Neser din Albani

Al-Albaani: The reality is
that the case with every
beginner student of
knowledge, and I was like
that and probably still am,
I used to read this hadith
and it would be
problematic, because in
some narrations [there
occurs], “There is nothing
between a man and
disbelief except
abandoning the prayer.
So whoever abandons the
prayer has disbelieved,”
and in some narrations, “…
then he has committed
shirk.”
Interjection:
Subhaanallaahil-Adheem.
Al-Albaani: I used to ask
how can he have
committed shirk? Yaa akhi,
this person who has left
praying, especially the
one who does so out of
laziness, how has he
committed shirk?
I used to think that
maybe there was a
mistake on behalf of the
narrator [of the hadith], I
was a student of
knowledge, then later our
Lord granted me success
in understanding, even if it
was when I was older
alhamdulillaah, [he
granted me success in
understanding it] such
that I recognized that
legislatively, as opposed
to linguistically, there is
no difference between
kufr and shirk.
So all kufr is shirk and all
shirk is kufr there is no
difference between them
legislatively, linguistically
there is, because in the
language kufr means to
cover. Shirk is to make
something a partner of
another, like the
polytheists who make
equals with Allaah.
But later I came to
recognise that every
unbeliever, even if he
wasn’t a polytheist
linguistically, he was in
reality. No unbeliever is
free from being anything
but a polytheist [mushrik],
our Lord said, “Have you
seen he who has taken as
his god his [own]
desire?” [Jaathiyah 45:23]
He took as his god his
own desires, so, everyone
who follows his desires
has made it a partner with
Allaah, thus, any kufr–[for
example] if someone
were to reject a letter
from the Noble Quraan it
would mean that he has
put his intellect in charge
and has taken it as a god
and it is from this angle
that the shirk has come.
So, the one who said that
all disbelief is polytheism
and all polytheism is
disbelief spoke truthfully,
not like the one who says
that not all kufr is shirk
like you heard from at-
Tahawi.
In reality this is
knowledge which is very
rare and is something
through which many,
many problems are
resolved, from them
being the verse, “Indeed,
Allaah does not forgive
association with Him, but
He forgives what is less
than that for whom He
wills.” [Nisaa 4:48]
I read [a mention of] a
problem about this verse
in the Al-Manaar
magazine which Sayyid
Rashid Rida used to
publish. An objection
came his way which stated
that the meaning of the
aayah is that these
unbelieving Europeans
who believe in ‘nature’,
they call it nature, i.e., that
this universe has a creator
and who do not know any
more than that, it is
possible that Allaah will
forgive them because
they are not polytheists.
And so Sayyid Rashid
Rida at that time was not
able to give an answer
like this one which if he
had known then would
have been the sound
judgement [about this
topic], [i.e., that] all kufr is
shirk and all shirk is kufr.
Al-Hudaa wan-Noor, 341.
ShaikhAlbaani.wordpress.com

ﺴﻢ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﺍﻟﺮﺣﻤﻦ ﺍﻟﺮﺣﻴﻢ
Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn
Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may
Allaah have mercy upon
him) stated:
"Whoever believes in the
messengers and obeys
them, their enemies
display enmity towards
him and harm him.
Therefore he (the
believer) is tested by that
which hurts him. If the
person doesn't believe in
them and he doesn't
obeys them, he is
punished in the life of this
world and in the
hereafter. Therefore that
which hurts him comes
about. And that which
hurts him is the greatest
of pain and more lasting
than the pain that befalls
the followers of the
Messengers. Therefore its
a must that that one goes
through hardship/pain
whether you believe or
turn away from Eemaan.
However (the difference
is that) the believer
experiences pain in the
life of this world to start,
then he will have a good
ending in the life of this
world and in the
hereafter. As for the one
who turned away from
Eemaan, he will
experience delight to
start with then he will
proceed on to the
everlasting punishment."
Taking from "Ad-Daw al-
Muneer alaa at-Tafseer"
4/490.
Translated by Abu Yusuf
Khaleefah 7th of
Jumaadaa ath-Thaaniyah
1433/ 28th of April 2012
http://multiply.com/
gi/31097:journal:108

Is The Existence of a
Creator Something That
can be Proven Logically?
