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Prohibitions that are taken too lightly (Intro)
Praise be to Allaah; we praise Him and seek His help and
forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from
our evil deeds. Whomever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomever
Allaah leaves astray, no-one will guide. I bear witness that there is no god but
Allaah Alone, with no partners or associates, and I bear witness that Muhammad
is His Slave and Messenger.
Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, has laid down
obligations which we are not permitted to ignore, and has set limits which we
are not permitted to transgress, and has set out prohibitions which we are not
allowed to violate.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Whatever Allaah has permitted in His Book is allowed, and whatever He has
prohibited is forbidden; whatever He has remained silent about is a concession,
so accept the concession of Allaah, for Allaah is never forgetful.” Then he
recited the aayah: “. . . and your Lord is never forgetful” [Maryam 19:64].
(Reported by al-Haakim, 2/375; classified as hasan by al-Albaani in
Ghaayat al-Maraam, p. 14)
The things which have been prohibited are the boundaries or
limits set by Allaah: “. . . And whosoever transgresses the set limits of Allaah,
then indeed he has wronged himself . . .” [al-Talaaq 65:1]
Allaah has issued a threat to the one who transgresses His set
limits and violates His prohibitions, as He says (interpretation of the
meaning): “And whosoever disobeys Allaah and His Messenger, and transgresses His
limits, He will cast him into the Fire, to abide therein; and he shall have a
disgraceful torment.” [al-Nisaa’ 4:14]
Avoiding that which has been forbidden is a duty, because the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whatever you have
been prohibited to do, avoid it, and whatever you have been commanded to do, do
as much of it as you can.” (Reported by Muslim, Kitaab al-fadaa’il,
hadeeth no. 130, Abd al-Baaqi edition).
It is well-known that some of those who follow their desires, who
are weak at heart and have little knowledge, become irritated when they hear
lists of prohibitions. They grumble and mutter, “Everything is haraam, you
haven’t left us anything that is not forbidden! You make our lives boring and
miserable. You don’t talk about anything but what is haraam, but religion is
supposed to easy, not strict, and Allaah is Forgiving and Merciful.”
In response to such remarks, we say: Allaah, may He be glorified,
rules as He wills and there is none to put back His judgement. He is All-Wise
and Aware, and He allows whatever He wills and forbids whatever He wills, may He
be glorified. One of the basic principles of our being His slaves is that we
should accept whatever He decrees and submit fully to it. His rulings stem from
His knowledge, wisdom and justice, and are not the matter of frivolity or
foolish whims, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): “And the Word of your
Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. None can change His words. And
He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.” [al-An’aam 6:115]
Allaah has explained to us the governing principle behind the
allowing and prohibiting of various things (interpretation of the meaning): “. .
. He allows them as lawful al-tayyibaat [(i.e., all good and lawful) as
regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.], and prohibits them as
unlawful al-khabaa’ith [(i.e., all evil and unlawful) as regards things,
deeds, beliefs, persons, foods, etc.] . . .” [al-A’raaf 7:157].
So what is good and pure is halaal, and what is evil and unclean
is haraam.
The right to determine what is halaal and what is haraam belongs
to Allaah alone. Whoever claims this right or affirms it for someone else is a
kaafir whose extreme kufr places him beyond the pale of Islam, as
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Or have they partners with Allaah
(false gods) who have instituted for them a religion which Allaah has not
allowed? . . .” [al-Shooraa 42:21]
Furthermore, no-one is allowed to speak about matters of halaal
and haraam except those who have knowledge of the Qur’aan and Sunnah. Allaah has
issued a stern warning to those who speak about halaal and haraam with no
knowledge (interpretation of the meaning): “And say not concerning that which
your tongues out forth falsely: ‘This is lawful and this is forbidden,’ so as to
invent lies against Allaah…” [al-Nahl 16:116]
Things which are definitively forbidden have been clearly stated
in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Say:
‘Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited you from: Join not anything
in worship with Him; be good and dutiful to your parents; kill not your children
because of poverty - We provide sustenance for you and for them; come not near
to al-fawaahish (shameful sins, illegal sexual intercourse, etc.) whether
committed openly or secretly; and kill not anyone whom Allaah has forbidden,
except for a just cause (according to Islamic law). This He has commanded you
that you may understand.” [al-An’aam 6:151]
The Sunnah also mentions many prohibitions; for example, the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has forbidden
the sale of wine (intoxicants), dead meat, pork and idols.” (Reported by Abu
Dawud, 3486; see also Saheeh Abi Dawud, 977).
“Whatever Allaah has forbidden, its price is also forbidden.”
(Reported by al-Daaraqutni, 3/7; it is a saheeh hadeeth).
Some texts mention specific types or groups of prohibitions, such
as when Allaah forbids certain types of food (interpretation of the meaning):
“Forbidden to you (for food) are: al-maytatah (the dead animals -
cattle-beast not slaughtered), blood, the flesh of swine, and the meat of that
which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allaah, or has been
slaughtered for idols, etc., or on which Allaah’s name has not been mentioned
while slaughtering, and that which has been killed by strangling, or by a
violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns - and that which
has been (partly) eaten by a wild animal - unless you are able to slaughter it
(before its death) - and that which is sacrificed (slaughtered) on al-nusub
(stone altars). Forbidden) also is to use arrows seeking luck or decision . . .”
