Friday 23 March 2012

Making supplication dependent upon sincerity in a particular action

Is it permissible for a person to say in his du’aa’: O Allah, if I am sincere in this action of mine then make me succeed, or help me to complete this matter? In other words, connecting the answer to this supplication to sincerity in action; if Allah answers the prayer and makes the specific action complete, then this is a sign that Allah has accepted it and that he was sincere in it, but if Allah does not answer, then this is a sign that the person was not sincere, because he has made a connection between sincerity in his supplication and the action being done or completed.

Praise be to Allaah.
It is permissible for a person to say in his supplication: O Allah, if I am sincere in this action of mine then make me succeed, or make it perfect for me.

Something like that is narrated in the hadeeth of the three people who were shut in the cave, and they asked Allah for help by virtue of their righteous deeds, and each of them said in his du’aa’: O Allah, if You know that I did that seeking Your Countenance, then grant us relief. And Allah answered their prayer. We will quote the text of this hadeeth here:

It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar said: The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) said: “Whilst three men were walking, it began to rain, and they found shelter in a cave in a mountain. Then a rock from the mountain fell over the mouth of the cave, and they were trapped. They said to one another: See if you have done any righteous deeds for the sake of Allaah, and pray to Allaah by virtue thereof, so that He might remove the rock for you.

One of them said: O Allaah, I had my parents who were old, and my wife, and I had young children. I used to graze the sheep for them and when I come back in the evening, I used to milk (the sheep) and I would start with my parents, and give them to drink before my children. One day I was delayed and I did not come back until evening, and I found that they had gone to sleep. I milked (the sheep) as usual, then I brought the milk and stood by their heads, but I did not like to wake them from their sleep, and I did not like to give milk to the children before them. The children were crying at my feet, and I remained like that and they remained like that until dawn came. If You know that I did that seeking thereby Your Countenance, then open it a little for us, so that we may see the sky. Then Allaah opened it a little for them, and they could see the sky.

The next one said: O Allaah, I had a female cousin whom I loved as deeply as any man loves a woman, and I wanted to have my way with her, but she refused unless I brought her one hundred dinars. I worked hard and collected one hundred dinars, and brought that to her. But when I was between her legs, she said: O slave of Allaah, fear Allaah and do not break the seal except in a lawful manner. So I got up and left her. If You know that I did that seeking thereby Your Countenance, then open it some more for us. And He opened it some more for them.

The last one said: O Allaah, I hired a man in return for a measure (faraq) of rice, and when he had finished his work he said: Give me my wages. I offered the measure of rice to him but he refused it. So I sowed the rice many times until I had acquired cows and a herdsman thereby. Then he came to me and said: Fear Allaah and do not wrong me with regard to my wages. I said: Go to these cows and their herdsman and take them. He said: Fear Allaah and do not make fun of me. I said: I am not making fun of you. Take the cows and herdsman. So he took them and went away. If You know that I did that seeking thereby Your Countenance, then open the rest of it for us. So Allaah opened the rest of it.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2272) and Muslim (2734).

But the fact that Allah helped him does not necessarily mean that this person was sincere in this action of his and if he is not helped it does not necessarily mean that he was not sincere.

Because he may have been sincere in his action, but Allah withheld the response for another reason, such as punishing him for sins that he committed or for consuming something haraam and so on.

And he may not have been sincere in his action but Allah completed it for him for a reason other than his supplication, either to let him get carried away or because this supplication happened to be in accordance with something that had already been decreed, so what Allah willed happened, but it was not because of the supplication.

And that may be an indication of his sincerity in action and that Allah accepted his supplication, but we cannot be certain of that.

And Allah knows best.

How can he claim that it is the day of ‘Arafah when he is in a country that differs with Makkah with regard to sighting the new moon?

Ive read in your fatwas, this will mean for non-pilgrims the 9th day for fasting is different for those following the regional opinion of eid ul adha to the 9th day in saudi arabia e.g. yoour 9th day for fasting in the uk may be when it is the 10th day of eid in saudi.
Ok that i understand. The bit I'm not sure about is:
I've read in a book, that you should do duaas on the day of arafat 9th day, just like the pilgrims are doing, its good day for duas even for non pigrims to be done simultaneously. This can easily be done if you are following the opinion there is one eid for all, since your 9th day will match.
However, how can the above be done if you are following the regional opinion, since the 9th day may differentiate, e.g. you will end up doing duas on different 9th day to saudi, hence you will not be doing it simultaneously when the pigrims are doing it?
e.g. lets say its 9th day of arafat in saudi, but in the uk, you are following regional opinion and for you its the 8th day, do you start doing the duaas in order to do them simultaneously on the same day with the pigrims even though its the 8th day for you in the uk? (or do you wait till its your 9th day), in which case it will not be simultaneous because the uk's 9th day with be the 10th day in saudi?.

Praise be to Allaah.
The day of ‘Arafah and the fast thereon is the ninth day of the month of Dhu’l-Hijjah, which is defined for each country according to their sighting of the new moon of Dhu’l-Hijjah. So it may be on Thursday for the people of Makkah, and for others it may be on Wednesday or Saturday. It is not essential to follow the people of Makkah when there are differences in the sighting of the new moon. This is the most correct of the scholarly views, that each country has its own sighting when there is a difference concerning that.

If the Muslims in Britain have sighted the new moon, then the Muslims in that country should follow their sighting, otherwise they should follow the sighting of the country closest to them. See the answer to question no. 40720.

Secondly:

There is a great deal of virtue in offering supplication (du‘aa’) on the day of ‘Arafah, because of the hadeeth of ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with him), according to which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The best of supplication is supplication of the day of Arafat, and the best of what I and the Prophets before me said is: Laa ilaaha illa Allah wahdahu, laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner or associate; His is the Dominion, to Him be praise, and He has power over all things).”

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (3585) and classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1536.

Does this virtue apply only to those who are in ‘Arafat, or does it include other places too?

Concerning that there is a difference of opinion among the scholars, which has been discussed previously in the answer to question no. 70782

According to the opinion that it includes other countries and places too, the same may be said concerning it as is said above. So each person should offer supplication on the ninth day of Dhu’l-Hijjah, according to the sighting of the new moon in his country, even if the pilgrims stood in ‘Arafat on the previous day or will do so on the following day.

And Allah knows best.

Is it permissible to ask Allah for his wife, whom he divorced three times, to marry a man who she does not get on with, so that he can take her back?

I divorced my wife irrevocably but I want to take her back. I know that tahleel marriage (i.e., marriage to another man in order to get divorced from him so that she can go back to her first husband) is haraam, and that in order for me to marry her again, she has to marry another person in a genuine marriage, not one that is a trick in order to make it permissible for me to marry her. All of these things will take time. Is there any other, shorter way for me to take her back?
Is it permissible for me to pray to Allah that she will find a husband who she does not get on with, so she will get divorced quickly and I will have the opportunity to marry her again?.

Praise be to Allaah.
A man should not be hasty in divorcing his wife, because of the many bad consequences that result from that, which cause harm to the husband, the wife and the children. A man may regret the divorce when it is too late and his regret does not benefit him.

If a man has divorced his wife for the third time, she is not permissible for him until she has been married to another husband, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And if he has divorced her (the third time), then she is not lawful unto him thereafter until she has married another husband. Then, if the other husband divorces her, it is no sin on both of them that they reunite, provided they feel that they can keep the limits ordained by Allaah. These are the limits of Allaah, which He makes plain for the people who have knowledge”

[al-Baqarah 2:230].

You have done well to avoid a tahleel marriage, because it is haraam and invalid. The Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) cursed the one who does it and the one for whom it is done.

Abu Dawood (2076) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “May Allah curse the one who does a tahleel marriage and the one for whom it is done.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

For more information on the invalidity of the tahleel marriage, please see the answer to question 109245.

There is no other way to take back a wife who has been divorced three times, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And if he has divorced her (the third time), then she is not lawful unto him thereafter until she has married another husband” [al-Baqarah 2:230]. The word “until” here means she remains haraam to him until this situation is fulfilled, “until she has married another husband”.

With regard to your asking Allah to decree that she marry a man who she does not get on with, so that he will divorce her and then you can marry her again, what is better than that is for you to ask Allah to make it easy for you to marry her if that is good for you, because you do not know whether marrying her will be good or not, because she was married to you but your life together not as it should have been.

Moreover, you should not pray that there be no harmony between her and the man she marries; rather you should leave the matter to Allah so that He will decree the causes by which she might leave that husband so that she will become permissible for you, if there is any good for you in taking her back.

This is proper etiquette towards Allah, not asking Him to do what you want. The Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) mentioned the story of Ashaab al-Ukhdood (the people of the ditch) in which the believing boy prayed against his enemies, saying: “O Allah, suffice me against them by whatever means You will.” Narrated by Muslim, 3005

The point is that there is nothing wrong with you praying that it be made easy for you to remarry her, but it is better to limit that by saying “if that is good for me.”