Atheism can be described
as the belief that no
creator exists, and that
the universe was not
brought about by divine
knowledge, will and
ability. The following is a
short excerpt from Sacred
Freedom which follows a
process of logical
deductions to show that
our universe must have
been created by an All-
Wise and All-Knowing
Creator:
Pivotal Quote:
“Those who believe in
chance concede that it is
something which is not by
nature ordered. Once this
is understood, the
following question must
be asked: How could
something that is by
nature disordered
consistently create
order? This is a scientific
impossibility. Hence, it
must be concluded that
not only has a Creator
created our universe, but
that He is also continually
administrating its awe-
inspiring affairs.”
Excerpt:
To demonstrate the error
of those who deny the
existence of a Creator,
one may consider the
ordinary example of how
a book comes into being.
The existence of a book
necessitates the existence
of a publisher who
possesses three
attributes: Firstly, this
publisher must possess
the knowledge of the
required fields of
expertise for the
production of this book.
Secondly, the publisher
must possess the will to
carry out such a task by
consciously embarking
upon this project. Thirdly,
the publisher must
possess the ability to
carry out the task of
creating the pages, cover
and binding of the book
while finishing it with
distinction.
Once this is understood,
the irrationality of
claiming that a book
created itself, or that it
came about by mere
chance, becomes
apparent. Is it possible to
legitimately claim that a
book came about without
a publisher, or that this
universe came about
without a Creator - solely
on the basis that this
publisher or Creator has
not been seen?
In actuality,
understanding that a
Creator exists is much
easier to grasp than
understanding that a
simple object like a book
has an originator, as the
formation of our universe
is far more sophisticated
than the formation of any
one particular object.
Accordingly, the Creator
stated regarding those
who deny His existence:
“Were they created by
nothing, or were they
themselves the creators?
Or did they create the
heavens and the earth?
Nay, they have no firm
belief.”[52:35-36]
These verses prove that
just as it would be
impossible to claim that a
book was created by
nothing, it would also be
impossible to claim that
mankind was created by
nothing. Likewise, just as
it would be impossible to
claim that a book created
itself, it would also be
impossible to claim that
we created ourselves.
Only one other possibility
exists; that mankind and
everything in this universe
was brought about by an
All-Knowing Creator.
It can be concluded that
all things are known to
come into existence by
designers that possess
the three attributes of
knowledge, will and
ability to create. No other
conclusion can be drawn,
except that our universe
was fashioned by a
Creator who possesses
the knowledge, will and
ability to create such an
incredibly awe-inspiring
formation.
Indeed, certain pieces of
evidence left behind at
the scene of a crime are
considered incriminating
proofs that lead courts to
settle cases in an absolute
manner. In the same way,
Allah's Signs within His
creation and the logical
evidences contained
within His revelation
contain even more
definite proofs that we
were created by an All-
Knowing, All-Powerful
God.
“And upon the earth are
Signs visible to all who
have faith with certainty,
just as there are Signs
within your own selves.
Will you not then
see?” [51:20,21]
The post is an extract
from the book: The
Sacred Freedom
Source: http://
www.sacredfreedom.com

What is Islaam?
The word “Islaam” is an
Arabic word that means
“submitting and
surrendering your will to
Almighty God”.
The word comes from the
same root as the Arabic
word “salam”, which
means peace.
Unlike the names used for
other religions, such as
Buddhism, Hinduism and
Christianity, the name for
the religion of Islaam was
both revealed by God
and carries a deep
spritual meaning – only by
submitting one's will to
Almighty God can one
obtain true peace both in
this life and in the life
hereafter. Islaam teaches
that all religions originally
had the same essential
message – which was to
submit whole-heartedly
to the will of God and to
worship Him and Him
alone.
For this reason, Islaam is
not a new religion but is
the same divinely
revealed Ultimate Truth
that God revealed to all
prophets, including Noah,
Abraham, Moses and
Jesus.
Who are Muslims?
The Arabic word “Muslim”
literally means “someone
who submits to the will of
God”.
