THE PROHIBITION OF SPENDING WASTEFULLY (TABDHIR)

The Quran has used two words for wasteful spending: (1) Tabdhir (تبذیر), translated as 'squandering recklessly', and (2) Israf (اسراف), extravagance. Some commentators say that both words are synonymous. Any spending in sin or disobedience or at a wrong occasion or place is called Tabdhir and Israf. There are others who refine it by saying that Tabdhir is spending in sin or on some totally unsuitable occasion or place, while Israf is spending beyond the level of need on an occasion where it is permissible to spend.

Imam al-Qurtubi RE has said spending even one Dirham where it is unlawful and impermissible according to Shariah is Tabdhir, and spending excessively on fulfilling permissible and allowed desires running the risk of becoming penniless and poor in the future is also Tabdhir. However, if someone keeps his real capital holdings safe and spends only the profit liberally to fulfil his permissible desires, then that is not included in Tabdhir.

Abstracted from Ma'ariful Quran, Interpretation of Surah Bani Isra'il, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

RIGHTS OF RELATIVES

"And give the relative his right, and the needy and the traveller. And do not squander recklessly. Surely, squanderers are brothers to Satans, and the Satan is very ungrateful to his Lord" (Surah Bani Isra'il:26)

This verse establishes the rights of common relatives over a person. According to Imam Abu Hanifah RE this verse establishes right of financial help for those relatives who are in the category of near blood kinship (Dhu Rahim) and have a relationship that precludes marriage (mahram). If they do not have financial means to sustain themselves, and are unable to earn a living by themselves, be they a woman, a child, or because of having some handicap, it then becomes incumbent upon their relatives who have the financial means to support them, to do so. If there are several relatives who have the financial means to support them, then the expanses will be divided between all of them to provide a subsistence allowance for the needy.

In this verse providing financial support to the relatives, the traveller and the needy has been declared their right. In this way it has been hinted that if a person provides them financial help he is not doing them a favour, he is fulfilling his own obligations. He is doing his own duty.

From Ma'ariful Quran, Interpretation of Surah Bani isra'il, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

RIGHTS OF PARENTS - PART 7

Sayyidna Abdullah Ibn Umar RAA narrated that Rasool Allah ﷺ said, "The greatest respect one can pay to one's father after his death is to treat his friends well."

Sayyidna Abu Usayd al-Badri RAA has narrated that an Ansari came and asked Rasool Allah SAW, "Ya Rasool Allah! Do I still owe my parents some rights even after that have passed away?" Rasool Allah SAW said, "Yeas!Praying and seeking forgiveness for them, fulfilling the promises they had made to people in their life, being kind and respectful to their friends, and showing mercy and generosity to such relatives who were related only to them (Silatu 'r-rahmi). These are the rights of your parents you still owe to them even after their death."

Abstract from Ma'ariful Quran, Interpretation of Surah Bani Isra'il, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

RIGHTS OF PARENTS - PART 6

Hazrat Asma RAA once asked Rasool Allah ﷺ, "My mother who is a Mushrik (non-believer) comes to see me. Is it permissible for me to entertain her?" Rasool Allah SAW said, "صِلِی ا’مَّکِ" (meaning respect the bond of relationship with your mother and entertain her.)"

The Quran says, "و صاحبھما فی الدنیا معروفا" (Surah Luqman:15) (that is if the parents of a person are non-believers and order him to become like them, it is not permissible for him to obey them in this matter. But, they should be treated din the 'recognised manner'.) It is obvious that 'recognised manner' means that they should be treated with courtesy.

From Ma'ariful Quran, Interpretation of Surah Bani Isra'il, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

RIGHTS OF PARENTS - PART 5

Al-Baihaqi has reported on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Bakrah RAA that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "For all other sins Allah Ta'alah defers the punishment of those He wills till the Day of Qiyamah, except for the sin of neglecting the rights of parents and disobeying them which is also given in this world, even before the Aakhirah (Hereafter).

From Ma'ariful Quran, Interpretation of Surah Bani Isra'il, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

RIGHTS OF PARENTS - PART 4

It has been narrated by Sayyidna Abdullah Ibn Abbas RAA that Rasool Allah (Holy Prophet) ﷺ said, "An obedient son who looks at his parents with mercy and affection receives the reward (Thawab) of one accepted Hajj against every such look cast." Someone asked, "What if he looks at them like that a hundred times during the day?" Rasool Allah SAW said, "Yes. a hundred time too (he will keep receiving that reward). Allah is great (His treasures never run short)."

