīlāt Mutafarriqah, no. 85.

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April 25, 2025

On Stepping Over People on Jumuʾah and in General Sittings to Get to the Front


Questioner: Someone’s asking about stepping over people’s shoulders during the Friday prayer.

Al-Albaani: The questioner is alluding to an authentic hadith stating that the Prophet ﷺ was delivering the Friday sermon when a man entered the mosque and started to walk past the people and step over them. So he ﷺ said, “Sit down because you have come late and [also] harmed the people.”

[The Arabic word the Prophet ﷺ used] ‘آنيت’ means you were late in coming [to the mosque], and then you wanted to advance through the rows by harming your Muslim brothers by stepping over them, and this is not permissible. That is why he ﷺ said to him, “Sit where you are and do not harm the Muslims by stepping over their necks.”

Now the question is asked about a gathering like this one [of ours]: is it allowed for someone in the back to step over [lit: step over the necks of] those in front in order to reach a place in the front rows?

The answer is that this moving forward through the rows [in this sitting] is the same as that moving forward done during Friday prayers, both have the same ruling, both share the same common factor which is that it is causing harm—and harming the believers is not permissible, whether on Friday or any other day. [Harming them is not allowed] for example in the Eid prayer area or in a sitting in a central mosque like this: both of these are causing harm equally, so it is not permissible.

It is only permissible if those sitting in the gathering—whether in the mosque or in any such gathering in a Jāmiʿ mosque like this—[it is only permissible] if there is a gap in the front rows, and we do see this often in many mosques, then in this case it is permissible to move forward to fill the gap in the front rows. However, if there is no gap then one should sit at the end [where there is room].

In any case, the answer is that causing harm is not permissible, whether on a Friday or any other day, except in the case where those listening are being neglectful and leaving gaps in the front rows, in which case it is permissible to step over them—gently and with patience—in order to fill the gaps in the front rows or at the front of the gathering.

And it is pertinent for us to remember on this occasion that harming a [single] Muslim, let alone many of them, is not permissible even during acts of worship. It is not allowed to harm a Muslim through an act of worship.

For example, when he ﷺ was in his room, which as you know was near his mosque, he ﷺ heard raised voices in the mosque reciting the Qurʾān, so he ﷺ said, “O people, each one of you is communing with his Lord, so do not raise your voices while reciting one over the other lest you harm the believers.”

Namely, it is not permissible to raise one’s voice doing dhikr because of the harm it causes some worshippers. And this kind of harm occurs in most mosques today, especially those whose congregations, following on from their Imam, are among the furthest from knowing the Sunnah. Significant harm occurs in these mosques when, after the Imam gives salām, people raise their voices seeking forgiveness or when saying Lā ilāha illallāh ten times after Fajr, for example, and Maghrib, where they raise their voices with these ten repetitions.

Saying this ten times after Maghrib and Fajr is from the Sunnah and it has extremely great virtue, but it should be done quietly and silently not out aloud, because saying it with raised voices causes harm to some worshippers.

How so?

It often happens that some of the people praying are those who have missed one or more rakʿahs … and then when those who have completed their prayers with the Imam raise their voices in dhikr it distracts those who have stood up to make up the part of the ṣalāh they missed. In fact the disturbance can be even greater than that, because [it also harms] those who [actually] finished [the ṣalāh along] with the Imam [and who] have dhikr they want to perform [quietly after the ṣalāh] between themselves and their Lord not wanting to disturb others so they say their adhkār quietly whilst those others are raising their voices in dhikr and disturbing them and the Prophet ﷺ, as you heard earlier, said, “Do not raise your voices reciting over one another harming the believers by doing so.”

This ḥadīth which explicitly forbids harming believers even by raising one’s voice during dhikr … because this raising of the voice during dhikr is, at best, permissible on some occasions—but if this permissible act results in any harm to a Muslim, then it must be avoided due to this explicit hadith, “… each one of you is communing with his Lord, so do not raise your voices while reciting one over the other …”

Even those people who say Lā ilāha illallāh in unison ten times disturb themselves too. This can be seen when a person thinks about what happens when the tahlīl [Lā ilāha illallāh] is performed in unison in one voice: one of them might cut his sentence short [due to being out of breath etc.,] and not be able to complete it entirely, causing him some confusion, and then due to the sound of the others reading in unison, he can’t finish it. And as a result this very person who was reading with them in unison and whose breath was cut off is himself harmed by the loud reading.

But if he kept it to himself he would read deliberately and quietly, secretly between himself and his Lord. And Allaah, the Blessed and Most High, knows what is secret and what is even more hidden, as stated in the Qurʾān.

Some books of the scholars mention a very important warning taken from this ḥadīth.

They said that if there is a person sleeping in the mosque, tired, [who has been busy] working, or a stranger who has been cut off on his travels, then it is not permissible to raise one’s voice when doing dhikr so as not to disturb him sleeping—[remember] he is sleeping not [even] doing dhikr [and you still can’t disturb him] so what about [disturbing] someone who is doing dhikr of Allaah—someone [sitting] reciting the Qurʾān and then people raise their voices doing dhikr which results in them falling into the prohibition that you just heard from the Prophet ﷺ, i.e., “O people, each one of you is communing with his Lord, so do not raise your voices while reciting one over the other lest you harm the believers.”

Thus, harming the believers is not permissible even through the recitation of the Qurʾān so what about stepping over people’s shoulders, whether on Fridays as we mentioned or in general gatherings?

This is the answer to your question.
Al-Hudā wan-Nūr, 220.

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June 12, 2024

Is it Better to Fast Mondays and Thursdays or The Fast of Dāwūd ﵇?


Questioner: Is fasting Mondays and Thursdays better or the Fast of Dāwūd ﵇ [which was one day on and one day off]?

Al-Albaani: What do you mean by better?

Questioner: Better, superior, which is better?

Al-Albaani: Of which two?

Questioner: Fasting Mondays and Thursdays or the Fast of Dāwūd?

Al-Albaani: The Fast of Dāwūd ﵇. Do you have some proof that fasting Mondays and Thursdays is better?

Questioner: No.

Al-Albaani: So it’s an invalid question since you don’t have a textual proof that fasting on Mondays and Thursdays is the best type of fasting, on the contrary there is proof of the opposite.

We came to the conclusion in our research that maybe we, the followers of Muhammad ﷺ, that our fast, when we do fast a day on and a day off, [that] while it is the Fast of Dāwūd ﵇, at the same time it may be better than [fasting] the Fast of Dāwūd ﵇, why?

Because it is possible that in Dāwūd’s sharīʿah ﵇ there was no prohibition against fasting the four days of ʿEed, in fact maybe he ﵇ never had anʿEed Aḍḥā and ʿEed Fiṭr, and may be there was no prohibition against fasting Jumuʿahs—we do [however] have such prohibitions.

So whoever does what he has been ordered with and refrains from what he has been forbidden from is better than someone who just does what he has been ordered to do.

Thus when we add to the mode of fasting a day on and a day off, which is the Fast of Dāwūd ﵇, [when we add] the days we are not permitted to fast, like Jumuʿah and Saturday, our fast will be better than if we were to fast a day on and a day off.

And if the on day happened to be a Friday and it was not preceded with a fast on the Thursday then this would not be better, i.e., [carrying out] the Fast on the madhhab of Dāwūd ﵇ [would not be better]—rather what is better is that we carry out the fast on the madhhab of Muḥammad ﷺ, which has an order [as to when to fast] and a prohibition [as to when not to].

So whatever we are ordered with we follow, and whatever we are forbidden from, we refrain from.
Al-Hudā wan-Nūr, 144.

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June 11, 2024

Fasting the Day of ʿArafah When it Falls on a Saturday


Questioner: Shaikh, may Allaah reward you with all goodness, fasting on Saturday if it is the Day of ʿArafah?

