Prohibitions that are taken too lightly – Complete book by Sheikh Munajjid
Eavesdropping on people who do not want to be heard
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “. . . And spy not (on one another) . . .” [al-Hujuraat 49:12].
Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever listens to people’s conversations without their permission will have molten lead poured into his ears on the Day of Resurrection . . .” (Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 11/248-249; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 6004).
If this person then goes and tells others of the conversation he overheard in order to cause trouble for them, then his sin of spying is compounded by another sin, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The eavesdropper will not enter Paradise.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, see Fath al-Baari, 10/472).
Being a bad neighbour
Allaah has enjoined kind treatment of neighbours in the Qur’aan (interpretation of the meaning): “Worship Allaah and join none with Him in worship, and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, the poor, the neighbour who is near of kin, the neighbour who is a stranger, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (you meet), and those slaves whom your right hands possess. Verily, Allaah does not like such as are proud and boastful.” [al-Nisaa’ 4:36]
Harming a neighbour is haraam because of the greatness of his rights. Abu Shurayh (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “By Allaah, he does not believe, by Allaah, he does not believe, by Allaah, he does not believe.” He was asked, “Who, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said: “The one from whose harm his neighbour is not safe.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, see Fath al-Baari, 10/443)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) regarded the praise or criticism of a neighbour as a measure of a person’s goodness or badness. Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that a man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “O Messenger of Allaah, how may I know if I am doing well or not?” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If you hear your neighbour say that you are good, then you are doing well, and if you hear him saying that you are bad, you are not doing well.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 1/402, see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 623).
Harming a neighbour may take many forms, including: not allowing him to fix a piece of wood to a shared wall or fence; expanding one’s dwelling in such a way as to deprive him of sun or air without his permission; opening windows overlooking his house and looking out of them to invade his privacy; disturbing him with loud sounds such as hammering or shouting, especially when he is asleep or resting; or throwing trash in front of his door. The sin of such deeds is increased when they are done to a neighbour, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If a man were to commit adultery with ten women, it would be better for him than committing adultery with the wife of his neighbour, and if a man were to steal from ten houses, it would be better for him than stealing from the house of his neighbour.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari in al-Adab al-Mufrad, no. 103; see also al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 65). Some treacherous people take advantage of a neighbour’s absence during his night shift to enter his house and commit immoral acts. Woe to them of the punishment of a painful Day!
Writing a will for the purpose of harming one of the heirs
One of the basic principles of Sharee’ah is that there should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm. One example of this harm is writing a will that deprives one or some of the legitimate heirs of his or their rights. Such a person is warned by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Whoever harms (others), Allaah will harm him, and whoever makes things difficult for others, Allaah will make things difficult for him.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 3/453; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 6348). Ways in which a person’s will can harm others is by denying an heir of his rights, or giving an heir more than he is entitled to in Sharee’ah, or by bequeathing more than a third to any one person.
In places where people are not subject to the rule of Sharee’ah, it may be difficult for a person to take what is his by rights granted by Allaah, because courts that apply man-made laws may order that the unfair will registered with a lawyer be executed. “Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for that they earn thereby.” [al-Baqarah 2:79]
Playing with dice
Many popular games involve elements that are haraam; among them are games in which pieces are moved according to the throw of a dice, such as backgammon, etc. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned that these dice open the door to gambling: “Whoever plays with dice, it is as if he dipped his finger in the flesh and blood of swine.” (Reported by Muslim, 4/1770). Abu Moosa (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever plays with dice has disobeyed Allaah and His Messenger.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 4/394; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 6505).
Cursing a believer or someone who does not deserve to be cursed
Many people do not control their tongues at times of anger, and are quick to curse people, animals, inanimate objects, days, hours, etc. They may even curse themselves and their children, or a husband may curse his wife and vice versa. This is a very serious matter. Abu Zayd Thaabit ibn al-Dahhaak al-Ansari (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “. . . whoever curses a believer, it is as if he killed him.” (Reported al-Bukhaari, see Fath al-Baari, 10/465). Because cursing is more common among women, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained that this would be one of the reasons for them entering Hell, and that those who curse will not be intercessors on the Day of Resurrection. More serious than that is the fact that the curse will come back on the one who utters it, if he says it unfairly; in that case he will have prayed against himself and excluded himself from the mercy of Allaah.
