Did Jesus come back down to earth after he was taken up, or not?

I have a Question to ask concerning Jesus (peace be upon him). Did Jesus (peace be upon him) was ascended twice to Allah? cause i have read in some books that it mentions Jesus (peace be upon him) ascending to the skies and them later was brought down to comfort his mother and tell the jews of something and then he left. is this true?

Praise be to Allaah.

Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, tells us that Jesus (upon whom be peace) was raised up to heaven just one time, in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“But Allaah raised him up (with his body and soul) unto Himself…” [al-Nisa’ 4:158] and Allaah does not tell us that Jesus was sent back to this earth. So those who claim that Jesus was sent back to this earth have to bring us evidence and proof. If they cannot do that – and they will never be able to do it – then their argument has no basis.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And (remember) when Allaah said: ‘O Eesa (Jesus)! I will take you and raise you to Myself and clear you [of the forged statement that ‘Eesa (Jesus) is Allaah’s son] of those who disbelieve, and I will make those who follow you (monotheists, who worship none but Allaah) superior to those who disbelieve [in the oneness of Allaah, or disbelieve in some of His Messengers, or in His Holy Books] till the Day of Resurrection. Then you will return to Me and I will judge between you in the matters in which you used to dispute.”[Aal ‘Imraan 3:55]

Ibn Jareer, may Allaah have mercy on him, explained that the word “mutawaffeeka” [which usually refers to death and is translated here as “raise” – Translator] refers to his being taken up, but most of the scholars said that the meaning here is sleep, as Allaah says elsewhere in the Qur’aan (interpretation of the meaning):

“It is He, Who takes your souls [yatawaffaakum] by night (when you are asleep)…”[al-An’aam 6:60]

“It is Allaah Who takes away [yatawaffaa] the souls at the time of their death, and those that die not during their sleep…”[al-Zumar 39:42]

When he got up from sleeping, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would say, “Al-hamdu Lillaah illadhi ahyaanaa ba’da maa amaatanaa wa ilayh il-nushoor (Praise be to Allaah Who has brought us back to life after causing us to die, and unto Him is the resurrection).” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 6312; Muslim, 2711)

Allaah’s statement that He raised Jesus up to heaven is also a refutation of the Jews’ claim to have killed him. Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Because of their breaking the covenant, and of their rejecting the aayat (signs) of Allaah, and of their killing the Prophets unjustly, and of their saying, ‘Our hearts are wrapped (with coverings, i.e., we do not understand what the Messengers say)’ – nay, Allaah has set a seal upon their hearts because of their disbelief, so they believe not but a little.

And because of their (Jews’) disbelief and uttering against Maryam (Mary) a grave false charge (that she had committed illegal sexual intercourse);

And because of their saying (in boast), ‘We killed Messiah ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of Allaah’ – but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but the resemblance of ‘Eesa (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that man), and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not [i.e., ‘Eesa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary)].

But Allaah raised him [‘Eesa (Jesus)] up (with his body and soul) unto Himself (and he is in the heavens). And Allaah is Ever All-Powerful, All-Wise.

And there is none of the People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), but must believe in him [‘Eesa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary), as only a Messenger of Allaah and a human being], before his death. And on the Day of Resurrection, he [‘Eesa (Jesus)] will be a witness against them.”[al-Nisa’ 4:155-159]

Jesus (peace be upon him) has not died yet; Allaah raised him up unto Himself because the Jews wanted to kill him, and he will descend again at the end of time and rule the earth according to Islam. He will live for as long as Allaah wants him to, then he will die and the Muslims will pray [the janaazah or funeral prayer] for him. Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

The pronoun in the phrase before his death refers to Jesus (peace be upon him), i.e., there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in Jesus – that is when he comes back down to the earth before the Day of Resurrection, as we will explain below. At that time all of the People of the Book will believe in him because he will abolish the jizyah and will accept nothing but Islam…

The aayah (interpretation of the meaning)

“and [I will] clear you of those who disbelieve” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:55] means “by raising you up to heaven” and “I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection” is what did indeed happen. When Allaah took the Messiah (peace be upon him) up into heaven, his followers split into different groups. Some of them believed in what Allaah had sent him with, that he was a slave and messenger of Allaah, the son of His female slave. Some of them exaggerated about him and made him the son of God, and others said that he was God, or that he was the third of three (trinity). Allaah described what they said in the Qur’aan, and refuted all of them. They continued like that for nearly three hundred years, then one of the Greek kings called Constantine came along and entered the Christian religion. It was said that this was a plot to corrupt the religion, that he was a philosopher, or that he was ignorant. Whatever the case, he changed and distorted the religion of the Messiah, adding things and taking things away. It was at the time of Constantine that pork was permitted and they began to pray towards the East; they made images in their churches, shrines and monasteries, and added ten days to their fasting because of a sin that he had committed, as they claim. The religion of the Messiah became the religion of Constantine. He built more than twelve thousand churches, shrines and monasteries for them, and the city that bore his name [Constantinople – now Istanbul]. A sect of Christians followed him and they prevailed over the Jews with the help of Allaah, because they were closer to the truth, even though all of them were kaafirs – may the curse of Allaah be upon them all! When Allaah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), some of those who believed in him believed truly in Allaah, His angels, His Books and His Messengers, so they were followers of every Prophet who had ever lived on earth. And Allaah knows best.

Why are there so many earthquakes?

Many countries have had earthquakes, such as Turkey, Mexico, Taiwan, Japan, etc. Does this mean anything (from an Islamic point of view)?

Praise be to Allaah.

Praise be to Allaah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allaah, and upon his family, companions, and those who follow his guidance.