Al-Albaani: We still haven’t finished talking about fasting on Saturday?

Lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh.

Brothers, before answering the question I say directly: I advise my brothers who might have gained some knowledge not to have the audacity to make and issue rulings that are bigger than themselves, and that they should be from the people the Prophet ﷺ alluded to when he said, “Allaah gives understanding of the religion to whoever He wants goodness for.”

The ḥadīth which has been reported about fasting on Saturday with the wording, “Do not fast on Saturdays except for what has been made obligatory on you. If any one of you cannot find anything other than grape stalks or the twigs of a tree, let him chew it [to make sure that he is not fasting].” There are two aspects to this ḥadīth, one related to the science of ḥadīth and one to fiqh.

The science of ḥadīth aspect is whether it is authentic or not?

The fiqh aspect discusses what the ḥadīth indicates.

Many people might, especially students of knowledge, and specifically those who are amazed at themselves and who think they have reached a level where they can give fatwās of things being permissible or not, these people might have a partial excuse but not a total one for [discussing this issue and then] saying no, this ḥadīth doesn’t show that when the Day of ʿArafah or the Day of ʿĀshurā coincides with Saturday that it is not allowed to fast it. They have a partial excuse but [in reality] they have no excuse.

But they have no excuse whatsoever to talk about whether the ḥadīth is authentic or weak, because they have no way of knowing what an authentic or weak ḥadīth is.

Our discussion now is with our brothers, leaving aside others, who do believe in the authenticity of this ḥadīth. And if there is someone who has some acquaintance with the study of ḥadīth who says that no, this ḥadīth is inauthentic, it is then that we could open a new page and study it in the light of the principles of the science of ḥadīth, so as to ascertain whether my stance that the ḥadīth is authentic and theirs that it is weak, is correct.

As for when the discussion is centred around the fact that this ḥadīth is authentic—and it is, there being no doubt or uncertainty about that—then explaining their mistake and everyone else’s whether they are blind-followers or are people who follow [the Book and the Sunnah] like our Salafī brothers or others becomes easier. It is easy for us to make them understand that this ḥadīth is an unequivocal text that does not accept interpretation about the fact that when the Day of ʿĀshurā or the Day of ʿArafah coincide with Saturday it is not allowed to fast it.

And here is the answer in detail.

You just heard the ḥadīth now that after the Prophet ﷺ forbade fasting on Saturday he exempted [a certain type of fast from it], saying, “… except for what has been made obligatory on you,” and so [based on this] we have the prohibition of fasting on Saturday.

Yaʿnī, the summary of the entire ḥadīth is that the Prophet ﷺ forbade fasting on Saturday except for obligatory fasts.

So if, as we hear, someone were to say, no, except for ʿĀshurā, and another one says, except for ʿArafah … except for the White Days, Allāhu Akbar—I can’t imagine a Muslim who knows and is aware of what is coming out of his mouth would have the audacity to say such a thing.

Allaah’s Messenger ﷺ says, “Do not fast on Saturdays except for what has been made obligatory on you,” and he says, “Except for this and that, and such and such and this and that,” isn’t he correcting what Allaah’s Messenger ﷺ said? Doesn’t that mean, God forbid, that the person making this ‘correction’ and that other one and the third and fourth—that what they are saying is that the Prophet ﷺ doesn’t know how to talk?

Questioner: That he isn’t clear [faṣīḥ: clear/eloquent/well-spoken in Arabic].

Al-Albaani: That he isn’t clear, that he doesn’t know how to talk, because he ﷺ made a general prohibition and exempted one thing from it, and he should have come with a statement that would include all of these other types and exemptions that these people talk about.

Imagine an intellectual student of knowledge who is free from desires, him just picturing this [in his head] is enough for him to say: I repent to Allaah and turn back to Him and leave what I used to say and the Prophet ﷺ spoke the truth when he said, “Do not fast on Saturdays except for what has been made obligatory on you.”

After making this clarification we come across this in another form … you will see these ardent enthusiasts of these three exceptions [ʿArafah, ʿĀshūrā and the White Days [the White Days are the three days, the 13th, 14th and 15th we are encouraged to fast every hijri month]] … I’ll rephrase that and say: these people who correct Allaah’s Messenger ﷺ, they will [also be forced to] retract another issue, we say to them: when ʿEed coincides with Saturday, do you fast it? The day of sacrifice and the three days after it … it has to have coincided with Monday, for example, over the years.

Questioner: Monday.

Al-Albaani: Monday.

Questioner: Or Thursday.

Al-Albaani: Or Thursday, they would’ve coincided, no doubt.

Do we fast Mondays when it coincides with the day of ʿEed? The unanimous answer will be no.

So we ask them why?

They will tell you because it’s forbidden. So what is the difference between fasting on Saturday [then] which is prohibited and fasting one of the days of ʿEed when it coincides with Monday—and it is recommended to fast on Mondays and Thursdays—but when that day coincided with something that prevents fasting it … when that [recommendation] coincided with a day that has been forbidden to fast, what then was the stance of the scholars? They made the forbiddance overpower the permissibility, saying, we do not fast on [either] Monday or Thursday because it has coincided with the day of ʿEed and it is forbidden to fast on ʿEed.

There is no difference whatsoever between the Prophet’s ﷺ forbiddance of fasting on Saturdays and that of fasting on the four days of ʿEed.

So what is the principle that these people who correct the Prophet ﷺ have turned to, saying that it is permissible to fast on Saturday if it coincides with a day of excellence, like ʿArafah for example? What do they say about fasting Mondays or Thursdays [if they coincide with ʿEed] when they are days that it is has been encouraged to fast on?

If these people are fuqahā, they will answer with what the scholars of uṣūl said, they will say: when a prohibition contradicts something permissible the prohibition is given precedence: the days of ʿEed are forbidden to fast, Mondays and Thursdays are permissible and [further] encouraged to fast, [but] when something permissible goes against something that has been forbidden, the prohibition is given precedence over the permitted—[and this is] the same principle which we applied here to fasting on Saturdays.

Questioner: Even if he were fasting a day on and off [i.e., the fast of Dāwūd], he breaks his fast and eats?

Al-Albaani: Same thing, akhī.

Questioner: Same thing.

Al-Albaani: Same thing, yaʿnī, like Ibn Ḥazm, Allaah have mercy on him, said that this is an extra ruling the Legislator sent, we have to submit to it, the principle is the same: [the ruling that] it is forbidden to fast on Saturdays and on the days of ʿEed is given precedence over the permissibility.

And in conclusion I want to say something.

Many people mistakenly think that when ʿĀshurā or one of the virtuous days of ʿEed happens to fall on a Saturday and they don’t fast it because it’s Saturday that they will then have missed out on a huge amount of goodness: fasting ʿĀshurā expiates the sins of the past year and fasting ʿArafah those of the past and coming year—how can we miss out on this virtue?

The answer, if only they knew, is in the Prophet’s ﷺ statement, “Whoever leaves something for Allaah, Allaah will replace it with something better.” Why didn’t we fast on Saturday? [Was it] because we didn’t want to fast on ʿArafah or ʿĀshurā or any of the virtuous days of fasting like the three days of the month? No it wasn’t. It was out of obedience to Allaah and His Messenger ﷺ.

Thus, the ḥadīth, “Whoever leaves something for Allaah …,” applies to us, the “something” mentioned here is like the “something/anything [in Arabic it’s the same word: شيء]” mentioned in the āyah, “Should you disagree on anything, then refer it to Allaah and His Messenger,” [4:59] whoever leaves something, whatever that [something] may be, [it applies to] any thing that you can leave.

We left fasting on Saturday even though it was the Day of ʿArafah—why? Because He forbade us from doing it on His Prophet’s tongue.

