Misconception About Month of Safar By Hafiz Bilal Murtaza Malik

Bismillah ir Rahman ir Rahim Innal-Hamdalillah was-Salaatu was-Salaam `alaa Rasoolillah 

As-Salaamu alaikum wa-Rahmatullahi wa-Barakatuhu

By leaving the correct ‘Aqeedah (creed) and straying away from it : There has come amongst the Muslims many evil and nonsensical ideas and beliefs, one of these is to believe in omens (bad luck charms) .

This is like when you hear some sayings and having some beliefs like : ‘The number 13 is unlucky number ‘, ‘If a black cat passes in front of you then you will be harmed’ , ‘Its not good to take a bath on this day ‘, ‘Don’t travel at such and such time’ , ‘This star brings rain , ….’ And the list is endless.

This completely goes against The Pure Islaam and teachings of Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) . He (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) came to remove and cleanse the people of all the pathways and notions that lead to shirk (disbelief). And remember this is very important because shirk is the most despised sin by Allaah , and it is the one sin that renders its doer an eternal inhabitant in the Hell Fire.

“ Verily, Allâh forgives not (shirk) that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases, and whoever sets up partners with Allâh in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin.” [Qur'aan 4:48]

Also regarding the belief in omens , Ibn Mas'ood ( radhiyAllaahu ‘anhu ) reported that he (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said:

"At-tiyaarah (belief in omens) is Shirk, at-tiyarah is Shirk. It will not be amongst us, but Allaah would remove it through Tawakkul (true dependence on Allaah)." [Narrated by Abu Dawood and At-Tirmidhee, who said it is authentic, but considered the last part of it to be Ibn Mas'ood's own statement.]

One of the common evil beliefs of the people is the belief that the month of Safar [Safar is the 2nd Month of the Islaamic Calendar, it comes after Muharram.] brings destruction and harm and diseases …etc. This again is an erroneous belief , as there is nothing like ‘a bad day , or a bad month’ in Islaam. And to make this even worse we find people innovating and introducing their bid’ahs (innovations) into Islaam and saying : ‘there is a special salaah (prayer) for the month of Safar ! Or there a special du’aa (supplication) for Safar !’ or ‘travelling or marriage in Safar is haraam (forbidden)! ‘

These things have no basis and no proof from the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) . As we all know, Islaam is a complete religion and it encompasses every single detail of our life. Thus we even find that this belief (regarding Safar) has a very distinctive and clear prohibiton in the legislation of Islaam : The Sunnah . There are many Ahaadeeth that show this. We have tried to select a few that show that there is no ‘bad omens (tiyarah)’ or ‘bad luck in the month of Safar’.

But even then, still you have the misguided ones innovating, going against the teachings of Islaam and thinking they are upon guidance! So Please read , understand and pass on the message. Surely the Best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam). And upon Allaah we depend and seek help.

The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, “There is no contagious disease that is transferred except by Allaah's permission. Nor is there the belief of when seeing or hearing an owl that it is the announcement of someone's death. Nor is there the belief of being pessimistic about the month of Safar. And fear the leper like you fear a lion.' [Silsilah as-saheehah : 780]

“There is no contagious disease that is transferred except by Allaah's permission, nor is there any effective omen. Nor the belief of when seeing or hearing an owl that it is the announcement of someone's death. Nor the belief of being pessimistic about the month of Safar, run away from the leper like you run away from the lion.' [Silsilah as-saheehah : 783]

The difference between the two hadeeths above : the second hadeeth has an additional wording ‘nor is there any effective omen’.

Narrated Abu Hurayrah ( radhiyAllaahu ‘anhu ): Allaah's Apostle (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, 'There is no 'Adhaa (no disease is conveyed from the sick to the healthy without Allaah's permission), nor Safar, nor Hamaa (interprating omen by looking at birds)." A bedouin stood up and said, "Then what about my camels? They are like deer on the sand, but when a mangy camel comes and mixes with them, they all get infected with mangy." The Prophet said, "Then who conveyed the (mange) disease to the first one?" [Saheeh Al- Bukhaaree]

'There is no contagious disease that is transferred except by Allaah's permission, nor any effective omen, nor a species from the Jinn and Shayateen which is claimed that it misguides people from the path and destroys them.' [Silsilah as-saheehah : 784]

Allaah's Messenger (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, '(There is) no 'Adwa (no contagious disease is conveyed without Allaah's permission), nor is there any bad omen, nor is there any Hamah(bad omen from birds), nor is there any bad omen in the month of Safar, and one should run away from the leper as one runs away from a lion ' [Saheeh Al- Bukhaaree]

'There is no contagious disease that is transferred except by Allaah's permission. Nor, is the belief of being pessimistic about the month of Safar. Nor the belief of when seeing or hearing an owl that it is the announcement of someone's death.' [Silsilah as-saheehah : 785]

The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said,

"There is no 'Adha, nor Tiyara, nor Hama, nor Safar." [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree]

Abu Hurayrah ( radhiyAllaahu ‘anhu ) reported Allaah's Messenger as saying :

“There is no transitive disease, no hama, no star promising rain, no Safar. ” [Saheeh Muslim]

So reflect , and realize.