The message of Islaam is
meant for the entire
world and anyone who
accepts this message
becomes a Muslim.
Some people mistakenly
believe that Islaam is just
a religion for Arabs, but
nothing could be further
from the truth, since in
actuality over 80% of the
world's Muslims are not
Arabs! Even though most
Arabs are Muslims, there
are Arabs who are
Christians, Jews and
atheists.
If one just takes a look at
the various peoples who
live in the Muslim World –
from Nigeria to Bosnia
and from Morocco to
Indonesia – it is easy
enough to see that
Muslims come from all
different races, ethnic
groups and nationalities.
From the very beginning,
Islaam had a universal
message for all people.
This can be seen in the
fact that some of the
early companions of the
Prophet Muhammad were
not only Arabs, but also
Persians, Africans and
Byzantine Romans. Being
a Muslim entails complete
acceptance and active
obedience to the
revealed will of Almighty
God.
A Muslim is a person who
freely accepts to base his
beliefs, values and faith
on the will of Almighty
God. In the past, even
though you don't see it
as much today, the word
“Mohammedans” was
often used as a label for
Muslims. This label is a
misnomer and is the result
of either wilful distortion
or sheer ignorance. One
of the reasons for the
misconception is that
Europeans were taught
for centuries that Muslims
worshipped the Prophet
Muhammad in the same
way that Christians
worship Jesus. This is
absolutely not true since
a Muslim is not permitted
to worship anyone or
anything besides Almighty
God.
Who is Allaah?
Very often one will here
the Arabic word “Allaah”
being used in regards to
Islaam.
The word “Allaah” is
simply the Arabic word
for Almighty God, and is
the same word used by
Arabic speaking Christians
and Jews.
If one were to pick up an
Arabic translation of the
Bible, one would see the
word “Allaah” being use
where the word “God” is
used in English. Actually,
the Arabic word for
Almighty God, “Allaah”, is
quite similar to the word
for God in other Semitic
languages – for example,
the Hebrew word for God
is “Elah”.
For various reasons, some
non-Muslims mistakenly
believe that Muslims
worship a different God
than Jews and Christians.
This is certainly not the
case, since the Pure
Monotheism of Islaam
calls all people to the
worship of the God of
Noah, Abraham, Moses,
Jesus and all of the other
prophets. However, even
though Jews, Christians
and Muslims worship the
same God -since there is
only one God – their
concepts concerning Him
differ in some significant
ways.
Who is Muhammad?
The last and final prophet
that God sent to humanity
was the Prophet
Muhammad.
Muhammad explained,
interpreted and lived the
teachings of Islaam.
The Prophet Muhammad
is the greatest of all
prophets for many
reasons, but mainly
because the results of his
mission have brought
more people into the
pure belief in One God
than any other prophet.
Even though other
religious communities
claimed to believe in One
God, over time they had
corrupted their beliefs by
taking their prophets and
saints as intercessors with
Almighty God.
Some religions believe
their prophets to be
manifestations of God,
“God Incarnate” or the
“Son of God”. All of these
false ideas lead to the
creature being
worshipped instead of the
Creator, which
contributed to the
idolatrous practice of
believing that Almighty
God can be approached
through intermediaries. In
order to guard against
these falsehoods, the
Prophet Muhammad
always emphasised that
he was only a human-
being tasked with the
preaching of God's
message. He taught
Muslims to refer to him as
“the Messenger of God
and His Slave”.
To Muslims, Muhammad is
the supreme example for
all people – he was the
exemplary prophet,
statesman, military leader,
ruler, teacher, neighbour,
husband, father and
friend. Unlike other
prophets and messengers,
the Prophet Muhammad
lived in the full light of
history. Muslims don't
need to have “faith” that
he existed and that his
teachings are preserved –
they know it to be a fact.
Even when his followers
only numbered a few
dozen, Almighty God
informed Muhammad that
he had be sent as a mercy
to all of mankind. Because
people had distorted or
forgotten God's
messages, God took it
upon Himself to protect
the message revealed to
Muhammad. This was
because Almighty God
promised not to send
another messenger after
him.
