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Competition


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#1 Guest_IDont care about theworld_*

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Posted 20 April 2005 - 08:07 PM

Salaam Alaikuuuuuuum,

What is Islam's view on competition?

I am not talkin about business competition here....but competition in the sense where one person competes with another in terms of......dominance,  friends, good deeds, seeking knowledge (grade competition), earning respect, looks, possessions, winning an argument, seeking someone's attention, etc?

Kindly respond...

Thx

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#2 Badreya

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Posted 20 April 2005 - 08:42 PM

Salam alaikum, is this person competing for the sake of Allah or for fame?

If it is from envy then I would hate to live my life in envy of others mashallah!  

From  The Sayings of Muhammad, salalahu alaihi wa salam:

If envy were proper, two persons would be the most proper objects of it; one, a man to whom god hath given riches, and apointed to bestow in charity; the other, to whom God hath granted the knowledge of religion, and acteth thereon himself, instructing others.

Keep yourselves far from envy; it eateth up and taketh away good actions, like as fire eateth up and burneth wood.


I think it most goes back to intention.
What is the intention that the person is competing for dominance, friends, good deeds, seeking knowledge (grade competition), earning respect, looks, possessions, winning an argument, seeking someone's attention, etc.

But some competition is normal, such as seeking good grades, earning respect, and things one does for himself not because he wants to be better than anyone, but because those things are purely good for him or her.

He is of the most perfect Muslims, whose disposition is most liked by his own family.

Verily the most beloved of you by me, and nearest to me in the next world, are those of good dispositions; and verily the greates enemies to me and farthest from me, are the ill-tempered.

Verily the most beloved of you by me are those of the best dispositions.

I have been sent to explain fully good dispositions.

O Lord! as thou hast made my body good, so make good my disposition.

Two qualities are not combined in any Muslim, avarice and bad disposition.



Thats my opinion though.

#3 rayofhope04

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Posted 20 April 2005 - 11:25 PM

Assalamu alaikum,

like sister Badreya mentioned, envy is an extremely bad thing. I don't like that kind of competition at all and do not tolerate it.

however, there are different kinds of competitions that can be good. For example, me and my Islamic school teacher compete in memorizing surahs every week, and mashaAllah that helps me A LOT! Plus, we both know each others' intention and know it's nothing personal.

Wassalamu alaikum :wink:

#4 Nejwa

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Posted 21 April 2005 - 12:56 PM

Salaam Aliekum!

Here what a fatwas say about competion that can be between friends.

Question #20962: Ruling on playing pool billiards and the loser paying for the table rental

Question :

We play pool billiards sometimes for fun, and play loser pays, meaning whomever loses has to pay the fee for the table rental? Is this halal?.

Answer :

Praise be to Allaah.  

Firstly:

Anyone who looks at the state of youth today will see that most of them are not serious and have no interest in acquiring beneficial knowledge or seeking halaal provision. They waste their time with things that are not useful, which causes psychological and physical problems.

One of the salaf passed by some people who were playing and said: “I wish that time could be bought with money, then I would buy these people’s time!”

Yes, for those great men, the hours of the day were not enough for research, study and serious work; they used to sleep and eat less so that they would not be wasting time.

Now we see the youth, unfortunately, wasting the best years of their life with play and leisure. We do not want our young brothers to regard as forbidden the kinds of leisure and play that Allaah has permitted them, but we wish that this would not be the thing with which they are preoccupied night and day, and that they would look for a game that will benefit them mentally and physically and help them develop their skills.

Secondly:

Playing pool billiards in clubs is not permissible, not because the game itself is haraam, rather because these clubs involve many haraam things such as swearing, neglecting prayer and gambling, and playing in them involves keeping quiet about evil with no need to stay in these places.

As for playing this game in places where no evil things are present, there is nothing wrong with that, but that is subject to conditions, for example:

1.     There should be no betting.

2.     There should be no swearing, name-calling, mockery or hatred.

3.     It should not lead to missing obligatory duties such as prayer, seeking knowledge, and looking after one’s family, teaching them and disciplining them.

We have mentioned above that most of the fuqaha’, including Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, regarded chess as haraam, and that those who allowed it did so only if these conditions are met. When we think about youth and the way they play, we will see that these conditions are hardly ever met.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said concerning chess – and his words may be applied to pool billiards and other games that young people play today –:

… What is meant is that when chess distracts people from their duties, whether inwardly or outwardly, then it is haraam according to scholarly consensus. The fact that it distracts people from fulfilling their duties properly is so obvious as to need no explanation. The same applies if it distracts people from duties other than prayer, such as taking care of oneself or one’s family, or enjoining that which is good and forbidding that which is evil, or upholding the ties of kinship, or honouring one’s parents, or fulfilling one’s duties with regard to public office, etc.  

It rarely happens that a person involves himself with these games and they do not distract him from some duty. It should be noted that there is scholarly consensus on the prohibition in such cases. Similarly if the game involves something that is haraam or leads to something haraam, then it is haraam according to scholarly consensus, such as if it involves lying, false oaths, cheating, or wrongdoing or helping in wrongdoing. That is haraam according to the consensus of the Muslims, even if it is in a race or contest, so how about if it is chess or dice and the like?

The same applies if it involves some other kind of evil, such as getting involved in something that may lead to immorality, or cooperating in aggression etc, or if the game attracts too many people which leads to neglecting an obligatory duty or doing something haraam. This kind of game and others like it are things that the Muslims are agreed are haraam.

Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 32/218

Secondly:

With regard to the loser being the one who has to pay the table rent, this is a kind of gambling, which is haraam because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), and gambling, and Al‑Ansaab, and Al‑Azlaam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of Shaytaan’s (Satan’s) handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful.

Shaytaan (Satan) wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allaah and from As‑Salaah (the prayer). So, will you not then abstain?”