The hadeeths only have small differences in wording , as they have been reported from different sahaabas (Companions of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) and compiled in different books. BUT what is important is :

The fact that these Ahaadeeth are so many , and the general meaning (lesson) is the same and unanimous : that there is no belief of bad omens in Islaam. This goes to show that this is something that should be explained and abandoned (by those practicing it) , as the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) ordered.

We have to believe in the Qadar (Will Power) of Allaah , whatever He decrees will happen without any doubt , and what He hasn’t decreed will never happen . This is one of the pillars of Eemaan (Faith). And this is the belief that is the source of Tawakkul (depending on Allaah and seeking His refuge and help in every matter of our lives).

And let us all remember that Allaah has said :

“….And whosoever puts his trust in Allâh, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allâh will accomplish his purpose…” [Qur'aan 65:3] 

Walhamdulillaahi Rabbil-‘Aalameen

Remember me and all of Ummah in ur Duaa .. Jazak ALLAH Khair 

was'salam

PILLARS OF ISLAM

In Islam there are five basic duties which Muslims must perform.

They are known as the five pillars of Islam (Arkanul Islam).

These are: Shahadah, the establishment of Prayers (Salah), the payment of Zakah (paying the poor due), the Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah and Sawm Ramadan (fasting the month of Ramadan).

1- SHAHADA (The First Pillar of Islam)

لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله

“La llaha illal-lah Muhammad -ur-rasulullah“

“There is no god but Allah and Muhammad (pbuh) is the messenger of Allah“

2- SALAH (The Second Pillar of Islam)

The second pillar of Islam is performing Salah (Prayer). The Muslim is enjoined to perform five obligatory prayers every day to keep himself in relation with his Lord, to invoke and implore Him, and to refrain himself from committing lewdness or indecency. These prayers not only ensure psychological rest to the Muslim in this present life, but they also pave the way to him to gain eternal happiness in the hereafter.

3- ZAKAAT (The Third Pillar of Islam)

ALLAH ordained every Muslim who possesses a certain amount a certain amount of property to pay annually of these possessions the Zakah to the poor, or to the other categories mentioned in the Quran.

4- SAWM RAMADHAN (The Fourth Pillar of Islam)

The fourth pillar of Islam is to fast during the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Hijri calendar.

Before the dawn of the first day of Ramadan, the Muslim in-tends to fast this month, and abstains every day from drinking, eating, or practicing sex till after the sun sets, He performs the fasting till the end of the month of Ramadan, fulfilling by that the commandment of Allah, and seeking His pleasure.

5- HAJJ (The Fifth Pillar of Islam)

Pilgrimage (Hajj) is the fifth pillar of Islam. It is a duty for a Muslim to perform pilgrimage to the House of Allah once in lifetime, however it is permissible to him to do pilgrimage voluntarily more than once.

Pilgrimage has innumerable benefits:

1. In fulfilling this service, man expresses his devotion to Allah, not only by performing rites which need physical effort, but he expresses also his deep spiritual devotion to Allah and spends of his money for His sake.

2. Pilgrimage is an annual Muslim-congress, attended by Muslims from all over the world.

How to become a Muslim

If anyone has a real desire to be a Muslim and has full conviction and strong belief that Islam is the true religion ordained by Allah for all human-beings, then, one should pronounce the "Shahada", the testimony of faith, without further delay. The Holy Qur'an is explicit on this regard as Allah states:

"The Religion in the sight of Allah is Islam." (Qur'an 3:19)

In another verse of the Holy Qur'an, Allah states:

"If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (Submission to Allah), Never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost." (Qur'an 3:85)

If a person does not pronounce the Shahada and enter Islaam, we cannot say that he is a Muslim, even if he admired Islaam and recognized that it the best religion, a great religion, and so on. Abu Taalib, the uncle of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died a kaafir (non-Muslim), and Allaah forbade His Prophet to pray for forgiveness for him, even though he used to defend the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said in his poems: "I do know that the religion of Muhammad is better than all other religions of mankind; were it not for fear of blame or slander, you would find me accepting it completely."

