Author: baseerahforum21
Answered by Sheikh Abdul-Rahman Zyka
Summary
In the response below, the Sheikh:
- Emphasises the importance of consuming lawful and good food in Islamic Faith
- Outlines foundational principles in Islamic Jurisprudence regarding capability, ownership, necessity, and extreme situations.
- Highlights ethical considerations, gratitude, and the downfall of ingratitude.
- Highlights the hadeeth in which Ibn Abbas advises avoiding extravagance and arrogance
- Concludes with a supplication for Allah’s blessings and recognition that Allah knows best.
Deep Dive
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah, upon his family, his
companions, and those who follow him.
The true Islamic faith guides its followers to eat from the lawful (Halal) and good types of food and drink, and it warns and prohibits them from the unlawful (Haram) and corrupt ones. In the Noble Quran and the pure Sunnah, there are many texts reinforcing this, among them, the Quranic verse from Surat Al-Baqarah:
“O believers! Eat from the good things We have provided for you. And give thanks to Allah if you truly worship Him alone” (Al-Baqarah: 172).
Abu Huraira narrated that the Messenger of Allah PBUH said, “Verily Allah the Exalted is Pure (Tayyib). He does not accept but that which is pure. Allah commands the believers with what He commanded the Messengers. Allah the Almighty has said, ‘O you Messengers! Eat of the good things and act righteously’. And Allah the Almighty also said, ‘O you who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided you with. Then he (the Prophet) mentioned (the case of) the man who, having journeyed far, is dishevelled and dusty and who stretches out his hands to the sky (saying): “O Lord! O Lord!” (in supplication), while his food was unlawful, his drink was unlawful, his clothing was unlawful, and he is nourished with unlawful things, so how can he be answered?” [Muslim]
From the aforementioned verse and hadith, which are selected from the many on this issue, the importance of consuming what is lawful and the obligation of avoiding what is unlawful concerning food and drink becomes evident to us.
In light of this, we should be observe how the obligations of true Islamic law, the principles of the glorious Sharia, the criteria for halal and haram, and the standards for right and wrong, all of these matters revolve – always – around several vital circles (or considerations) considered as the foundations of Islamic jurisprudence. Among them are:
Firstly, the circle of capability and ability. When Allah Almighty obligated mankind, He only obligated them with what they can bear and did not burden them beyond their capacity. Allah says in the final verse of Surah Al-Baqarah, “Allah does not require of any soul more than what it can afford. All good will be for its own benefit, and all evil will be to its own loss.”
Secondly, the circle of ownership and what is available to a person. Islam does not obligate its followers with what they do not possess or over which they have no authority. Allah Almighty said in verse 7 of Surah At-Talaq, “As for the one with limited resources, let him provide according to whatever Allah has given him. Allah does not require of any soul beyond what He has given it. After hardship, Allah will bring about ease.”
Thirdly, the circle of necessity and life’s demands. A person eats and drinks what they need without extravagance or deficiency. Allah Almighty said in verse 31 of Surah Al-A’raf, “O Children of Adam! Dress properly whenever you are at worship. Eat and drink, but do not waste. Surely, He does not like the wasteful.”
Fourthly, the circle of extreme necessity. There might be situations where a person is excused from the previously mentioned rules and can exceed them in cases of dire necessity. In such cases, what is forbidden becomes permissible, the haram becomes halal, and the wrong becomes right. This is the situation of extreme necessity that preserves a person’s life and protects him from certain death. In Verse 3 of Surah Al-Ma’idah, after Allah Almighty enumerated for us a number of forbidden foods including the dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and what has been dedicated to other than Allah, and the strangled, the killed by a blow, the killed by a fall, the gored to death, what wild animals have eaten, except what you [are able to] slaughter [before its death], and those which are sacrificed on stone altars, and many other prohibitions. After this explanation, Allah Almighty concludes the noble verse by saying, "but if any of you is forced by hunger to eat forbidden food, with
no intention of doing wrong, then God is most forgiving and merciful.”
These important circles and jurisprudential rules delineate the path for us and determine the guidelines that enable us to deal with the matter of ensuring the lawful and guarantee us not to fall into the unlawful concerning food and drink, and the religious laws in general.
