Is it permissible to go into churches for the purpose of da’wah, or just to look around?

There are many churches here. Is it permissible to go into them to hold discussions with the priests there? Is it permissible to go in just to look at them and see what the people do there?

Praise be to Allaah.

It is permissible for scholars and knowledgeable people to enter churches in order to call the people there to Islam. But we should not enter them just to look around, because there is no benefit in doing so, and there is the fear that the Muslim may be influenced by them, especially if he is ignorant about his own religion and cannot refute the confusion that they will direct towards him.

Ruling on taking sinners as friends

Is it permissable for a man who practice islam to talk, be friendly, and take a person who is muslim by name alone who drinks alcohol and does not pray as a friend and a helper? what is the ruling regarding taking those who do not practice their religion and go directly agains allah's commandments as friends and helpers?.

Praise be to Allaah.
Sins are of two types:

1 – Those which constitute kufr and put a person beyond the pale of Islam – we seek refuge with Allaah. The one who commits such sins is a kaafir who is beyond the pale of Islam if the conditions for describing him as a kaafir are met and there are no impediments to doing so – such as one who associates others in worship with Allaah, or does not pray at all, and so on.

2 – Sins which do not constitute kufr and do not put a person beyond the pale of Islam, but the one who does them is described as faasiq (rebellious evildoer) and a believer who is lacking in faith, such as zina (illicit sexual relationships), drinking alcohol and so on, if he does not regard these actions as permissible. If he does regard them as permissible, then this puts him beyond the pale of Islam, if the conditions for describing him as a kaafir are met and there are no impediments to doing so. The belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah and the consensus of the salaf is that a person who commits a major sin but does not regard it as permissible is not to be regarded as a kaafir. For more information see the answer to question no. 9924.

Once this is understood, then the ruling on making friends with people is based on the above.

It is not permissible to take kaafirs as close friends, or to mix with them and feel friendly towards them, or to live amongst them and take them as friends, or to love them, or to prefer them over the believers and so on. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“You (O Muhammad) will not find any people who believe in Allaah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allaah and His Messenger (Muhammad), even though they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred (people). For such He has written Faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with Rooh (proofs, light and true guidance) from Himself. And He will admit them to Gardens (Paradise) under which rivers flow, to dwell therein (forever). Allaah is pleased with them, and they with Him. They are the party of Allaah. Verily, it is the party of Allaah that will be the successful”

[al-Mujaadilah 58:22]

But we are obliged to treat them fairly and justly, and not wrong them or commit acts of aggression against them with no shar’i reason. It is permissible to interact with them by buying, selling, lending, etc. It is narrated in saheeh reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) borrowed a weapon from Safwaan ibn Umayyah, and that he bought food from the Jews.

With regard to sinning Muslims, we should love them according to the faith that they have, and hate them according to the sins and immoral actions they commit, but being friends with them goes against the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “The likeness of a good companion and a bad companion is that of a perfume seller and one who works the bellows. With the perfume seller, either he will give you something or you will buy something from him, or you will notice a good smell from him, but with the one who works the bellows, either he will burn your clothes or you notice a bad smell from him.” Narrated by Muslim, no. 2628.

But if the intention behind sitting with this person is to soften his heart and call him to Allaah, and guide him to the right path, then this is a virtuous action, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And who is better in speech than he who [says: “My Lord is Allaah (believes in His Oneness),” and then stands firm (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allaah’s (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds”

[Fussilat 41:33]

But this is subject to the condition that he should not have any effect on you or cause you any harm when you are seeking good.

Based on the above, if the person you are asking about does not pray at all, then he is a kaafir, because the most correct scholarly view, which is the view of the salaf, if that the one who does not pray is a kaafir in the sense of major kufr, and is beyond the pale of Islam. For more information on the evidence on that, please see questions no. 2182, 5208, 6035, 33007, 10094. Based on this, it is not permissible to befriend him or be close to him, rather he should be called to repent to Allaah and pray regularly. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“But if they repent [by rejecting Shirk (polytheism) and accept Islamic Monotheism], perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah) and give Zakaah, then they are your brethren in religion”

[al-Tawbah 9:11]

It should be noted that keeping company with good people is something enjoined by our Lord, may He be exalted, and our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as mentioned in the hadeeth quoted above. And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Fear Allaah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds)”

[al-Tawbah 9:119]

“And keep yourself (O Muhammad) patiently with those who call on their Lord (i.e. your companions who remember their Lord with glorification, praising in prayers, and other righteous deeds) morning and afternoon, seeking His Face”

[al-Kahf 18:28]

And Allaah knows best.