Wailing (at time of bereavement)
One of the haraam deeds that some women do is to raise their voices in screaming and eulogizing the dead, striking their faces, tearing their clothes, cutting or tearing out their hair, etc. All of this indicates that a person does not accept the decree of Allaah and is not bearing disaster with fortitude and patience. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed the one who does this. Abu Umaamah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed the woman who strikes her face, tears her clothes and cries out about woe and doom. (Reported by Ibn Maajah, 1/505; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5068). ‘Abdullaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “He is not one of us who strikes his cheeks, tears his clothes and prays with the supplication of the Jaahiliyyah.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, see Fath al-Baari, 3/163). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If the woman who wails does not repent before her death, she will be raised on the Day of Resurrection wearing a shirt of tar and a garment of scabs.” (Reported by Muslim, no. 934)
Striking or branding the face
Jaabir said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade striking or branding the face.” (Reported by Muslim, 3/1673).
As far as striking the face is concerned, many fathers and teachers do this as a way of punishing children, when they strike them in the face with their hand, and so on; some people also do this to their servants, even though this is an insult to the face with which Allaah has honoured man. It may also cause the loss of some of the important senses which are located in the face, leading to regret and possible demands for retribution.
Branding animals in the face is done to make a distinguishing mark so that each animal’s owner may be known and the animal may be returned to him if it is lost. This is haraam, because it causes suffering and deformity. If people claim that this is their tribal custom and that a distinguishing mark is necessary, it should be made on some other part of the animal, not on the face.
Abandoning a Muslim brother for more than three days with no legitimate reason
This is one of the ways in which Shaytaan causes division among Muslims, and those who follow in the footsteps of Shaytaan may forsake a Muslim brother for no legitimate reason, but because of a dispute over money or some trivial disagreement. This division may continue for a lifetime, with one swearing that he will never speak to the other and vowing never to set foot in his house, turning away if he sees him in the street and ignoring him if he happens to encounter him in a gathering, shaking hands with everyone else but him. This is a cause of weakness in the Muslim community, hence the ruling concerning this is decisive and the warning against it is stern. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “It is not permitted for a Muslim to forsake his brother for more than three (days); whoever does this and dies, he will enter Hell.” (Reported by Abu Dawud, 5/215; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 7635).
Abu Khuraash al-Aslami (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever forsakes his bother for a year, it is as if he has shed his blood.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari in al-Adab al-Mufrad, hadeeth no. 406; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 6557).
It is bad enough that division among Muslims results in their being deprived of the forgiveness of Allaah, may He be glorified. Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The deeds of the people are shown to Allaah twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays; He forgives all His believing slaves, except for the one between whom and his brother is enmity. He says, ‘Leave these two until they reconcile.'” (Reported by Muslim, 4/1988).
Whichever of the two parties repents to Allaah must then go back to his brother and greet him with salaam; if he does this and the other person ignores him, then the former is free of blame and the responsibility falls upon the latter. Abu Ayyoob reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “It is not permissible for a man to forsake his brother for more than three nights, each turning away if they meet. The better of the two is the one who is the first to greet the other with salaam.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath al-Baari, 10/492).
There may be cases where there is a legitimate reason for forsaking a person, such as his not praying, or persisting in immorality. If forsaking him will benefit him by bringing him to his senses and making him see the error of his ways, then it is obligatory to forsake him, but if it will only make him more stubborn and persistent in his sin, then it is not right to forsake him, because nothing is achieved by doing so. Forsaking him will only make matters worse, so the right thing to do is to continue treating him kindly, and advising and reminding him.
In conclusion, this is what Allaah has enabled me to write about the prohibitions that are widely ignored. This is a lengthy topic, and in order that readers may further benefit, another chapter is needed, in which a group of prohibitions mentioned in the Qur’aan and Sunnah will be listed. This will appear as a separate work, in sha Allaah. I ask Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, by His Most Beautiful Names, to give us enough awareness and fear of Him to keep us away from sin, and enough devotion and obedience to Him to help us reach His Paradise, to forgive us for our sins and by His grace to make us content with what He has permitted and keep us away from what He has forbidden. May He accept our repentance and cleanse us from sin, for He is the All-Hearing, the One Who answers prayers. May the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the Unlettered Prophet, Muhammad, and upon all his family and companions. All praise be to Allaah, Lord of the Worlds.
Sheikh Muhammad Saalih al-Munajjid
Courtesy: www.everymuslim.co.za