But what we think is best is for you to cut off any attachment to her. Things like what you are seeking and looking for are not easy to attain; rather this is very unlikely, especially as you know that your taking her back if she gets divorced from another husband depends on whether you both think that you can both adhere to the laws of Allah and respect and keep His sacred limits, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

 “And if he has divorced her (the third time), then she is not lawful unto him thereafter until she has married another husband. Then, if the other husband divorces her, it is no sin on both of them that they reunite, provided they feel that they can keep the limits ordained by Allaah. These are the limits of Allaah, which He makes plain for the people who have knowledge”

[al-Baqarah 2:230].

Shaykh Ibn Sa‘di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

Remarriage is conditional upon them both thinking that they can “keep the limits ordained by Allaah”, by each of them respecting the rights of the other. That means both regretting the previous conduct that led to divorce, and both resolving to replace it with good conduct. In this case there is nothing wrong with them remarrying.

The implication of this verse is that if they think they cannot keep to the limits set by Allah, because they think it most likely that what happened before will happen again, and that bad conduct will continue, then in that case there will be sin on them if they remarry, because in all cases where the command of Allah will not be followed and it will not be a means of obeying Him, it is not permissible to go ahead with that action. End quote.

Tafseer al-Sa‘di, 102.

If that is the case, then what the wise person should do is not to be attached to someone else, and he should move on to what is good for him and in his best interests. So look for another wife whom Allah may make a delight to you and make things better for you, and give you what you missed out on with your first wife whom you could not keep.

If what you are seeking and hoping for is decreed, and she leaves her other husband, no matter how the separation occurs, then you could take her back as a second wife, alongside your other wife. That is if you are still attached to her at that time. Otherwise, forget about her and get on with your life.

And Allah knows best.

There is nothing wrong with saying in du‘aa’: “O Allah, accept from us our righteous deeds”

I heard a shaykh saying that it is not permissible to say, “O Allah, accept from us our righteous deeds”, because that may imply that Allah could accept evil deeds from us, and Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is Good and does not accept anything but that which is good; and it is more correct to say “O Allah, accept from us our deeds”. Is this correct?.

Praise be to Allaah.
There is nothing wrong with saying in du‘aa’: “O Allah, accept from us our righteous deeds” and there is nothing objectionable in this from a shar‘i point of view. Rather the wording and meaning of this supplication are sound, because Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, accepts righteous deeds and does not accept bad deeds.

Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“That Allah may reward them according to the best of their deeds, and add even more for them out of His Grace”

[al-Noor 24:38]

“They are those from whom We shall accept the best of their deeds”

[al-Ahqaaf 46:16].

What is meant by “the best of their deeds” is their good, righteous deeds, because they are the best of what they do. They may do permissible things and other things, but the reward is only for good deeds, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“So that Allah may expiate from them the evil of what they did and give them the reward, according to the best of what they used to do”

[al-Zumar 39:35].

Tafseer al-Sa‘di, p. 569

Moreover, when a person asks Allah to accept his righteous deeds from him, it doesn’t occur to him that he may also ask Allah to accept his bad deeds from him; rather he says the word righteous to highlight the reason for acceptance, which is the righteousness of the deed, and this is correct linguistic usage in Arabic, for example in the verse in which Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And whoever invokes (or worships), besides Allâh, any other ilâh (god), of whom he has no proof, then his reckoning is only with his Lord. Surely! Al-Kâfirûn (the disbelievers in Allâh and in the Oneness of Allâh, polytheists, pagans, idolaters) will not be successful”

[al-Mu’minoon 23:117].

Al-‘Allaamah Muhammad al-Ameen al-Shanqeeti (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

There is no difference of opinion among the scholars concerning the fact that the words here, “of whom he has no proof” do not imply the opposite. It is not correct for anyone to say that if the one who worships another god alongside Him has any proof for that then there is nothing wrong with it, because it is impossible for there to be any proof for worshipping another god alongside Him; rather the overwhelming and definitive evidence indicates that there is only One Who is deserving of worship, and it is not possible for there to be any proof to justify worshipping anything else at all.

That is because this phrase “of whom he has no proof” describes reality, because they call upon the other god without any proof. So this is just stating the fact and it is not suggesting that there could be any proof because there is definitely no proof at all.

Another example from the Qur’aan is the verse in which Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Let not the believers take the disbelievers as Awliya’ (supporters, helpers) instead of the believers,”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:28].

This was revealed concerning some people who took the Jews as friends and supporters instead of the believers. The words “instead of the believers” is describing what really happened, and it cannot be interpreted as meaning that if the believers took some disbelievers as friends alongside believers, it would be acceptable, because it is well known that it is forbidden for the believers to take the disbelievers as friends and supporters in all cases. End quote.

Adwa’ al-Bayaan, 5/364

To sum up, it is not permissible for anyone to speak about the religion of Allah without knowledge or insight, and thus take on a task that he is not qualified for, of which he has no knowledge, and stir up among the Muslims views that cannot be approved of by any scholar of sharee‘ah. Rather what is required is to adhere to the Qur’aan and Sunnah and to teach the people the clear issues of Islam, and leave everything else to specialist scholars. The scholars are still using this supplication in their books and speeches, for example the speech of Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) in which he says:
And importantly& note that we want to discourse and share with you it is about Quran reading and doing Quran recitation online to appreciate it, Ramadan is the month when the mind blowing Holy Quran  has been brought out. A miracle by the Godhead of the worlds, Allah (SWT) Should we not spiritualize him by reading Quran the talent he has sent down for us and we should learn Arabic Quran by heart to have the power of it and we as Moslem should try to Learn Quran with translation to comprehend it wile we do Quran memorization and let our heart fill will teardrops of glory and wash away our sins in the month of Ramadan many people teach quran and we should participate in teaching quranas much as we could. important note to before starting to to read Koranafter social intercourse or menstrual bleeding one must not touch the holy Quran or do quran recitation and also not do quran memorization until after bathing non-Muslim should not handle the sacred writing, but may hear to Quran online. Based upon all these things in your thoughts when one is not reading or reciting holy Quran it must be closed and stored in nice and clean situation, it should never be placed on floor or in a privy and Muslim will require to focus on reading quran the tajweed  quran and its patterns with a proper institute.

Is it permissible to pray for forgiveness and mercy for a kaafir who is still alive?

Allah says: “and say: "My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was young” [al-Isra’ 17:24]. My mother does not pray, and as far as I know, the one who does not pray is beyond the pale of Islam. How can it be permissible for me to pray for mercy for her in that case?
But one of the seekers of knowledge told me that it is permissible for me to pray for her in this fashion only while she is still alive, because Allah may have mercy on her and guide her to start praying. Is this true?
Is it correct for me to offer this supplication for my father? How should I say the du‘aa’ in Arabic if I pray for him? I hope you will pray for my mother and ask Allah to guide her.

Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:

We ask Allah, may He be exalted, to guide your mother to that which He loves and which pleases Him, and to make her one of the devout women who worship Allah, and to grant you the joy of seeing her guided and becoming righteous. And we ask Him to unite your family in obedience to Him in this world and in the highest degrees of Paradise in the Hereafter.

Secondly:

What the seeker of knowledge told you about it being permissible to pray for mercy for a non-Muslim while he is still alive is correct in the sense that Allah may bestow mercy upon him by saving him from sin and guiding him to obedience, and thus transferring him from being one of those who are subject to His wrath to being one of those upon whom He bestows His mercy.

The more correct view, concerning the correctness of which the scholars are unanimously agreed, is that supplication (du‘aa’) may be made for guidance for a kaafir who is still alive, but not for mercy or forgiveness. By doing so, one will avoid an area of scholarly differences concerning this issue.

Among the evidence that this is more correct is the report narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2739) and Abu Dawood (5038) from Abu Moosa (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Jews would pretend to sneeze in the presence of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) hoping that he would say to them, “May Allah have mercy on you,” but he used to say: “May Allah guide you and set your affairs straight.”

See the answer to question no. 43164.

Thirdly:

There is no difference of opinion among the scholars that one cannot pray for forgiveness and mercy for a kaafir who died in a state of kufr.

Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

Offering the funeral prayer for a kaafir and praying for forgiveness for him is haraam according to the text of the Qur’aan and scholarly consensus.

Al-Majmoo‘, 5/119.

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

Praying for forgiveness for a kaafir is not permissible according to the Qur’aan, the Sunnah and scholarly consensus.

Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 12/489

With regard to praying for mercy and forgiveness for a kaafir who is still alive, there are numerous comments of the scholars concerning the permissibility of doing so, but not in the sense of asking for forgiveness for his shirk and kufr if he dies believing in that, or asking for mercy for him from his Lord when he has met Him as a kaafir. Rather, such supplications are to be understood as seeking to achieve that which may be a cause of his being forgiven and shown mercy, which is that he be guided to Islam. This is one of the ways in which we may interpret the words of Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) as mentioned in the verse (interpretation of the meaning): “O my Lord! They have indeed led astray many among mankind. But whoso follows me, he verily is of me. And whoso disobeys me, – still You are indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” [Ibraaheem 14:36], and the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): “O Allah, forgive my people, for they do not know.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3290) and Muslim (1792).

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

“And whoso disobeys me, – still You are indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” – it does not say “still You are indeed Almighty, Most Wise”, because the context speaks of seeking the kindness of Allah and of du‘aa’ (supplication) i.e., if You forgive them and have mercy on them by enabling them to recant shirk and accept Tawheed, to give up sin and turn to obedience, as it says in the hadeeth, “O Allah, forgive my people, for they do not know.”

Madaarij al-Saalikeen, 1/36, 37

Badr al-Deen al-‘Ayni (may Allah have mercy on him) said, commenting on the hadeeth, “O Allah, forgive my people, for they do not know”:

What this means is: guide them to Islam with which forgiveness becomes valid, because the sin of kufr cannot be forgiven. Or it may be that what is meant is: Forgive them if they become Muslim.

‘Umdat al-Qaari Sharh Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 23/19

al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar mentioned these two interpretations in Fath al-Baari, 11/196

To sum up:

It is better to pray that your mother be guided and that Allah open her heart to doing what He has commanded her to do. But if you pray for mercy for her, there is nothing wrong with that, with the intention that Allah may bless her with guidance to do that which earns mercy, i.e., prayer.

To learn about the best way to call one who does not pray, see the answer to question no. 47425.

And Allah knows best.

What is the ruling on the imam saying in his Qunoot du‘aa’: O Allah, send one of Your dogs against him”?

What is the ruling on this supplication: “O Allah, send one of Your dogs against them” and saying it in Qunoot? What is the ruling on the prayer of one who prays behind one who says a du‘aa’ like this?.

Praise be to Allaah.
There is nothing wrong with offering supplication like this, praying against the enemies of Allah and the enemies of His religion. It is narrated in the Sunnah that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) offered this supplication against one of his enemies, namely the cousin of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), the son of his uncle Abu Lahab.

It was narrated by al-Haakim (3984) and by al-Bayhaqi in al-Dalaa’il (622) that Lahab ibn Abi Lahab used to revile the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “O Allah, send Your dog against him.” He went out with a caravan, heading towards Syria. He halted at some place and said: I am afraid of the prayer of Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). They said to him: No (don’t worry). They surrounded him with their luggage and stood guard over him, then a lion came and snatched him and took him away.

Al-Haakim said: Its isnaad is saheeh. And al-Dhahabi agreed with him.

It was also narrated by Abu Na‘eem in al-Dalaa’il (220), where he mentioned his name as being ‘Utbah ibn Abi Lahab, and in that report it says: “O Allah, send against him one of Your dogs.”

The hadeeth was classed as hasan by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari (4/39), al-‘Ayni in ‘Umdat al-Qaari’ (16/51), al-Shawkaani in Nayl al-Awtaar (5/80), and al-San‘aani in Subul al-Salaam (2195).

It should be noted that it may be appropriate to pray for destruction for a kaafir, or it may be more appropriate to pray that he be guided. That is according to the level of his hostility against the Muslims.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:

Can one pray for death, destruction and punishment against the apostate or kaafir, or should we pray that he be guided? When should we pray for him and when should we pray against him?

He replied:

If this apostate is harming the slaves of Allah and transgressing against their rights, then there is nothing wrong with praying against him and asking that he be destroyed, so as to ward off his evil. If that is not the case, then it is better to pray for him to be guided instead of praying against him to be destroyed. However, the duty of those who are in authority towards the apostates is to call them to Islam and to give them time, no more than three days. They have the choice of giving them this time, if they think that there is an interest to be served by delaying their execution. Then when the time is up, if the apostate insists on his apostasy, then he must be executed, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever changes his religion, execute him.” End quote.

Fataawa Islamiyyah, 4/232.

And Allah knows best.

Is it permissible to pray to drink from the Prophet’s hand at al-Hawd (the Cistern)?

Is it permissible to pray to drink from the Prophet’s hand at al-Hawd (the Cistern), a refreshing drink after which one will never thirst again?.

Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:

The Cistern of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is called al-Kawthar, and its location is before the Siraat, according to the more correct opinion. Its water comes to it from the river of al-Kawthar in Paradise. His Cistern is square, and its length and breadth are the distance of a month’s travel by camel. Its water is whiter than milk, its fragrance is more pleasant than musk and its taste is sweeter than honey. The number of its vessels is like the number of stars in the sky, and even more. Whoever drinks from it will never thirst again after that.

For more details concerning the Cistern, please see the answer to question no. 48995

Secondly:

Many people believe that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is the one who will give people to drink from the water of that Cistern, hence we hear and see them say in their du‘aa’: “Give us to drink from his (the Prophet’s) noble hand a drink after which we will never thirst again”! But this belief is mistaken, for several reasons:

1.     That is not proven in any of the reported hadeeths about the Cistern.
2.     It is proven in al-Saheeh that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stated that whoever comes to the Cistern will drink from it. Thus we see inn the hadeeth that drinking is connected to coming to the Cistern, not to being given the drink by the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
3.     The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stated that the number of its vessels is like the number of stars in the sky. This indicates that everyone who comes to it will drink by himself.
Shaykh Saalih Aal al-Shaykh (may Allah preserve him) said:

Its vessels, as described by the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in the hadeeth of ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas and others, are as numerous “as the stars in the sky”. From this we may understand two characteristics:

1.     That they are numerous, because their number is like the number of stars in the sky. This indicates that there will be ease and comfort in drinking from it, and that there will be no pushing and shoving around its vessels, or that the people will drink from their hands.
2.     That its vessels – or cups or jugs, etc – will be like the stars of the sky in brightness, splendour and light.
The stars of the sky are numerous, and have the characteristics of light and brightness.

Sharh al-‘Aqeedah al-Tahhaawiyyah (tape no. 14)

Shaykh Safar al-Hawaali (may Allah preserve him) said:

There is nothing in these reports to suggest that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) will give the people to drink from his noble hand, as some people claim and say “O Allah, give us to drink from his (the Prophet’s) noble hand a refreshing drink after which we will never thirst again” This is not narrated in any of the reports that I have examined. This is as far as the text is concerned.

If we examine the issue from a rational point of view, it is as if the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) alone will give those people to drink from his noble hand, despite this huge number of people and the great vastness of the Cistern. Moreover this is not appropriate to the status of Prophethood; it is as if the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is no more than a water carrier who will give them water to drink! Even though the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is the first one who will come to it and the Cistern is his.

The fact that he has been given the Cistern does not imply that he will give the people water with his own hand; rather he is the one who will precede his ummah, then he will rejoice when he sees them drinking in such large numbers, and they will come and drink from this great bounty that Allah has bestowed upon him and with which He has honoured him, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) will feel sad when he sees people being turned away from the Cistern.

So he will not give them to drink, because what is clearly stated is that they will come and will drink, and others will be excluded and driven away.

http://www.alhawali.com/index.cfm?method=home.SubContent&contentID=4624 [in Arabic]
Based on that, praying that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) will give the supplicant to drink on the Day of Resurrection with his noble hand from his Cistern is something that should not be circulated. There is no report to indicate that that will happen on the Day of Resurrection. Sticking to what is mentioned in the reports is greater in blessing and will protect one against making mistakes in knowledge and action.

If a person hopes that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will honour him by causing him to be given to drink from the hand of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), that may happen. Allah knows best what will happen on the Day of Resurrection, to him and to others.

And Allah knows best.

Warning against the book al-Du‘aa’ al-Mustajaab and its hadeeths

Please let me know if there are any benefits in reciting Duaa-e-Mustajab. I have read at several places that this dua should be read at least once in a life time is it true?.

Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:

If what is meant is the du‘aa’ that is published widely in many chatrooms and on many websites under the name “al-du‘aa’ al-mustajaab”, which is attributed to a report that says that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab and ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever offer ssupplication calling upon Allah by these names, He will answer his supplication: ‘O Allah, You are the Ever Living Who never dies, the Creator Who never is overcome, the All-Seeing Who is never in doubt, the All-Hearing Who is never uncertain, the Truthful One Who never lies…’”… To the end of the lengthy hadeeth:

This is a fabricated a du‘aa’ that is falsely attributed to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and there is no saheeh hadeeth that speaks of its virtue. It is not permissible for any Muslim to transmit it on the basis of it being a hadeeth from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). We have previously discussed this in detail on our website, in the answer to question no. 116137.