All of this can be summarized in the agreed-upon hadith:
“What is lawful is clear and what is unlawful is clear, but between them are certain doubtful things which many people do not recognize. He who guards against doubtful things keeps his religion and his honour blameless, but he who falls into doubtful things falls into what is unlawful, just as a shepherd who pastures his animals round a preserve will soon pasture them in it. Every king has a preserve, and God’s preserve is the things He has declared unlawful. In the body there is a piece of flesh, and the whole body is sound if it is sound, but the whole body is corrupt if it is corrupt. It is the heart.” Narrated by Bukahri and Muslim.
The noble hadith provides clarity on the evident lawful sustenance that one can consume, enjoy, and be grateful to Allah Almighty for, but without extravagance or illusion. It also elucidates the evident unlawful that one must steer clear of and avoid out of reverence for Allah Almighty. As for what lies between these two categories, the uncertainties which are neither clearly lawful nor clearly unlawful, it is best to avoid them to safeguard one’s religion and honor, as referred to in this hadith. Naturally, the more doubtful something becomes, the more essential it is to keep a distance from it, as it tends to lean closer to the unlawful.
Such uncertainties include, for example, frequenting certain commercial establishments that sell a mixture of foods and beverages to their customers without ensuring their lawfulness or prohibition. In such cases, it is impermissible to purchase from places where doubts exist, out of caution and to prevent falling into the unlawful. Allah Almighty says in verse 16 of Surah At-Taghabun, “So be mindful of Allah to the best of your ability, hear and
obey…”.
And a Muslim can purchase their food and drink from places selling exclusively Halal food without any compelling reason to buy from elsewhere. Especially if there are alternatives such as Muslim-owned restaurants. In such situations, what is mentioned in verse 119 of Surah Al-An’am applies, where Allah Almighty says, “[Satan says] I will mislead them and incite vain desires in them…”. There is no compelling reason to be driven to food outlets where a risk of consuming unlawful food exists in circumstances where we have Halal alternatives.
In conclusion, let’s not forget the realm of ethics and manners concerning blessings. Food and drink are among the blessings of Allah Almighty upon humans, and the lawful and the prohibited are not only linked to their source. They are also associated with gratitude towards these blessings and good manners concerning them. In verse 172 of Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah Almighty says, “You who believe, eat the good things We have provided for
you and be grateful to God, if it is Him that you worship.”
In the noble verse, a connection is made between eating and giving thanks. Part of the proper etiquette for a blessing is to be thankful for it and to recognise it, or else it could turn into a calamity, just like what happened with Qarun (Korah) who did not attribute blessings to their origin, but instead attributed them to his knowledge and intelligence. He even boasted about them with pride and arrogance to his people. The result was that Allah
caused the earth to swallow him, his residence, and his treasures, turning the blessing into a calamity because of his ingratitude and bad manners towards them.
In this regard, Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Eat what you wish and wear what you wish as long as you avoid two things: extravagance (Israf) and arrogance (Makhilah).”; Narrated by Bukhari.
We ask Allah Almighty to bestow upon us His immense blessings, to grant us barakah in them, and to make us among those who are grateful to Him for them. Ameen.
And Allah Knows Best.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Assalamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh
All praise and gratitude are due to Allah SWT. May the blessings and peace of Allah SWT be upon His Messenger PBUH.
Allah, in His wisdom, has bestowed upon mankind the faculties of reason and intellect. He has revealed His divine guidance through Scriptures and sent Messengers to call people to the truth and warn them against falsehood. However, He has also granted humans the freedom to make their own choices. Those who choose to obey benefit themselves, while those who disobey bring harm upon themselves. Allah states, “Verily, We showed him [the human being] the way, whether he believes or disbelieves” (Quran, 76:3). Additionally, He declares, “And say: “The truth is from your Lord.’ Then whosoever wills, let him believe; and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve.” (Quran, 18:29).
Guidance ultimately rests in the hands of Allah. If He so willed, He could guide all of humanity, as nothing within the realms of earth and heavens is beyond His capabilities. He says, “Say: ‘With Allah is the perfect proof and argument; had He so willed, He would indeed have guided you all'” (Quran, 6:149).
Nevertheless, in His infinite wisdom, Allah has endowed us with the ability to choose. He has sent down guidance and the Criterion, being the Quran, to assist us. Those who sincerely seek guidance, obey Him, and turn to Him will be granted guidance and steadfastness on His path. Allah affirms, “And those who strive for the sake of Us (to find guidance), We will surely guide them to Our ways, and indeed, Allah is with the doers of good” (Quran, 29:69). Furthermore, He states, “While as for those who accept guidance, He increases their guidance and bestows on them their piety” (Quran, 47:17).