Allaah is the All-Wise, All-Knowing in all that He wills and decrees, and He is the All-Wise, All-Knowing in all that He legislates and commands. He creates and decrees whatever signs He wills, to frighten His slaves and remind them of their obligations and duties towards Him, and to warn them against associating anything in worship with Him, going against His commands and doing that which He has forbidden. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And We sent not the signs except to warn” [al-Israa’ 17:59]

“We will show them Our Signs in the universe, and in their own selves, until it becomes manifest to them that this (the Qur’aan) is the truth. Is it not sufficient in regard to your Lord that He is a Witness over all things?” [Fussilat 41:53]

“Say: ‘He has power to send torment on you from above or from under your feet, or to cover you with confusion in party strife, and make you to taste the violence of one another.’” [al-An’aam 6:65]

Al-Bukhaari narrated in his Saheeh from Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that when the aayah (interpretation of the meaning) “Say: ‘He has power to send torment on you from above” was revealed, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “A’oodhu bi wajhika (I seek refuge in Your Face”; “or from under your feet”, he said, “A’oodhu bi wajhika (I seek refuge in Your Face).” (Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 5/193).

(Abu’l-Shaykh al-Isbahaani narrated from Mujaahid concerning the Tafseer of this aayah, “Say: ‘He has power to send torment on you from above”: (this means) al-Sayhah (the shout or tumult), stones and strong wind; “or from under your feet”, (means) earthquakes and being swallowed up by the earth.)

Undoubtedly the earthquakes that are happening these days are among the signs which Allaah uses to frighten His slaves. All the earthquakes and other things which happen and cause harm and injury to people are because of shirk and sins, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):

“And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much” [al-Shoora 42:30]

“Whatever of good reaches you, is from Allaah, but whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself” [al-Nisaa’ 4:79]

And Allaah said concerning the nations of the past:

“So We punished each (of them) for his sins, of them were some on whom We sent Haasib (a violent wind with shower of stones) [as on the people of Loot (Lot)], and of them were some who were overtaken by As-Saihah [torment — awful cry, (as Thamood or Shu‘ayb’s people)], and of them were some whom We caused the earth to swallow [as Qaaroon (Korah)], and of them were some whom We drowned [as the people of Nooh (Noah), or Fir‘aun (Pharaoh) and his people]. It was not Allaah Who wronged them, but they wronged themselves” [al-‘Ankaboot 29:40]

What Muslims and others who are accountable and of sound mind must do is repent to Allaah, adhere firmly to His Religion and avoid all that He has forbidden of Shirk and sin, so that they may be safe and attain salvation from all evils in this world and the next, and so that Allaah will ward off from them all harm, and bless them with all good. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And if the people of the towns had believed and had the Taqwaa (piety), certainly, We should have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth, but they belied (the Messengers). So We took them (with punishment) for what they used to earn (polytheism and crimes).” [al-A’raaf 7:96]

And Allaah says concerning the People of the Book (interpretation of the meaning):

“And if only they had acted according to the Tawraah (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel), and what has (now) been sent down to them from their Lord (the Qur’ân), they would surely, have gotten provision from above them and from underneath their feet” [al-Maa’idah 5:66].

And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Did the people of the towns then feel secure against the coming of Our punishment by night while they were asleep? Or, did the people of the towns then feel secure against the coming of Our punishment in the forenoon while they were playing? Did they then feel secure against the Plan of Allaah? None feels secure from the Plan of Allaah except the people who are the losers.” [al-A’raaf 7:97-99]

Al-‘Allaamah Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Allaah sometimes gives the earth permission to breathe, which is when major earthquakes happen; this makes people feel scared, so they repent, give up sins, pray to Allaah and feel regret [for their sins]. When there had been an earthquake, some of the Salaf said: your Lord is warning you. When Madeenah was struck by an earthquake, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with you) addressed the people and said: if there is another earthquake, I will not stay here with you.”

And there are many similar reportes from the Salaf.

Our response when there is an earthquake or some other sign such as an eclipse, strong winds or floods, should be to hasten to repent to Allaah and pray to Him for safety, and to remember Him much and seek His forgiveness, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said when there was an eclipse: “If you see anything like that, hasten to remember Him, call on Him and seek His forgiveness.” (Part of an agreed-upon hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari (2/30) and Muslim (2/628)).

It is also mustahabb (recommended, encouraged) to show compassion to the poor and needy, and to give charity to them, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“Show mercy, you will be shown mercy.” (Narrated by Imaam Ahmad, 2/165)

“Those who are merciful will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Have mercy on those who are on earth, and the One Who is in heaven will show mercy to you.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood (13/285), al-Tirmidhi (6/43)).

“Whoever does not show mercy will not be shown mercy.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5/75), Muslim (4/1809)).

It was reported that when there was an earthquake, ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez (may Allaah have mercy on him) would write to his governors telling them to give in charity.

One of the things which will help to keep people safe and sound is if the authorities impose an immediate crack-down on the foolish elements in society, forcing them to behave and applying the laws of sharee’ah to them, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“The believers, men and women, are Awliyaa’ (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another; they enjoin (on the people) Al-Ma‘roof (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); they perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah), and give the Zakaah, and obey Allaah and His Messenger. Allaah will have His Mercy on them. Surely, Allaah is All-Mighty, All-Wise” [al-Tawbah 9:71]

“Verily, Allaah will help those who help His (Cause). Truly, Allaah is All-Strong, All-Mighty. Those (Muslim rulers) who, if We give them power in the land, (they) enjoin Iqamat-as-Salaah [i.e. to perform the five compulsory congregational Salaah (prayers) (the males in mosques)], to pay the Zakaah and they enjoin Al-Ma‘roof (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism and all that Islam has forbidden) [i.e. they make the Qur’aan as the law of their country in all the spheres of life]. And with Allaah rests the end of (all) matters (of creatures).” [al-Hajj 22:40-41]

“And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allaah, then He will suffice him.” [al-Talaaq 65:2-3]

And there are many aayaat on this topic.