So we are better than those people who fast on the day of ʿĀshurā [when it coincides with Saturday]—inshā Allaah they are entitled to Allaah forgiving them the previous and coming years sins—according to the text of this ḥadīth we, inshā Allaah, are entitled to that, [since] we acted on two ḥadīths: one which mentions a virtuous act and another a prohibition. They acted on the ḥadīth mentioning the excellence of the virtuous act and turned away from the ḥadīth which mentions the prohibition.

This is a reminder, and reminders benefit the believers.
Al-Hudā wan-Nūr, 204.

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May 10, 2024

Should You Reply to the Salaam of Someone who Doesn’t Pray?


Questioner: A person who doesn’t pray passes by you and gives salām, should you give salām back?
Al-Albaani: Yes, you return the salām but when you are with him you admonish him [to pray], like we said earlier.
Al-Hudā wan-Nūr, no. 97.

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October 7, 2022

Shaikh al-Abaani Advises a Young Guy from America who Wanted Advice on Being Gay


Questioner: Another problem, one of the brothers, O Shaikh, I got a message of his yesterday, wallaahi, makes you cry.

Al-Albaani: Allaahul-Mustaʿaan.

Questioner: Can I read it to you? It’s short, yaʿnī …

Al-Albaani: Tafaḍḍal.

Questioner: “I have a problem and I don’t know if there is a solution to it, especially since I’ve tried and failed. Before I mention it I want to let you know that I don’t want to identify myself I’ll just go by the name ‘ʿAbdullah.’

I have a big problem which is ruining my life. I’m in the prime of my youth and unfortunately I suffer from the sickness of homosexuality. I have no sexual desire for the opposite sex, my sexual inclination is for those of my own sex, other guys. It started in puberty and, truth be told, I ignored it because I thought that it would pass with time and I didn’t appreciate how dangerous this issue was until after I was twenty years old when I started to try and find out if there was a medical cure for it but they said that this sickness will stay with you for as long as you live.”

Al-Albaani: Auʾūthubillah.

Questioner: “And things have gotten worse especially since now I’m at the age to get married and my family are insisting on getting me married and I just try to divert the topic every time they bring it up because I don’t want to oppress [any future spouse]. I can’t tell my family about it, I haven’t told a soul about this. I have opened my heart up to you hoping that you can help me, with Allaah’s Permission.”

So by Allaah, yaʿnī, mushkilah, O Shaikh, I started to write a letter to him and I haven’t finished it yet, I wanted to say in it that the person who told you that it is a life long disease is a devil.

Al-Albaani: Of course, you are correct in saying that.

Questioner: Naturally I wanted to remind him of some aayahs, like, “Say, ˹O Prophet, that Allah says,˺ “O My servants who have exceeded the limits against their souls! Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful,” [39:53] and, “Indeed, when Satan whispers to those mindful ˹of Allah˺, they remember ˹their Lord˺ then they start to see ˹things˺ clearly.” [7:201] Then I will mention the ḥadīth about that Companion who said that, “A bad thought will come to me where it is easier on me to fall out of the sky and have birds snatch me away …”

Al-Abaani: Okay.

Questioner: I’m [summarising all this here but] will mention it in full, insha Allaah.

Al-Albaani: Good, good.

Questioner: It’s from the devil, unless you have another suggestion, O Shaikh.

Al-Albaani: You must remind him of the ḥadīths which curse the person who does that, if he is a believer.

Questioner: Yes I have included that.

Al-Albaani: Ok good. If he doesn’t care and doesn’t establish his prayers, then in such a case there really is no cure.

Questioner: It doesn’t seem to me that he is wanton because his question alone doesn’t show that he is, O Shaikh.

Al-Albaani: That is how it seems and as such you should give him the narrations which strike fear [into the soul] and which warn [against such actions].

Questioner: Yes.

Al-Albaani: Because in addition to what you mentioned earlier these narrations will, inshaa Allaah, be a cure for him. And tell him to also make sure to say the adhkār and the supplications that have been reported for all occasions, like when leaving the house, when coming into it—all of these are legislated means and are regarded as spiritual cures for all diseases of the soul. And if you could give him a copy of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kalim aṭ-Ṭayyib if you have one.

Questioner: Yes I have a copy, inshaa Allaah.

Al-Albaani: He needs to take care in memorising these adhkār and that he makes sure to say them in every situation and in that way, inshaa Allaah, the cure will happen.

Questioner: How authentic is the ḥadīth that the Throne of ar-Raḥmān shakes at …

Al-Albaani: It’s not authentic.

Questioner: It’s not authentic?

Al-Albaani: No.

Questioner: [Any other] ḥadīth which strike fear into one?

Al-Albaani: Maybe you can refer to my book [about marriage], Ādāb az-Zafāf [available in English under the title ‘The Etiquettes of Marriage and Weddings’].

Questioner: The one who does it and the one it is done to …

Al-Albaani: Yes my book Ādāb az-Zafāf has a good amount of ḥadīths about that.

Questioner: [Never heard the Shaikh properly:] Where can I find them?

Al-Albaani: I said Ādāb az-Zafāf.

Questioner: Ādāb az-Zafāf.

Al-Albaani: My book Ādāb az-Zafāf you must have a copy?

Questioner: Yes I do, yes.

Al-Albaani: Do you have the al-Maktabah al-Islāmiyyah one, not the al-Maktab al-Islāmī one?

Questioner: I got a copy from Kuwait two years ago and you said that we shouldn’t rely on the other copy.

Al-Albaani: Yes.

Questioner: I have the al-Maktabah al-Islāmiyyah print.

Al-Albaani: That’s the one.

Questioner: This is the latest one?

Al-Albaani: Yes it is. Inshaa Allaah go back to that and take some of the ḥadīth from there on this topic …

Fatwās from the Car and on the Phone, no. 268.

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September 20, 2022

Does a Wife Have to Serve Her Husband? Yes? No? Obligatory [Wājib]? Recommended [Mustaḥab]?


Questioner: Concerning a woman serving her husband at home, is it obligatory [wājib] or recommended [mustaḥab]?

Al-Albaani: [Allaah said,] “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, as they have been provisioned by Allaah over women and tasked with supporting them financially …” [4:34, and He said,] “… and men have a degree [of responsibility] over them,” [2:228] so a woman must serve her husband in exchange for him doing what is obligatory on him, [obligations] that Allaah imposed on him, like spending on her, housing etc.

So it is not allowed for someone to say that the right of a man is only that he can enjoy relations with her, since this is something that both sides share in, just as he enjoys that with her she does with him too, so in this issue they are both the same and equal.

So in exchange for the financial aid that the man undertakes the woman must serve him, and there is no doubt that this is limited to what she is capable of doing since Allah does not burden a soul with more than it can bear.

As for the situation getting to a stage where it is said, and unfortunately it has been said, that it is not obligatory for her to even give him a cup of water, or to make the bed and I don’t know [what else] … who will make the bed, subḥānallāh! The verse is very clear—because the man has a right over the woman apart from physical relations.

For this reason we find that in the biographies of the Companions with their women and the biographies of the women with their men, [we find] that they used to serve their husbands to such an extent that they would carry ground date-stones on their heads [date-stones would be ground and served as fodder for camels], and not only that [either].

For in Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī it has been reported that Fāṭimah the Daughter of the Prophet ﷺ came to her father ﷺ complaining about the marks on her hands from the hand-mill because she would grind flour in the house, so she asked him ﷺ for a maid so he ﷺ said to her, “Shall I not inform you of something better than a maid? That you say subḥānallah when you sleep … ” to the end of the ḥadīth, if it were not an obligation on her—and she is the Daughter of the Chief of Mankind ﷺ—if it were not obligatory on her to serve her husband, he ﷺ would have gone to her husband to say to him, “That is enough, don’t burden your wife with having to serve you.”