Since all of God's
messengers have
preached the message of
Islaam – ie submission to
the will of God and the
worship of God alone –
Muhammad is actually the
last prophet of Islaam,
not the first.
What are the teachings of
Islaam?
The foundation of the
Islaamic faith is belief in
the Unity of God.
This means to believe that
there is only one Creator
and Sustainer of
everything in the
Universe, and that nothing
is divine or worthy of
being worshipped except
for Him.
Truly believing in the
Unity of God means much
more than simply
believing that there is
“One God” – as opposed
to two, three or four.
There are a number of
religions that claim belief
in “One God” and believe
that ultimately there is
only one Creator and
Sustainer of the Universe.
Islaam, however, not only
insists on this, but also
rejects using such words
as “Lord” and “Saviour”
for anyone besides
Almighty God. Islaam also
rejects the use of all
intermediaries between
God and Man, and insists
that people approach
God directly and reserve
all worship for Him alone.
Muslims believe that
Almighty God is
Compassionate, Loving
and Merciful.
The essence of falsehood
is the claim that God
cannot deal with and
forgive His creatures
directly. By over-
emphasising the burden
of sin, as well as claiming
that God cannot forgive
you directly, false
religions seek to get
people to despair of the
Mercy of God. Once they
are convinced that they
cannot approach God
directly, people can be
mislead into turning to
false gods for help. These
“false gods” can take
various forms, such as
saints, angels, or someone
who is believed to be the
“Son of God” or “God
Incarnate”. In almost all
cases, people who
worship, pray to or seek
help from a false god
don't consider it to be, or
call it, a “god”. They claim
belief in One Supreme
God, but claim that they
pray to and worship
others beside God only
to get closer to Him. In
Islaam, there is a clear
distinction between the
Creator and the created.
There is no ambiguity in
divinity – anything that is
created is not deserving
of worship and only the
Creator is worthy of being
worshipped. Some
religions falsely believe
that God has become part
of His creation, and this
has led people to believe
that they can worship
something created in
order to reach their
Creator.
Muslims believe that even
though God is Unique and
beyond comprehension –
He has no “Son”, partners
or associates. According
to Muslim belief, Almighty
God “does not beget nor
was He begotten” –
neither literally,
allegorically,
metaphorically, physically
or metaphysically – He is
Absolutely Unique and
Eternal. He is in control of
everything and is
perfectly capable of
bestowing His infinite
Mercy and Forgiveness to
whomever He chooses.
That is why is called the
All-Powerful and Most-
Merciful. Almighty God
has created the Universe
for man, and as such
wants the best for all
human beings. Muslims
see everything in the
Universe as a sign of the
Creatorship and
Benevolence of Almighty
God. Also, the belief in
the Unity of God is not
merely a metaphysical
concept. It is a dynamic
belief that effects ones
view of humanity, society
and all aspects of life. As
a logical corollary to the
Islaamic belief in the
Oneness of God, is its
belief in the oneness of
mankind and humanity.
What is the Qur.aan?
It is the final revelation of
the will of Almighty God's
to all of mankind, which
was conveyed through
the Angel Gabriel, in
Arabic, to the Prophet
Muhammad in its sounds,
words and meanings.
The Qur'aan, sometimes
spelled Koran, was
relayed to the Prophet's
companions, which they
memorised verbatim, and
which has been publicly
and continually recited by
them and their successors
until the present day. In
short, the Qur'aan is the
book of guidance from
God par excellence. The
Qur'aan is still memorised
and taught by millions of
people.
The language of the
Qur'aan, Arabic, is still a
living language to millions
of people, so unlike the
scriptures of other
religions, the Qur'aan is
still read in its original
language by countless
millions of people. The
Qu'raan is a living miracle
in the Arabic language;
and is known to be
inimitable in its style, form
and spiritual impact. God's
final revelation to
mankind, the Qur'aan, was
revealed to the Prophet
Muhammad over a period
of 23 years. The Qur'aan,
in contrast to many other
religious books, was
always thought to be the
Word of God by those
who believed in it, ie it
wasn't something
decreed by a religious
council many years after
being written. Also, the
Qu'raan was recited
publicly in front of both
the Muslim and non-
Muslim communities
during the life of the
Prophet Muhammad.