The Prophet ( peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever meets the need of his brother, Allaah will meet his needs.” (Agreed upon; al-Bukhaari, 3/98; Muslim, 4/1996).

And he ( peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever relieves a believer of some of the distress of this world, Allaah will relieve him of some of the distress of the Day of Resurrection. Whoever makes things easier for one who is suffering hardship, Allaah will make things easier for him in this world and in the Hereafter. Whoever conceals a Muslim’s faults, Allaah will conceal his faults in this world and in the Hereafter. Allaah will help a person so long as he helps his brother.” (Narrated by Muslim, 4/2074). And there are many ahaadeeth on this topic.

Allaah is the One Whom we ask to reform the affairs of all the Muslims and to bless them with proper understanding of Islam and help them to adhere steadfastly to it and repent to Allaah from all their sins. We ask Him to reform all those who are in authority over the Muslims’ affairs and to support the Truth and eradicate falsehood through them, and to help them to rule the people according to the laws of sharee’ah, and to protect them and all the Muslims from misguidance and temptation and the tricks of the Shaytaan, for He is Able to do all that.

May the blessings and peace of Allaah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and companions, and those who follow them in truth until the Day of Resurrection.

Is it permissible to tell ones family of a pregnancy before three months?

My wife recently became pregnant for the second time and we want to announce it to every one. Is it permissible to announce it right away or is there a waiting period of three months before announcing pregnancy? could you please tell me what the ruling is on that.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

We ask Allaah to bless you with righteous offspring and to bless this child. 

Secondly: 

There is nothing wrong with telling other people about the pregnancy after you find out about it, and it is not essential to wait until three months have passed. Rather it is permissible to tell others before then, but you should limit that to family and close friends only. This is a general principle which should be paid attention to when telling others of blessings. The news should be given only to those who wish good for you and will rejoice over it, so as to ward off the evil eye and destructive envy (hasad). 

The evidence for that is the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Be discreet in order to achieve what you want, for everyone who is blessed is envied.” Narrated by al-Tabaraani and Abu Nu’aym; classed as sahaah by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 943. 

And Allaah knows best.

She entered Islam then she deviated from the path of guidance and she wants to repent

I am a sister who came to Islam about 11 years ago. I had always been curious about Islam because of my exposure to Malcolm X. I used to always see Muslim women and I absolutely adored them because I thought they were so dignified and beautiful from the way they dressed. However, after leaving home at the age of seventeen. I moved to a city where there were alot of Muslims. I was again exposed to Islam and was given a Quran as a gift. I was so happy and always felt in my heart that there was something so special about this way, though I was ignorant about the teachings. Anyway, it came at a very tender time in my life when I needed direction and help. I had no one, family, or anything but all the negativity surrounding me, from prostitution, drugs, gambling, murderers,robbing,and every thing under. Even all of my aunts and uncles were drug abusers, and there children soon became the same. Thank Allah I never allowed myself to get consumed with all the bad things that were happening around me. My sister and I Started to read the Quran at night and right away it touched my heart in a way that nothing else before had done. We would start to cry when we would read passages about the Hell Fire, because we always believed in HELL and did not want to go there. We knew without a doubt that this book was the truth. I felt that it was just to similar to the bible in many ways but was the next step. Two weeks later we went to the Masjid and took our shahadda. This Quran. Anyway, years passsed and the different stages I had gone through were unbelievable. I have now been married three times by brothers who basically treated me very bad and abandoned me. One of which asked for a divorce when I was pregnant. And when he told me that he did'nt love me I began bleeding profusely until I lost the baby. And the other 2 husbands had metal illnesses that I was unaware of before I married them. Now, that all of this has passed, it has broken me down completely. I used to be so strong and resiliant and now i feel like I am floating in a cloud and lost. How did I lose My Lord when he is so near? How do you get it back? Why did i leave Allah when I know that he says he will test the ones he loves the most? I feel so weak and broken, I feel that I have no value or beauty and now after all this time I have self destructed and doing some of the things that i said I would never do. I get drunk every day at home all by myself and I smoke cigartetts. I really dont want to live nor do I want to die because i know that I am not right. All the while I just wish I could have been protected from all of the fitnah and been with Allah by his side. Help Me.

Praise be to Allaah.

May Allaah help you, relieve your distress, guide your footsteps and forgive your sin. 

Your soul is still in your body, your heart is still beating and your mind is still thinking, so we will start from there. 

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah accepts the repentance of His slaves so long as the death rattle has not reached his throat.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (3537); classed as hasan by al-Albaani. 

You are not too weak and you are not a pile of dust like those who are in the graves, rather you still have the strength to start again, and in sha Allaah you are stronger than you think. The strong person is not the one who never falls, rather the strong person is the one who can get up again if he falls. 

Were you not following the religion of your forefathers, associating others with Allaah and disbelieving in His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then Allaah gave you the strength to leave all that behind, and you moved to a new religion that you were not used to and had not followed before? That is a thousand times harder than leaving the state you are in now. 

Weren’t the cups of wine filled around you and paths of temptation open to you, with no one watching for you to feel ashamed and thus be protected? But Allaah gave you strength and protected you from immorality and drinking alcohol. So now how can you give in to the situation you are in? 

