Following the Sunnah
626 questions
Is it permissible to interpret the Hadith "I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate" to mean that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, intended the establishment of an Islamic civilization founded on knowledge, and that all knowledge gathered in this city, taking into consideration the questioner's responses to Sheikh Uthman Al-Khamis and his understanding that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, named Yathrib "Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah" (the Illuminated City) because it is the city of knowledge?
What is the meaning of Bidʻah (innovation in religion)? Is there such a thing as a "good" Bidʻah and a "bad" Bidʻah? What are the consequences for a Muslim who celebrates the Prophet's birthday (Mawlid), knowing that the celebration includes praising the Prophet, mentioning his attributes, reciting the Qur’an and Hadith, supplicating, performing some obligatory prayers, and seeking intercession through the Prophet's status and the status of Surat Al-Fatihah? Is his act considered Haram (forbidden) and does it require repentance?
Are the widespread Sufi orders—such as the Naqshbandi, Qadiri, and Tijani—which have a continuous chain of transmission (sanad) back to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, considered valid in the view of Islamic Sharia?
What is the ruling on reciting Surat Al-Ikhlas and the Two Mu'awwidhat (Surat Al-Falaq and Surat An-Nas) collectively and aloud after the obligatory prayers in mourning gatherings and during days of condolence?
Is it permissible to supplicate with the following phrases: "Oh Allah, make my provision subservient to me and protect me from eagerness and hardship in seeking it, and from the preoccupation of worry, and from humiliation before creation. Oh Allah, facilitate for me a lawful provision, and hasten it for me, O Best Responder," or "Oh Allah, I ask You to grant me a lawful, vast, and good provision, without toil, hardship, harm, or difficulty. Indeed, You are over all things competent"?
What is the ruling on believing and following the authentic (sahih) hadith, the authentic due to external factors (sahih li ghayrihi), the good (hasan) hadith, the good due to external factors (hasan li ghayrihi), the weak (da'if) hadith, and the very weak (da'if jiddan) hadith, with a request for evidence from the Qur'an and the Sunnah? And does one who follows a hadith mentioned by Bukhari or Muslim, which they declared "authentic" (sahih), but it is not so due to their error, receive a reward, like the hadith "Whoever honors his parents, Allah will prolong his life," if it was falsely attributed to the Messenger?
Must the questioner divorce his wife who no longer obeys him, describes herself as not following the Sunnah of the Prophet, and whose behavioral problems persist, or not?
Is joining the Muslim Brotherhood unlawful (haram) and an innovation (bid‘ah) because there were no such groups during the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and does the noble verse apply to them: "Indeed, those who divided their religion and became sects – you, [O Muhammad], are not [associated] with them in anything. Their affair is only with Allah; then He will inform them of what they used to do"?
Is it forbidden to ridicule the saying: "Truthfulness is salvation," and is it obligatory to rebuke whoever does so?
What is your eminence's opinion on the fatwa that states that the term "Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah" refers to the Ash'aris and Maturidis, and that they are the saved sect (al-firqah al-najiyah) described by the Messenger as the great majority of the Ummah, citing scholars' sayings in support of this?
Why are there hadiths that are offensive to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in the authentic books, such as the claim that he attempted suicide, or that he had intercourse with his wives while they were menstruating, or his call to drink camel urine, or the existence of hadiths in Sahih al-Bukhari that indicate a deficiency in the Quran? And how can these hadiths be reconciled with the condition that a hadith must conform to reason and the character of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him?
How can the hadiths that indicate water was the first of creations be reconciled with the hadith of Ibn Abbas, "The first thing Allah created was the Pen," in order to resolve the contradiction that could lead to atheism?
What is the ruling on following the opinion of an Imam concerning the crucifixion of Christ, namely that the crucifixion of the Prophet Jesus did indeed occur, but that he did not die by it, rather he was raised to heaven after being replaced by another person, while denying the authenticity of Ibn Abbas's interpretation on this issue? And is this opinion considered an innovation (bid'ah) and a disparagement of the sayings of the Companions?
What is the difference between an "athar" (narrative/report), a narrated "khabar" (account/report), and an enduring "sunnah" (prophetic tradition/practice), and what is the meaning of "athar" in the saying "Whoever learns the language of a people is safe from their evil"?
Does delaying the recitation of supplications (adhkar) after obligatory prayers affect their merit, such as delaying them to attend a lecture or forgetting them for an hour or more?
Is the feeling of discomfort and inner turmoil when refusing to shake hands with a non-mahram woman, considering the hadith: "Consult your heart three times. Righteousness is that with which the soul is tranquil, and sin is that which wavers in the soul and moves to and fro in the breast, even if people give you a legal ruling again and again," an indication that this act contradicts God's will, or that the hadith might be fabricated, especially with the widespread practice of handshakes among people and the initial impression and aversion it can cause?
What is the ruling on one who calls a religious person "mutawwi'" or "shaykh," and what is incumbent upon the one so addressed?
To what extent is the following Hadith authentic: "My brother Abu Bakr and I were like two competing racehorses; I outran him, and he followed me, but had he outrun me, I would have followed him"?
What is the evidence from the Qur'an and Sunnah for the belief that the Prophet of Allah, Jesus, is the son of God? And did this belief come about through doubt, following whims, and rejecting what the monotheist disciples were upon? And who were those who introduced it? And did it come before or after the ascension? And did any of the disciples disbelieve?
Why did the four Imams forbid their emulation and condemn those who adopted their sayings without proof?
Is Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen’s description, may Allah have mercy on him, of those who adhere to the Sunnah of the single Adhan on Friday as “pedants” accurate, and which of the two is in accordance with the Sunnah: one Adhan or two?
How sound is the hadith that mentions the sinking of a city between Mecca and Medina at the End of Time?
Is it permissible to fight someone who intends to kill me with a weapon?
ما هو علاج التشدد في الدين؟