From Ma'ariful Quran, Interpretation of Surah Bani Isra'il, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

RIGHTS OF PARENTS - PART 3

Sayyidna Ibn Abbas RAA narrated that Rasool Allah ﷺ said, "Two gates of paradise shall remain open for the person who remained obedient to his parents for the sake of Allah. And two gates of hell shall remain open for one who disobeyed them. And one gate (of paradise or hell shall remain open), if he had just one of the two, either father or mother." Someone asked, "Would it (the warning of hell)  still apply if the parents had been unjust to this person?" Rasool Allah SAW said three times, "وَ اِن ظَلَمَا وَ اِن ظَلَمَا وَ اِن ظَلَمَا." which means that the warning of Hell against disobeying and hurting  parents still applies even if the parents were unjust tot he child. (It means that children have no right to take revenge from their parents. Even if the parents had been unjust to them, it does not give the children the right to disobey  them or not to serve them.)

From Ma'ariful Quran, Interpretation of Surah Bani Isra'il, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

RIGHTS OF PARENTS - PART 2

Imam al-Qurtubi says that, in this verse (translation in previous post) Allah Ta'alah has made it necessary (Wajib) to respect and treat parents well by combining it with the command to worship Him. This is similar to what has been said in Surah Luqman  where the obligatory need to thank Him has been combined with the need to thank one's parents: "Be grateful to Me, and your parents. 31:14. This proves that, after the obligation of worshipping the most exalted Allah, obeying one's parents is most important and being grateful to parents like being grateful to Allah Ta'alah s Wajib (necessary). This is also supported by a Hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari where a person reportedly asked the Holy Prophet ﷺ, "Which is the most favoured deed for Allah Ta'alah?" Rasool Allah SAW said, "Salah a its (mustahabb, preferred) time." The person asked again, "Which is the most favoured deed after that?" To that he said, "Treating parents well."

Abstract from Ma'ariful Quran, Interpretation of Surah Bani Isra'il", by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

RIGHTS OF PARENTS - PART 1

And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him and do good to parents. If either of them or both reach old age, do not say to them 'uff' (a word of anger or contempt) and do not scold them. And address them with respectful words, and submit yourself before them in humility out of compassion and say, "My Lord, be merciful to them as they have brought me up in my childhood." (Surah Bani Isra'il:23-24)

Hazrat Abu Umama RAA has narrated that Rasool Allah ﷺ said that on the day of Qiyamah when the book of deeds would be given to people in their hands someone would notice that some of their good deeds are not recorded in their book of deeds. He will say to Allah Ta'alah that my such and such good deeds are not recorded in this book of deeds. He will get a reply that because he used to do Gheebat (backbiting) against people that is why his good deeds have been erased from his record.

From Ma'ariful Quran, Interpretation of Surah Al-Nahl, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

Allah Ta'alah had decreed that that the Bani Isra'il will be successful, having the best of both worlds, the material and the spiritual, as long as they continue to obey Allah. But, whenever they deviate from the dictates of Faith, they shall be put to disgrace, and that they would be subjected to punishment at the hands of enemies and disbelievers...

...The purpose of narrating these events relating to the Bani Isra'il in the Quran and making Muslims listen to them seems to be to let Muslims understand that they are no exception to this divine law. Their respect and ascendancy, both in this world and the Hereafter, are dependent upon their obedience to Allah Ta'alah. Whenever they would start disobeying Allah Ta'alah and His Holy Prophet ﷺ their enemies and disbelievers would be given power over them, who would also desecrate their places of worship.

Abstract from Ma'ariful Quran, Interpretation of Surah Bani Isra'il, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"Surely, Allah is with those who fear Him and those who are good in deeds." (Surah Al-Nahl:128)

It means that Allah Ta'alah is with people who have two virtues, Taqwa and Ihsan. The essence of Taqwa is acting righteously or being good in deed, while the essence of Ihsan at this place is to be good to the creations of Allah Ta'alah, so this Ayet means that Allah Ta'alah is with those people who do good deeds because they fear Him, and those who are particular in dealing with others nicely.

From Ma'ariful Quran, Interpretation of Surah Al-Nahl, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

Imam Shafi'i RE has said:

"When educating someone towards one of their mistakes (the rule is), if you pointed it out to them privately and politely then it is advice, but if you embarrassed them publicly then this is humiliation."

From Ma'ariful Quran, Interpretation of Surah Al-Nahl, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

BEING PATIENT WHEN INVITING PEOPLE O THE PATH OF ALLAH

"Invite (people) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good counsel. And argue with them in the best of manners. Surely, your Lord knows best the one who strays from His way, and He knows best the ones who are on the right path. [125] And if you were to harm them in retaliation, harm them to the measure you were harmed. And if you opt for patience, it is definitely much better for those who are patient. [126] Surah Al-Nahl

These verses of the Quran carry an important instruction for those who invite people to the way of Allah.  There are occasions when they come across people who are very harsh and ignorant. Regardless of how politely and softly one explains things to them, they still very angry, say very hurtful things, and at times don't refrain from even causing bodily harm.