You have the strength to recover. Do not help your enemy against yourself. If some wrongdoer slaps you, do not slap your other cheek. “He is not one of us who slaps his cheeks, rends his garment and prays with the call of Jaahiliyyah.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1294). 

There is a difference between the one who falls into a ditch and gives in to the fall, and laments his luck, blames fate and thinks badly of his Lord, and one who falls and knows that he deserved it because of his sin and bad deeds, and because he chose that for himself. “And verily, Allaah is not unjust to His slaves” [al-Anfaal 8:51]. So he gets up after stumbling, and seeks the help of his Lord in ridding himself of sin first of all, then relieving his distress, as he learns to say every day: “You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything)” [al-Faatihah 1:5]. Such is the strong believer whom Allaah loves. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allaah than the weak believer, although both are good. Strive to do that which will benefit you and seek the help of Allaah, and do not feel helpless. If anything befalls you, do not say ‘If only I had done (such and such), the such and such would have happened,’ rather say: ‘Allaah has decreed and what He wills He does,’ for ‘if only’ opens the door to the work of the shaytaan.”

Narrated by Muslim (2664).  

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Man is not commanded to refer to the concept of the divine decree with regard to the deeds that are enjoined upon him, rather he should refer to the concept of the divine decree with regard to calamities that he has no means to ward off. Whatever befalls you as the result of other people’s actions or otherwise, bear it with patience, accept it and submit. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“No calamity befalls, but by the Leave [i.e. Decision and Qadar (Divine Preordainments)] of Allaah, and whosoever believes in Allaah, He guides his heart [to the true Faith with certainty, i.e. what has befallen him was already written for him by Allaah from the Qadar (Divine Preordainments)]”

[al-Taghaabun 64:11] 

One of the salaf – either Ibn Mas’ood or ‘Alqamah – said: This is the man whom calamity befalls and he knows that it is from Allaah, so he accepts it and submits. Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (7/278). 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This hadeeth confirms some of the most important principles of faith, which include: 

Man’s happiness lies in his striving for that which will benefit him in this life and in the Hereafter. Striving means doing one’s utmost. As man’s striving and deeds can only be done with the help of Allaah and by His will, He has commanded him to seek His help, so as to fulfil the meaning of the verse:  “You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything)” [al-Faatihah 1:5]. His striving for that which will benefit him is an act of worship of Allaah and can only be achieved with Allaah’s help. So He commanded him to worship Him and to seek His help. 

Then he said: “And do not feel helpless”, because feeling helpless is the opposite of striving for that which will benefit him, and it is the opposite of seeking the help of Allaah. So the one who is striving for that which will benefit him and seeking the help of Allaah is the opposite of the one who feels helpless. This principle applies before what is decreed happens, and it guides the Muslim to that which is one of the greatest causes of attaining it, which is striving for it whilst seeking the help of the One in Whose hand are all things, from Whom they originate and to Whom they will return. If what is not decreed for him does not come to him, there are two scenarios: the first of which is feeling helpless, which opens the door to the works of the shaytaan, and this helplessness leads him to regret and say “if only” and there is no benefit in saying “if only”, rather this opens the door to blame, anguish, anger, regret and sorrow, all of which are from the shaytaan and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade opening the door to the shaytaan in this manner. Or in the second scenario, he may look at the divine decree and think about it, for if it is decreed (for him to get what he wanted) for him he would not have missed it and no one would have beaten him to it. Hence he said: “If anything befalls you, do not say ‘If only I had done (such and such), the such and such would have happened,’ rather say: ‘Allaah has decreed and what He wills He does.’” So he taught him that which will benefit him in either case: if he gets what he wanted and if he did not get it. Hence this hadeeth is one that a person can never do without. 

Shifa’ al-‘Aleel (37-38). 

Once you have understood this, there is no room for wishing for something different than what was decreed, for that is in fact like suggesting that Allaah should have decreed something else. There is no point in wishing that Allaah had spared you from these trials that you went through and that made you so alterable and confused after you had been guided to Him. 

Do you not know that tests and trials are an inevitable part of man’s existence in this life?  

“Verily, We have created man from Nutfah (drops) of mixed semen (sexual discharge of man and woman), in order to try him, so We made him hearer and seer”

[al-Insaan 76:2] 

People are like metals. Some are pure gold, some are a mixture, and some are less than that. The test is like a fire which will show whether the gold is truly gold or not. 

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Alif‑Laam‑Meem.

[These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’aan, and none but Allaah (Alone) knows their meanings.]

2. Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: ‘We believe’ and will not be tested.

3. And We indeed tested those who were before them. And Allaah will certainly make (it) known (the truth of) those who are true, and will certainly make (it) known (the falsehood of) those who are liars, (although Allaah knows all that before putting them to test)”

[al-‘Ankaboot 29:1-3] 

Shaykh Ibn Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

Allaah tells us of His perfect wisdom, and that His wisdom does not mean that everyone who says that he believes will remain as such, free from tribulations and tests, and not be faced with that which will confound their faith. If that were the case, then there would be no way to distinguish between one who is sincere and one who is lying. 

But His way with the earlier nations and with this ummah is to test them with good things and bad things, with ease and hardship, with good times and bad times, with wealth and poverty. He tests them by causing their enemies to prevail over them sometimes and He tests them when they strive against the enemies in word and deed, and other kinds of trials, all of which result from specious arguments about faith, which are contrary to certain faith and desires which undermine the resolve of the believer. 

If a person’s faith remains firm in the face of doubts and does not waver, and he wards them off with the truth that he has, and if, in the face of desires that call him to sin or to go against that which Allaah and His Messenger have enjoined, he does that which is required by faith, and strives against his desires, this indicates that his faith is sincere and valid.  