Secondly,

If what this sister is referring to is the book which is called ad-Du‘aa’ al-Mustajaab, it is also an unreliable book which includes many fabricated hadeeths and a number of things that are contrary to sharee‘ah, hence the scholars have warned people against it.

In Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah (2/449) it says:

This book – ad-Du‘aa’ al-Mustajaab – cannot be relied upon because it contains a large number of weak (da‘eef) and fabricated (mawdoo‘) hadeeths. End quote.

‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Baaz, ‘Abd ar-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, ‘Abdullah ibn Ghadyaan, ‘Abdullah ibn Qa‘ood.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

It is a book that cannot be relied upon and its author is not a scholar. Hence we have been drawing attention to this for a long time and we have stated that this book cannot be relied upon. Readers should be alerted to the fact that it cannot be relied upon because of what it contains of weak and fabricated hadeeths.

Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 26/354-355

Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allah preserve him) said:

There is a book that is widely circulated among people today and is available in bookstores. It is called ad-Du‘aa’ al-Mustajaab, by Muhammad ‘Abd al-Jawaad. It is a book of myths which includes innovated Sufi du‘aa’s and dhikrs which are quoted without any evidence for that from the Qur’aan and Sunnah. Its title is an audacious statement about Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, because the book is called ad-Du‘aa’ al-Mustajaab (the supplication that is answered). But who is the one who told him that this supplication is answered? What evidence is there for that, except that he wanted to attract the attention of the common folk and deceive them with this fabricated book. I refer the reader to some trustworthy books of du‘aa’s and dhikrs that were written by leading, trustworthy Sunni scholars:

1.     al-Waabil as-Sayyib by al-‘Allaamah ibn al-Qayyim

2.     al-Kalim at-Tayyib by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah

3.     al-Adhkaar by Imam an-Nawawi

These books do not contain any innovated dhikrs; they do contain dhikrs narrated in the Qur’aan and Sunnah. They are sufficient and there is no need for books of myths written by jokers, praise be to Allah.

End quote from Majmoo‘ Fataawa Fadeelat ash-Shaykh Saalih ibn Fawzaan, 2/697

You could also refer to what is quoted on our website in the answer to question no. 13506, where we discussed the conditions of du‘aa’ being answered and the means of having one’s supplication accepted by Allah, may He be exalted.

And Allah knows best.

Comment on the du‘aa’, “I strove hard to conceal my sins, and You strove hard, my Lord, in concealing me”

I used to recite a du‘aa’, but my friends told me that this du‘aa’ is haraam. I would like to find out whether it is haraam or not: “I strove hard to conceal my sins, and You strove hard, my Lord, in concealing me”.

Praise be to Allaah.
By His bounty towards the Muslim, Allah has made the matter of du‘aa’ broad in scope. There are du‘aa’s in the Qur’aan, du‘aa’s of the Prophets and Messengers, that are few in words but great in meaning. And there are du‘aa’s in the Sunnah, du‘aa’s of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). And there are also du‘aa’s of the noble Sahaabah, Taabi‘een, scholars and righteous people, which have been compiled in many books and are also to be found in their biographies. We do not think there is any need for anyone to come along and make up phrases for calling upon his Lord, and not be content with keeping them between him and his Lord until he spreads them among people on web sites and elsewhere. The one who browses websites will find a great deal of such material, most of which is questionable.  The reason for that is that those who originally wrote these things were not scholars or seekers of knowledge.

One example of what we are talking about is something that is widespread on many web sites, a du‘aa’ that contains clear exaggeration and some phrases that is extremely abhorrent and distasteful. It is the du‘aa’ mentioned by the questioner. Its mistakes are twofold:

1.     Using the same word referring to the striving of the created being in committing sin and the striving of the Lord, the Creator, the All-Forgiving. This is something that it is not befitting for the one who is calling upon his Lord to do, and it is disrespectful towards Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.

2.     It ascribes “striving” to Allah, may He be exalted! This is a word that it is abhorrent to attribute to the Lord, may He be exalted. This word is indicative of expending effort and energy, which is impossible in the case of Allah, may He be exalted, Who told us that He created the heavens and the earth and everything in between and no fatigue or tiredness touched Him. Allah, may He be exalted, said (interpretation of the meaning): “And indeed We created the heavens and the earth and all between them in six Days and nothing of fatigue touched Us” [Qaaf 50:38]. This clearly states that there is no tiredness or fatigue on the part of Allah, may He be exalted, at all. Rather He mentioned it here, after He created the heavens and the earth and everything in between them, so as to dispel any confusion and refute those among the Jews who attributed that to Him. This negation of tiredness and fatigue is indicative of the perfection of His power, may He be glorified and exalted.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It should be noted that when it is said that Allah does not possess an attribute, it is not only a negation; rather as well as the negation, what is meant is the opposite. So when Allah, may He be exalted, said of Himself (interpretation of the meaning): “and nothing of fatigue touched Us”, what is meant is a negation of fatigue and an affirmation of the perfection of His might and power.

End quote from Tafseer Soorat al-Baqarah, 2/132

If it were correct to say of a sinful person that he “strove” in committing sin, how can a person be content to say of his Lord, may He be exalted, that He “strove” in concealing it when He – may He be exalted – is able to conceal it and, rather, to forgive it and replace it with good deeds (hasanaat) with one word, “Be!” This is not permissible; rather it is haraam, and it is not permissible for anyone to speak of his Lord in a manner that is suggestive of shortcomings or that is far removed from the proper etiquette that must be observed before Him, may He be glorified.

What the Muslim must do is refrain from using this phrase in his du‘aa’ and beware of spreading it. Websites must also erase this sentence from their pages and not incur sin by spreading it.

And Allah knows best.

What should she do as she prayed against herself asking that she not be successful and her du‘aa’ was accompanied by an oath?

I am a girl who offers the five prayers regularly and fears Allah, but I fell into the pit of the secret habit. I regret what I have done and I have repented more than once, but of two occasions I swore that if I did it again that my dream of getting good grades in my exams – which is my life’s dream – should not come true. This was so that I would stop what I was doing. But unfortunately I did it again. But now I have repented sincerely and my exams are in a few days’ time, and I am afraid that what I prayed for may come true. I wanted to fast for three days but I did not have the strength to do that because of the exams and psychological pressure. But I have decided to fast after I finish the exams.
My question is: is it possible for what I prayed for to come true?

Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:

 The secret habit is an abhorrent and haraam action on the part of both males and females. We have discussed the ruling on that and how to deal with it in the answers to questions no. 329 and 101539.

Secondly:

What you have done of praying against yourself and asking that you not be helped to succeed in obtaining high grades is something that was not appropriate, because it was praying for something bad for oneself. Falling behind in your studies is not a good thing; rather it would lead to serious negative consequences. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade the Muslim to pray against himself. It was narrated that Umm Salamah said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not pray against yourselves except for good things, for the angels says ameen to whatever you say.”

Narrated by Muslim, 920

Muslim also narrated (3014) from Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not pray against yourselves, do not pray against your children, and do not pray against your wealth, lest that coincide with an hour when Allah is asked for something and He responds to you.”

Thirdly:

If a person swears to do an act of disobedience then he does it, what he is required to do is offer expiation for the oath he swore. This expiation is not expiation for the sin he committed; rather it is expiation for the oath that he swore. As for the sin, what he has to do is repent sincerely from it. Part of his repentance is regretting what he did in the past and resolving not to do it again.

See the answer to question no. 103424

Thus, if a person swears against himself with the aim of encouraging himself to do something or preventing himself from doing something, as appears to be the case in your question, then it comes under the ruling on oaths, and if he broke it then he must offer expiation for it.

Shaykh Khaalid al-Mushayqih (may Allah preserve him) was asked:

What is the ruling on one who says, “Insha Allah I should die if I do such and such?” or he said “May such and such befall me if I do this thing?” when he knows that he wants to go back to it and he said that in a moment of anger? Is this regarded as being the same as an oath? May Allah reward you with good.

He replied:

Firstly, it is forbidden for a person to pray against himself…

Secondly, if a person prayed against himself in this manner, intending to encourage himself to do something or prevent himself from doing something, or to confirm something or to say that something was a lie, then the oath was broken, then he must offer expiation for breaking an oath (kafaarat yameen). For example, if he said, “If I do not go, may I fall ill or die,” then he did not go. In that case he has to offer expiation for breaking an oath.

End quote from Fataawa ash-Shaykh, 2/145.

And Allah knows best.

Admiring oneself after doing a good deed

Sometimes a person finds himself filled with self-admiration or showing off after doing a good deed or act of worship, and he is scared that this will cancel out what he has done. What do you advise?

Praise be to Allaah.