Conversely, those who knowingly, willingly, and arrogantly reject the truth, disobey Allah, and turn away from Him will not be granted the guidance they spurned. They shall deserve Allah’s punishment, as He declares, “Truly, Allah guides not him who is a liar and a disbeliever” (Quran, 39:3). He also states, “I will turn away from My signs those who act unjustly with arrogance in the land. And even if they were to see every sign, they still would not believe in them. If they see the Right Path, they will not take it. But if they see a crooked path (the paths of devil and desires), they will follow it. This is because they denied Our signs and were heedless of them” (Quran, 7:146).
Human beings possess the freedom to choose based on their reasoning capabilities. However, if a person loses the faculty of reason, which allows them to differentiate between good and evil, truth and falsehood, they are not held accountable by Allah’s mercy and grace. According to Islamic law, the insane person is not accountable until they regain their senses, and the same applies to children until they reach the age of understanding and to sleepers until they wake up. None of these individuals are held accountable until they acquire or regain the ability to discern between matters of faith and disbelief, truth and falsehood, and the like.
Overall, each path a person chooses will yield corresponding rewards and punishments. Obedience leads to Paradise, as Allah affirms, “Indeed, he succeeds who purifies his own self (i.e., obeys and performs all that Allah ordered, by following the true Faith of Islamic Monotheism and by doing righteous good deeds)” (Quran, 91:9). Conversely, disobedience leads to Hell, as stated, “And indeed, he fails who corrupts his own self (i.e., disobeys what Allah has ordered by rejecting the true Faith of Islamic Monotheism or by following polytheism, or by doing every kind of evil wicked deed)” (Quran, 91:10).
The choice between these two paths is a matter for which every individual will be held accountable by the Lord of the Worlds. It is evident that faith or disbelief, obedience or disobedience, is a personal choice. Allah has made reward and punishment contingent upon this choice.
But what of those whom the message of Islam never reached?
It is an integral aspect of Allah’s justice that He does not punish any people until He has first sent them a warning and established evidence against them. Allah treats everyone with absolute fairness. As stated in the Quran, “And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning)” (17:15).
In his tafseer (exegesis or commentary) on this verse, the scholar Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) explained that these words emphasise the justice of Allah, indicating that He does not punish anyone until after He has provided evidence against them by sending a Messenger. This is reinforced by other verses: “Every time a group is cast therein [into Hell], its keeper will ask, ‘Did no warner come to you?’ They will say, ‘Yes indeed; a warner did come to us, but we belied him and said: Allah never sent down anything (of revelation), you are only in great error'” (67:8), and, “And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups, till, when they reach it, the gates thereof will be opened (suddenly like a prison at the arrival of its prisoners). And its keepers will say, ‘Did not the Messengers come to you from yourselves, reciting to you the Verses of your Lord, and warning you of the Meeting of this Day of yours?’ They will say: ‘Yes, but the Word of torment has been justified against the disbelievers!'” (39:71).
A person who has never heard of Islam or the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, and who has never been exposed to the true message in its correct form, will not be punished by Allah if they die in a state of kufr, or disbelief. Regarding their fate, it will be subject to Allah’s Judgment on the Day of Resurrection. In some way befitting of His Wisdom, they will be tested. If they obey, they will enter Paradise, and if they disobey, they will enter Hell. The evidence for this can be found in the hadith narrated by al-Aswad ibn Saree, in which the Prophet PBUH said:
“There are four (who will protest) to Allah on the Day of Resurrection: the deaf man who never heard anything, the insane man, the very old man, and the man who died during the interval between the time of Jesus and the time of Muhammad. The deaf man will say, ‘O Lord, Islam came but I never heard anything.’ The insane man will say,
‘O Lord, Islam came but the children ran after me and threw stones at me.’ The very old man will say, ‘O Lord, Islam came but I did not understand anything.’ The man who died during that interval will say, ‘O Lord, no Messenger from You came to me.’ Allah will accept their promises of obedience, and then a command will be issued for them to enter the Fire. By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, if they enter it, it will be cool and safe for them.” Another report adds: “Whoever enters it, it will be cool and safe for him, and whoever does not enter it will be dragged to it.” (Reported by Imam Ahmad and Ibn Hibbaan).