She had marks on her hands, but he ﷺ bore it [i.e., bore seeing his daughter’s hands like that ﷺ], because he ﷺ was the one to whom that verse was revealed, “… and men have a degree [of responsibility] over them,” [2:228], so this verse along with the practical Sunnah which the Companions were on with their wives and which they were on with their husbands—all of it shows that it is obligatory for a woman to serve her husband, within the confines of ability as we mentioned earlier.

Questioner: But O Shaikh some people say the silence the Prophet ﷺ showed, was it enough for it to be taken to mean it is obligatory?

Al-Albaani: We didn’t only mention the proof alone, we say that the practical life [example that they lived] is the tafsīr of the verse, what they did practically is not a proof on its own to say that it is obligatory, but when it comes as a tafsīr of a Qurʾanic verse or of something in the Sunnah, then it shows the obligation.

Questioner: Okay, some people say that if a woman used to have a maid when she was living in her father’s house then it is obligatory for the husband to get her a maid too, even if he is poor, is this right?

Al-Albaani: We say, “Show ˹us˺ your proof, if what you say is true.” [27:64].

Obviously that is not right.

Since every claim that is made which doesn’t have a proof from Allaah’s Book or the ḥadīths of Allaah’s Prophet ﷺ in this issue falls to the side and is not paid any mind. What has been said earlier is enough to show that it is not obligatory for the man to get his wife a maid.

Additionally I say that bringing a maid/helper to the wife’s home, whether a male or female, exposes one of the two to fitnah, if the person who comes to help is a woman then the man can fall into fitnah and if it is a man then the woman can fall into it …
Al-Hudā wan-Nūr, 33.

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December 3, 2021

On Dying Somewhere Which Isn’t Your Birthplace


ʾAbdullah ibn ʾAmr said, “A man passed away in Madinah and he was someone who was [actually] born there. The Prophet ﷺ performed the funeral prayer over him and then said, ‘Would that he had died somewhere else apart from his birthplace.’ So a man said, ‘Why, O Messenger of Allaah?’ He replied, ‘When a person dies somewhere which isn’t his birthplace a space is measured for him in Paradise [equal to the distance] from his birthplace to the place where he died.’”

Al-Albaani said, ‘Ḥasan.’

Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Mājah, 1309.

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May 27, 2018

Al-Albaani on People Giving Reminders After Every Four Rak’ahs in Taraweeh


The Imaam said, “Standing to pray in Ramadan was legislated only to increase one’s closeness to Allaah عزوجل, for that reason we hold that we do not mix Taraweeh prayer with anything to do with knowledge or teaching and so on, rather the night prayer should be pure worship. As for knowledge, then it has its time, and it is not restricted by time but [instead] what is taken into consideration concerning it is the well-being of the people who are being taught, and this is the foundational principle, and what I mean by this is that whoever makes it a habit/custom where they teach the people between every four rak’ahs, for example, during the night prayer, whoever makes that a habit/custom—then that is a newly invented matter in opposition to the Sunnah. But if it is concerning a situation that happened to occur, like what Ustaadh Ibrahim just spoke about and it is not made into a habit/custom then in that case it is ok and permissible and I agree with him in what he mentioned, but I just wanted to point out that this is something which is not to be taken as custom, what is taken as custom/habit is standing for the night prayer …”

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 693.

Also see here, here and here.

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May 26, 2018

The Ruling on Giving a Reminder During Taraweeh Prayer


Questioner: Is it allowed for the Imaam of a mosque or a daa’ee … and he is leading the people in prayer for taraweeh … between rak’ahs there is a break … and he gives them a reminder about certain issues, about performing the prayer well, for example, and following the Prophet ﷺ, and bringing their attention to innovations and issues related to shirk, giving them a reminder, ya’ni?

Al-Albaani: The answer is that it is allowed and not allowed. If the admonition or warning or the order to do good or forbid evil is concerning an incident that happened to occur, then this is a must.

As for doing it as a routine or habit after every four rak’ahs, for example, or more than that or less where the Imaam gives a dars, then this is against the Sunnah.

If a situation happens to occur then it is wajib to warn people of it, as for making that a habit/custom, then standing or praying taraweeh is an unadulterated form of worship, where a Muslim turns to Allaah عز وجل with all his body, his core, his intellect and heart, this is the goal of the night prayer, the prayer in Ramadan.

As for making it a habit to have a sitting [to give a reminder] after every two rak’ahs or four, then this is something the Prophet ﷺ did not do.

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 656. [3/7/125]

Also see here and here and here.

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June 2, 2017

A Man who Never Used to Pay Zakaat but who Then Repents and Wants to Pay It


 

Questioner: A man who was disobeying Allaah, very rich, then some years later he repents to Allaah, does he have to pay the zakaah of the previous years?

Al-Albaani: He must.
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 23.

Questioner: Okay, regarding zakaah, maybe the answer will become clear with this question, a man never gave zakaah for many years, then he repented and turned back to Allaah and wanted to give zakaah, so naturally, it is waajib for him to give the zakaah [for those years]?

Al-Albaani: He must.

Questioner: But he had agricultural land, and he doesn’t know how much it yielded, he’s forgotten, so how much zakaah is he to give?

Al-Albaani: According to the best estimate [he can make], as is the case with all matters that are unclear like this, he makes the best estimate he can, he calculates an amount, he strives, ya’ni, [to come to the best estimate he can], there is no specific amount that has been set.
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, no. 31.

Questioner: A man stayed seven years, his wife has a lot of valuable gold, this ornamental gold, he doesn’t know what the ruling is, for seven years he didn’t pay the zakaah?

Al-Albaani: He pays the zakaah for those seven years even if [in the process] he were to lose all his house.
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, no. 41.

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June 1, 2017

On the Hadith, “Fast and You Will be Healthy.”


Questioner: Is the hadith, ‘Fast and you will be healthy,’ authentic? If it isn’t how so?

Al-Albaani: This hadith differs totally from the one we mentioned before it, that last hadith about which we said that its chain of narration was weak and [along with that] the text itself was untrue [as well].

This hadith [however] is weak in terms of its chain of narration but correct in its meaning, ‘Fast and you will be healthy,’ as a hadith reported from the Prophet ﷺ according to the scholars of hadith its chain of narration is not authentic, but the state of affairs shows, and, before that, general hadith like his saying ﷺ, ‘It is enough for the Son of Adam to eat a few small bites that strengthens his spine. If he must have more, then let him fill a third with food, a third with drink and leave a third for his breathing,’ … so hadiths like this confirm, and as occurs in another hadith which has no basis whatsoever but which does contain fine wisdom, ‘Prevention is the best cure, and the stomach is the home of disease,’ for this reason, this hadith, ‘Fast and you will be healthy,’—its attribution to the Prophet ﷺ is not correct but, due to what we mentioned, its meaning is.

And what I mean when I say, ‘Its attribution to the Prophet ﷺ is incorrect,’ is that it is not allowed for a Muslim to say, ‘Allaah’s Messenger ﷺ said, ‘Fast and you will be healthy,’’ as you may have heard on some radio stations, this is not allowed. Why? Because the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Whoever attributes to me something that I have not said, let him take his place in Hell.’

So it is not allowed for a Muslim to say a sentence, even if in and of itself it is a piece of wisdom and is acceptable in the view of other general, legislated proofs, [yet] it is [still] not allowed for a Muslim to say, ‘Allaah’s Messenger ﷺ said,’ unless it has, according to the scholars of hadith, been confirmed through the ways which establish the hadiths of the Prophet ﷺ.

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, no. 692.