If a person feels self admiration after doing something good or fears that he may show off, he should ward that off and resist it by seeking refuge with Allaah from it, and saying “Allaahumma inni a’oodhu bika an ushrika bika wa ana a’lam, wa’staghfiruka lima laa a’lam (O Allaah, I seek refuge with you from knowingly associating anything with You, and I seek Your forgiveness for that of which I am unaware)” – as was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

These kind of feelings happen to everyone, but you have to try to be sincere towards Allaah, seek His forgiveness, and remember that there is no strength and no power except with Allaah; if it were not for the help of Allaah, you would not have been able to do this good deed, so to Allaah be praise in the beginning and at the end.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to Mu’aadh ibn Jabal: “O Mu’aadh, by Allaah indeed I love you, and I advise you, O Mu’aadh, do not forget at the end of every prayer to say: Allaahumma a’inni ‘ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni ‘ibaaditika (O Allaah, help me to remember You, give thanks to You and worship You in the best way).” (Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, al-Nasaa’i, and others; it is saheeh).

Do not forego doing good deeds for fear of showing off, because this is one of the tricks that the Shaytaan uses to weaken people’s resolve and stop them from doing things that Allaah loves and is pleased with.

As for merely feeling happy that one has done a good deed, this does not contradict sincerity and faith, for Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say: “In the Bounty of Allâh, and in His Mercy (i.e. Islâm and the Qur’ân); —therein let them rejoice.” That is better than what (the wealth) they amass” [Yoonus 10:58] – meaning, if he attains guidance, faith and righteous deeds, and the mercy resulting from that overwhelms him and he feels joy and success as a result. Hence Allaah commanded us to rejoice over such things.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If your good deeds make you happy and your bad deeds make you sad, then you are a believer.” (Narrated by Ahmad, Ibn Majaah and others from the hadeeth of Abu Umaamah; it is a saheeh hadeeth).

By the same token, if people praise you for your good deed, then this is a portion of the glad tidings of the Hereafter, which Allaah gives a person in this world. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked, “What do you think if a man does a good deed and the people praise him for it?” He said: “That is the portion of the glad tidings for the believer which he is given in this world.” (Narrated by Muslim from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him).

So this praise is a sign that Allaah is pleased with him and loves him, so He makes him dear to other people.

We ask Allaah to make our intentions and deeds right.

Seeking knowledge in order to teach people and not for the purpose of showing off

If a person learns one of the branches of religious knowledge in order to play his role in the village where he lives, and he memorizes Qur’aan in order to lead the young men in praying at night in Ramadaan, will that be a kind of minor shirk (al-shirk al-asghar)?

Praise be to Allaah.

It is known from the evidence of sharee’ah that seeking knowledge and seeking to understand the religion is one of the best acts of worship and obedience. The same is true of studying the Qur’aan and trying to recite it a lot and to memorize it or as much as one can. All of these are among the best acts of worship. If you do what you should of teaching the people of your village, guiding them, leading them – the young men and others – in prayer, all of these are good deeds which will be appreciated and for which you will be rewarded. This is not showing off and it is not shirk, if your aim is to seek the pleasure of Allaah and the Hereafter, and you are not doing it to show off to people and earn their praise, but to help them and increase their knowledge and understanding of their religion. That could be minor shirk only if you did it to show off to people or to earn their praise. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “The thing that I fear most for you is minor shirk.” He was asked what that was, and he said, “Showing off.” “When a man stands up to pray and he makes his prayer beautiful because he thinks that the people are looking at him.” On the Day of Resurrection, Allaah will say to those who show off, “Go to those for whom you used to show off in the world, and see whether you find any reward with them.” Showing off means that you do something with the aim of people seeing you and praising you; reputation is a part of that. For example, if you read Qur’aan so that people will praise you and say, “He is a good reader” or “He reads well”; or you do a lot of dhikr so that they will praise you and say, “He does a lot of dhikr”; or you enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil so that people will praise you. This is showing off, and this is minor shirk. It is essential to beware of that and to do what you do for the sake of Allaah alone, not for the sake of showing off to people and earning their praise. But you should learn in order to act upon that knowledge and to teach your brothers and lead them in prayer, and hope for the reward that is with Allaah. You should do that with the aim of helping them, not for the purposes of showing off or enhancing your reputation. If you read from the Mus-haf there is nothing wrong with that if you lead your brothers in prayer reading from the Mus-haf in Ramadaan. The freed slave of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) used to lead her in prayer reading from the Mus-haf. So it is OK to read from the Mus-haf when praying at night in Ramadaan if you have not memorized it, but if one has learned it by heart and can recite it from memory, that is better, but there is nothing wrong with reading from the Mus-haf if necessary.

Working for a salary and not for the Hereafter – is this blameworthy?

There is an employee who has been working for the state for more than twenty years. He is an honest worker with a good attitude who tries to please his superiors and boss, and works hard so that he will receive his salary in full with nothing docked from his pay, and so that he will earn promotion. All of these efforts are only for the sake of his work, not for the sake of Allaah. But this employee worships Allaah and does good deeds sincerely for the sake of Allaah, outside of his work. He prays, fasts, gives charity, pays zakaah, goes for Hajj, reads Qur’aan, reads Tafseer and does all kinds of good things sincerely for the sake of Allaah and in accordance with His sharee’ah. So what is your opinion – may Allaah reward you with good – about this man’s attitude when he is at work? Is it permissible, or is it shirk , or what? Please advise us and tell us what he should do. Is there any sin on him for what he has done in the past in his work? May Allaah take care of you.

Praise be to Allaah.

It is known that employment and work is not called ‘ibaadah (worship), and it is not one of the kinds of worship that should be done only for Allaah. People work at their jobs in order to make their salaries halaal, and so that they will be deserving of what they are given, and so on. The intention cannot be described in terms of worship. But if he knows that it is a trust between him and Allaah, and that Allaah is always watching him, so he pays attention to the fact that his Lord is watching him in this work, so that what he takes as wages will be halaal beyond a doubt, then he will have the reward for this sincerity, even if his intention is that nothing should be docked from his pay and so on. Given that this employee undertakes his religious duties and keeps away from haraam things, he is to be commended for that. And Allaah multiplies the reward for whomsoever He wills. And Allaah is the Generous Bestower and All-Knowing.

How can a person deal with the temptation to show off?

This is an important issue which i want to know about, what happens is that whenever i do something good, i look for people to appreciate it, in other words to show off, i know it is not allowed in Islam to show off, but how can we get rid of this feeling, i try to but eventually i get into it.

Praise be to Allaah.

The one who wants to stop himself showing off has to do the following things to rid himself of this problem:

He should remember that Allaah is always watching His slave.
This is the status of “ihsaan” which Jibreel (peace be upon him) mentioned to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which is that “you should worship Allaah as if you can see Him, and even though you cannot see Him, He can see you.” (Narrated by Muslim, 97).

When a person feels that Allaah is always watching him, what other people think will become insignificant, and this will make him respect and fear only Allaah.

Seeking the help of Allaah to rid himself of the habit of showing off.

Allaah says that the believers should say (interpretation of the meaning):

“You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything)” [al-Faatihah 1:5].

One of the things that will be of benefit in this matter is seeking the help of Allaah and calling upon Him. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O people, beware of this shirk, for it is more subtle than the footsteps of an ant. The one whom Allaah willed should speak said to him, “How can we beware of it when it is more subtle than the footsteps of an ant, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “Say, Allaahumma innaa na’oodhu bika min an nushrika bika shay’an na’lamuhu wa nastaghfiruka limaa laa na’lam (O Allaah, we seek refuge with You from knowingly associating anything with You, and we seek Your forgiveness for that which we do unknowingly).”

(Narrated by Ahmad, 4/403; classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3731).

Knowing the effects of showing off and how it will be judged in the Hereafter.

Not knowing this leads to one falling into this sin or persisting in it. One should realize that showing off destroys all one's actions (i.e., cancels out the reward), and that it brings the wrath of Allaah. The wise person does not waste his energy in doing things that do not bring any reward, let alone deeds that bring the wrath and anger of Allaah.

One of the greatest ahaadeeth concerning the punishment in the Hereafter of those who show off is the following, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“When the Day of Resurrection comes, Allaah, may He be blessed and exalted, will come down to judge between His slaves, and every nation will be kneeling. The first ones to be called forth will be a man who learned the Qur’aan by heart, a man who fought for the sake of Allaah, and a man who had a lot of wealth. Allaah will say to the Qur’aan-reader, ‘Did I not teach you that which I revealed to My Messenger?’ He will say, ‘Yes, O Lord.’ He will say, ‘What did you do with that which I taught you?’ He will say, ‘I used to read it night and day.’ Allaah will say to him, ‘You have lied,’ and the angels will say to him, ‘You have lied.’ Allaah will say, ‘Rather you wanted it to be said that So and so is a reader of Qur’aan, and that is what was said.’ Then the wealthy man will be brought forth, and Allaah will say to him, ‘Did I not give you ample provision so that I did not leave you in need of anybody?’ He will say, ‘Yes, O Lord.’ He will say, ‘What did you do with that which I gave you?’ He will say, ‘I used to uphold the ties of kinship and give in charity.’ Allaah will say to him, ‘You have lied,’ and the angels will say to him, ‘You have lied.’ Allaah will say, ‘Rather you wanted it to be said that So and so is generous, and that is what was said.’ Then the one who was killed for the sake of Allaah will be brought forth and Allaah will say to him, ‘Why were you killed?’ He will say, ‘I was commanded to fight in Jihaad for Your sake, so I fought until I was killed.’ Allaah will say to him, ‘You have lied,’ and the angels will say to him, ‘You have lied.’ Allaah will say, ‘You wanted it to be said that So and so was courageous, and that is what was said.’” Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) struck my knee and said, “O Abu Hurayrah, these three are the first of the creation of Allaah who will be dragged into the Fire on the Day of Resurrection.”