[al-Maa’idah 5:90-91]

The basic principle is that the rental of this game – if it is free of haraam elements – should be paid by all the players. But the players agree that the loser will pay for himself and others, and the winners will not have to pay anything, this is what is called sabaq (prize money, winnings) and it is like betting on the game. This is not permissible according to sharee’ah, except where that has been narrated in a text in cases having to do with developing skills that are useful for jihad, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no sabaq except in archery, horse-racing and camel-racing.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1700; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.

That applies only to archery competitions and horse and camel racing, and the scholars drew analogies to other skills that are useful in jihad. Some also allowed competitions having to do with Islamic knowledge, because that is supporting Islam, like jihad with the sword, if not more so.

The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked about playing Foosball (table soccer) and the ruling on the loser paying for the game. They said:  

If the game mentioned involves images or figures for playing with and the loser pays the cost of using the game, then this is haraam for a number of reasons:

1 – This game is a kind of idle entertainment that causes the player to waste his free time and to miss neglect many of his worldly and religious interests. Playing this game may become a habit and a means that leads to worse things than that, such as forms of gambling. Everything that is like that is falsehood and is haraam according to sharee’ah.

2 – Making and keeping images and figures is a major sin, because of the saheeh ahaadeeth in which Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warn those who do that of Hell and a painful torment.

3 – It is haraam for the loser to pay the cost of using the game, because this is extravagance and a waste of money by spending it on idle entertainment. Rental of the game is an invalid transaction and the owner’s earnings in this case are haraam and earning money by invalid means. So this is a major sin and a form of gambling, which is haraam.

Fataawa Islamiyyah, 4/439

And Allaah knows best.

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#5 Nejwa

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Posted 21 April 2005 - 12:59 PM

Salaam Aliekum!

Question #5526: Ruling on Qur’aan reading competitions for children

Question :

What is the hukm concerning the holding of Quraan reading competitions for children, to encourage them further, with the giving of prizes?

Answer :

Praise be to Allaah.

Holding such competitions is something good, if the aim is to encourage children to memorize the Book of Allaah from an early age. There is nothing wrong with encouraging them by offering prizes and gifts, and you will have a reward from Allaah. This has to do with cooperating in righteousness and piety, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“… Help you one another in Al-Birr and Al-taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety)…” [al-Maa;idah 5:2]

And Allaah knows best.

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#6 Nejwa

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Posted 21 April 2005 - 01:05 PM

Salaam Aliekum!

Question #1946: Ruling on making bets in matters of shar’i knowledge

Question :

Some students of shar’i knowledge make a kind of bet whereby the one who is wrong (on a given issue) has to buy a book, for example, for the one who gets it right. Is this halaal?

Answer :

Praise be to Allaah .

This is a competition, and Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) thought that there was nothing wrong with competitions on issue of sharee’ah. He explained this by pointing out that jihaad may be either with knowledge or with weapons. He also used as evidence the reports about Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) when the aayah (interpretation of the meaning) “Alif-Laam-Meem. The Romans have been defeated in the nearer land (Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Palestine), and they, after their defeat, will be victorious, within three to nine years…” [al-Room 30:1-4] was revealed. The Persians were the ones who had defeated the Romans; the Romans were Christians, People of the Book, whilst the Persians were Magians (Zoroastrians), who had no revealed Book. Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning): “… And on that day, the believers (i.e., Muslims) will rejoice (at the victory given by Allaah to the Romans against the Persians).” [al-Room 30:4], because the believers wanted the Christians to defeat the Persians as the Christians were People of the Book and therefore closer to Islam than the Magians. Quraysh, on the other hand, wanted the Magians to defeat the Romans, and said, “The Romans cannot defeat the Persians, because the Persians are stronger than they are, and they do not believe in the Qur’aan.” So Abu Bakr bet them a number of camels that (the Romans) would prevail within seven years. The seven years passed and nothing had happened. Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) went to the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who told him, “Add two years, and increase the bet” (reported by Ibn Jareer in his Tafseer, 10/165, 166, no. 27876) – because the word bid’ used in the aayah refers to any number between three and nine. So the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told him to play it safe by increasing the time period and increasing the prize. Abu Bakr did this, and before the two years had passed, travellers brought news that the Romans had defeated the Persians. From this report Shaykh al-Islam deduced that it is permissible to bet in matters of shar’i knowledge.

Liqa’ al-Baab al-Maftooh by Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 225. (www.islam-qa.com)

You can even read this fatwas:

Question #20993: Ruling on contests where buying something is a necessary condition of entry

Question #14220: Internet competitions

Question #21078: Ruling on the game “Who wants to be a millionaire?”


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Posted 27 April 2005 - 05:04 PM

SalaamAlaikum sisters,

Thank you all sisters for responding.  

I feel the need to explain my question more clearly.

When a person competes with another....in terms of the things I mentioned in the original post, it will be as if you are doing that action or that deed in order to serve your ego and ensure yourself that you are better than the one you are competing with.  For example, when you compete with someone in terms of good deeds...it seems as if you are not committing good deeds because it is an order from Allah.  You are doing it to prove to serve your ego.  Same with winning the argument.  You might try to win an argument...not for the sake of truth but for the sake of serving your ego.  Same applies to seeking knowledge.  Now these three things involve an Islamic duty.  We have an Islamic obligation to seek knowlege, do good deeds, and tell someone they are wrong when they are wrong. So I was wondering.....if we compete in these things wouldn't we be gambling with our intentions....pleasing Allah on one side and ego worship on the other???  Wouldn't that involve a lot of risk???  

And as far as competition in dominance, friends, earning respect, looks, possessions and seeking someone's attention is concerned,  to my knowledge, I think there is no Islamic obligation on us to do this.  So would competition in these things be okay?  Wouldn't competing in these things lead to envy,  ego-worship once again, and also people worship (you might want extra possessions because u want ppls recognition and their praise).  This would also be gambling with one of our duty of desiring for our Muslim brother or sister what we desire for ourselves on one side and competing with him on the other.  Doesn't this also involve a lot of risk?