For more information see Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 3/31.

With what should the daa’iyah start calling people to Islam?

The Islamic groups here differ as to what the daa’iyahs should start with – should they start with the political aspects of Islam, or the beliefs, or the morals? What matters do you think we should start with?

Praise be to Allaah.

It is prescribed to start with ‘aqeedah (belief, tenets of faith), as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and all the Messengers did, and because of the hadeeth of Mu’aah, [in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him, when he sent him to Yemen]:

"You will come to some of the people of the Book. When you reach them, invite them to testify that there is no god except Allaah and that Muhammad is His Messenger. If they obey you in that, then tell them that Allah has enjoined on them five prayers every day and night. If they obey you in that, then tell them that Allah has enjoined on them Sadaqah (i.e. Zakaah) to be taken from the rich among them and given to the poor among them. If they obey you in that, then exercise caution and do not take their best properties (as Zakaah). Fear the invocation (du’aa’) of the oppressed person, for there is no barrier between his invocation and Allaah.”

This is if the people who are being called are kaafirs (non-Muslims). If, however, the people who are being called are Muslims, then they should be taught about the aspects of their religion of which they are ignorant and where they are falling short, so you should start with the most important, then the next most important, and so on.

He feels like a stranger among his family and relatives who are sinful, and he wants some advice

I am a Muslim and I live in Bangladesh. My father died when I was eight years old. My mother and all the members of my family and relatives do not adhere to Islamic hijab. This is the reason why I never visit any of my relatives when they invite me to their houses. Most of my relatives who are young like me do not pray the daily prayers. They say: Allah divided His mercy into one hundred parts and He kept ninety-nine parts of it with Him. They mean that if they pray the Eid prayer only, Allah will forgive them. I know myself the hadeeths about the prayer, and I tried to tell them that they are very illogical and following the whims and desires of their own selves only. How should I deal with relatives like these, because all my relatives are like this? Because I have stopped going to their houses when they invite me, they call me unsociable. How should I respond to these people who have no logic and reason, who are following their whims and desires only? How should I deal with my mother and younger brother, because they watch Hindi movies on television and they listen to songs and music on [some channel]. My brother prays whenever he wants to, sometimes he prays five times and sometimes not at all.

Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:



We feel for you, our brother, and we understand your feeling of alienation in your environment which thousands of people share with you, if not millions. They are living among their families and find no support among them at all; rather they fight all kinds of evil and mistreatment, such as discouraging them from doing acts of worship, and trying to make them give up establishing the laws of Allah with regard to themselves and their own lives. The feeling of alienation is greater when the individual is a female who is vulnerable and her rights are not recognized. We give you the glad tidings that these “strangers” played a great role in the religion of Allah and the outcomes of their da‘wah were very great. All of that was by the grace and mercy of Allah, when they were patient and sought reward with Him for what they encountered for the sake of Allah, may He be exalted.

At the same time, we say that what we suffer from families and relatives pales into insignificance when compared with what the early generations of this ummah suffered of cruelty, hardship and harm. What comparison can there be, for example, between their accusations of your being unsociable and the accusations that were made against our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), when they said that he was a sorcerer or a liar or a madman. Moreover, the hypocrites impugned his honour and accused his wife ‘Aa’ishah of immoral conduct! Not only that, they even brandished weapons in the faces of their brothers, fathers and relatives, and regarded it as permissible to shed their blood and fight them, let alone what some of them did of imprisoning, torturing and cruelty.

So be patient and steadfast, and seek reward with Allah, and do not be anxious about what they are plotting. Be with Allah and do not worry. Strive to save yourself from the Fire first of all, then extend your da‘wah to others.