(Narrated and classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi, 2382; classed as saheeh by Ibn Hibbaan, 408, and Ibn Khuzaymah, 2482).

Thinking about the punishment in this world for showing off
Just as there will be a punishment in the Hereafter for showing off, so too there is a punishment for it in this world, which is that Allaah will expose him and make his bad intentions known to others. This is one of the interpretations of the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):

“Whoever shows off, Allaah will expose him.”

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6134; Muslim; 2986).

Ibn Hajar said: al-Khattaabi said, this means: whoever does something that is not sincerely for the sake of Allaah, merely wanting people to see him and hear him, will be punished for that – Allaah will expose him and make known what he is concealing.

It was said that whoever does something with the intention of gaining status and prestige among people, and does not seek the Face of Allaah by doing it, Allaah will make him the subject of bad speech among the people in whose eyes he wanted to gain status, and he will have no reward for it in the Hereafter.

(Fath al-Baari, 11/336)

Concealing worship and not making a display of it

The further away a person gets from places where his worship can be seen, the safer he is from showing off. Whoever looks for places where people gather, the Shaytaan makes him keen to show off his worship so that they will praise him for it.

The acts of worship which should be hidden are those which are not obligatory or those in which it is not the Sunnah to do them openly, such as Qiyaam al-Layl, and giving charity, and the like. This does not apply to giving the Adhaan, praying in congregation and other things which cannot and should not – according to sharee’ah – be hidden.

We ask Allaah to make our words and deeds sincere, and to forgive us for what we commit of showing off. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

He has stopped advising people for fear of showing off

I am afraid of showing off, and I am cautious about it to the extent that I cannot advise some people or forbid them from doing certain things such as backbiting, slandering, etc. I am afraid that doing so would be showing off on my part, and I am scared that people may think that I am showing off. So I do not give any advice, and I tell myself that they are educated people and they do not need any advice. What do you suggest?

Praise be to Allaah.

This is one of the plots of the Shaytaan by means of which he discourages people from calling others to Allaah and from enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil. For example, he makes them think that this is a kind of showing off or that people will think he is showing off. You, my sister in Islam, should not pay any attention to it, rather you should advise your sisters and your brothers if you see them falling short in any duty or committing any sin such as backbiting, slandering, or not covering in front of men. Do not be afraid of showing off, rather focus your intention on Allaah and be sincere towards Him, and be of good cheer. Ignore the plots and whispers of the Shaytaan. Allaah knows what intention is in your heart and how sincere you are towards Him and towards His slaves. Allaah knows that showing off is shirk and it is not permissible, but it is also not permissible for a believer, man or woman, to stop doing what Allaah has enjoined, namely calling people to Him and enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, for fear of showing off. So you have to beware of that and do what is obligatory in the midst of men and women. Men and women are equal in this regard. Allaah has explained this in His Book where He 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]

Haatim al-Taa’i in the Sunnah

What did Prophet Muhammad say regarding Hatim Tai?.

Praise be to Allaah.
There are a number of ahaadeeth which mention Haatim al-Taai, some of which are hasan (good), some da’eef (weak) and some mawdoo’ (fabricated).

(a)   It was narrated that ‘Adiyy ibn Haatim said: I said to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “My father used to uphold the ties of kinship, and do such and such… Will he have any (reward) for that?” He said, “Your father seeking something and he got it.”

This was narrated by Ahmad, 32/129, and classed and hasan by Shaykh Shu’ayb al-Arna’oot.

(b)  It was narrated that ‘Adiyy ibn Haatim said: I said, “O Messenger of Allaah, my father used to uphold the ties of kinship, and do such and such.” He said, “Your father wanted something and got it” meaning, fame.

Narrated by Ahmad (30/200); classed as hasan by Shaykh Shu’ayb al-Arna’oot, and classed as saheeh by Ibn Hibbaan, 1/41.

(c)   It was narrated from Sahl ibn Sa’d al-Saa’idi that ‘Adiyy ibn Haatim came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allaah, my father used to uphold the ties of kinship, and spend on the needy, and feed people.” He said, “Did he live to see Islam?” He said, “No.” He said, “Your father wanted to be remembered.”

Narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 6/197. Its isnaad includes Rushdeen ibn Sa’d, who is da’eef (weak), but it is supported by the report mentioned above.

The phrase translated above and “spend on the needy” means spending on the weak, the poor, orphans and dependents, etc.

(d)  It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: Mention was made of Haatim in the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he said, “That is a man who wanted something and got it.”

Al-Haythami said:

This was narrated by al-Bazzaar, and its isnaad includes ‘Ubayd ibn Waaqid al-‘Absi, who was classed as da’eef by Abu Haatim.

Majma’ al-Zawaa’id, 1/119

But it is supported by the reports quoted above.

Ibn Katheer said:

We have mentioned the biography of Haatim Tay’ in the days of the Jaahiliyyah when we mentioned those who died of the famous people of that era, and we referred to his generosity and kindness to people. But generosity and kindness must be based on faith if they are to benefit a person in the Hereafter, but he never said one day, “O Lord, forgive me my sins on the Day of Judgement.”

Al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah, 5/67.

And Allaah knows best.

The Shaytaan whispers to him that he is showing off so that he will give up doing acts of worship

I am committed, praise be to Allaah, to doing the obligatory acts of worship which Allaah has enjoined, and I ask Allaah to accept them. But recently I have started to experience waswaas (whispers from the Shaytaan) telling me that which I do is contaminated with elements of showing off, and Allaah will never accept it. Sometimes I find myself hesitating to do some good things for fear of showing off.

Praise be to Allaah.
Just as the Shaytaan comes to the Muslim to make him admire his actions and show off to people, sometimes too he uses the opposite trick and makes a person think that he is showing off, so that he will not do it.

In order to avoid both problems, we have to make sure that our intention is sound and make it sincerely and purely for the sake of Allaah, and not worry after that about anything that the Shaytaan may come up with.

Ibn Muflih al-Hanbali said – in a chapter on “We should not give up prescribed actions for fear of showing off”: One of the things that may happen to a person is that when he wants to do an act of worship, it occurs to him that he should not do it for fear of showing off.

What he should do is not to pay attention to that. He can do that which Allaah has commanded him to do or encouraged him to do, and seek the help of Allaah, and trust in Him that he will do it in the manner prescribed in Islam.

Shaykh Muhiy al-Deen al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: You should not give up remembering Allaah verbally and in your heart because you think you may be showing off, rather you should remember Him in both ways, seeking thereby the Face of Allaah. And he quoted al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyaad (may Allaah have mercy on him) as saying: Giving up a good deed for the sake of people is also showing off, and doing it for the sake of people is shirk. He said: If a person opens the door to noticing people and worrying about what they think then most of the doors to goodness will be closed to him.

Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi said: With regard to not doing good deeds for fear of showing off, if the motive for doing that deed is other than religious, then he should not do it because it is a sin. But if the motive for that is religious and it is sincerely for the sake of Allaah, then he should not refrain from doing it, because the motive is religious. Similarly if he does not do a good deed for fear that it will be said that he is a show-off, then he should ignore that because it is one of the tricks of the Shaytaan.

Ibraaheem al-Nakha’i said: If the Shaytaan comes to you when you are praying and says, “you are showing off,” then you should make it even longer. With regard to the reports narrated from one of the salaf, that he stopped worshipping for fear of showing off, this is to be understood as meaning that they felt that they were showing off, so they stopped it. And that is indeed the case. For example, al-A’mash said: I was with Ibraaheem al-Nakha’i when he was reading Qur’aan, and a man asked for permission to enter, so he covered the Mus-haf. He said: So that he will not think that I read it all the time. So if you should not stop doing an act of worship for fear of showing off, it is more appropriate that you should not stop it for fear of self admiration that may occur later on.

Al-Adaab al-Shara’iyyah, 1/266-267

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked:

When a person thinks of doing a good deed, the Shaytaan comes and whispers to him: “You want to do that to show off and have a good reputation,” so he backs off from doing that good deed. How can we avoid this?