Hijjaab for Women

Question:

Why does Islam degrade women by keeping them behind the veil?

Answer:

The status of women in Islam is often the target of attacks in the secular media. The ‘hijaab’ or the Islamic dress is cited by many as an example of the ‘subjugation’ of women under Islamic law. Before we analyze the reasoning behind the religiously mandated ‘hijaab’, let us first study the status of women in societies before the advent of Islam

1.   In the past women were degraded and used as objects of lust

The following examples from history amply illustrate the fact that the status of women in earlier civilizations was very low to the extent that they were denied basic human dignity:

1.    Babylonian Civilization:

The women were degraded and were denied all rights under the Babylonian law. If a man murdered a woman, instead of him being punished, his wife was put to death.

2.    Greek Civilization:

Greek Civilization is considered the most glorious of all ancient civilizations. Under this very ‘glorious’ system, women were deprived of all rights and were looked down upon. In Greek mythology, an ‘imaginary woman’ called ‘Pandora’ is the root cause of misfortune of human beings. The Greeks considered women to be subhuman and inferior to men. Though chastity of women was precious, and women were held in high esteem, the Greeks were later overwhelmed by ego and sexual perversions. Prostitution became a regular practice amongst all classes of Greek society.

3.    Roman Civilization:

When Roman Civilization was at the zenith of its ‘glory’, a man even had the right to take the life of his wife. Prostitution and nudity were common amongst the Romans.

4.    Egyptian Civilization:

The Egyptian considered women evil and as a sign of a devil.

5.    Pre-Islamic Arabia:

Before Islam spread in Arabia, the Arabs looked down upon women and very often when a female child was born, she was buried alive.

2.   Islam uplifted women and gave them equality and expects them to maintain their status.

Islam uplifted the status of women and granted them their just rights 1400 years ago. Islam expects women to maintain their status.

             

Hijaab for men

People usually only discuss ‘hijaab’ in the context of women. However, in the Glorious Qur’an, Allah (swt) first mentions 

‘hijaab’ for men before ‘hijaab’ for the women. The Qur’an mentions in Surah Noor:

"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do." [Al-Qur’an 24:30]

The moment a man looks at a woman and if any brazen or unashamed thought comes to his mind, he should lower his gaze.

Hijaab for women.

The next verse of Surah Noor, says:

" And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons..." [Al-Qur’an 24:31]

3.   Six criteria for Hijaab.

According to Qur’an and Sunnah there are basically six criteria for observing hijaab:

1.    Extent:

The first criterion is the extent of the body that should be covered. This is different for men and women. The extent of covering obligatory on the male is to cover the body at least from the navel to the knees. For women, the extent of covering obligatory is to cover the complete body except the face and the hands upto the wrist. If they wish to, they can cover even these parts of the body. Some scholars of Islam insist that the face and the hands are part of the obligatory extent of ‘hijaab’.

All the remaining five criteria are the same for men and women.

2.    The clothes worn should be loose and should not reveal the figure.

3.    The clothes worn should not be transparent such that one can see through them.

4.    The clothes worn should not be so glamorous as to attract the opposite sex.

5.    The clothes worn should not resemble that of the opposite sex.

6.    The clothes worn should not resemble that of the unbelievers i.e. they should not wear clothes that are specifically identities or symbols of the unbelievers’ religions.

4.   Hijaab includes conduct and behaviour among other things

Complete ‘hijaab’, besides the six criteria of clothing, also includes the moral conduct, behaviour, attitude and intention of the individual. A person only fulfilling the criteria of ‘hijaab’ of the clothes is observing ‘hijaab’ in a limited sense. ‘Hijaab’ of the clothes should be accompanied by ‘hijaab’ of the eyes, ‘hijaab’ of the heart, ‘hijaab’ of thought and ‘hijaab’ of intention. It also includes the way a person walks, the way a person talks, the way he behaves, etc.

5.   Hijaab prevents molestation

The reason why Hijaab is prescribed for women is mentioned in the Qur’an in the following verses of Surah Al-Ahzab:

"O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad); that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [Al-Qur’an 33:59]

The Qur’an says that Hijaab has been prescribed for the women so that they are recognized as modest women and this will also prevent them from being molested.

6.   Example of twin sisters

Suppose two sisters who are twins, and who are equally beautiful, walk down the street. One of them is attired in the Islamic hijaab i.e. the complete body is covered, except for the face and the hands up to the wrists. The other sister is wearing western clothes, a mini skirt or shorts. Just around the corner there is a hooligan or ruffian who is waiting for a catch, to tease a girl. Whom will he tease? The girl wearing the Islamic Hijaab or the girl wearing the skirt or the mini? Naturally he will tease the girl wearing the skirt or the mini. Such dresses are an indirect invitation to the opposite sex for teasing and molestation. The Qur’an rightly says that hijaabprevents women from being molested.