Ultimately, for those who hear the message of Islam in its true and accurate form and reject it, evidence will be established against them. However, for those who have not heard the message or have heard it in a distorted manner, their case is entrusted to Allah. Allah possesses the most comprehensive knowledge of His creation and will never treat anyone unjustly. He is the All-Seeing of His servants.
And Allah Knows Best.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Assalamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh
All praise and gratitude are due to Allah SWT. May the blessings and peace of Allah SWT be upon His Messenger PBUH.
Indeed, the noble Islamic faith encourages piety towards parents and emphasizes the obligation of children to treat them kindly. In fact, God Almighty has paired His worship alone, without partners, and the kind treatment of parents in four instances within the Holy Quran. This is iterated in many verses of the Quran:
- Verse 36 of Surah Al-Isra states: “And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, do good. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], “uff,” and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word.”
- Verse 85 of Surah Al-Baqarah states: “And [recall] when We took the covenant from the Children of Israel, [enjoining upon them], “Do not worship except Allah; and to parents, do good and to relatives, orphans, and the needy. And speak to people good [words] and establish prayer and give Zakah.” Then you turned away, except a few of you, and you were refusing.”
This illustrates how Islam elevates and promotes kindness, respect, and good treatment of parents.
Prophet Muhammad PBUH drew the attention of children to the opportunity of their parents’ presence as a means to enter Jannah through being good to them and treating them well. The Noble Prophet PBUH warned those who do not seize this opportunity of disappointment, loss, and disgrace. Imam Muslim narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah PBUH said, “May his nose soil with dust, may his nose soil with dust, may his nose soil with dust.” It was asked: “Who, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied: “One who sees either of his parents during their old age or he sees both of them, but he does not enter Paradise (through being dutiful to them).”
Yet, it is inevitable to have disagreements between parents and children due to differing viewpoints, age gaps, differing circumstances, and varying objectives from one generation to another. This occasionally leads to what is known as the generation gap. Despite this, the gap of disagreement should not expand, nor should the divergence deepen to the point that it leads to disputes, conflicts, or even enmity and resentment between children and parents. If this happens, it would not please Allah Almighty but would only please the devils of humans and jinn who love discord among loved ones, separation among family members, and unravelling its bond. May Allah protect us from that.
Therefore, there is a duty on both parents and children to maintain pleasant familial relations and strengthen bonds of love and sibling ties. This can be achieved through:
- Implementing principles of mutual love and compassion among family members.
- Fulfilling the responsibilities each member holds before seeking their rights.
- Considering the feelings associated with decision-making and future planning.
- Cooperating and aligning viewpoints and unifying goals.
- Dedication, sacrifice, and competing to bring happiness to the other, and preferring them over oneself.
If the above mentioned were achieved in a family, it would secure its share of bonding and harmony. The doors of goodness would remain open to them, and everyone would enjoy genuine love and profound happiness. This would validate Prophet Muhammad’s saying: “You see the believers in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy just like one body. When one limb suffers, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever.” (Narrated by Bukhari).
If this happens, family affairs would run smoothly, decisions would be made easily, a parent would not be angry with his child, a child would not need to rebel against his parent, and no family member would have to leave home. Leaving the home and becoming independent of the family, and preferring to live alone in a new home, is not forbidden in itself if it is done with mutual consent and consultation among them, and if the family deems it necessary and beneficial. For example, the home might be small and not accommodate everyone, or perhaps one of them has decided to marry and bought or rented a new house to live in and start a new family, extending the original one, or for similar logical reasons and acceptable excuses.
However, leaving the family and becoming independent due to disagreements, conflicts, or disputes leading to a child’s disobedience to his parent, or conflicts resulting in disputes and severing of kinship ties, which then gives rise to enmity and resentment, is not permissible in Islam. Everyone must work together to reach mutual understanding and find practical solutions that reconcile family members and reunite them. There are no problems without solutions, and no solutions without compromise and sacrifice. We must strive to find those solutions and work to implement them in earnest, instead of displaying stubbornness, discord, and poor behaviour that may lead to regrettable consequences. May Allah save us from actions that later in life we may come to regret. May He make us dutiful to our parents, even when it seems difficult and burdensome. May He make us of those who earn His pleasure through making sacrifices for the interests of our parents.
And Allah Knows Best.