One more analogy to make myself more clear...

It is highly recommended in our religion to not be alone with a member of the opposite sex.  Not because if we do so we WILL end up committing zina...but because a lot of risk is involved to being chaste.
Also in one of the fatwas posted it says that the scholars "prohibit" chess and those sorts of games because they pose a risk to our Islamic duties.

So, to my understanding competition also involves a lot of risks to our duties.  

So would it be something that is "NOT LIKED" in Islam?

Sisters, please shed some light on this matter.

Thanx...Hope I made myself clear (IA).

Salaamzz biggrin.gif


#8 zuhra

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Posted 27 April 2005 - 08:20 PM

assalam,

chess is prohibitted? why would it be prohibitted :?  it is only a strategic game you know. your not gambling in it. :?

wassalam

#9 Ola

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Posted 27 April 2005 - 09:01 PM

ssalmu alikum,

Question #14095: Ruling on playing chess  



Click here to get a printable version

Question :


I wana ask if chess(the type played now a days)is allowed in islam or not?

Answer :

Praise be to Allaah.  

“When chess distracts us from what we are obliged to do both inwardly and outwardly, it is haraam according to the consensus of the scholars – such as when it distracts from an obligatory duty such as prayer or anything that is necessary in the interests of oneself or one’s family, or enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, or upholding ties of kinship or honouring one’s parents, or any obligations connected to positions of authority or leadership, etc. In this case it is haraam according to the consensus of the scholars. Similarly, if it involves anything that is haraam such as telling lies, swearing false oaths, cheating, wrongdoing or helping in wrongdoing, or other forbidden things, then it is haraam according to the consensus of the Muslims.” (Adapted from Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 32/218, 240).

But if it does not distract us from our obligations or involve anything that is haraam, then there is a difference of scholarly opinion concerning the ruling. The majority of scholars (Abu Haneefah, Maalik, Ahmad and some of the companions of al-Shaafa’i) said that it is also haraam, basing that view on the evidence of the Book of Allaah and the opinions of the Sahaabah.

The evidence of the Qur’aan is the words (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), and gambling, and Al‑Ansaab [stone altars set up for sacrifices to idols etc], and Al‑Azlaam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of Shaytaan’s (Satan’s) handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful.

Shaytaan (Satan) wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allaah and from As‑Salaah (the prayer). So, will you not then abstain?”

[al-Maa’idah 5:90-91]

Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “This aayah indicates that it is haraam to play dice or chess, whether that involves gambling or not, because when Allaah forbade alcohol He explained the reason for that, which is ‘Shaytaan (Satan) wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allaah and from As‑Salaah (the prayer).’ So every kind of game in which a little leads to a lot and stirs up enmity and hatred between those who are devoted to it and prevents them from remembering Allaah and praying, is like drinking alcohol, which implies that it must be haraam like alcohol.” (al-Jaami’ li Ahkaam al-Qur’aan, 6/291).

With regard to the views of the Sahaabah:

It was narrated that ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) passed by some people who were playing chess. He said, “What are these images, to which you are devoted? [cf. al-Anbiya’ 21:52]” Imaam Ahmad said: “The soundest comment on chess what that which was said by ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him).”

‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) was asked about chess and he said, “It is worse than dice.”

“Dice” refers to what is used nowadays for playing backgammon, which is played on a special table. It was narrated in the ahaadeeth that it is haraam.  

Abu Dawood (4938) narrated from Abu Moosa al-Ash’ari that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever plays dice has disobeyed Allaah and His Messenger.” (Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 4129)

Muslim (2260) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever plays dice is like one who has dipped his hand in the flesh and blood of a pig.” Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “This hadeeth is quoted as evidence by al-Shaafa’i and the majority of scholars to prove that playing dice is haraam. The phrase ‘dipped his hand in the flesh and blood of a pig’ refers to eating it, and this simile is used to show that this is haraam because it is haraam to eat that.”

What some of the scholars have said about the prohibition of chess:

Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Chess is like dice in that it is forbidden.” (al-Mughni, 14/155),

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The evil consequences of chess are greater than the evil consequences of dice. Everything that points to the prohibition of dice points to the prohibition of chess even more so… This is the view of Maalik and his companions, of Abu Haneefah and his companions, of Ahmad and his companions, and the view of the majority of the Taabi’een… It is not known that any of the Sahaabah permitted it or played it. Allaah protected them from that. Everything that is attributed to any of them and says that he played it – such as Abu Hurayrah – is a fabrication and lie against the Sahaabah and is rejected by anyone who knows how the Sahaabah really were and by anyone who has sufficient knowledge to examine the reports critically. How could the best generation and the best of mankind after the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) permit playing something that prevents people from remembering Allaah and from praying, and is worse in this regard than alcohol when the player gets immersed in it, as we see in real life? How could the Lawgiver forbid dice but permit chess, which is many times worse?…” (al-Furoosiyah, 303, 305, 311).

Al-Dhahabi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “With regard to chess, most of the scholars say that it is haraam to play it, whether that is for money or not. If it is played for money then it is indisputably gambling. Even if it is not played for money it is still gambling and haraam, according to most of the scholars… al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about playing chess, is it forbidden or permissible? He (may Allaah have mercy on him) replied that if it makes a person miss praying on time or he plays for money, then it is haraam, otherwise it is makrooh according to al-Shaafa’i and haraam according to others…” (al-Kabaa’ir, 89-90).

For more information see Tahreem al-Nard wa’l-Shatranj wa’l-Malaahi by al-Aajurri, ed. By Muhammad Sa’eed Idrees.

And Allaah knows best. We ask Allaah to help us to do that which He loves and which pleases Him, and to help us to obey Him.

May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad.