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May 31, 2017

On Fasting While Travelling


The Imaam said, “And the scholars have differed about fasting while on a journey in Ramadaan, there being a number of opinions, and there is no doubt that not fasting during a journey is allowed, and doing that is the preferred option in our opinion if the person not keeping it doesn’t find it difficult to make it up [later], otherwise [i.e., if he does find it difficult to make up later] we prefer that he fasts, and Allaah knows best. And whoever wants to delve further into this topic should refer to Nailul-Awtaar or other books of the people of knowledge.”

Ad-Da’eefah, vol. 2, pp. 336-337.

Commenting on al-Mundhiri’s statement on whether or not to fast when on a journey, the Imaam said, “And he, may Allaah have mercy on him, spoke the truth [when he said], ‘And the better of the two options is the one that is easier.’ People’s strength and circumstances differ, let each one do what is easier for him, and that is why it has been authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ, when asked about fasting on a journey, said, ‘Fast if you want, or break it if you want.’ (Reported by Muslim 3/145). And from another authentic path [of narration] with the wording, ‘Whichever is easier for you, do it,’ and it has been checked in As-Saheehah, 2884.”

At-Ta’leeq alat-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb, 1/456.

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May 31, 2017

Making Up Previous Ramadaan Fasts Missed with a Valid Excuse


Al-Albaani: Another Ramadaan has come round and you haven’t made up for the [Ramadaan] fasts you missed from the previous year?

There is no harm in that, [but] you should begin making them up at the first opportunity that arises, even if many Ramadaans have passed you by.

Questioner: Yes.

Al-Albaani: There is no harm in that but it is better for a person to be quick to make up missed fasting days, whether a man or a woman, due to the Most High’s Statement, “And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden [i.e., Paradise] as wide as the heavens and the earth.” [Aali-Imraan 3:133]

But if he isn’t quick, then, firstly, that doesn’t take that obligation away from him, so he must [still] make them up, and [secondly], he doesn’t have to do anything more than simply making them up.

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor: 81.

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May 30, 2017

The Fasting Person Should Open His Fast with a Few Small Bites, Then Get up to Pray and then Come Back to Eat Without Being Excessive


The Imaam said, “It has been related from the Prophet ﷺ that he said, “There are three people who will not be called to account regarding what they eat, as long as it is halal: a fasting person, and the person eating the suhoor meal and the one guarding the frontier in the way of Allaah.” [Hadith grading:] Fabricated.

The Imaam said, “And maybe one of the bad effects of this [fabricated] hadith is the [resultant] state of the Muslims today—for when they sit to break their fast in Ramadan, a person won’t know to get up [and step away] from the food except just before Ishaa due to how many various types of food, drink, fruit and desserts he devours! And how can this not be the case when the hadith says that such a person is one of those who will not be called to account over what he eats!

So due to that they combined the excessiveness which one has been prohibited from in the Book and the Sunnah with the delaying of Maghrib which has [also] been prohibited in his saying, “My nation will remain in good …” or he said, “… upon the Fitrah, as long as they do not delay Maghrib until the stars appear.” (Al-Haakim declared it to be authentic and adh-Dhahabi agreed with him and it is as they both said, for it has other paths and supporting proofs which I pointed to in Saheeh Sunan Abi Daawood, no. 444).

An encouragement to hasten in opening the fast has also been reported in many hadiths, like, “The people will continue to be fine as long as they hasten the opening of the fast.” So both hadiths must be implemented in a manner where one doesn’t negate the other, and that is done by starting iftaar with a few small bites of food by which one’s hunger is calmed down, and then he gets up to pray and then, if he wants, he can come back to the food until he fulfils his need therefrom.

Some of this has been demonstrated in the practical Sunnah, for Anas said, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to break his fast before praying with some fresh dates, but if there were no fresh dates, he had a few dry dates, and if there were no dry dates, he took some mouthfuls of water.” (Reported by Abu Daawood and at-Tirmidhi and he said it was hasan, and it is in Saheeh Abi Daawood, no. 2040, and the one before it is agreed upon and it has been checked in Al-Irwaa, 899).”

Ad-Da’eefah, 2/92-93.

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May 28, 2017

Accidentally Drinking Water While Fasting



Questioner: A fasting person is rinsing his mouth out and accidentally drinks some of the water, what is the ruling on his fast?

Al-Albaani: His fast is correct, and in that [mistake of his] is aafiyah [for him]—it is but Allaah who has fed him and given him something to drink.

Questioner: Isn’t that about a person who forgot?

Al-Albaani: I know, and what’s the difference between someone who forgets … “Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we forget or make a mistake …” [Baqarah 2:286]

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 321.

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May 27, 2017

On Breaking An Obligatory Fast on Purpose


Questioner: Does [extra] optional fasting help someone who has broken his [obligatory] fast intentionally, since there is no proof that breaking an obligatory fast can [actually] be made up for?

Al-Albaani: There is no doubt that it will help him, just like someone who missed lots of [other] obligatory duties, compensating for what he missed by performing supererogatory prayers will help him.

There is no way for a person who breaks his [obligatory] fast on purpose to make up for it, and he is extremely sinful [for doing that] until he truly repents to Allaah عزو جل. He should [try and] offset the good deeds that he has missed out on because of breaking the fast on purpose by performing lots of supererogatory prayers until he make amends for some of what he has missed.

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 19.

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May 24, 2017

The Wisdom Behind Fasting


The Imaam said, “I start by opening with something appropriate to the time and place we’re in, in that we all know the Statement of Allaah تبارك و تعالى, “… decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you, that you may become righteous,” [Baqarah 2:183] you’ve heard commentary and beneficial comments concerning this verse and things connected to it many times, but I believe that you will have seldom heard commentary on its last part, “… that you may become righteous.”

Why was this fasting decreed? “That you may become righteous.” This is one of the rare verses, in fact one of the rare legislated provisions that links the legislated order with an explanation of the intended goal and the reason it was legislated.

There is a declaration here of the obligation of fasting Ramadan, and Muslims should apply themselves to adopting and implementing this order without asking why or how and so on, something which is common now in terms of questioning the legislated orders, [such that] you will often hear some people [saying], “Why this? Why that? Why this?”—we don’t approve of exhaustively searching for the wisdom behind legislation, except what has been expounded on [itself] in it, like what we’re discussing now [i.e., fasting].

“Decreed upon you is fasting,” why? He تعالى said, “… that you may become righteous,” i.e., the point of fasting is for it to be a means for the fasting person to increase his taqwa of Allaah عز وجل and for him to get closer to Him.

If he fasts but does not improve compared to how he was before, i.e., before Ramadan, then it means that this person has not accomplished the desired goal wanted from the implementation of fasting.

There are some authentic hadiths, from the Prophet ﷺ of course, which explain and confirm this objective which the verse has stated, for example, the hadith qudsi which the Prophet ﷺ relates from his Lord عز وجل, in which He said, “Whoever does not leave false speech, and acting according to it, then Allaah is not in any need of him leaving his food and his drink,” this is a very great hadith, and goes completely with the end of the verse, “… that you may become righteous.”

So, when we look at both the verse and the hadith, the aim is not—the only aim is not, and I [purposefully say] ‘the only aim’ so that some people don’t misunderstand me—the only aim for the fasting person is not to refrain from eating, drinking and intercourse based upon the fact that they are listed as things which break the fast in the Quraan and the Sunnah, (leaving aside [for now, mention of] the other things which also break it concerning which there is a big difference of opinion amongst the scholars of fiqh), the aim is not to only refrain from these things which break the fast, but rather [to be aware] that there are other obligatory things which a Muslim must stop himself from too just like he did with these things.