Secondly:

What we advise you to do regard to calling and advertising them is:

1.     Make your intention in calling them sincere and do not seek thereby anything but the pleasure of Allah.

2.     Be a good example to your family and relatives. That includes adhering to the laws of Allah with regard to yourself, and adhering to Islamic attitudes and conduct in all your affairs.

3.     Do not give up following any of the laws of Allah for their sake, because this could give them the impression that your commitment to Islam is not serious.

4.     Choose wise ones among your family and relatives and try to win over those who will give you support. Do not pay attention to those who are foolish and immature, and will waste your time.

5.     Continue to boycott gatherings with your relatives if they include anything that could have a negative effect on your religious commitment. But if you see some benefit in visiting them, then try to do that and do not forsake them, for they are sick and you are their doctor. Follow a suitable way in offering them the remedy even though they refuse it, so long as you are skilful in offering your remedy and take precautions to protect your religious commitment, lest you be affected by their sins. Dhu’l-Noorayn ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “If the people do what is right, then do the same as them; if they do wrong, avoid the wrong that they are doing.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 695

6.     Use various means of calling them and encouraging them to do good, such as giving them small booklets and moving audio tapes by daa’iyahs who are trustworthy in their knowledge and religious commitment and who are of Ahl al-Sunnah.

7.     Strive to offer supplication (du‘aa’); perhaps a sincere supplication offered by you in the last part of the night will be accepted by the Lord of the Worlds, and you will see its good effects with your own eyes, which will bring you happiness and joy

Shaykh Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan (may Allah preserve him) was asked: I have relatives, including a maternal uncle and my parents who sometimes stay up late with them, and they want me to go with them to visit them, but I refused to go because their gatherings are not free of evils. They say to me: Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful, and I have to uphold ties of kinship. Should I go with them and put up with their evils so that I can uphold ties of kinship with them, or should I cut off ties with them?

He replied: If by your going to them there is a hope that you may influence them or exhort them to give up evil, and you can fulfil your duty to denounce evil, then you have to go to them for two reasons:

1.     Upholding ties of kinship

2.     Denouncing evil when you are there

But if you do not denounce evil, or denouncing it will be to no avail, and they are persisting in their evil despite your telling them not to, then you should not go to them, because if you go to them, you will be sitting in a gathering in which evil is being committed but you will not be changing it or you will not be able to change it. So in that case you have to stay away from them, and hope that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will guide them.

End quote from al-Muntaqa min Fataawa al-Shaykh al-Fawzaan, 2/245

Thirdly:

You do not need to point out the misguidance of those among them who quote as evidence the hadeeth of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) which was narrated from Abu Hurayrah, according to whom the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Allaah has one hundred parts of mercy, of which He sent down one between the jinn, mankind, the animals and the insects, by means of which they are compassionate and merciful to one another, and by means of which wild animals are kind to their offspring. And Allaah has kept back ninety-nine parts of mercy with which to be merciful to His slaves of the Day of Resurrection.”  Quoting this hadeeth as evidence for not doing that which Allah has enjoined is a kind of mockery. The mercy of Allah is not decreed for those doomed wretches who commit evil actions that Islam warned against; rather some of those evil actions constitute kufr which puts a person beyond the pale of Islam, such as not praying. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Surely, Allaah’s Mercy is (ever) near unto the good‑doers”

[al-A‘raaf 7:56]

Think about the words of Allah (interpretation of the meaning):

“and My Mercy embraces all things. That (Mercy) I shall ordain for those who are the Muttaqoon (the pious), and give Zakaah; and those who believe in Our Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs and revelations, etc.)”

[al-A‘raaf 7:156].

And Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Those (angels) who bear the Throne (of Allaah) and those around it glorify the praises of their Lord, and believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for those who believe (in the Oneness of Allaah) (saying): “Our Lord! You comprehend all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who repent and follow Your way, and save them from the torment of the blazing Fire!”

[Ghaafir 40:7].

Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Surely, Allaah’s Mercy is (ever) near unto the good‑doers” means: His mercy is prepared for those who do good, who follow His commands and heed His prohibitions. End quote.

Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 3/429

Just as Allah is very forgiving, He is also severe in punishment, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“But verily, your Lord is full of forgiveness for mankind inspite of their wrongdoing. And verily, your Lord is (also) Severe in punishment”

[al-Ra‘d 13:6]

“The Forgiver of sin, the Acceptor of repentance, the Severe in punishment”

[Ghaafir 40:3]

“Declare (O Muhammad صلىالله عليه وسلم) unto My slaves, that truly, I am the Oft‑Forgiving, the Most‑Merciful.