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Posted 28 April 2005 - 04:15 PM

QUOTE(zuhra)
assalam,

chess is prohibitted? why would it be prohibitted :?  it is only a strategic game you know. your not gambling in it. :?  

wassalam


Walaikum Salaam Sister,

Yeah, I dont know about the prohibition how far it is right.....I just used it as an example to illustrate my point. smile.gif

Salaamzz


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Posted 05 May 2005 - 03:58 PM

Salaam Alaikum sisters...

Anyone else has anything to say??? smile.gif

Thanx

Salaamzz


#12 fragrant

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Posted 05 May 2005 - 04:38 PM

Salam Alaikum,

Yes sister, I have something to say.

About the doing Islamic things but there is a mix of serving Allah on one hand and serving your ego on the other. Sister, THAT'S the point :idea: Why do you think Allah said,"THE BEST AMONG YOU IS THE ONE WITH THE BEST PIETY (TAQWA)?"-not the best dhikr, the best qur'an recitation, the best biggest kuffiya, the best covered (although it counts in the technical aspect-but you see, it can also be 90% more because of serving ego :idea: ), the shyest, the one who prays the most, so on and so forth?? NOTICE THAT THE BEST IS THE THING THAT *NO ONE* CAN ASSESS *EXCEPT ALLAH*- AND THAT THING *COMES FROM THE HEART* I.E. TAQWA.

Talking about serving Allah and serving ego, I remember a saying,"There is desease in every people. With the fools, their desease is ignorance. With the knowledgeble (3aalim), their deasease is Ego". Sub7anallah :!:

So a fool may be a fool, but everything he does is purely for Allah, like 100% earnestly and sincerely for Allah's sake eventhough it is NOTHING *outwardly-in our human naked eyes* as compared to an 3aalim. However, an 3aalim might look like he is doing everything for Allah sake- when in fact, his heart is full of pride. In the example given, who do you feel would Allah love most :?:

Remember that Iblees was more knowlegeble, and he was one of the most faithful- in fact in old texts claims that he was one of the angels, and the Christian believes that he is and that is why they call Iblees, "the fallen angel" (note: this is not the muslim belief). Adam was nothing much as compared to him- but sub7anallah who was more sincere in his obeying Allah? Adam a.s. might have sinned out of lack of knowledge and weakness- but Iblees sinned *eventhough he is very knowledgeble*. Why? Because he had pride. He had Kibr.

Having said that, I'd like to point you to a situation that actually happened during Rasulullah s.a.w's time. Sub7anallah at that time, people were really sincere and literally competing to go to Jannah. What happen was, the poor met the Prophet. They asked,"If we give charity, we will get hasanat right?" To which the prophet answered,"Yes". And so they whined,"Thats not fair- that means the rich can get hasanat more than us! Because they can afford to give, but we have nothing to give!". So the prophet said,"In that case, make alot of dhikr". So the poor went home and make lots of dhikr. Now what happened was, the rich got to know about this conversation- so THEY increased their dhikr! Now the poor is upset and tried to increase THEIR dhikr. Anyway the point I'm trying to make here is, sub7anallah those people those days are not like us. They truly compete sincerely for Allah. All they hope is Allah's mercy.Not like today where we compete for Qur'an recitations for example, and the winner can walk back with a few $$$. I'm not saying that is good or bad, I'm just pointing out here how different the people are back then.

And as for the risk- Sister, everything in this life involve risk- be it good or bad. Learning to wlak while you're still a baby involve risk, eating involve risk, going out from home alone involve risk, driving involve risk, even eating involve risk. Does that mean we should stop living?

The point I'm making here is, in order to be an effective human being, we need to stop looking at things in the "One-thing-fits-all" kinda approach. The kind of risk that the scholars are concerned about when it comes to zina, is not to be applied in the kind of "risk" involved when you are learning Deen. The "risk" regarding zina is the fear of commiting sin, as is the case with all kinds of *obvious outwardly* sinful acts such as backbiting, stealing, murder etc. However, when you talk about acts which are supposedly rewarding islamically, you dont look at it as a "risk"- because the idea is by doing it, you'll be rewarded. Let me illustrate my point. Imagine whenever you do a good thing, you will get money. And whenever you do a bad thing, you will lose money. So I say,"Dear, DON'T do dhikr because you "risk" GETTING MONEY! :shock: "- Now, is that not strange?? Who would be scared of getting money? On the other hand, people are scared of losing money.

So there, my two bucks$$ biggrin.gif  tongue.gif  8)

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Posted 05 May 2005 - 04:41 PM

As-Salaamu alaikum dear sisters.

Dear sister as you would like an answer from an Islamic point of view inshaAllah, I will move this post to Islamic Rulings for a more specific answer to your question bi'ithnillah.

WaSalaamu alaikum,
Om-AbdulRahman. :wink:

#14 Aisha

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Posted 05 May 2005 - 05:37 PM

As-Salaamu alaikum.

Dear sister,

Your question has been sent to islamtoday.net

WaSalaamu alaikum,
Om-AbdulRahman.

#15 Aisha

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Posted 09 May 2005 - 10:27 AM

As-Salaamu alaikum.

Islam Questions & Answers
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Question Reference Number:: 6578
[size=18]Title: How can a person deal with the temptation to show off?

Home > Pedagogy education and upbringing > training oneself >
Question:
This is an important issue which i want to know about, what happens is that whenever i do something good, i look for people to appreciate it, in other words to show off, i know it is not allowed in Islam to show off, but how can we get rid of this feeling, i try to but eventually i get into it.


Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The one who wants to stop himself showing off has to do the following things to rid himself of this problem:
1. He should remember that Allaah is always watching His slave.
This is the status of “ihsaan” which Jibreel (peace be upon him) mentioned to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which is that “you should worship Allaah as if you can see Him, and even though you cannot see Him, He can see you.” (Narrated by Muslim, 97).
When a person feels that Allaah is always watching him, what other people think will become insignificant, and this will make him respect and fear only Allaah.
2. Seeking the help of Allaah to rid himself of the habit of showing off.
Allaah says that the believers should say (interpretation of the meaning):
“You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything)” [al-Faatihah 1:5].
One of the things that will be of benefit in this matter is seeking the help of Allaah and calling upon Him. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O people, beware of this shirk, for it is more subtle than the footsteps of an ant. The one whom Allaah willed should speak said to him, “How can we beware of it when it is more subtle than the footsteps of an ant, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “Say, Allaahumma innaa na’oodhu bika min an nushrika bika shay’an na’lamuhu wa nastaghfiruka limaa laa na’lam (O Allaah, we seek refuge with You from knowingly associating anything with You, and we seek Your forgiveness for that which we do unknowingly).”
(Narrated by Ahmad, 4/403; classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3731).
3. Knowing the effects of showing off and how it will be judged in the Hereafter.
Not knowing this leads to one falling into this sin or persisting in it. One should realize that showing off destroys all one's actions (i.e., cancels out the reward), and that it brings the wrath of Allaah. The wise person does not waste his energy in doing things that do not bring any reward, let alone deeds that bring the wrath and anger of Allaah.
One of the greatest ahaadeeth concerning the punishment in the Hereafter of those who show off is the following, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“When the Day of Resurrection comes, Allaah, may He be blessed and exalted, will come down to judge between His slaves, and every nation will be kneeling. The first ones to be called forth will be a man who learned the Qur’aan by heart, a man who fought for the sake of Allaah, and a man who had a lot of wealth. Allaah will say to the Qur’aan-reader, ‘Did I not teach you that which I revealed to My Messenger?’ He will say, ‘Yes, O Lord.’ He will say, ‘What did you do with that which I taught you?’ He will say, ‘I used to read it night and day.’ Allaah will say to him, ‘You have lied,’ and the angels will say to him, ‘You have lied.’ Allaah will say, ‘Rather you wanted it to be said that So and so is a reader of Qur’aan, and that is what was said.’ Then the wealthy man will be brought forth, and Allaah will say to him, ‘Did I not give you ample provision so that I did not leave you in need of anybody?’ He will say, ‘Yes, O Lord.’ He will say, ‘What did you do with that which I gave you?’ He will say, ‘I used to uphold the ties of kinship and give in charity.’ Allaah will say to him, ‘You have lied,’ and the angels will say to him, ‘You have lied.’ Allaah will say, ‘Rather you wanted it to be said that So and so is generous, and that is what was said.’ Then the one who was killed for the sake of Allaah will be brought forth and Allaah will say to him, ‘Why were you killed?’ He will say, ‘I was commanded to fight in Jihaad for Your sake, so I fought until I was killed.’ Allaah will say to him, ‘You have lied,’ and the angels will say to him, ‘You have lied.’ Allaah will say, ‘You wanted it to be said that So and so was courageous, and that is what was said.’” Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) struck my knee and said, “O Abu Hurayrah, these three are the first of the creation of Allaah who will be dragged into the Fire on the Day of Resurrection.”
(Narrated and classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi, 2382; classed as saheeh by Ibn Hibbaan, 408, and Ibn Khuzaymah, 2482).
4. Thinking about the punishment in this world for showing off
Just as there will be a punishment in the Hereafter for showing off, so too there is a punishment for it in this world, which is that Allaah will expose him and make his bad intentions known to others. This is one of the interpretations of the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):
“Whoever shows off, Allaah will expose him.”
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6134; Muslim; 2986).
Ibn Hajar said: al-Khattaabi said, this means: whoever does something that is not sincerely for the sake of Allaah, merely wanting people to see him and hear him, will be punished for that – Allaah will expose him and make known what he is concealing.
It was said that whoever does something with the intention of gaining status and prestige among people, and does not seek the Face of Allaah by doing it, Allaah will make him the subject of bad speech among the people in whose eyes he wanted to gain status, and he will have no reward for it in the Hereafter.
(Fath al-Baari, 11/336)
5. Concealing worship and not making a display of it
The further away a person gets from places where his worship can be seen, the safer he is from showing off. Whoever looks for places where people gather, the Shaytaan makes him keen to show off his worship so that they will praise him for it.
The acts of worship which should be hidden are those which are not obligatory or those in which it is not the Sunnah to do them openly, such as Qiyaam al-Layl, and giving charity, and the like. This does not apply to giving the Adhaan, praying in congregation and other things which cannot and should not – according to sharee’ah – be hidden.
We ask Allaah to make our words and deeds sincere, and to forgive us for what we commit of showing off. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
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#16 Aisha

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Posted 12 May 2005 - 10:02 PM

As-Salaamu alaikum.

Dear sister IDont care about theworld,

I would like to address the following statement as I believe a correction is required:

QUOTE
One more analogy to make myself more clear...  

It is highly recommended in our religion to not be alone with a member of the opposite sex. Not because if we do so we WILL end up committing zina...but because a lot of risk is involved to being chaste.


In Islam it is permitted to be alone with members of the opposite sex who are our mahrems (someone whom we are not permitted to marry due to being closely related such as our fathers, brothers, sons etc.)

In Islam it is forbidden to be alone with a member of the opposite sex who is not mahrem.

Islam Questions & Answers
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Question Reference Number:: 1200
Title: Evidence Prohibiting of Mixing of Men and Women

Home > Character and Morals > Bad behaviour > Love and the steps that lead to immoral actions >
Question:


My husband and I wanted to know if it were permissable to take Arabic classes at a college where the classes are mixed (men-women). We understand that there is no mixing between the sexes, but confused about the definition of "mixing". Please tell us what is permissable, what is not and give proof


Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.  

The meeting together, mixing, and intermingling of men and women in one place, the crowding of them together, and the revealing and exposure of women to men are prohibited by the Law of Islam (Shari'ah). These acts are prohibited because they are among the causes for fitnah (temptation or trial which implies evil consequences), the arousing of desires, and the committing of indecency and wrongdoing.