In light of the explanation mentioned in the verse and the clear, authentic hadith just now, I can say something to you which might be new in terms of how it’s expressed but is not new in the ahkaam because it is mentioned in the Quran and the Sunnah, this new phrasing is [concerning the fact] that the books of fiqh, without exception mention the things which break the fast, and this is something that must be done, but, to explain and clarify what was previously mentioned in the verse and the hadith, I say: those things which break the fast are of two types, and this correct division [which I am about to mention] must be rooted in everyone’s mind, because of how important it is.

The first type: the material things which break the fast, and they are the things listed in the books of fiqh as was mentioned just now.

The second type: let’s call them the abstract things which break the fast, these are the things that the verse referred to, “… that you may become righteous,” and his ﷺ statement from His Lord تبارك و تعالى clarified that, “Whoever does not leave false speech, and acting according to it, then Allaah is not in any need of him leaving his food and his drink.”

Thus, along with leaving his food, drink and intercourse, to that he must also add refraining from what Allaah عز وجل has forbidden and what He has ordered every Muslim to be far from.

From the Prophet ﷺ that he said, “Fasting is not leaving food and drink but rather fasting is refraining from what Allaah عز وجل has prohibited,” or as he ﷺ said in words of a similar meaning, and whoever wants to read these hadiths and those like it where the Prophet ﷺ warned the fasting person from committing sins and [where it shows] that this forbiddance comes under the generality of His Statement تبارك و تعالى, “… that you may become righteous,” whoever wants to read these types of hadiths should refer to At-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb of al-Haafidh al-Mundhiri, may Allaah have mercy on him.

To conclude I say, fasting, in terms of how it was legislated in order for a Muslim to get closer to Allaah and increase his taqwa of Him, is just like the prayer, prayer whose only purpose is also not that a Muslim just performs its conditions, pillars and requirements, but that he should also pay heed to the purpose and wisdom due to which Allaah عز وجل  legislated five of them, day and night, on His believing servants, that is what Our Lord عز وجل alluded to in His Statement, “Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing …” [Al-Ankabut 29:45], so a Muslim’s prayer is accepted by Allaah عز وجل in accordance with how much it prevents him from immorality and wrongdoing.

The Prophet ﷺ pointed to this fact connected to prayer in an authentic hadith, where he ﷺ said, “Verily the slave prays a prayer of which nothing is written down for him …” i.e., completely, but rather it is written as deficient according to how discrepant it is, he ﷺ explained that in the rest of the hadith where he said, “Verily the slave prays a prayer of which nothing is written down for him except a tenth, a ninth, an eighth, a seventh, a sixth, a fifth, a quarter, a third or half of it,”—and he stopped here, indicating that a complete prayer is very, very rare, a Muslim is not able to perform it, the best of them is the one for whom half is written and so on until a tenth, and [even then] a tenth is only if the prayer is [actually] accepted by Allaah عز وجل, otherwise many of a person’s prayers are those which he will have his face struck with on the Day of Judgement, and refuge is sought with Allaah, and that is because the Prophet ﷺ pointed to two realities.

The first is what we have spoken about connected to fasting, and the other is connected to prayer, for he ﷺ said, “How many a fasting person there is who has nothing but hunger and thirst from his fasting,” why? Because he never stopped doing what Allaah عز وجل forbade him from, he [i.e.,, this fasting person] only restricted himself to what we [earlier] called the material things which break the fast—yet he thinks he is fasting—about such a person we say, “He fasted but didn’t fast,” he fasted in terms of refraining himself from the material things which break the fast but he didn’t [really] fast because he didn’t withhold from the abstract things which break the fast, that is why he ﷺ said, “How many a fasting person there is who gets nothing but hunger and thirst from his fast, and how many a praying person there is who gets nothing but a sleepless night and fatigue from his standing in prayer.”

So, we hope that Allaah تبارك و تعالى inspires us to refrain from both types of thing which break the fast, the material and the abstract, and that He inspires us [to perform] prayers that are accepted by Him تبارك و تعالى, prayers which prevent one from immorality and wrongdoing.”

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 692.

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May 18, 2017

On Marriage


The Imaam said, “If a suitor’s uprightness in his [day to day] life is not known before he proposes, you’re going to make it a condition that he prays and gives charity [after he’s married?]! Someone greater than you, your Creator and his, [already] stipulated that condition on him—so if he’s failed to meet the provision set by the Lord of the Worlds, won’t he fail to meet one set by a humble man? For that reason, this stipulation, my brother, is ink on paper of no value.”

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 174.

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March 1, 2017

How does a Husband Deal with the Differences that Occur Between His Mother and His Wife?


 

Questioner: I have a mother and she causes problems with my wife, what should I do?

Al-Albaani: I’m thinking about this question [and as to] what my answer should be—I’m not with you such that I can know how it is that you deal with your mother and how she deals with your wife, so that I can [then, based upon that] say in answer to your question that you should do such and such. I don’t know what should be done.

But maybe you can bring to mind Allaah’s Statement عز وجل, “And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], “uff,” and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, ‘My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small.’” [Al-Israa 23-24]

Maybe you interact with your mother the way your Lord has decreed in this aayah?

Questioner: Oh Shaikh …

Al-Albaani: I’m asking you but you’re not answering, maybe you are doing what your Lord has decreed in this aayah?

Questioner: Yes …

Al-Albaani: So then what’s the problem?

Questioner: The problem is that she is ignorant of the legislation and opposes it in my house and with my wife, and when … I’ll give you some examples, O Shaikh …

Al-Albaani: No, we’re not in need of examples. Is she, for example, more misguided than Aazar, [Prophet] Ibrahim’s father?

Questioner: I don’t know that story well, O Shaikh.

Al-Albaani: Don’t you know that Ibrahim عليه السلام was the Khaleel of Ar-Rahmaan, and his father was a polytheist, and in the Quraan it mentions that he would [yet still] always admonish him by saying, “O my father! O my father! O my father!” “O my father! Do not worship the Devil!” [Maryam: 44]. So he was always gentle with him even though he was a polytheist—and no matter how ignorant, as you said, your mother is, she still, inshaa Allaah, is not a polytheist, so it is important that you are gentle in dealing with her, this is from one angle.

On the other hand concerning your wife, is she righteous, inshaa Allaah, and listens to what you say and obeys you?

Questioner: This is the other problem, she is also ignorant of some of the legislation.

Al-Albaani: Then how do you want me to give you an answer to a problem which is sitting between two? The first is to do with your mother and the other is connected to your wife—you find a solution to it according to what the legislation and sound reasoning together dictate.

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 437.

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June 12, 2016

On Eating Dates for Suhoor


The Prophet ﷺ said, “How excellent are dates as the believer’s Sahoor [pre-dawn meal].” [Abu Dawud, no. 2345, Al-Albaani said: “Saheeh”]

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March 9, 2016

On Only Turning Your Head When You Give Salaam in the Prayer, Not Your Shoulders and Body


The Imaam said to a person who had been praying next to him, “When you want to give salaam [to end the prayer] don’t trouble yourself, moving your shoulders right and left, stay as you are [i.e., keep your shoulders as they are and just turn your head not your body], you will trouble yourself like that—and I don’t want you to be troubled, doing so is burdening yourself unnecessarily, may Allaah bless you.”

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, no. 397.

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November 16, 2015

Shaikh al-Albaani Teaching a Young Shaikh Abdur-Razzaaq al-Badr About Giving Salaam


 

Shaikh Abdur-Razzaaq al-Abbaad said, “Then he mentioned this mowqoof hadith from Abu Hurairah, may Allaah be pleased with him, “Let whoever meets his brother give him salaam,” you meet one of your brothers on the road, you give salaam to him, and then if you’re both going along together, walking together, and a palm-tree, a tree, a pillar, a car, or anything else comes between you, when you meet up again after this small separation, you give salaam to him, and this is a sunnah many people are heedless of, either because they don’t know it, or they don’t give attention to implementing it.