He replied:

That can be avoided by seeking refuge with Allaah from the accursed Shaytaan, and going ahead with the good deed. You should not pay attention to this waswaas (whisper from the Shaytaan) that puts you off doing good. If you turn away from this and seek refuge with Allaah from the accursed Shaytaan, the problem will disappear, by Allaah’s leave.

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, question no. 277

And Allaah knows best.

Refraining from doing good deeds for fear of showing off

What are the guidelines on refraining from doing good deeds for fear of showing off?.

Praise be to Allaah.
It should be noted that the Shaytaan is keen to make the Muslim fall into one of two things: either to make him do a good deed in order to show off and for the sake of his reputation, and not sincerely for the sake of Allaah, or to make him refrain from doing the good deed altogether.

The Muslim who is sincere in his intention will not pay any attention to the whispers that the Shaytaan tries to impart to him concerning his action, or his suggestion that it is not for the sake of Allaah. He will not pay attention to the whispers of the Shaytaan suggesting that he should refrain from doing the good deed for fear of showing off. The sincere heart is equally at ease both when doing good deeds in secret and when doing good deeds openly.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked:

A woman is asking: I am so afraid of showing off that that I cannot advise some people or tell them not to do certain things such as backbiting, gossiping, and so on. I am afraid that that will be showing off on my part, and I am afraid that people will think that I am showing off. So I do not give them any advice (naseehah). I tell myself: They are educated people, they do not need any advice. What do you suggest?

He replied:

This is one of the traps of the Shaytaan, by means of which he prevents people from calling others to Allaah and from enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil. One of the ways in which he does this is to make them think that this is showing off, or that people will think that it is showing off. You should not pay any attention to that, rather what you should do is go ahead and advise your sisters and brothers in faith, if you see them falling short in any duty or committing haraam actions such as gossiping, bucketing, or not covering in front of men. Do not be afraid of showing off, rather do it solely for the sake of Allaah, be sincere in your intention and receive glad tiding of goodness. Ignore the tricks and whispers of the Shaytaan. Allaah knows what is in your heart, your intention and your sincerity towards Him and your sincerity towards His slaves. Undoubtedly showing off is shirk and is not permissible, but it is not permissible for a believing man or woman to refrain from doing something that Allaah has enjoined, such as calling people to Him or enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, for fear of showing off, so they should beware of that. They should do what they are obliged to do among men and women, and men and women are equal in this regard. Allaah has stated that in His Holy Book where He 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]

Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 6/403

It was narrated that Husayn ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan said: I was with Sa’eed ibn Jubayr and he said: “Which of you saw the star that fell last night?” I said, “I did.” Then I said: “I wasn’t praying, but I had been stung…”

Narrated by Muslim, 220.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:

He said this (may Allaah have mercy on him) lest anyone think that he was praying qiyaam and praise him for something that he had not done. This is unlike what some people do, when they are happy that the people think that they were praying qiyaam, but that is contrary to Tawheed.

What Husayn said does not come under the heading of showing off, rather it comes under the heading of good deeds. It is not like one who refrains from doing good deeds for fear of showing off, because the Shaytaan may toy with a man and make the idea of refraining from doing good for fear of showing off appear attractive to him. Rather you should do the good deed, and try to avoid showing off to people.

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 9/85, 86.

And Allaah knows best.

Showing off (riya) in worship

Is there any chance of getting blessings from an act ruined by riyaa if one's intentions change to please Allaah after the thought of riyaa has already come? For example, I finish reciting Qu'raan, and the thought of riyaa enters my mind. If I immediately fight this thought with thinking about Allaah, can I still get blessings for my recitation, or is it completely ruined forever because of riyaa, given that the act is over and the riyaa thought came after it was already over?.

Praise be to Allaah.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:

Showing off may affect worship in three ways:

1 – When the basic motive for worship is to be seen by others, such as one who stands and prays so that people will see him, and so that they will praise him for his prayers. This invalidates the act of worship.

2 – When it is a factor that develops during the act of worship, i.e., if the worshipper is initially sincere in his intention towards Allaah, then the idea of showing off develops whilst he is doing it. In this case one of the following two scenarios must apply:

(i)                There is no connection between the first part of his act of worship and the last part, so the first part is valid in all cases, and the last part is invalid.

For example: a man has one hundred riyals that he wants to give in charity, so he gives fifty of them in a sincere act of charity. Then the idea of showing off develops with regard to the remaining fifty. So the first was a sound and accepted act of charity, but the last fifty was an invalid act of charity because the sincerity was mixed with a desire to show off.

(ii)              The first part of the act of worship is connected to the last part, in which case one of the following two scenarios must apply:

(a)     He wards off the idea of showing off and does not give in to it, rather he turns away from it and hates it. This does not have any effect on him, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has forgiven my ummah for what crosses their minds, so long as they do not act upon it or speak of it.”

(b)    When he gives in to this idea of showing off and does not ward it off. In this case the entire act of worship becomes invalid, because the first part is connected to the last part. For example, he starts the prayer with a sincere intention towards Allaah, then the idea of showing off develops in the second rak’ah, so the entire prayer becomes invalid because the first part is connected to the last part.

3 – The idea of showing off develop after the act of worship has ended. This does not affect it or invalidate it, because it has been completed soundly, so if showing off occurs after that it does not affect it.

It is not showing off if a person feels happy that the people come to know about his worship, because this developed after he has finished the act of worship.

It is not showing off if a person feels happy because he has done an act of worship, because that is a sign of his faith. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever feels happy because of his good deeds and sad because of his bad deeds, that is the believer.”

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about that and said: “That is the first glad tidings of the believer.”

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 2/29, 30.

An imaam is guilty of some secret sin; should he continue in his position as imaam?

A young man is an imaam in one of the mosques. He is, as he says, well-liked by the people at the mosque, but he knows deep down that he has shortcomings and is guilty of some sins, and does not deserve to be the imaam or to have this love and respect from people. He fears that if he remains as imaam of the mosque, he may become a hypocrite or show off. Should he stay in the mosque? Should he continue leading the people in prayer, or should he leave this position out of fear of becoming a hypocrite and show off?

Praise be to Allaah.

You describe this young man as being loved by his people, but he is guilty of some transgression which is a matter between him and his Lord. I say that the fact that Allaah has blessed him with the position of imaam and the love of his people dictates that he should give up his sin and stop transgressing against himself, and he should worship Allaah properly, and give thanks to Allaah, because the fact that a person is loved by his people and is their imaam is a great blessing from Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And the slaves of the Most Beneficient (Allaah) are those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness…

And those who say: ‘Our Lord… and make us leaders for the muttaqoon (the pious)…” [al-Furqaan 25:68, 74]

Those who pray are among the pious, and the one who leads them in prayer is imcluded in this aayah, “…and make us leaders for the muttaqoon (the pious)…” So let him praise Allaah for this blessing, and stop transgressing against himself, and let him make this one of the means of bringing himself back to obedience to Allaah, and let him fear Allaah with regard to his status.

When he says that he is afraid he may show off, this is waswaas (insinuating thoughts) that the Shaytaan puts into a person’s mind whenever he wants to do an act of obedience to Allaah. The Shaytaan comes to him and says, “You are showing off.” He has to cast this idea aside, ignore it and seek the help of Allaah, for he always recites in his salaah the words, “Iyyaaka na’budu wa iyyaaka nasta’een (You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help” [al-Faatihah 1:5 – interpretation of the meaning].

He gave charity because he felt embarrassed in front of his boss at work

I gave money to a charitable project because I felt scared of my boss at work. If it had been up to me I would not have given even a penny. Will I have the complete reward for this action just as I would if I had given willingly and by my own choice? Please answer with evidence (daleel).

Praise be to Allaah.
If the situation is as you described, then you will not be rewarded for this donation, because you did not give it for the sake of Allaah, rather you gave it for the sake of your boss because you were afraid of him. It was narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Actions are but by intention and each man will have but that which he intended.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari in Bad’ al-Khalq and Muslim in al-Imaarah, no. 1907).

From learning Quran online Blog.
And notably& note that we want to discourse and share with you it is about Reading quran and doing Quran recitation online to appreciate it, Ramadan is the month when the divine Holy Quran has been brought out. A miracle by the Lord of the worlds, Allah (SWT) Should we not spiritualize him by reading Quran the natural endowment he has sent down for us and we should learn Arabic Quran by heart to have the power of it and we as Moslem should try to Learn Quran with translation to comprehend it while we do quran memorization and let our heart fill will teardrops of glory and wash away our sins in the month of Ramadan many people teach quran and we should participate in teaching quran as much as we could. important note to before starting to read Koran after social intercourse or menstrual bleeding one must not touch the holy Quran or do quran recitation and also not do quran memorization until after bathing non-Muslim should not handle the religious writing, but may listen up to Quran online. In relation to all these things in your thoughts when one is not reading or reciting holy Quran it must be closed and stored in nice and clean situation, it should never be placed on floor or in a privy and Muslim will require to focus on reading quran  the tajweed  quran and its normals with a proper institute.
End from online Quran reciter blog.