Among the many proofs of prohibition of the meeting and mixing of men and women in the Qur’aan and Sunnah are:

Verse No. 53 of Surat al-Ahzab, or the Confederates (Interpretation of the meaning); "...for anything ye want, ask them from before a screen: that makes for greater purity for your hearts and for theirs..."

In explaining this Verse, Ibn Kathir (May Allaah have mercy on him) said: "Meaning, as I forbade you to enter their rooms, I forbid you to look at them at all. If one wants to take something from a woman, one should do so without looking at her. If one wants to ask a woman for something, the same has to be done from behind a screen."

The Prophet (May peace and blessings be upon him) enforced separation of men and women even at Allaah’s most revered and preferred place, the mosque. This was accomplished via the separation of the women’s rows from the men’s; men were asked to stay in the mosque after completion of the obligatory prayer so that women will have enough time to leave the mosque; and, a special door was assigned to women. Evidence of the foregoing are:

Umm Salamah (May Allah be pleased with her) said that after Allah’s Messenger (May peace and blessings be upon him) said "as-Salamu ‘Alaykum wa Rahmatullah’ twice announcing the end of prayer, women would stand up and leave. He would stay for a while before leaving. Ibn Shihab said that he thought that the staying of the Prophet (May peace and blessings be upon him) was in order for the women to be able to leave before the men who wanted to depart." Narrated by al-Bukhari under No. 793.

Abu Dawood under No. 876 narrates the same hadith in Kitab al-Salaat under the title "Insiraaf an-Nisaa’ Qabl al-Rijaal min al-Salaah" (Departure of Women before Men after the Prayer). Ibn ‘Umar said that Allah’s Messenger (May peace and blessings be upon him) said: "We should leave this door (of the mosque) for women." Naafi’ said: "Ibn ‘Umar never again entered through that door until he died." Narrated by Abu Dawood under No. 484 in "Kitab as-Salah" under the Chapter entitled: "at-Tashdid fi Thalik".

Abu Hurayrah said that the Prophet (May peace and blessings be upon him) said: ""The best of the men’s rows is the first and the worst is the last, and the best of the women’s rows is the last and the worst in the first." Narrated by Muslim under No. 664.

This is the greatest evidence that the Law of Islam (Shari'ah) forbids meeting and mixing of men and women. The farther the men are from the women’s rows, the better, and vice versa.

If these procedures and precautions were prescribed and adhered to in a mosque, which is a pure place of worship where people are as far away as they ever are from the arousal of desire and temptation, then no doubt the same procedures need to be followed even more rigorously at other places.

Abu Usayd al-Ansari narrated that he heard Allah’s Messenger (May peace and blessings be upon him) say to the women on his way out of the mosque when he saw men and women mixing together on their way home:
‘Give way (i.e., walk to the sides) as it is not appropriate for you to walk in the middle the road.’ Thereafter, women would walk so close to the wall that their dresses would get caught on it. Narrated by Abu Dawood in "Kitab al-Adab min Sunanihi, Chapter: Mashyu an-Nisa Ma’ ar-Rijal fi at-Tariq."We know that the intermingling, mixing and crowding together of men and women is part of today’s unavoidable yet regrettable affliction in most places, such as markets, hospitals, colleges, etc., but:

· We will not willfully choose or accept mixing and crowding, particularly in religious classes and council meetings in Islamic Centers.

· We take precautions to avoid meeting and mixing of men and women as much as possible while at the same time achieving desired goals and objectives. This result can be achieved by designating separate places assigned for men and women, using different doors for each, utilizing modern means of communication such as microphones, video recorders etc., and expediting efforts to have enough female teachers to teach women, etc.

· We show fear of Allaah as much as we can by not looking at members of the opposite sex and by applying self-restraint.
There follow some of the results of a study on mixing undertaken by some Muslim social science researchers.  

When we put the following question: What is the Islamic ruling on mixing as far as you know? The results were as follows:

76% of respondents said “It is not permitted.”

12% said, “It is permitted” – but moral, religious, etc. restrictions apply…

12% said, “I don’t know.”  

Which would you choose?

If you had the choice between working in a mixed workplace and working in another where there was no mixing, which would you choose?

The responses to this question were as follows:

76% would choose the workplace where there was no mixing.

9% preferred the mixed workplace.

15% would accept any workplace which suited their specialties, regardless of whether it was mixed or not.  

Very embarrassing  

Have any embarrassing situations ever happened to you because of mixing?  

Among the embarrassing moments mentioned by respondents in this study were the following:  

I was at work one day, and  I went into one department where one of my female colleagues who wears hijaab had taken off her hijaab in front of her female colleagues. My entrance took her by surprise and I was very embarrassed as a result.  

I had to do an experiment in the lab at university, but I was absent on the day of the experiment. I had to go to the lab on the following day, and I found myself the only male among a group of female students, in addition to a female teacher and a female lab technician. I was very embarrassed and felt very awkward with all those female eyes glaring at me.  

I was trying to take a feminine towel out of one of the drawers when I was surprised by a male colleague standing behind me, who wanted to take something from his own private drawer. He noticed that I was embarrassed and he left the room quickly to avoid my embarrassment.  

It so happened that one of the girls at the university bumped into me when turning a corner in a crowded corridor. She was walking quickly, going to one of the lectures. As a result of this collision, she lost her balance, and I caught her in my arms, as if I was embracing her. You can imagine how embarrassed I and this girl felt in front of a group of careless young people.  

One of my female colleagues fell on the stairs in the university and her clothes fell open in an extremely embarrassing fashion. She landed upside down and could not help herself; the young men standing nearby had no option but to cover her and help her to get up.  

I work in a company and I went in to give some papers to my boss. When I was going out, my boss called me back. I turned around and saw him with his face turned away. I was waiting for him to ask me for a file or for more papers, and I was surprised by his hesitancy. I turned away to the left side of his office, pretending to be busy with something, and he spoke to me at the same time. I thought that this boss would say anything except what he actually said, which was to point out that my garment was stained with menstrual blood. Can the earth open up and swallow a human being at the moment of making sincere supplication? For I prayed that the earth would open up and swallow me.  