The entire Qur'aan was
completely written down
in the lifetime of the
Prophet, and numerous
companions of the
Prophet memorised the
entire Qur'aan word-for-
word as it was revealed.
So unlike other scriptures,
the Qur'aan was always in
the hands of the common
believers, it was always
thought to be God's
word and, due to wide-
spread memorisation, it
was perfectly preserved.
In regards to the
teachings of the Qur'aan
– it is a universal scripture,
and it is addressed to all
of mankind, and not to a
particular tribe or “chosen
people”. The message
that it brings is nothing
new, but the same
message of all of the
prophets – submit to
Almighty God and
worship Him alone. As
such, God's revelation in
the Qur'aan focuses on
teaching human beings
the importance of
believing in the Unity of
God and framing their
lives around the guidance
which He has sent.
Additionally, the Qur'aan
contains the stories of the
previous prophets, such as
Abraham, Noah, Moses
and Jesus; as well as many
commands and
prohibitions from God. In
modern times in which so
many people are caught
up in doubt, spiritual
despair and “political
correctness”, the
Qur'aanic teachings offer
solutions to the emptiness
of our lives and the
turmoil that is gripping
the world today.
How do Muslims view the
nature of man, the
purpose of life and the
Hereafter?
In the Holy Qur'aan, God
teaches human beings
that they were created in
order to worship Him,
and that the basis of all
true worship is God-
consciousness.
Since the teachings of
Islaamic encompass all
aspects of life and ethics,
God-consciousness is
encouraged in all human
affairs. Islaam makes it
clear that all human acts
are acts of worship if they
are done for God alone
and in accordance to His
Divine Law. As such,
worship in Islaam is not
limited to religious rituals.
The teachings of Islaam
act as a mercy and a
healing for the human
soul, and such qualities as
humility, sincerity,
patience and charity are
strongly encouraged.
Additionally, Islaam
condemns pride and self-
righteousness, since
Almighty God is the only
judge of human
righteousness.
The Islaamic view of the
nature of man is also
realistic and well-
balanced. Human beings
are not believed to be
inherently sinful, but are
seen as equally capable
of both good and evil.
Islaam also teaches that
faith and action go hand-
in-hand.
God has given people
free-will, and the measure
of one's faith is one's
deeds and actions.
However, human beings
have also been created
weak and regularly fall
into sin. This is the nature
of the human being as
created by God in His
Wisdom, and it is not
inherently “corrupt” or in
need of repair. This is
because the avenue of
repentance of always
open to all human beings,
and Almighty God loves
the repentant sinner more
than one who does not
sin at all. The true balance
of an Islaamic life is
established by having a
healthy fear of God as
well as a sincere belief in
His infinite Mercy.
A life without fear of God
leads to sin and
disobedience, while
believing that we have
sinned so much that God
will not possibly forgive
us only leads to despair.
In light of this, Islaam
teaches that: only the
misguided despair of the
Mercy of their Lord.
Additionally, the Holy
Qur'aan, which was
revealed to the Prophet
Muhammad, contains a
great deal of teachings
about the life hereafter
and the Day of
Judgement. Due to this,
Muslims believe that all
human beings will
ultimately be judged by
God for their beliefs and
actions in their earthly
lives. In judging human
beings, Almighty God will
be both Merciful and Just,
and people will only be
judged for what they
were capable of. Suffice it
to say that Islaam teaches
that life is a test, and that
all human beings will be
accountable before God.
A sincere belief in the life
hereafter is key to
leading a well-balanced
life and moral. Otherwise,
life is viewed as an end in
itself, which causes human
beings to become more
selfish, materialistic and
immoral.

Covering all Of The
Body
It is an agreed position
by many respected
scholars that the face and
hands of the woman must
be covered. Some
scholars say it is
permissible to uncover
the face and the hands of
the woman as long as
there is no fitna
(infatuation) caused by
this action. Two things
must be taken into
consideration
a) if she is beautiful and
beautifies her face and
hands with external
substances, or
b) the society around her
is corrupt where men do
not lower their gaze, then
it is prohibited for her to
uncover her face and
hands.
