QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

1. Question: Some very active callers from amongst the innovators in this country are trying their best to destroy the reputation of Imam Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhaab رحمه الله and they claim that he allied with the English army against the Ottomon Khilaafah and fought against it until it collapsed. How do we refute such a claim?

Answer: Firstly, concerning the Shaykh رحمه الله having enemies and people trying to refute him or hurt him and his da’wah and to destroy his credibility, then this happened to the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم before him. In fact this happened to all the prophets before him – they were fought will ill-action and were lied upon and accused of things that they did not do. They did not look towards these things or ask about them because the reason behind their actions are not the people, or making them happy, or for them to accept their da’wah. Rather, it is to ensure that Allaah سبحانه و تعالى accepts what is done and is pleased with it. They look towards Allaah سبحانه و تعالى and not these things (that the people do). The Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم said “The one who seeks the acceptance of the people even though it angers Allaah سبحانه و تعالى, then Allaah will be angry with him and make the people angry with him. And, the one who seeks the acceptance of Allaah even if it angers the people, then Allaah will be accept him and cause the people to accept him as well.”[3]

Secondly, the people who talk and rant and rave about the Shaykh رحمه الله then Alhamdulillaah, this da’wah continues to go forward and be spread despite their opposition towards it. We direct them towards the sayings and works of the Shaykh رحمه الله to find therein what they accuse him of. If they find it we ask them to make it apparent to the people. His books are present and printed so let them look in it and find that which supports their accusations. We challenge them to do that.

Thirdly, as for the question of Khilaafah, the land of Najd was not under the authority of the Khilaafah at that time, rather each town had its own leadership. This is the reason why the Shaykh رحمه الله went to a leader – ibn Sa’ud as he was the Amir who had power over the people, and he called ibn Sa’ud to his da’wah. The Shaykh did not make khurooj of the khilaafah of that time – he went to the leaders present at that time and called them. This is how the Arabian Peninsula came under the jurisdiction of Muhammad ibn Sa’ud.

2. Question: I purchased land for investment and for three years it did not produce anything, nor was there any development on it, nor profit from it. Now I have sold the land with 200,000 dollars profit so do I have to pay the zakah for three years or just one year or should I wait for one year to pay the zakah and how much would that be?

Answer: My brother, this is an issue that concerns your intention. As long as you intended to buy it for business purposes then this is what it is for (business). So at the head of every year that you have owned it you estimate its value and give zakaat based on its value at the head of each year. This is because you intended it for business purposes – with the intention of selling it, so it falls under the category of business. So it is obligatory upon you to pay zakaat for each year, you determine the value of the land each year and calculate the zakaat due, and the last year you give zakaat for the amount you have. You use 2.5% for each 100 dinaar or riyal.

3. Question: We have a group of people in our city (in Britain) who are hasty in making Tabd'ee and openly warning against and ordering Hajr (abandonment) of people from Ahlus-Sunnah who do not agree with them in certain issues or in taking positions against certain people. This Ghuloo’ has lead to the splitting of Ahlus-Sunnah in Britain and has made people turn away from the Deen and the Da'wah. So what is your advice regarding these individuals and their like?

Answer: My advice to you is that you seek knowledge and continue in that path to seeking knowledge so that when you have knowledge you would know what the solution to your problem is. But, as long as everyone is ignorant, then these disputes and arguments between you will continue. So, seek knowledge and leave off the argumentation and disputes. And do not look towards the people who are hasty in making Tabd'ee – declaring people to be innovators, or Tafseeq – declaring people to be sinners, or that they curse. Do not look towards them and continue in your seeking of knowledge.

4. Question: I would like to know what is the ruling on one raising hands when the Imaam makes du’aa after the Khutbah?

Answer: This raising of the hand is permissible when the imaam is making istisqaa (du’aa for rain), otherwise you just say “Aameen” without raising your hands.

5. Question: Is restricting the da’wah of Ahlus-Sunnah to specific scholars or specific da’wah organizations from the manhaj of the Anbiyaah (prophets) in calling to Allaah, or is it from the ways of the people of Hizbiyyah and splitting?