But if his heart is affected by doubts and desires, and they lead him to sin or divert him from his duties, this indicates that his faith is not valid or sincere. People are of varying degrees with regard to this matter, which are known only to Allaah, We ask Allaah to make us steadfast in this world and in the Hereafter, and to make our hearts steadfast in adhering to His religion, as tests and trials are like the bellows which brings out the dross and the good.  

O maidservant of Allaah, you do not want to live and you do not want to die.  

We say: We too would not like you to have this life of sin, but we hope that you do not die in this state, rather we hope that our Lord, the Lord of the Worlds, will not like you to live such a life and will not like you to die in this state. 

This situation is not as confusing as you think, and the solution is not for you to give in to loss, as you are doing now. Allaah does not want you to meet Him, after you die, in any state other than Islam. 

“O you who believe! Fear Allaah (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. (Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always,) and die not except in a state of Islam [as Muslims (with complete submission to Allaah)]”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:102] 

Nor does Allaah want you to live except in a state of Islam, which He has chosen for His slaves: 

“Say (O Muhammad): Verily, my Salaah (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allaah, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists).

163. He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims”

[al-An’aam 6:162-163]  

So what is the solution? Where should we start? 

The solution is to turn back to Him, and He will love you when you turn back to Him: 

“Allaah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves”

[al-Baqarah 2:222]

 He will grant you relief when you come back to Him, no matter how far astray you have gone. 

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, says: ‘I am as My slave thinks I am, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers me to himself, I remember him to Myself; if he remembers Me in a gathering, I remember him in a gathering better than it; if he draws near to Me a handspan, I draw near to him an arm’s length; if he draws near to me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length; if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.” Narrated by Muslim (2675). 

So what about sins and alcohol? 

Our Lord, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful, says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Say: O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Zumar 39:53] 

You still have a way to turn over a new leaf and make the record of your deeds white and clean. We do not mean that it will be white with no good deeds or bad deeds written on it so that we will go back to zero and start from scratch. No; what we mean is that we want it to be white with no sins on it, and by the mercy of the Most Merciful of those who show mercy, it will be filled with good deeds instead of every bad deed that you did and every sin into which you fell.

Have you not heard the words of Allaah which tell us of the characteristics of the slaves of the Most Merciful, where He mentions a number of their beautiful attributes that are beloved to Him, among which He mentions: 

“And those who invoke not any other ilâh (god) along with Allaah, nor kill such person as Allaah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.

69. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace;

70. Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful.

71. And whosoever repents and does righteous good deeds; then verily, he repents towards Allaah with true repentance”

[al-Furqaan 25:68-71] 

Do you not see how Allaah does not just forgive those major sins, but by His grace He turns them into good deeds! 

It was narrated from Abu Taweel Shatab al-Mamdood that he came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “What do you think if a man has committed all kinds of sins, and has not left out any of them, and he did not omit any minor or major sin but he did it, can he repent?”  

He said: “Have you become Muslim?” 

He said: “As for me, I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah alone, with no partner or associate, and that you are the Messenger of Allaah.” 

He said: “Do good deeds and abstain from bad deeds, and Allaah will make them all good deeds for you.” 

He said: “Even my betrayals and immoral deeds?”  

He said: “Yes.” 

He said: “Allaah is most great,” and he kept saying takbeer until he left. 

Narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer (7/314); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb. 

So, O maidservant of Allaah, change your state and do good deeds, and give up bad deeds, and they will all be turned to good deeds in your record of deeds. Then you will know that you cannot lose that closeness to Allaah, for you will still have the opportunity to be with Him in Paradise. 

Ibn al-Qayyim said: Come and be with Allaah, and draw close to Him in an abode of peace, with no exhaustion or tiredness or suffering via the closest and easiest routes. You are in a time between two times, which in fact is your life, your current time, between the past and the future. What has passed can be set right by repentance and regret and prayers for forgiveness, and that is something which will not exhaust you or tire you out and is not difficult. Rather it is an action of the heart.  As for the future, you should refrain from committing sin, and refraining from sin will give you a great deal of peace of mind.  It is not a physical action that is too hard to do, rather it is resolve and firm intention, which will bring physical and mental peace.  

But what matters is your life, which is your time between two times. If you waste it you will lose happiness and salvation. But if you take care of the present as well as correcting the past and the future as described above, then you will be saved and will have peace of mind, pleasure and tranquillity.  

Taking care of it is more difficult than setting right that which comes before and after it, for taking care of it requires you to do that which is best and most beneficial for you, and which is most likely to bring happiness, and people differ greatly with regard to that. 

Al-Fawaa’id (117). 

So seek the help of Allaah to deal with your situation and roll up the record of the past with all that it contains, and move on to set the rest of your life straight. Strive to keep company with good people who will help you deal with your situation, and if you can move to a new place, close to good and righteous people, then do that, for it will be better for you. Be mindful of Allaah and He will take care of you; be sincere towards Him and He will compensate you with good for what you have missed. 

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“O Prophet (Muhammad)! Say to the captives that are in your hands: If Allaah knows any good in your hearts, He will give you something better than what has been taken from you, and He will forgive you, and Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”

[al-Anfaal 6:70] 

In sha Allah, we are sure that you will do this, and we look forward to another message from you with good news of a new journey towards the light, just as we were saddened to hear of your stumbling from the path. 

And Allaah knows best.

Who has more right to her son – her or her husband whom she suspects of witchcraft? What are the signs of the practitioner of witchcraft?