[al-Maa’idah 5:3]
Allaah has also mentioned that which is forbidden with regard to
marriage, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): “Forbidden to you (for
marriage) are: your mothers, your daughters, your sisters, your father’s
sisters, your mother’s sisters, your brother’s daughters, your sister’s
daughters, your foster mother who gave you suck, your foster milk suckling
sisters, your wives’ mothers . . .”[al-Nisaa’ 4:23]
Allaah also mentions what kind of earnings are forbidden, as He
says (interpretation of the meaning): “. . . Allaah has permitted trading and
forbidden riba (usury) . . .” [al-Baqarah 2:275]
Allaah, Who is Merciful towards His slaves, has permitted
innumerable good things, of many kinds. He has not described the permitted
things in detail because they are so many; in contrast, He has described the
prohibitions in detail because they are limited, so that we will be aware of
them and can avoid them. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “. . . He
has explained to you in detail what is forbidden to you, except under compulsion
of necessity . . .” [al-An’aam 6:119]
But what is halaal is permitted as a general principle: as long
as something is good and pure, it is permitted: “O mankind! Eat of that which is
lawful and good on the earth . . .” [al-Baqarah 2:168]
It is a part of His Mercy that He has made all things halaal in
principle, except where there is proof (daleel) that they are haraam.
This is part of His generosity and bounty towards His slaves, for which we must
obey him, and give praise and thanks.
When some people hear a detailed list of the things that are
haraam, they become alarmed about the rules of Sharee’ah. This is due to their
weak faith and poor understanding of Islaam. One cannot help wondering whether
these people really want to be given a list of every type of thing that is
halaal, so that they can be convinced that Islam is easy! Do they need for us to
enumerate every type of good thing so that they can rest assured that Islam will
not make their lives dreary?
Do they want to be told that the meats of camels, cattle, sheep,
rabbits, deer, goats, chickens, pigeons, ducks, geese and ostriches over which
the name of Allaah has been mentioned, and fish and locusts, are halaal?
That vegetables, herbs, fruits and edible seeds are halaal?
That water, milk, honey, oil and vinegar are halaal?
That salt, seasonings and spices are halaal?
That using wood, iron, sand, stones, plastic, glass and rubber is
halaal?
That travelling via riding-beasts, cars, trains, ships and
airplanes is halaal?
That using air-conditioners, fridges, washing-machines,
tumble-dryers, mills, dough-mixers, meat-grinders, juicers, medical instruments,
engineering tools, calculators, microscopes, telescopes, machinery for
extracting water, oil and minerals, filters for purifying water, printing
presses and so on is halaal?
That wearing cotton, linen, wool, camel hair, fur, permitted
leathers, nylon and polyester is halaal?
That in principle marriage, buying, selling, sponsorship, bills
of exchange, renting, professions and trades such as carpentry, metalworking,
repairing machines and tending sheep are all halaal?
I wonder what would happen if we were to explain all this in
detail to them. “And what is wrong with these people that they fail to
understand any word?” [al-Nisaa’ 4:78]
As regards their claim that Islaam is easy, this is true, but
they are twisting the truth to try and prove something that is false. What is
meant by saying that Islaam is easy is not that it is in accordance with their
desires and opinions, but that is it easy in accordance with what the Sharee’ah
has brought. There is a huge difference between violating prohibitions by making
false claims about Islam being easy - although it is easy, beyond any doubt -
and availing oneself of legitimate concessions such as being allowed to join or
shorten prayers; to break one’s fast when travelling; to wipe one’s socks when
performing wudoo’ - for one day and one night for a person who is not travelling,
and for three days and three nights in the case of travelling; to perform
tayammum when one is afraid to use water; to join two prayers together when
one is sick or when rain is falling; to look at a non-mahram woman for purposes
of marriage; to have the choice, in the case of making expiation for a broken
vow, between freeing a slave or feeding or clothing the poor; to eat the meat of
dead animals when necessary - and other kinds of concessions allowed by
Sharee’ah.
In addition to the above, the Muslim should realize that one
principle underlies all the prohibitions in Islam: Allaah is testing His slaves
by means of these prohibitions, to see what they will do. One of the things that
distinguishes the people of Paradise from the people of Hell is that the people
of Hell indulge in the desires with which the Fire is surrounded, whereas the
people of Paradise patiently endure the hardships with which the Garden is
surrounded. Were it not for this test, the obedient would not be distinguished
from the disobedient. People of faith look at the difficulties involved from the
perspective of the reward they will earn by pleasing Allaah, so obedience
becomes easy for them. The hypocrites, on the other hand, view these
difficulties as a matter of pain, suffering and deprivation, so obedience
becomes a heavy burden on them.
By foregoing what is prohibited, the obedient person gains much
more: whoever forsakes something for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will compensate
him with something better, and he will enjoy the sweet taste of faith in his
heart.
This paper discusses a number of the prohibitions that have been
proven in Sharee’ah, based on evidence from the Qur’aan and Sunnah. (Some
scholars have grouped the prohibitions under headings such as al-kabaa’ir
or major sins. Among the best books on the topic is Tanbeeh al-ghaafileen ‘an
a’maal al-jaahileen by Ibn al-Nahhaas al-Dimashqi, may Allaah have mercy on
him). These prohibitions include actions which are widely practised among many
Muslims. By mentioning them my intention is to correct and advise people. I ask
Allaah to guide me and my Muslim brothers, and to help us to adhere to the
limits which He has set and to avoid the things that He has prohibited, and to
save us from our evil deeds. And Allaah is the Best to guard, and He is the Most
Merciful of those who show mercy.
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