7.   Capital punishment for the rapists

Under the Islamic shariah, a man convicted of having raped a woman, is given capital punishment. Many are astonished at this ‘harsh’ sentence. Some even say that Islam is a ruthless, barbaric religion! I have asked a simple question to hundreds of non-Muslim men. Suppose, God forbid, someone rapes your wife, your mother or your sister. You are made the judge and the rapist is brought in front of you. What punishment would you give him? All of them said they would put him to death. Some went to the extent of saying they would torture him to death. To them I ask, if someone rapes your wife or your mother you want to put him to death. But if the same crime is committed on somebody else’s wife or daughter you say capital punishment is barbaric. Why should there be double standards?

8.   Western society falsely claims to have uplifted women

Western talk of women’s liberalization is nothing but a disguised form of exploitation of her body, degradation of her soul, and deprivation of her honour. Western society claims to have ‘uplifted’ women. On the contrary it has actually degraded them to the status of concubines, mistresses and society butterflies who are mere tools in the hands of pleasure seekers and sex marketeers, hidden behind the colourful screen of ‘art’ and ‘culture’.

9.   USA has one of the highest rates of rape

United States of America is supposed to be one of the most advanced countries of the world. It also has one of the highest rates of rape in any country in the world. According to a FBI report, in the year 1990, every day on an average 1756 cases of rape were committed in U.S.A alone. Later another report said that on an average everyday 1900 cases of rapes are committed in USA. The year was not mentioned. May be it was 1992 or 1993. May be the Americans got ‘bolder’ in the following years.

Consider a scenario where the Islamic hijaab is followed in America. Whenever a man looks at a woman and any brazen or unashamed thought comes to his mind, he lowers his gaze. Every woman wears the Islamic hijaab, that is the complete body is covered except the face and the hands upto the wrist. After this if any man commits rape he is given capital punishment. I ask you, in such a scenario, will the rate of rape in America increase, will it remain the same, or will it decrease?

10.   Implementation of Islamic Shariah will reduce the rate of rapes

Naturally as soon as Islamic Shariah is implemented positive results will be inevitable. If Islamic Shariah is implemented in any part of the world, whether it is America or Europe, society will breathe easier. Hijaab does not degrade a woman but uplifts a woman and protects her modesty and chastity

Islam & Hinduism

ARE THE VEDAS A REVELATION OF GOD?

Question:

If Allah has sent His books and revelations in every period, then which revelation was sent to India? Can we consider the Vedas and other Hindu scriptures to be the word of God?

Answer:

Revelation sent in every period

The Glorious Qur’an mentions in Surah Rad, chapter 13 verse 38

"For each period is a book (revealed)." [Al-Qur’an 13:38]

Four revelations of God mentioned by name in Qur’an

By name, only four revelations of God are mentioned in the Qur’an i.e. Torah, Zaboor, Injeel and the Qur’an

''Torah'' is the revelation which was given to''Moses'' (pbuh)

''Zaboor'' is the revelation which was given to ''David'' (pbuh)

''Injeel'' is the revelation which was given to ''Jesus'' (pbuh)

and ''Qur’an'' is the last and final revelation which was given to the last and final Messenger ''Muhammad'' (pbuh).

All the previous revelations sent only for their people

All the revelations that came before Qur’an were only sent for their own people and were to be followed only for a particular time period.

The Qur’an sent for whole humankind

Since the Qur’an is the last and final revelation, it was not sent only for the Muslims or the Arabs but it was sent for the whole of humankind. It is mentioned in:

Surah Ibrahim, chapter 14 verse 1

"Alif Lam Ra. A book which We have revealed unto thee, in order that thou mightest lead mankind out of the depths of darkness into light . . ."

[Al-Qur’an 14:1]

A similar message is repeated in Surah Ibrahim chapter 14 verse 52

"Here is a Message for mankind: let them take warning therefrom, and let them know that He is (no other than) One God: let men of understanding take heed." 

[Al-Qur’an 14:52]

Qur’an mentions in Surah Baqarah chapter 2 verse 185

"Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgement (between right and wrong)."

 [Al-Qur’an 2:185]

A similar message is repeated in Surah Zumur chapter 39 verse 41

"Verily We have revealed the Book to thee in Truth, for (instructing) mankind."

 [Al-Qur’an 39:41]

Which revelation sent to India?