Victims of mixing… True stories  

Lost hope  

Umm Muhammad, a mature woman over the age of 40, tells her story.  

I lived a life of modest means with my husband. There was never any closeness and harmony, and my husband did not have the kind of strong personality that a woman would hope for, but his good nature made me overlook the fact that I was the one who was responsible for most of the decision making in the family.  

My husband often used to mention the name of his friend and business partner, and he would talk about him in my presence, and I often used to meet with him in his office which was originally part of our apartment. This went on for many years, until circumstances led to us exchanging visits with this person and his family. These family visits were repeated and because of his close friendship with my husband, we did not notice how the number of visits increased and how many hours a single visit would last. He often used to come on his own to sit with us, me and my husband, for long visits. My husband’s trust in him knew no bounds, and as days passed I got to know this person very well, and saw how wonderful and decent he was.  I began to feel a strong attraction towards this man, and at the same time I began to sense that the feeling was mutual.

Things took a strange turn after that, when I realized that this man was the kind of person I had always dreamed about. Why had he come along now, after all these years? The more this man’s status increased in my eyes, the more my husband’s status diminished. It was as if I had needed to see the beauty of his character in order to discover how ugly my husband’s character was.

The matter between this person and myself did not go beyond these persistent thoughts which were occupying my mind night and day. Neither he nor I ever voiced what we felt in our hearts… until today. Yet despite that my life is over and my husband is little more than a weak man with no self-esteem. I hate him and I do not know how all this hatred towards him started to boil over. I wonder how I put up with him all these years, bearing all these burdens by myself, facing life’s problems on my own.

Things got so bad that I asked him for a divorce, and he divorced me at my request. After that he became a broken man. Even worse than that is that after my marriage was wrecked and my children and husband were devastated, problems arose in this man's family. His wife, with her feminine intuition, realized what had been going on in his heart of hearts, and his life became hell. She was overwhelmed with jealousy to the extent that one night she left her house at 2 a.m. and came to attack my house, screaming, weeping and hurling accusations. His marriage was also about to collapse.

I admit that the lovely gatherings which we used to enjoy gave us the opportunity to get to know one another at a time that was not appropriate at this stage in our lives.

His marriage has been wrecked and so has mine. I have lost everything, and now I know that my circumstances and his will not permit us to take any positive step towards coming together. Now I am more miserable than I have ever been, and I am looking for illusionary happiness and lost hopes.

Tit-for-tat

Umm Ahmad tells us:

My husband had a group of married friends, and because of our close friendship with them, we used to get together with them once a week in one of our houses, to enjoy an evening of chat.

Deep down in my heart I was never really comfortable with the atmosphere in which we would have dinner, sweets, snacks and drinks of juice accompanied by waves of laughter because of the jokes and chit-chats that often went beyond the bounds of good manners.  

In the name of friendship, the barriers were lifted and every now and then one would hear suppressed laughter between a woman and the husband of another woman. The jokes were too much, dealing – with no sense of shyness –with sensitive topics such as sex and women’s private matters. This was usual and was even accepted and regarded as desirable.

Although I indulged in these things along with them, my conscience made me feel guilty. Then the day came when it became quite clear just how ugly and filthy this atmosphere was.

The telephone rang, and I heard the voice of one of the friends in this group. I said hello to him and apologized that my husband was not home. He replied that he knew that, and that he was calling to speak to me! After he suggested starting a relationship with me, I got very angry and spoke harshly to him and cursed him. All he could do was laugh and say, “Don’t try and show these good manners to me; go and check on your husband’s good manners and see what he is doing…” I was devastated by what he said, but I pulled myself together and said to myself, this person is only trying to cause the break up of your marriage. But he succeeded in planting the seeds of doubt concerning my husband.  

Shortly after that, the major disaster struck. I discovered that my husband was cheating on me with another woman. It was the matter of life or death as far as I was concerned. I found my husband out and I confronted him, saying: “You are not the only one who can have a relationship. I have received a similar proposition.” And I told him all about his friend. He was stunned and absolutely shocked. (I said:) “If you want me to respond in kind to your relationship with that woman, then this is for that, tit-for-tat.” This was a huge slap in the face for him. He knew that I did not intend to do that in reality, but he realized the great disaster that had befallen our lives and the immoral atmosphere in which we were living. I suffered a great deal until my husband finally left that loose woman with whom he was having a relationship, as he admitted to me. Yes, he left her and came back to his family and children, but how can I ever feel the same towards him as I used to? Who will restore respect for him in my heart? This huge wound in my heart is still bleeding out of regret and rage at that filthy atmosphere; it still bears testimony to the fact that what they call innocent get-togethers are in reality anything but innocent. My heart still begs for mercy from the Lord of Glory.  

Intelligence can also be a temptation (fitnah)

‘Abd al-Fattaah says:  

I work as the head of department in one of the big companies. For a long time I admired one of my female colleagues, not for her beauty, but for her serious attitude towards her work, her intelligence and her excellent achievements – in addition to the fact that she was a decent and modest person who focused only on her work. This admiration turned into attachment, and I am a married man who fears Allaah and never misses any obligatory prayer. I expressed my feelings to her and she rebuffed me. She is married and has children as well. She sees no reason why I should have any kind of relationship with her, whether it be friendship, as work colleagues or based on admiration… etc. Evil thoughts come to me sometimes, and deep down I wish that her husband would divorce her so that I could get her.

I started to put pressure on her at work and put her down in front of my bosses. Perhaps this was a form of revenge on my part, but she accepted it with good manners and did not complain or comment. She works and works; her performance speaks of her quality, and she knows this well. The more she resisted me, the stronger my infatuation grew.  

I am not a person who is easily tempted by women, because I fear Allaah and I do not overstep the mark with them and go beyond what is required by my work. But this woman attracted me. What is the solution?… I do not know.