My son is nearly 11 years old. He has become very aggressive; he does not respect me and shouts at me. Sometimes even he uses his hands without any justifications, after his father gave him a computer as a gift. His father deals by sihr, I do not know if he is sahir himself or not, Allah alone knows. He wants to take my son from me (as we are divorced).
How can I protect my son and myself? What can I do so that my son returns to how he was before? How can I know the reality of his father? In the case that I make sure he is a sahir and wants to harm me and my son, am I permitted to not let him see our son if he wanted to?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:  

Islam enjoins parents to take care of their children and raise them well. Children will grow up on what they hear, read and see in their home, on the streets and in school, and whatever faults happen in their upbringing are because of faults in one or  all of these aspects. 

What has happened with your son, of his bad attitude towards you, may because of what he has seen and heard at home of the problems between you and your husband, which led to divorce, or it may be because of the influence of what he has seen and read on the computer, or it may be the result of witchcraft done against him by his father in order to take him from you. Any of these things is possible, or it may be all of these reasons combined that has lead to this bad behaviour of your son towards you. 

Whatever the case, you have to set things straight by looking for the causes that have led to these problems, so that you can deal with the matter by dealing with the cause. If it is because of your problems with his father, then you must make him understand the reality of the situation and what happened [?} between you, in a way that is appropriate to his age and level of understanding. If the cause is what he hears, watches and sees on the computer then you must keep an eye on whatever he is looking at, and it is essential to teach him to make good use of the computer. If he does not respond, then you can forbid him to use it altogether. If the cause is his father doing witchcraft on him, then you can start to remedy it by using shar’i ruqyahs from the Qur’aan and saheeh dhikrs of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). There is no reason why you shouldn’t take him to someone whose religious commitment you trust, to treat him in the shar’i manner for such cases. 

Secondly: 

You can find out whether his father is really doing sihr (witchcraft) by finding out how he treats others or what he really says to those who visit him and consult him. 

Some of the scholars have mentioned the signs of the saahir (practitioner of witchcraft) by means of which anyone can discern the saahir from those who are good and righteous. These signs are: 

1.     He asks the sick person for his mother’s name, and some personal possession of the one for whom treatment is sought, such as his hair or clothing.

2.     He mumbles words that have no meaning and that the listener cannot understand. The muttering may be calls to the jinn or devils to come and serve him.

3.     Another sign is that the saahir does not attend Jumu’ah prayer or the five daily prayers in the mosque.

4.     He is dishevelled and smells bad, and he likes being in the dark and on his own.

5.     He gives the sick person an amulet (“hijab”) containing some mumbo-jumbo, squares or numbers. 

To find out the truth, he should have all or some of the characteristics. Thus you will know the truth about him. It should be noted that you may be exaggerating in suspecting him of witchcraft. You have to be fair in judging him, and fear Allaah before making accusations and claims of which he is innocent. 

But so long as you have separated from him, we do not think that you should concern yourself too much with your ex-husband and whether he is a saahir or not; rather what you should do is focus on how to protect yourself and your son, and how to fulfil your duty of raising this boy. 

Thirdly: 

With regard to custody of the child, it is known that the purpose of custody is to protect and take care of the child. Hence a person’s right to custody is waived if he is immoral or corrupt, or if he neglects him, or if he travels a great deal, which would harm the child’s interests. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him): 

It should be noted that there is no text which gives precedence to either parent in general terms, or chooses one of the parents in all cases. The scholars are unanimously agreed that neither of them is specified in all cases, rather when there is transgression of the limits or neglect, precedence is not to be given to the one who will be like that (i.e., the parent who will transgress the limits or be neglectful) over the one who is just and good and will do what is required. 

Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (34/132). 

It should be noted that the period of custody extends until the child reaches the age of discernment and independence, i.e., custody lasts until the child is able to discern and is independent of his guardian, in the sense that he can eat and drink by himself, and clean himself after going to the toilet by himself, and so on. 

As he has reached the age of 11, he should be given the choice of living with his father or with you, so long as the choice is made by him freely, without any pressure or compulsion, and so long as the reason for his choice is not that he will never be told to pray or obey Allaah, or to do anything that is in his religious or worldly interests, because his choice in this case would be harmful to him. Many children care only about choosing the one who will spoil them the most or give them the toys and games that they want, so in that case he should not be allowed to have what he wants. 

If it is proven that his father is engaging in witchcraft, then it is not permissible for him to take his son, rather he should be withheld from him until he repents sincerely to Allaah. 

If it is not proven that the father is engaging in witchcraft, then the parents should cooperate in raising their son, and pay attention to what is in his best interests, so that their conflict will not be a cause of the children failing and being lost. 

See also the answers to questions no. 8189 and 20705 and 21516. 

We ask Allaah to set all your affairs straight and to guide your son to that which our Lord loves and is pleased with, and to set his father straight and protect his religious commitment. 

And Allaah knows best.