In the second verse above the people who suffer such abuse have been given the legal right that they can retaliate but only as much as they were harmed, and what they do should not exceed the injustice done to them. But at he end of the verse it was suggested that if they remain patient and do not retaliate it is better for them.

From Ma'ariful Quran, Interpretation of Surah Al-Nahl, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

THE PITFALLS OF RELIGIOUS DEBATES AND ARGUMENTS

Imam Ghazali RE has said that just like drinking alcohol is the root of many evils, in that it is not only a great sin in itself but also leads to many different types of sins, similarly when the intention of religious debates becomes defeating one's opponent and demonstrating superiority of one's knowledge over other people's knowledge, then it becomes a root of many evils for one's inner self which leads to many internal sins, for example, Hasad (jealousy), Bughz (harbouring ill-feelings towards others and wishing them harm), Takabbur (thinking of oneself as superior and other human beings as inferior), Gheebat (backbiting), being always preoccupied with finding faults in others, feeling happy when some harm comes to one's opponents and feeling sad if something good befalls them, refusal to accept the truth even if it becomes clear that the opponent is correct, and rather than objectively and judiciously considering what the other person is saying, just being preoccupied with responding to the argument , even if it means having to twist Quran and Hadith to fit one's argument.

Imam Malik RE said that arguing and fighting over knowledge removes the Noor (divine light) of knowledge from one's heart. Someone asked, "If someone knows the correct Sunnah (way of the Holy Prophet ﷺ) then is he allowed to fight for it?" Imam Malik RE said, "No! He should just let the other person what the truth is. If the other person accepts it, that is fine, otherwise he should become quiet about it."

From Ma'ariful Quran, Interpretation of Surah Al-Nahl, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

THE PROPHETIC ETIQUETTE OF DA'WAH (PREACHING) PART 4

While doing Tableegh (preaching Rasool Allah ﷺ took a lot of care about not embarrassing anyone or hurting anyone's feelings. Even when he saw someone committing a sin he didn't admonish them directly but rather addressed the whole gathering saying, "What has happened to people that they indulge in doing such and such things." This way the person it was meant for also heard it and started thinking about how to abstain from that act.

From Ma'ariful Quran, Interpretation of Surah Al-Nahl, by Mufti Muhammad Safi RE

THE PROPHETIC ETIQUETTE OF DA'WAH (PREACHING) PART 3

Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Abbas RAA has said that you should become Rabbani scholars and Fuqaha (experts of Islamic jurisprudence). In Sahih Bukhari the word Rabbani was defined as that the person who takes care that when he is preaching he initially tells people to follow the simple and easy to follow commands first, and only when they have become used to the easy commands he tells them about the other commands which would have been difficult to follow to begin with, is a Rabbani scholar.

From Ma'ariful Quran, Interpretation of Surah Al-Nahl, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

THE PROPHETIC ETIQUETTE OF DA'WAH (PREACHING) PART 2

While calling people towards Islam and educating people about Deen Rasool Allah ﷺ always took care that preaching should not become a burden for people. The Sahaba (companions of the Holy Prophet SAW) loved Rasool Allah SAW more than their own lives and there was no possibility that they would ever feel it a burden listening to Rasool Allah SAW, but even then Rasool Allah SAW didn't give a sermon daily but only preached on some days of the week so that it didn't interfere with people's work and they did not feel overburdened.

Hazrat Anas RAA has narrated that Rasool Allah SAW said: "make things easy for people, do not create difficulty for them. Give them good news about Allah's rehmat (blessing), do not make them feel hopeless, do not turn them away from religion."

From Ma'ariful Quran, Interpretation of Surah Al-Nahl, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

THE PROPHETIC ETIQUETTE OF DA'WAH (PREACHING) PART 1

"INVITE PEOPLE TO THE WAY OF YOUR LORD WITH WISDOM AND GOOD COUNSEL. AND ARGUE WITH THEM IN THE BEST OF MANNERS...."(Translation: Surah Al-Nahl:125)

An instruction of the Holy Quran given to Sayyidna Musa and Haroon AS in Surah Taha illustrates the principle observed by the prophets when they call someone to Allah's path. (Translation: "Speak to him in gentle words, may be he takes to the advice, or fears. 20:44) Everyone who wishes to convey Allah's message to others should always keep this in mind that when Allah Ta'alah sent his Prophet to a non-believer as great as Pharaoh, who claimed to be God himself, even then he advised Hazrat Musa AS to speak softly. The people we try to convey Islam's message to today are not greater Kafirs than Pharaoh, and we are not better preachers than Hazrat Musa and Hazrat Haroon AS, so how did we get the right to speak harshly to, or disrespect, people we are trying to preach to, when Allah Ta'alah didn't give this right to even his own prophets.