Answer: My brother, the Da’wah can only be through knowledge and through the scholars. The ignorant ones cannot uphold the da’wah nor can they go forward with it. As Allaah سبحانه و تعالى says:

قُلْ هَـذِهِ سَبِيلِي أَدْعُو إِلَى اللّهِ عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَاْ وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي وَسُبْحَانَ اللّهِ وَمَا أَنَاْ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ
{Say (O Muhammad [sal-Allâhu 'alayhi wa sallam]): "This is my way; I invite to Allâh with sure knowledge, I and whosoever follows me. And Glorified and Exalted is Allâh. And I am not of the Mushrikûn."} [Yusuf 12:108]

And Allaah سبحانه و تعالى says:

ادْعُ إِلِى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُم بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ
{Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better...} [an-Nahl 16:125]

These steps cannot be taken except with knowledge. The people who have knowledge are the scholars, the ignorant people cannot take these steps as they have no knowledge. There is no da’wah except with knowledge and there is no knowledge except with learning and there is no learning except from the people of knowledge who are firm upon their knowledge. Their belief is correct and upright and their actions are righteous and they are from those who fear Allaah سبحانه و تعالى as He سبحانه و تعالى says:

إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاء
{…It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allâh…} [Faatir 35:28]

6. Question: My parents are not upon the correct methodology and Allaah سبحانه و تعالى has guided me to the Qur’aan and Sunnah upon the methodology of the Sahaabah but my parents are causing trouble for me and they claim that all of the scholars in Saudia are Wahaabis and that scholars of Saudia do not consider the four madhaahib to be legitimate and they degrade them from their just position therefore it is not permissible to take knowledge from the scholars of Saudia, so how do we refute this shubhah?

Answer: “This is a lie”, the Shaykh حفظه الله said, the ‘ulemaa (scholars) of Saudia do not make it haraam to follow the four madhaahib and they are taught in this land. The four madhaahib are found, and they are taught and learnt, so this is baatil (incorrect). Concerning the fataawa regarding the laws and giving the verdicts, they are based on the Hanbali Fiqh because that is the madhab of the leaders here and this is not something strange, because every nation follows a path and as long as this manhaj is not contradictory to the Qur’aan and Sunnah then there is no problem with this. As for following all four madhaahib in one area then this will cause confusion and disputes and splitting, so it is necessary that the methodology is one and followed in the same way, and the ways of teaching and learning are one way. The four madhaahib are studies for their benefit and this is to know the proofs that they come with and to take the best opinion from between them. We take from the strongest saying even if it is in opposition to the Hanbali madhab. This is what was done before. What is important is to find the truth and follow it – even if it is found in one of the other three madhaahib.

7. Question: Is it permissible for a divorced woman to get married if she has a daughter who is 18? If she does get married is the man the girl’s mahram?

Answer: Yes, the woman can get married and she should get married even if she has children so that she may benefit from the benefits of being married. The new husband will be a mahram for her children because he married her and they are called ‘rabaaib’ (those raised in your house). Allaah سبحانه و تعالى said:

وَرَبَائِبُكُمُ اللاَّتِي فِي حُجُورِكُم مِّن نِّسَآئِكُمُ اللاَّتِي دَخَلْتُم بِهِنَّ
{(Forbidden to you for marriage are) … your stepdaughters under your guardianship, born of your wives to whom you have gone in} [An-Nisaa 4:23]

8. Question: Is permissible for my co-wife to give my son which has no relation to my zawj 5 sucks or a cup of breast milk (he is 11 years old) does that make her his suckle mother?

Answer: The Shaykh حفظه الله replied “No, No” regarding suckling the child after he has finished breastfeeding, suckling again will not make the child haraam for the woman. If he is eating solid food such that he suffices with that, then the breast milk has no effect on him.

9. Question: I am a Muslim woman who wants to become a doctor. However, people discourage it because I will have to go to a co-ed college and they say that I will be intermingling with men there. But there are no all-girls colleges in my area and my goal is to serve the sisters in my community. I am married and I do not seek to mingle with men. What is the ruling for this?

Answer: The woman preserving her honour and her dignity is more binding upon her than her learning a science that obligates her to intermingle with men. It also endangers her character and manner and it is more binding upon her that she stays away from this intermingling. If it is possible that she can keep her hijaab and stay firm upon her Deen and find somewhere to learn where there is no intermingling with the men then alhamdulillaah there is nothing wrong with this. As for her leaving her hijaab (veil) and mixing with the men in order to learn something that is permissible (Medicine), then this is not permissible. In this situation it is not even considered permissible for her to study this as she will be required to do things that are haraam.

10. Question: I see in the markets new moistened wipes to be used after one relieves themselves. These wipes sometimes come in travel-size pouches which can be convenient for travelling, etc. Does the use of these wipes count as istinjaa?

Answer: What is meant by cleaning yourself is that the person dries the area whether it is with paper, stone, hard mud etc. It is not necessary that it is wet; in fact it may be that the dry (item) may be better.