50. And that My Torment is indeed the most painful torment”

[al-Hijr 15:49, 50].

If these sinners understood these verses, they would be deterred from what angers Him and incurs this punishment.

See also the answer to question number 47425 and 11266.

And Allah knows best.

How to serve Islam

I want to serve my religion, what should I do?

Praise be to Allaah.
1 – You can serve Islam by having a correct resolve and sincere intention, for Allaah blesses an action that is done sincerely for His sake alone, even if it is little. Sincere devotion, if it becomes a constant feature of acts of worship and obedience, even if they are small or simple in the sight of the one who does them, makes them great in the sight of Allaah, so Allaah will forgive him for major sins because of that, as it says in the hadeeth about the piece of paper on which is written La ilaaha ill-Allaah.

2 – You can serve Islam by knowing the right way and following it. The Straight Path means following the way of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with regard to the principles, ways and means of da’wah and being patient in adhering to that, whilst treating people with kindness and compassion, because they are suffering from the disease of sin.

3 – You can serve Islam by making the most of all available means and circumstances. This is a great blessing, for all means are permissible except those which have been forbidden by Allaah. So we call people to Allaah by all means prescribed in sharee’ah, whilst paying attention to the evidence of sharee’ah and correct etiquette.

4 – You can serve Islam by giving precedence to that which is in the interests of Islam over your own whims and desires. Serving this religion means giving what is most precious of your money, effort, time, thought, etc. Have you not seen those who love sport (football or soccer) for example, how they devote their efforts, time and money to their beloved sport? But more is expected of you than that.

5 – You can serve Islam by following in the footsteps of the scholars, daa’iyahs and reformers, having patience as your companion and putting up with tiredness and exhaustion. For you are doing a great act of worship which is the mission of the Prophets and Messengers and those who follow in their footsteps.

6 – You can serve Islam by shunning laziness, weakness and apathy, for this religion is the religion of resolve, ambition and courage, and its call is only harmed by laziness or reckless ignorance.

7 – You can serve Islam by connecting your heart to Allaah and reciting a lot of du’aa’ and prayers for forgiveness, and persisting in reading Qur’aan. There is nothing that is more effective in cleansing the heart and refreshing the soul, and making it active and energetic so that it will not get tired or bored, than remembering Allaah much and drawing nearer to Him by means of obeying Him and doing naafil (supererogatory) acts of worship.

8 – You can serve Islam by forming bonds with scholars who practise what they preach, those who are known to be sincere and who are well established in jihad and supporting this religion. Marching under their banner and following their lead is very good and beneficial.

9 – You can serve Islam by organizing your time on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. There are actions which should be done every day, others which should be done every week, and others which should be done every month or every year.

For example, you should make da’wah to those whom you see every day and to those whom you see once a week. You may have a family gathering once a month, and there may be annual conferences, or journeys for Hajj or ‘Umrah once a year, and so on.

10 – You can serve Islam by paying it some attention and giving it some of your time, thoughts and money, and making it your main concern. So when you stand up, it is for Islam; when you walk, it is for Islam; when you think, it is for Islam; when you give, it is for Islam; when you sit, it is for Islam.

11 – you can serve Islam by hastening to contribute every time you find an opportunity to do good. Do not hesitate or delay or put it off.

Is it permissible for the khateeb to use a projector during the Jumu‘ah khutbah?

Is there any shar‘i objection to using modern means of giving a presentation, such as a computer screen or projector, as a tool for the khateeb during the Jumu‘ah khutbah, with no sound that would drown out the voice of the khateeb? The purpose of the Jumu‘ah khutbah is to remind, exhort and teach the people, and to discuss with the people their religious and daily affairs that are related to their environment and society. These tools will help to convey the khutbah in a more practical way to the worshippers, and help them to focus on the subject matter, whilst paying attention to all shar‘i aspects in the means used. Microphones and loudspeakers help to convey the khateeb’s voice to a larger number of people, so they are audio tools; by the same token projectors and screens are visual tools. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) communicated to his Companions by means of gestures to make ideas clearer. One time we see him (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) holding his forefinger and middle finger close together; on another occasion we see him (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) drawing three lines on the ground to represent man, his lifespan and his hope, as is narrated in Muslim. These were simple matters at that time but they helped to clarify an idea or give a clearer image to the minds of the listeners.
I hope that you can answer my question.