Baby ducks know how to swim

N.A.A., a nineteen-year-old girl, tells us:  

At that time I was a little girl. My innocent eyes watched those evening get-togethers when family friends would meet in the house. What I remember is that I could only see one man, who was my father. I watched him as he moved about the room, how his glances would devour the women present, looking at their thighs and chests, admiring this one’s eyes, that one’s hair, the other’s hips. My poor mother had no choice but to take care of these get-togethers. She was a very simple lady.  

Among the women present there was one woman who would deliberately try to attract my father’s attention, sometimes by coming close to him, and sometimes by making enticing movements. I would watch this with concern, whilst my mother was busy in the kitchen for the sake of her guests.

These gatherings stopped suddenly and I tried, young as I was, to understand and make sense of what had happened, but I could not.  

What I remember was that my mother collapsed completely at that time, and she could not stand to hear my father’s name mentioned in the house. I used to hear mysterious words whispered by the adults around me: “Betrayal… bedroom… she saw them with her own eyes… despicable woman… in a very shameful position…” etc. These were the key words which only the adults could understand.

I grew up and came to understand, and I bore a grudge against all men. All of them were treacherous. My mother was a broken woman and accused every woman who came to us of being a man-snatcher who wanted to make my father fall into her trap. My father hasn’t changed. He is still practising his favourite hobby of chasing women, but now he does it outside the home. Now I am nineteen years old and I know lots of young men. I feel great pleasure in taking revenge on them, because every one of them is an exact copy of my father. I tempt them and entice them, without letting them get anywhere near me. They follow me in gatherings and in the marketplaces because of my movements and deliberate gestures. Sometimes my phone never stops ringing and I feel proud of what I do to avenge the sex of Hawwa’ and my mother. But sometimes I feel so miserable and such a failure that it almost chokes me. My life is shadowed by a huge dark cloud, and its name is my father.  

Before it is too late

S.N.A. tells of her experience:  

I never imagined that my work circumstances would force me to be in contact with the opposite sex (men), but this in fact is what happened…  

In the beginning,  I used to cover and screen myself from men by wearing niqaab (face-veil), but some of the sisters advised me that this dress was attracting more attention to my presence, and it would be better for me to take off the niqaab, especially since my eyes were somewhat attractive. So I removed the cover from my face, thinking that this was better. But by continuing to mix with my colleagues, I discovered that I was the odd one out because of my antisocial attitude and my insistence on not joining in the conversation and chatting with others. Everyone was wary of this “lone-wolf” woman (as they saw me), and this is what was stated clearly by one person who affirmed that he would not want to deal with such a snooty and stand-offish character. But I knew that I was the opposite, in fact, and I decided that I would not oppress myself and put myself in a difficult position with my colleagues. So I started to join in their chats and exchanges of anecdotes, and they all discovered that I could speak eloquently and persuasively, and that I could influence others. I could also speak in a manner that was determined yet at the same time was attractive to some of my colleagues. It was not long before I noticed some changes in the expression of my direct supervisor; with some embarrassment, he was enjoying the way I spoke and moved, and he would deliberately bring up topics in the conversation where I would see that hateful look in his eyes. I do not deny the fact that I started to entertain some thoughts about this man. I found it astonishing that a man could fall so easily into the trap of a woman who was religiously committed, so how must it be in the case of women who adorn themselves and invite men to commit immoral actions? In fact, I did not think of him in any way which went beyond the bounds of sharee’ah, but he did occupy a space in my thoughts for quite some time. But soon my self-respect made me reject the idea of being a source of enjoyment for this man in any way, shape or form, even if it was only psychological in nature, and I stopped getting involved in any kind of work that would force me to sit alone with him. In the end, I reached the following conclusions:

1-  Attraction between the sexes can occur in any circumstances, no matter how much men and women may deny that. The attraction may start within the bounds of sharee’ah and end up going beyond those bounds.

     Even if a person protects himself (by marriage), he is not safe from the snares of the Shaytaan.

3-  Even though a person may be able to guarantee himself and he works with the opposite sex within reasonable limits, he cannot guarantee the feelings of the other party.

     Finally, there is nothing good in mixing and it does not bear fruit as they claim. On the contrary, it corrupts sound thinking.

What now?

We may ask, what comes next, after this discussion on the matter of mixing?

It’s about time for us to recognize that no matter how we try to beautify the issue of mixing and take the matter lightly, its consequences are bound to catch up with us, and the harm it causes will have disastrous results for our families. Sound common sense refuses to accept that mixing is a healthy atmosphere for human relations. This is the sound common sense which made most of the people included in this survey (76%) prefer working in a non-mixed environment. The same percentage (76%) said that mixing is not permitted according to the sharee’ah. What makes us sit up and take notice is not this honourable percentage – which indicates the purity of our Islamic society and the cleanness of its members’ hearts – but the small number who said that mixing is permitted; they number 12%. This group, with no exceptions, said that mixing is permitted but within the limits set by religion, custom (‘urf), traditions, good manners, conscience, modesty, covering and other worthy values which, in their opinion, keep mixing within proper limits.

We ask them: is the mixing which we see nowadays in our universities, market-places, work-places and family and social gatherings, taking place within the limits referred to above? Or are these places filled with transgressions in terms of clothing, speech, interactions and behaviour? We see wanton displays of adornment (tabarruj), not proper covering; we see fitnah (temptations) and dubious relationships, with no good manners and no conscience and no covering. We can conclude that the kind of mixing that is happening nowadays is unacceptable even to those who approve of mixing in a clean atmosphere.  

It’s about time for us to recognize that mixing provides a fertile breeding-ground for social poisons to invade and take over our society without anyone ever realizing that it is mixing which is the cause. Mixing is the prime element in this silent fitnah, in the shade of which betrayals erupt, homes are wrecked and hearts are broken.  

We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound, and to reform our society. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.



Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)

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