So he said, “Let whoever meets his brother give him salaam, then if a tree or a wall comes between them after which they meet [again], then give him salaam.”

A proof of this is the Prophet’s ﷺ statement where he said, “Spread the salaam among each other,” i.e., let the salaam be widespread amongst you even after the smallest separation, even after the smallest parting, even if you were only separated from your brother for a short moment, a tree [for example] came between you both, or a pillar, a pole, a car, an animal, or anything else—then give salaam, spread salaam.

Namely, be eager to spread salaam among your brothers even if the gap between you wasn’t a long one, even if you only went away for a short moment and then returned, as is mentioned in the hadith of the man who didn’t perform his prayer correctly, he prayed and then came to where the Prophet ﷺ was sitting and gave salaam, and the Prophet ﷺ said to him, “Go back and pray because you haven’t prayed,” so he went away and prayed, close to them in the mosque, then came back [again] and gave salaam, the Prophet ﷺ said to him, “Go back and pray because you haven’t prayed,” so he went and prayed again close by them, then came back and gave salaam. So giving salaam is something required even if the gap is a short one ...

And I recall being next to Shaikh al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him, here in Medinah when I was young, walking next to him, only me and him, a pillar came between him and I and after we passed it he looked at me smiling and said, “As-Salaamu alaikum,” I said, “Wa alaikum salaam,” then he asked me, “Why did I give you salaam?”—I never knew this hadith and hadn’t come across it before—[so he asked], “Why did I give you salaam?” So I smiled and said, “The salaam is something good.” And then he mentioned this hadith to me, so the first time I got to know this hadith was through the Shaikh, may Allaah have mercy on him.

So the point is a Muslim should be keen to spread the salaam even if the gap is short or minor so as to gain these great rewards and good deeds.”

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October 3, 2015

Al-Albaani Fasting Mondays and Thursdays


“From the day I met him, and maybe this is also true before my meeting him, I never knew him to miss fasting Mondays and Thursdays whether in summer or winter, unless he was travelling or sick.”

Muhaddithul-’Asr, Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaani, p. 40.

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September 24, 2015

How to Make up for the Eed Prayer if You Miss it with A Valid Excuse


Questioner: In his Saheeh, Al-Bukhaari reported in ta’leeq form from ’Ataa that he stated that whoever misses the Eed prayer makes up for it by praying two rak’ahs, but in Al-Fath al-Baari, al-Haafidh Ibn Hajar mentioned with an authentic chain of narration that Ibn Mas’ood stated that whoever misses it makes up for it by praying four rak’ahs, what is the stronger opinion in your view?

Al-Albaani: The correct opinion is that he makes up for it in the same manner that it was missed, this is a fiqh principle taken from some wordings reported in the Prophetic Sunnah, the prayer is made up in the same manner that it was missed. The Eed prayer is two rak’ahs, so whoever misses it with a legislated excuse prays it as two rak’ahs just as the Imaam did. Praying it as four rak’ahs is an addition [of two extra rak’ahs] and I do not find anything to support that in the Sunnah.

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 376.

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September 23, 2015

Two Valuable Times to Supplicate Today: Supplicating on the Day of Arafah Along with the Excellence of Supplicating Between Dhuhr and Asr on Wednesday


 

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “The best of supplications is the supplication of the Day of Arafah. And the best of what I and the Prophets before me have said is, ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allaah, Alone, without partner, to Him belongs all that exists, and to Him belongs the Praise.’ (Laa ilaaha illallaah, wahdahu laa sharika lahu, lahul-mulku walahul-hamdu, wa huwa alaa kulli shai’in qadir.)”
[As-Saheehah, 1503]

And Jaabir ibn Abdullaah said, “The Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم made supplication in this mosque, the Mosque of Victory (Masjid al-Fath in Medinah), on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and his supplication was answered for him between the two prayers (of Dhuhr and Asr) on Wednesday.” Jaabir said, “Whenever anything severe and serious befell me and I singled out that time and made supplication to Allaah concerning it between the two prayers on Wednesday, I found the answer.”
[Hasan, Saheeh Al-Adabul-Mufrad, no. 704]

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July 14, 2015

On The Incorrect Understanding of the Day of Eed and the Extremes that People Go To


 

Questioner: … how can we celebrate eed, for example? I remind you, inshaa Allaah, of the hadith of the Abysinnians and the hadith of Aaishah when the Prophet ﷺ entered the room where she was and there were two girls there who were singing …

Al-Albaani: Yes, the first thing is that this expression, ‘Celebrating Eed,’ is not an Islamic one, there is no celebration/festival, and [secondly] this is something which has been added to Islaam—there is only ‘Eed’ as he ﷺ said to Abu Bakr in the story which you alluded to [in your question], “Leave them, O Abu Bakr! For every nation has an Eed and this is our Eed.”

So before anything the Muslims concern themselves with performing the Eed prayer in the musalla if they are able to, and if not then in the mosque …

As for those things which are permissible, then they are [the same things which are] permissible in all times and places, only that out of His Extensive Wisdom our Lord عز وجل allowed the beating of the daff alone, nothing else, during weddings and on the day of eed.

But this doesn’t mean that we hold celebrations/festivals as the Europeans do and as we have seen in public squares and general gatherings, where they bring music and horns and the likes, dancing and singing and … and … etc., none of that is from Islaam.

This allowance which the Prophet ﷺ made is an individual allowance, as you saw or read in the hadith of the two girls the Prophet didn’t celebrate, Abu Bakr didn’t celebrate, Umar didn’t celebrate, if it is that you want to use this word ‘celebrate.’

It was only that when a young girl wanted to beat the daff, and the daff alone, nothing else, it was then not allowed for the elders to refuse that. That is what happened, and this is what is endorsed and it is not allowed to refuse that—as for us building lofty mansions and palaces based on that, and celebrations and music and so on, then this is taking it to a level which is not legislated, as agreed upon by the scholars.

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 322.

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July 8, 2015

The Supplication said Upon Completing the Recitation of the Quraan During Taraawih Has No Basis Whatsoever



Questioner: The supplication said upon completing the recitation of the Quraan, especially during taraawih, does it have any basis?

Al-Albaani: No, it has no basis.

Questioner: The supplication said when one finishes reciting the Quraan?

Al-Albaani: Upon completing the recitation of the Quraan … when a Muslim finishes [reciting all of it], it is a Sunnah for him to, or it is mustahab for him to supplicate and gather his family to do so.

As for when the Quraan is completed like this in the prayer, in the night prayer, then this long, extensive du’aa has no basis whatsoever.

Rihlatun-Noor, 19.

Also see Shaikh Uthaimeen’s answer on the same topic here.

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July 6, 2015

On the Permissibility of Sending Salaah on the Prophet in the Du’aa al-Qunut but the Innovation of Extending it Beyond That


 

Questioner: About the Du’aa al-Qunoot in the witr prayer, sending salaah on the Prophet ﷺ is not authentically established, ya’ni, mentioning salaah?

Al-Albaani: The additional part of the narration which is in Sunan an-Nisaa’i is not authentic, but later it became clear to me that some of the Imaams did it in the time of ’Umar ibn al-Khattaab, may Allaah be pleased with him, without any criticism from anyone, and so I say it is legitimate.

[But] I still say, [that] because it hasn’t been established in the hadith [specific] about the Qunoot [that] there is a difference between what is negated and what is established: what is negated is that a mention of sending salaah on the Prophet ﷺ is established in the hadith about the qunoot which the Prophet ﷺ taught al-Hasan ibn Abi Taalib. And what is established is that some of the Imaams who used to lead the people in the night prayer in Ramadaan during the time of Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, [used to say it], so we said that that alone [i.e., the addition of the salaah] was permissible.