Praise be to Allaah.
The one who thinks that Islam does not approve of technical development and modern inventions is mistaken. Using the Internet, satellite channels and modern means of communication provide evidence for what we stated above. But that is conditional on it being in accordance with sharee‘ah and not involving anything haraam that leads to negative consequences. What we think is that using a projector in the Jumu‘ah khutbah is not in accordance with sharee‘ah, for a number of reasons:

1.

The Jumu‘ah khutbah has a certain status and importance, as Allah called it in His Book “remembrance of Allaah”, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe (Muslims)! When the call is proclaimed for the Salaah (prayer) on Friday (Jumu‘ah prayer), come to the remembrance of Allaah [Jumu‘ah religious talk (Khutbah) and Salaah (prayer)] and leave off business (and every other thing). That is better for you if you did but know!”

[al-Jumu‘ah 62:9].

Using the projector as mentioned would detract from its status or take it away altogether, and is not suitable because the khutbah is remembrance of Allah, may He be exalted.

 2.

The Sunnah in the Jumu‘ah khutbah is to keep it short, but using a projector and so on would make it long, which is contrary to the Prophet's guidance.

Abu Waa’il said: ‘Ammaar [ibn Yaasir] addressed us and he spoke briefly but eloquently. When he came down (from the minbar), we said: O Abu’l-Yaqzaan, you spoke eloquently but briefly, would that you had made it longer. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace and Allah be upon him) say: “A man’s lengthening his prayer and shortening his khutbah is a sign of his understanding (of religion), so make your prayers lengthy and your khutbahs brief, for there is charm in eloquent speech.”

Narrated by Muslim, 869.

See also the answer to question no. 122701

3.

The projector may be visible to some people and not others, and some of the worshippers may be deprived, such as the women and those who are sitting in a place where they cannot see the projector which, in this case, will be part of the khutbah and complementary to the words of the khateeb.

4.

In order to use this equipment, the lights have to be turned off and the lights of the projector have to be turned on. This will require some of the worshippers present to move, either to turn the lights off or turn the projector on, and they will be distracted by the operation of the projector or sounds coming from the machine, which is contrary to the rulings on Jumu‘ah. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade touching the pebbles during the khutbah and ruled that the one who does that deliberately will be deprived of the reward for Jumu‘ah. In fact he forbade playing with the pebbles which were usually on the ground in the mosque: “whoever touches the pebbles has engaged in an idle action.” Narrated by Muslim (857) from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah.

What we think is that it is not permissible to use a projector during the Jumu‘ah khutbah. But in lessons, exhortations and lectures, the matter is broad in scope and there is nothing wrong with using projectors in those cases.

And Allah knows best.

Rulings on images on the television

Some of those who call people to Allah still have some reservations about images on televisions, hence they do not take part in TV programmes. What is your opinion on that?.

Praise be to Allaah.
Yes, there are undoubtedly people who have reservations about that, namely using images produced by cameras for the purpose of broadcasting on television and they have reservations about spreading knowledge via television. That varies according to what Allah has given to people of knowledge, understanding and insight, and examining end results. Those who have knowledge and feel at ease working in television and conveying the message of Allah, will have their reward with Allah. Those who are confused about the matter and whose hearts are not at ease with that, we hope that they will be blamed.

Personally, I believe that the one whose heart Allah puts at ease concerning this issue and whom Allah helps to do that, this serves a great interest -- which is spreading religion and guiding people to good -- and the harm resulting from the images produced for that purpose it is a minor harm which is insignificant when compared with the great interest that is achieved, namely conveying the message of Allah to the people, teaching the people the laws of Allah and guiding people to good, so that that the followers of falsehood will not have this field to themselves and will have all these facilities to themselves to spread their call to falsehood. We ask Allah to keep us safe and sound. End quote.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him)