On the authority of the
wife of the prophet
(pbuh), Umm Salama (RA)
said:
"When the verse was
revealed that they should
cast their outer garments
over their bodies' was
revealed, the women of
Ansar came out as if they
had crows over their
heads by wearing outer
garments.
2.The hijab must not be a
display
The hijab itself must not
be a display. Allah
ordained it so as to cover
the beauty of women and
not for showing off. Allah
(swt) says `And not show
of their adornment
except only that which is
apparent.' (S24:31).
AND
`And stay in your houses
and do not display
yourselves like that of the
times of
ignorance.' (S33:33).
It is in no way logical that
the hijab itself be a
source of display.
3. The hijab must not be
transparent
The purpose of wearing
hijab must be achieved. In
order for the hijab to be
a cover, it must not be
made of transparent
material making the
woman covered only by
name, while in reality she
is naked. The prophet
(pbuh) is quoted as
saying: "In the latest part
of my Ummah (nation of
Muslims) there shall be
women who would be
naked in spite of being
dressed, they have their
hair high like the humps of
the Bukht camel, curse
them, for they are cursed.
They will not enter Al-
Jannah and would not
even perceive its odour,
although it's fragrance
can be perceived from a
distance of 500 years
travelling by camel" This
indicates that a woman
could cause herself a
grave and destructive sin
if she puts on a garment
that is thin and
transparent and which
clearly shapes her body's
features.
4.Hijab must be roomy,
and not tight.
The hijab is a safeguard
against fitna. If it is tight,
it will be descriptive of
the woman's body and
this violates and defeats
the whole purpose of
hijab.
5.The hijab must not be
perfumed
On the authority of
Ad'Diya Al-Maqdisi, the
prophet (pbuh) said:
"Any woman who
perfumes herself and
passes by some people
that they smell her scent,
then she is a Zaniyah
(adulteress)."
6. The hijab shouldn't
resemble the dress of a
man
Imam Ahmed, an-Nissa'ee
reported the prophet
(pbuh) to have said:
"Women who assume the
manners of men are not
from us and also those of
men who assume the
manners of women." Abu
Huraira narrated that:
"The Prophet (pbuh)
CURSED the man who
wears the dress of a
woman and the woman
who wears the dress of a
man."
7.The hijab must not
resemble the garments of
the kuffar
Abu Dawoud and Ahmed
have related the prophet
(pbuh) said: "The one who
take the similitude
(manner) of a certain
people, then he/she
becomes one of them."
Abdullah bin Ummar (RA)
said: "The Prophet (pbuh)
saw me wearing two
garments dyed in saffron
(orange), whereupon he
said: these are the clothes
(usually worn) by the
kuffar, so do not wear
them."
8.The hijab should not be
for fame
Abu Dawoud and Ibn
Majah have related the
prophet to saying: "The
one who wears a garment
designed for a worldly
fame, Allah will make
them wear a garment of
humility on the Day Of
Resurrection then he will
be set ablaze." The
garment of fame is any
garment a person wears
to make themselves look
famous. This applies
whether the garment is
highly precious and shows
admiration to the life of
this world or if it is chosen
of a low quality to show
lack of interest to this
worldly life. The person
may put on clothes with
distinct colours so as to
draw attention, act
proudly and/or
arrogantly.
9.Concealed ways of
display
Examining the various
conditions about the hijab
one can clearly recognise
that many of the young
Muslim women are not
fulfilling these conditions.
Many just take "half-way"
measures, which not only
mocks the community in
which she lives, but also
mocks the commands of
Allah (swt). They consider
what they put on now
wrongly as "hijab" So, O
muslimoon, be mindful to
Allah (swt) and His
Messenger (pbuh), and do
not deceived by those
who "bless" this action of
yours and conceal their
true intentions. Do not be
deceived, and there is no
excuse to follow the evil.
If you are sincere in
achieving Al-Jannah, then
be mindful of these
things, insha'allah
Wassalaamu aleikum
warahmuthullahi
wabarakatahu.