From Ma'ariful Quran, Interpretation of Surah Al-Nahl, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

TAKING A BRIBE IS BREAKING ONE'S COVENANT WITH ALLAH

Ibn Atiyyah (RE) said: If doing something is obligatory on a person, then, it is a Covenant of Allah due against him. If he asks someone for money to do what is already obligatory upon him, or doesn't do it if he doesn't get money, then he is breaking his Covenant with Allah. Similarly, if it is obligatory upon someone not to do something, and he does it after taking money from someone he is breaking the Covenant of Allah.

This leads to the conclusion that all prevailing forms of bribery are Hara'am (forbidden). When an employee receives a salary from the government it means he has entered into a Covenant with Allah Ta'alah that he will perform certain duties in exchange for that salary. If he now starts demanding money from other people for performing those duties, or does not perform his duties without getting that extra money, then he is breaking the Covenant of Allah. Similarly, if his employer does not allow him to do certain things, an he does those after taking bribe, this is also breaking the Covenant with Allah.

Abstract from Ma'ariful Quran, interpretation of Surah Al-Nahl, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

BREAKING A PROMISE (عہد) IS HARA'AM (FORBIDDEN)

The word عہد is inclusive of all transactions, pacts and pledges the responsibility of which has been assumed verbally, whether one does or does not swear by it, and whether it relates to doing something or not doing it.

After having given a pledge or made a contract with someone, breaking it is a major sin. But, in the event it is broken, there is no Kaffarah (expiation) fixed for this purpose. Instead, it brings the punishment of the Hereafter on the offender. According to Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that a flag shall be planted on the back of the pledge-breaker on the Day of Resurrection which will become the cause of his or her disgrace there.

Abstract from Ma'ariful Quran, interpretation of Surah Al-Nahl, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

AL-ADL (JUSTICE) AND AL-IHSAN (BEING GOOD)

"Allah commands to do justice and be good, and to give relatives (their due)..." (Translation Surah Al-Nahl:90)

The first command in this verse is that of Al-Adl or justice, then, that of Al-Ihsan or being good. Some Tafsir (interpretation of Qur'an) authorities have said that justice means that one should give the right of the other person in full, and take what comes to him, neither less nor more; then, should someone hurt you, you hurt him only as much as he did, no more. And Ihsan or being good means that you give the other person more than his real due and, as for your own right, ignore it to the limit that you willingly accept even if it turns out to be less than due. Similarly, when someone hurts you physically or verbally, then, rather than inflict an equal retaliation against that person, you better forgive him, in fact, return the evil done by him with what is good for him. Thus the command to do justice comes in the form of what is Fard and Wajib (obligatory and necessary as duty) while the command to be good appears in the status of an act which is voluntary (Nafl)and is motivated by a well meaning desire to contribute more in the way of what is good.

Adapted from Ma'ariful Quran, interpretation of Surah Al-Nahl, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

Imam Al-Qurtubi RE has said, "the person in whose house his cat is not fed and taken care of, and the birds in whose cage are not attended to as due, he would still not be counted as Muhsinin (محسنین), those who are good to others."

From Ma'ariful Qur'an, interpretation of Surah Al-Nahk, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

HASAD(حسد), RIGHT OF ALLAH (HUQOOQ ALLAH) OR RIGHT OF PEOPLE (HUQOOQ-UL- IBAD)?

As has been mentioned in several earlier posts that it is easy to do Taubah (repentance) for sins that belong to the category of Rights of Allah (Huqooq-Allah), as if one asks for forgiveness sincerely and stops doing that sin those would be wiped off from his account. However, the mater of violation of rights of human beings (Huqooq-al-Iba'd) is much more serious, as Allah Ta'alah does not forgive Huqooq-al-Ibad until the person whose rights were violated forgives the perpetrator.

Regarding Hasad (حسد) (jealousy), as long as the person doing Hasad does not do anything under its influence, like doing Gheebat (غیبت) (backbiting) of the person he is jealous of, or trying to harm him in some way, until such time this degree of Hasad remains a right of Allah, and if that person asks for forgiveness sincerely his sin would be forgiven without having to ask the other person for forgiveness. However, if as a result of Hasad he does Gheebat of the other person, or takes some steps to harm him, then this degree of Hasad would enter the realm of rights of human beings (Huqooq al-Iba'ad) and Allah Ta'alah would not forgive it until the person, whose rights have been violated, has done so.

Adapted from the talk "Hasad, a major sin" by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani DB