Questioner: Ya’ni, for example when a person says, “اللهم إني أسألك” (O Allaah! I ask You …)

Al-Albaani: “اللهم اهدني فيمن هديت، وعافني فيمن …” (O Allaah! Guide me among those whom You have guided, and pardon me among those whom …)

Questioner: “اللهم إني أسألك خير ما سألك منه عبدك ونبيك محمد ﷺ، وأعوذ بك من اشر ما استعاذ بك منه عبدك ونبيك محمد ﷺ” (O Allaah! I ask You for the good that Your slave and Prophet has asked You for, and I seek refuge with You from the evil which Your slave and Prophet sought refuge.), if a person says that in the qunoot, and supplicates with a lot of du’aas is that permissible for him or …

Al-Albaani: Such things have not been mentioned in the qunoot, the du’aa al-qunoot is only, “اللهم اهدني فيمن هديت” (O Allaah! Guide me among those whom You have guided.) this is the qunoot of witr.  [See the footnote at the end for the full du’aa al-qunoot the Shaikh is referring to, here he only quotes the first line for the sake of brevity].

Questioner: For example, [in] Ramadaan they read lots of du’aas.

Al-Albaani: Yes, and that has no basis unless a calamity has befallen the Muslims … as for what is to be read as a set routine then the du’aa al-qunoot is, “اللهم اهدني فيمن هديت” (O Allaah! Guide me among those whom You have guided.), and it is not legislated to …

Questioner: Ya’ni, me, for example, at home after rukoo’ can’t I supplicate … after saying, “Sami’Allaahu liman hamidah,” for example, I say, “اللهم إني أسألك خير ما سألك منه محمد ﷺ” or for example I say, “اللهم صل على محمد وآل محمد” at the end of the qunoot, or I make a du’aa saying, “اللهم اجعل القرآن ربيع قلبي” (O Allaah! Make the Quraan the spring of my heart.) or something like that?

Al-Albaani: Nothing is legislated in the [du’aa] al-qunoot of witr except the du’aa al-qunoot which the Prophet ﷺ taught al-Hasan, in this du’aa it is permitted to send salaah on the Prophet ﷺ in accordance with some of the Salaf who were just mentioned, as for adding to this supplication by way of a desire to increase in making du’aa, then this is not legislated … saying unrestricted du’aas, we do not add to the teaching of the Prophet ﷺ.

Questioner: Ya’ni, is this a bid’ah or something of the sort?

Al-Albaani: Of course. Everything which is an addition to the teaching of the Prophet which doesn’t have an extenuating circumstance which permits us to make a supplication like we said concerning [the exception about] calamities, then it is an addition, and additions in matters of worship are innovations.

Questioner: Ya’ni, as you know, for example, in Ramadaan, all the mosques …

Al-Albaani: How can I not know? The Masjid al-Haraam spread this bid’ah in all countries, I know this. So it is not allowed to add anything except due to an extenuating circumstance.

Questioner: There are people whose supplication goes up to half an hour.

Al-Albaani: Yes, there is no doubt or uncertainty that that is an innovation, there is no doubt about it. And people follow what they become accustomed to, so we must return to the Sunnah.

Questioner: What, O Shaikh, what is the form [of the salaah that is said] after, “اللهم اهدني فيمن هديت” (O Allaah! Guide me among those whom You have guided.), ya’ni, we want the complete form …

Al-Albaani: After the well-known qunoot1 [you can say]: “وصلى الله على محمد النبي الأمي وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم”, only.

Fataawaa Raabigh, 6.

1 Which is:

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ، وَعَافِنِي فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ، وَتَوَلَّنِي فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ، وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيمَا أَعطَيْتَ، وَقِنِي شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلَا يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ، إِنَّهُ لَا يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ، [وَلَا يَعِزُّ مَنْ عَادَيْتَ]، تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ

“O Allaah! Guide me among those whom You have guided, and strengthen me with those whom You have given strength. Take me to Your care with those whom You have taken to Your care. Bless me in what You have given me. Protect me from the evil You have ordained. Surely, You command and are not commanded, and none whom You have committed to Your care shall be humiliated [and none whom You have taken as an enemy shall taste glory]. You are Blessed, Our Lord, and Exalted.”

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July 4, 2015

On Holding the Mushaf During Taraaweeh, A Mention of the Narration of Aaishah and also on Someone Holding the Mushaf Behind the Imaam to Correct Him


 

Al-Albaani: There is an issue which occurs frequently every Ramadaan, i.e., that when many mosque Imaams stand to lead the people in prayer they read from a mushaf directly. This must happen where you are as it does here?

Okay, so I say: is this legislated? As for me, then my answer is no. There are some noble scholars who permit it, saying that it is allowed, and their proof in that is an authentic narration which states that Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, used to have a servant who would lead her in prayer in Ramadaan who would recite from the mushaf, this is an authentic narration.

My answer to this is that this narration does not represent the general manhaj of the Salaf, it represents the opinion of the Mother of the Believers, the [noble] lady Aa’ishah—and she is one for whom it was not obligatory to go to the mosque to pray the obligatory prayers in congregation, let alone the night prayer which is supererogatory. Not only was it not obligatory for her, it was in fact more desirable for her to pray at home. So firstly, this, as I said, does not represent the salafi understanding in this issue in terms of the Salaf comprehensively, men, scholars, students of knowledge and so on. Secondly, this case was specific to Aa’ishah and her servant. So if someone were to say that, “In situations like this it is permitted,” we say that, “It is allowed in compliance with the Mother of the Believers.” As for it to be made a general sunnah for mosque Imaams who lead men in prayer in the mosques, then this is in opposition to what the Salaf were on … …

So the rule is that the Imaams of the mosques lead the people in prayer from what they have memorised, from memory … and in addition to that I say that opening the door to allow mosque Imaams to read from mushafs in the night prayer in Ramadaan leads to the cancellation of an established, legislated Sunnah from the Prophet ﷺ, which is his saying ﷺ, “Keep refreshing your knowledge of the Quraan and make your voice melodious in reciting it, for by the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, it is more inclined to escape from the breasts of men than a camel from its rope.”

“Keep refreshing your knowledge of the Quraan,” means devote your attention to memorising and studying it, because if you don’t it will be lost and go.

So if it is said to mosque Imaams, “There is no need for you to memorise the Quraan … just open the mushaf and put it on a high table and read from it and turn its pages as you pray,” this is a practical dissuasion for them to refresh their knowledge of the Quraan which they had been ordered to do by the Prophet ﷺ.

Thus, this would be from the innovations [bid’ah] which oppose the Sunnah—not only an innovation—but rather an innovation which opposes the Sunnah, and opinion is united in battling against innovations which oppose the Sunnah, if only they knew.

For this reason I do not hold this situation which has now become widespread to be permissible, especially in the Masjid al-Haraam and other mosques around it, [i.e.,] where the Quraan is read from directly, from the noble mushaf.

Questioner: Sometimes a qaari will stand behind them [i.e., behind the Imaam] holding a mushaf so that if the Imaam makes a mistake [he can correct him], so does this have the same ruling?

Al-Albaani: Naturally it has the same ruling. In fact, this is one of the bad results of that practice.

Yes, one time I prayed, I think it was in Taaif, Allaah knows best, behind an Imaam who was reading from the Mushaf—look subhaanallaah, every time when talking about innovations I remember the narration [which says], “No innovation was ever made up except that a Sunnah was wiped out,”—what would this Imaam do? When he’d finish [reciting] and wanted to bow, he would put the mushaf under his armpit, picture that, how do you think his rukoo’ would be, his prostration? Like that of a woman according to some madhhabs. What led him to oppose this sunnah or sunnahs? It is the introduction of this innovation, “No innovation was ever made up except that a Sunnah was wiped out.”

Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 544.

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