She lives with her mother-in-law and there are a lot of problems between them

I married about ten years ago, and have two children. I live with my parents in law since I got married. I started my marriage life hoping that we build a family, and that they treat me like their daughter and I will do the same. But the relationship with them became “peaceful coexistence”, they may be a conversation so long as they do not criticise me. I do really miss the feeling of being beloved, especially when I am ill or tired. I do not feel that she cares about my health like a mother does. If I get tired she does not ask how I feel or if I feel any better, so I just do not say that I am tired any more. Sometimes she makes me feel like if I am just acting or pretending to be ill, and this really hurts me. As I do not ask to rest while she does what the home needs of cleaning, cooking etc.  
The other problem is the nature of my mother in law. She always criticises others’ actions, she is right about some things sometimes, and sometimes she just magnifies. She wants everything to happen in accordance with her desire; otherwise it is wrong, in her view.  
The problem is that she mostly criticises friends, her relatives or mine. She sometimes gives really sharp critique especially when she is angry, it becomes nearly like slandering. I feel we commit much of gheebah (backbiting). If I do not answer her or if I try to justify the other’s situation she becomes angry with me. She is only pleased when I say she is right and the other side is wrong. But so we hurt many people by this gheebah.  What deepens my sadness is when this criticising is about my family (my father, mother brothers, and their wives). She sometimes is right about what she says, but they are humans and they do mistakes. 
She does not only badly criticise a specific manner that made her angry in some situation, she talks about their personal life. If I show her that what she says annoys me, she becomes angry with me.  
My father in law passed away less than a year ago, and this made it even worse. She became very sensitive to any word or action of anyone we know. She even criticises me, every matter in our life she criticises; my way with her son (my husband), my children and my family. She wants me to blame my family for everything she thinks is wrong. Now I see that my brother complements her (for my sake), and even if she gets angry with anyone of them he comes and apologises. Is not this enough for me to confess their complement, as they could easily leave it but they are just apologising to her for my sake. 
As an example of what I am saying: my husband travelled for 10 days. My family was calling everyday to ask about us and if we need anything. But she criticised this saying that one of them should have come to us everyday to see if we want to go to anywhere etc. then the appointment of her weekly injection came. So my brother in law came and took us to the hospital, then took us to buy what we need for home. But she still criticised his behaviour saying that he should have bought something for my children who were with us. And she became very angry and said that he is stingy. 
As for me, she criticises me a lot especially recently. Sometimes she uses really hurtful words in front of my children. All these years I am just patient, I did not say a word or object to anything, respect for her and seeking my husband’s satisfaction. I always renew my intention considering all this for Allah’s sake.  
I feel I cannot tolerate it anymore. This has affected my health and made me very hot tempered with my children. I know this is the only way out to release my anger. I try my best to stop this or avoid it but I cannot. I do not feel that I have my private marriage life. There is no time to be alone with my husband. As I always sit with her and talk so that she does not feel lonely. I try not to let the conversation be about someone, so I just make it about general matters or religious issues.  
I do not spend time with my children to play; they are 9 and 6 years old. I do not that I have a home I am free in. As I have to ask for her permission before doing anything. She thinks I have no say in any matter and I cannot do anything alone, until I became really like this. What shall I do? I am doing everything within my ability to satisfy her. I do not feel I am at my home, I feel just like a guest who must be careful about what to do what should not be done all the time.  
I have talked about this to my husband. He said that this is her nature and we should not consider it just as if she does this only with us. As she behaves in the same way with all people, relative or stranger person, all the same. He said I should not let it be burden on myself psychologically. To be honest I could not understand quite well this theory or cope with it.  
I became just like “intense electricity”, I store pressure during the day and release it by crying all night so that I maybe able to tolerate the next day. I keep pressing on myself to accept what she says and show no annoyance of what she says about others, I feel very guilty as it is gheebah, or about my family, which hurts me even more. I just try to repress my anger and be extremely diplomatic trying to defend who she is making gheebah of. And I try my best to avoid her being angry with me because of me doing this. Sometimes I really fail to do both things at the same time, which makes her angry. 
I lost all my friends, I preferred to be far from them before marriage so that she may not criticise me, and also because I cannot complement them as I used to do before marriage, as I cannot go out to meet them but by her permission. Even visiting my family, we must use a trick somehow to make her say visit them herself. I am not free to go out with my husband anytime. In case we go out alone, we find her angry when we come back, and it becomes very obvious even to my husband that she is angry as we went out alone. I do not find any other reason for her anger although we ask for her permission before we go out.  
My husband does not have friends to socialise with. All the relationships are within work or they may meet outside without their families. We had very few relationships with his friends’ families and all finished because she keeps criticising every behaviour of his friend or his family. So we do not have any relationships with any family, while I am from a family who values the social life a lot. My mother’s and father’s friends are increasing over years. I think they both are righteous. They brought us up memorising quran and praying. They taught us that they good companions are very important in everyone’s life. That is why I feel emptiness in this side of my life and I do not know how to make up. 
I want to have good companions but I fear it increases my problems with my mother in law, what shall I do? I feel that I just cannot keep on. At the same time I do not want to spoil the best years in my children’s life by shouting at them. My ability to understand and appreciate is all used to absorb my mother in law’s anger. Anyway she is my husband’s mother; he should be good to her as I should respect her. But I feel that I won’t be able to tolerate more. Am I mistaken? Will I use the reward of patience by complaining to my husband or by directing my anger onto my children?  
If I ask my husband to specify sometime for us to spend it together or to go out, will this be considered disrespect or disobedience to her? How can I avoid falling into gheebah? Is it enough to denounce it by my heart and try to defend who she makes gheebah of so that I do not feel guilty of this sin and cause no problem for myself with her at the same time? If I have to answer her, can I say what satisfies her while my heart hates saying it, then ask Allah privately to forgive them? Will I be considered sinful? 
I am not just doing what I should with her or at home to not feel guilty, but it is not of pure love. I hoped I could feel as if I am her daughter. But this cannot happen from one side only. As the other side must feel the same as well. Am I sinful then to treat her well only because of the womb relation and respecting the old?  
Frankly I do not feel it is my home. We cannot complain to her as she does not accept any criticism easily. And she gets ill when she becomes angry, so is there any way to avoid what I am feeling? Or I have to keep tolerating? I am a human and my mood and psychological state have a very big effect on my relationship with my husband. 
Please help me may Allah reward you.

Praise be to Allaah.