The question that arises is "which revelation of God was sent to India and whether we can consider the Vedas and the other Hindu Scriptures to be the revelations of God?" There is no text in the Qur’an or Sahih Hadith mentioning the name of the revelation that was sent to India. Since the names of the Vedas or other Hindu scriptures are no where to be found in Qur’an and Sahih Hadith, one cannot say for sure that they were the revelations of God. They may be the revelation of God or may not be the revelation of God.

Even if the Veda was the word of God today you have to follow the Qur’an

Even if the Vedas and the other scriptures were the revelations from God, they were only meant for people of that time and were to be followed only for that particular period of time. Today all human beings through out the world including India should only follow the last and final Revelation of God, i.e. the Qur’an. Moreover since all the previous revelations were not meant to be followed for eternity, Almighty God did not preserve them in their original form. There is not a single religious scripture of any of the major religions which claims to be the word of God and has maintained its pure original text and is free from alteration, adulteration and interpolation. Since the Glorious Qur’an is to be followed for eternity, Allah (swt) has taken upon Himself to maintain its original purity and guard it from corruption. Allah says in Glorious Qur’an.

Surah Hijr chapter 15 verse 9

"We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)."

 [Al-Qur’an 15:9]

ARE RAM & KRISHNA PROPHETS OF GOD?

Question:

If according to Islam, messengers or prophets were sent to each and every nation of the world, then which prophet was sent to India? Can we consider Ram and Krishna to be messengers of God?

Answer:

Prophets sent to every nation

The Glorious Qur’an mentions in Surah Fatir, chapter 35 verse 24

". . . And there never was a people, without a warner having lived among them (in the past)." [Al-Qur’an 35:24]

A similar message is repeated in Surah Rad, chapter 13 verse 7

". . . and to every people a guide." [Al-Qur’an 13:7]

Stories only of some prophets narrated in the Qur’an

Allah (swt) says in Surah Nisa, chapter 4 verse 164

"Of some messengers We have already told thee the story; of others we have not." [Al-Qur’an 4:164]

A similar message is repeated in Surah Ghafir chapter 40 verse 78

"We did aforetime send messengers before thee: of them there are some whose story We have related to thee, and some whose story We have not related to thee. . ." [Al’Qur’an 40:78]

25 Prophets of God are mentioned by name in the Qur’an

By name, only 25 Prophets of God are mentioned in the Qur’an e.g. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammed (pbut)

More than 1,24,000 prophets of God

According to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), there were more than 1,24,000 prophets sent to this world.

All previous prophets sent only for their people

All the prophets that came before Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) were only sent for their own people and were to be followed only for a particular period of time.

Surah Ali Imran, chapter 3 verse 49

"And (appoint him) a messenger to the Children of Israel, . . ." [Al-Qur’an 3:49]

Muhammad (pbuh), the last messenger of God

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the last and final messenger of Almighty God. It is mentioned in

Surah Ahzab, chapter 33 verse 40

"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things." [Al-Qur’an 33:40]

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), sent for whole Humankind

Since Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the last and final messenger, he was not sent only for the Muslims or the Arabs, but he was sent for the whole of humankind.

It is mentioned in

Surah Anbiya, chapter 21 verse 107

"We sent thee not, but as a mercy for all creatures." [Al’Qur’an 21:107]

A similar message is repeated in

Surah Saba, chapter 34 verse 28

"We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving them glad tidings, and warning them (against sin), but most men understand not." [Al Qur’an 34:28]

It is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari, volume 1, Book of Salaah, chapter 56 hadith no. 429

Narrated Jabir bin Abdullah: Allah’s Messenger said,

"Every Prophet used to be sent to his nation only but I have been sent to all mankind."

Which prophet was sent to India?

Regarding the question of which prophet of God was sent to India, and can we consider Ram or Krishna to be prophets of God, there is no text in the Qur’an or Sahih Hadith mentioning the name of the prophet that was sent to India. Since the names of Ram and Krishna are nowhere to be found in the Qur’an and Sahih Hadith, one cannot say for sure whether they were prophets of God or not. Some Muslims, especially certain Muslim politicians who try to appease the Hindus, say Ram Alai-his-salaam, i.e. Ram, may peace be on him. This is totally wrong, since there is no authentic proof from the Qur’an and Sahih Hadith that he was a prophet of God. However, a person may say that perhaps they may have been the prophets of God.

Even if Ram and Krishna were prophets, today we have to follow the last Prophet of God i.e. Muhammad (pbuh)

Even if Ram and Krishna were prophets of God, they were only meant for people of that time and were to be followed only for that particular period of time. Today, all the human beings throughout the world, including India should only follow the last and final prophet and Messenger of God – prophet Muhammad (pbuh).