You should understand that differences are human nature; human beings are not all the same in terms of attitude, religious commitment, reasoning and behaviour. You should also pay attention to the fact that when a person grows older, their reasoning diminishes and they become childlike in many ways. You should also remember that you are dealing with your husband’s mother, and usually mothers-in-law feel as jealous of their sons’ wives as they would of a co-wife. 

If you pay attention to all of the above, then your problems will begin to seem insignificant and your worry will be dispelled. What you are suffering from is something that many women suffer from, and it needs two important things: patience and wisdom. 

So bear with patience whatever you see and hear from your husband’s family, and be wise in your dealings with them, especially with your husband’s mother, for by means of your wisdom you will be able to avoid many problems and you will earn their approval or at least put a stop to their ill will towards you; and you will also win your husband’s heart and please him. 

Wisdom in your dealings with your husband’s mother means that you must speak nicely to her, praise her, pray for her, respond to her requests and be more concerned about her than she is herself, if she takes medicine, for example, or she has an appointment to visit a doctor. Gifts also play a major role in softening her heart and changing the way she deals with you. 

But it should also be noted that you are not obliged to serve her or take care of her in the sense of it being an Islamic obligation. What you are doing is something that is mustahabb and is liked in Islam, and it is also kindness towards your husband. Perhaps if she realizes that you are doing something that is not obligatory upon you in sharee’ah, and your husband realizes that also, this will elevate your status in their eyes. 

Secondly: 

This does not mean that you should go along with her in gheebah or backbiting when she does that; rather you should advise her to stop eating the flesh of people by backbiting them. If she stops, that will be better for her, and you will have the reward for that, but if she continues and does not pay attention, then it is not permissible for you to sit with her when she is backbiting about others. Rather you must leave her company and your doing this may play a role in her stopping backbiting. It is not sufficient for you to denounce it in your heart in this case, because you do not come under the heading of being forced to do it. It is essential for her and her son to understand this ruling, and you should understand that if you stay with her when she is doing that, then you are a partner with her in the sin of backbiting, so how about if you join in with them by speaking? 

Thirdly: 

You have every right to have a separate house in which you live with your husband and children, and you have the right to privacy, if your husband wants you to live with his family, and he will not be disobeying his mother if he allows you that. The wise and intelligent man weighs things against the standards of sharee’ah, and gives each person who is entitled to rights his or her due, and he does not take away from one in order to give to another.   

But despite that we know how difficult it is to live separately in many cases, especially in current circumstances when finding suitable accommodation, especially in the big cities, is very difficult to achieve. In this case the man must look at his circumstances in general with an open mind, so that he will not make things difficult for himself or for the people around him. Allaah has decreed proficiency in all things. 

Your husband has to understand the reality of your situation with his mother, because this is causing you to be edgy, which is affecting your children. It may also be affecting your husband. Hence he should hasten to solve the problems in his household, and he should accept frank discussion with you in all matters. He has to bear the responsibility that Islam has enjoined on him, and he has to honour his family, which also includes advising them and reminding them if they do something that is contrary to sharee’ah. He is also responsible for treating his wife kindly and he is responsible for raising his children. He is in great need of someone who can discuss these matters frankly with him and help him, and you are the main support who can help him in all these matters.  

We ask Allaah to guide you and set your affairs straight, and to reconcile between you, and to make you a happy family in this world and in the Hereafter.   

And Allaah knows best.

She wants to help her fiancé with regard to marriage but her siblings say no

I am a young woman aged 23 and am engaged. I was to help my fiancé with the requirements of marriage so that we can get married as soon as possible, because he is not well off, but my sisters do not agree. Please note that I will pay with my own money. Is that permissible, or does he have to provide everything?.

Praise be to Allaah.

You have done well in your intention to help your fiancé so that he can get married to you. This is something for which you should be thanked, and it is indicative of strong religious commitment and deep wisdom. 

Your helping your fiancé to go ahead with the marriage is helping him with his religious commitment and faith, and this is one of the greatest acts of worship, and is something that is regarded as praiseworthy in Islam. It is one of the best ways of spending one’s money. 

It was narrated that Thawbaan said: When the verse “And those who hoard up gold and silver” [al-Tawbah 9:34] was revealed, we were with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on one of his journeys. One of his companions said: This has been revealed concerning gold and silver; if we knew of any better kind of wealth we would acquire it. He said: “The best of it is a tongue that remembers Allaah, a heart that is grateful and a believing wife who will help him with his faith.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (3094) and Ibn Maajah (1856). In Ibn Maajah’s report it says: “who will help one of you with regard to the Hereafter.” The hadeeth was classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi and as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. 

Shaykh al-Mubaarakfoori (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

“A believing wife who will help him with his faith” means with his religious commitment, by reminding him to pray and fast and to do other acts of worship, and will prevent him from committing zina and other haraam deeds. 

Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi (8/390) 

Undoubtedly marriage helps a man to obey Allaah and keeps him away from haraam things such as looking and listening, and protects him from falling into zina. 

This is in general terms, but you should pay attention to some things, including the following: 

1-    The man’s seriousness with regard to marriage and how hard is is striving to meet the requirements of marriage. Because some people depend on the help of others and are not serious about doing what is required of them.

2-    If your fiancé is serious and he can afford some of the expenses of marriage but not all of them, there is nothing wrong with your helping him with some of what he needs, such as the wife buying some of the furniture and household equipment, or paying for some of the wedding expenses.

3-    The fiancé is a “stranger” (non-mahram) to his fiancée until the marriage contract is done, so during the engagement period it is not permissible for him to be alone with her, shake hands with her or go out with her, rather he is like any other stranger. See question no. 2572. 

We ask Allaah to help you both to do that which He loves and which pleases Him, and to bless you with good offspring. 

And Allaah knows best.