Tuesday 13 March 2012

If he bought a car by instalments and dies, will he not be forgiven until it is paid off on his behalf?

I bought a car by instalments; in this case, if I die before paying off all the instalments, will these instalments become like a debt that I owe, and will I not be forgiven until it is paid off in full?.

Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly: 
It is permissible to buy a car or any other item by instalments, even if that is for a price that is higher than the cash price. This has been explained previously in the answers to questions number 13973 and 113945
Secondly: 
The instalments that you owe are regarded as being a debt that you owe. 
No one should incur debts except in the case of need, because of what is narrated in the texts of seeking refuge with Allah from debt and asking Allah to pay it off, and that one's soul is in pledge to this debt until it is paid off. Muslim (1886) narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Amr ibn al-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The martyr will be forgiven for everything, except debt.” 
Al-Nawawi said in Sharh Muslim: As for the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), “except debt”, this is drawing attention to all the rights of human beings, and indicates that jihad, martyrdom and other righteous deeds do not cause duties to human beings to be waived; rather they cause duties to Allah, may He be exalted, to be waived. End quote. 
Al-Nasaa’i (4605) narrated that Muhammad ibn Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We were sitting with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he raised his head towards the sky, then he put his palm on his forehead and said: “Subhaan-Allaah!  What a strict issue has been revealed to me!” We remained silent and were afraid. The following morning I asked him, “O Messenger of Allaah, what is this strict issue that has been revealed?” He said, “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if a man were killed in battle for the sake of Allaah, then brought back to life, then killed and brought back to life again, then killed, and he owed a debt, he would not enter Paradise until his debt was paid off.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Nasaa’i, 4367.   
Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said in al-Tamheed (23/238):  
The debt for which a person will be kept out of Paradise – and Allaah knows best – is that for which he left behind enough to pay it off but he did not leave instructions to that effect, or he was able to pay it off but did not do so, or he took the loan for some unlawful or extravagant matter and died without having paid it off.  
As for the one who took a loan for something lawful because he was poor, and he died without leaving behind anything to pay it off, Allaah will not keep him from Paradise because of it, in sha Allaah. End quote. 
If a person buys a car by instalments, in the event of his death it may be possible to pay off his debts or a large part of it from the price of the car after selling it. 
Hence we say: There is nothing wrong with you embarking upon this transaction so long as you are determined to pay it off, and you should write a will concerning what you owe. 
We ask Allah to help and guide us and you. 
And Allah knows best.

Scholarly views concerning zakaah on debts, and the most correct view

I ve invested money in his business as a sleeping partner, but his way of conducting business wasnt upto my satisfaction and i didnt ask for any profit nor he gave me,so i asked him after a year to give my amount back and he has been making excuses for the last 3 years,he sweared upon ALLAH that his condition is not good but he keeps on giving me tentative dates,i am hopeful that he will pay me back but i want to ask if i should pay zakah on amount when i get it or should i pay on all the years,i cant say that during all these times if he had enough resources or if he is just faking it and using my money,its just that i believe his financial status when he swears upon ALLAH,and i believe whatever he says.kindly do guide,i ve tried to express my question to the best of my ability and i hope that you will figure out what i am intenting to ask.Sorry for not being able to make question precise,hope you will not mind it.

Praise be to Allaah.
When a Muslim is owed a debt by someone else, one of two scenarios must apply: 
(i)                That it is owed by someone who admits it and knows the amount and is willing to pay it. 
(ii)              It is owed by someone who admits it, but he is in difficulty or is delaying payment, or it is with someone who denies it. 
In the first case, he should pay zakaah on the debt in addition to the wealth he has with him, so he should pay zakaah on all his wealth, and do that every year, even if he has not received it from the debtor, because it is like trust. And it is permissible for him to delay paying zakaah on the debt until the time he receives it, and then pay zakaah for all the past years. 
In the second case, he does not have to pay zakaah, but when he does receive it, in order to be on the safe side he should pay zakaah on it for one year, even if it was kept with one who was hard up or delayed payment, or denied it, for several years. 
This is a summary of the correct scholarly view concerning this issue. There are differences among them concerning the issues that we have mentioned. This is a brief look at their opinions concerning that: 
It says in al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah (23/238, 239): 
The debt is the property of the lender, but because it is not in its owner’s possession, the fuqaha’ differed concerning it. Ibn ‘Umar, ‘Aa’ishah and ‘Ikrimah the freed slave of Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them) were of the view that there is no zakaah on a debt, and the reason for that is that it cannot grow (through investment), so its zakaah is not due on it, like items that are kept for personal use. 
The majority of scholars are of the view that debt which is due is of two types: that which it is hoped will be paid off, and that concerning which there is no hope that it will be paid off. 
A debt which it is hoped will be paid off is that which is owed by one who admits it and is willing to repay it, and there are several views concerning this. The view of the Hanafis and Hanbalis, which is also the view of al-Thawri, is that zakaah must be paid on it by its owner every year, because it is wealth that belongs to him; he does not have to pay zakaah on it whilst it is not in his possession, but when he does take possession of it, he must pay zakaah on it for all years past. 
The basis for this opinion is that it is a debt that is confirmed to be owed, so he does not have to pay zakaah on it before he takes possession of it, and because he is not making use of it at present, so he does not have to pay zakaah on wealth that he is not making use of. But the entrusted item whose owner can take it at any time does not come under this category, rather he must pay zakaah on it when one year has passed.  
The more correct view of al-Shaafa’i, and of Hammaad ibn Abi Sulaymaan, Ishaaq and Abu ‘Ubayd is that he must pay zakaah at the end of every year on the debt that he hopes will be repaid , as in the case of wealth that is in his possession, because he is able to take it and dispose of it. 
The Malikis regarded debts as being of different types: the zakaah of some debts is to be paid every year, namely the debt of the merchant who buys and sells for trade; zakaah is to be paid on the price that he is owed for the trade goods. 
In other cases, zakaah is to be paid when one year has passed since [the lender] first acquired it, and it is to be paid for only one year, even if it stays with the borrower for many years. 
There is no zakaah on some kinds of debt, which is that which he did not take possession of, such as a gift, mahr, or compensation for an injury and the like.  
In the case of a debt for which there is no hope of repayment, which is what is owed by one who is hard up, or who denies it, or is delaying repayment, there are several opinions. The opinion of the Hanafis in this case, which is the view of Qataadah, Ishaaq and Abu Thawr, and is mentioned in one report from Ahmad, and is the view of al-Shaafa’i, is that there is no zakaah on it, because it is not fully in his possession, because he is not able to make use of it. 
The second view, which is the view of al-Thawri and Abu ‘Ubayd, and is narrated in another report from Ahmad, and is the more correct view of al-Shaafa’i, is that he should pay zakaah on it when he takes possession of it, for all years past, because of the report narrated from ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) concerning the uncertain debt: “If he is sincere then let him pay zakaah when he takes possession of it for what is past.” 
Maalik was of the view that he should pay zakaah when he takes possession of it for one year, even if it stayed with the debtor for several years. This is the view of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez, al-Hasan, al-Layth and al-Awzaa’i. End quote. 
What we think is most correct in this case is that which was mentioned in a fatwa issued by the scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas and by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen. See the answer to question no. 1117
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, after discussing the scholarly views on this matter: 
The correct view is that zakaah must be paid on it each year, if it is owed by one who is rich and willing to pay, because it comes under the same ruling as wealth that you have with you; but he should pay it when he takes possession of the debt, and if he wishes he may pay zakaah on it with the zakaah of the rest of his wealth. The former is a concession (rukhsah) and the latter is a virtue, and is more expedient in discharging one’s duty. 
But if it is owed by one who is delaying payment or one who is hard up, then no zakaah is due on it, even if it remains for ten years, because he is unable to dispose of it, but if he takes possession of it, he should pay zakaah once, for the year in which he took possession of it, and he does not have to pay zakaah for the time that has passed.
This opinion was mentioned by Shaykh al-‘Anqari in his commentary on Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab, and his grandsons (may Allaah have mercy on them). It is also the view of Imam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) and this is the correct view, for the following reasons: 
1.     It is akin to crops on which zakaah must be paid when they are acquired, and rent, concerning which Shaykh al-Islam favoured the view that zakaah must be paid on them when taking possession of them, even if a full year has not yet passed.
2.     One of the conditions of zakaah being obligatory is that one must be able to pay it; when one is able to pay it, then zakaah must be paid.
3.     A few months of the year may have passed before he gave it as a loan.
4.     Waiving zakaah for what has passed and making it obligatory to pay zakaah for the year in which one takes possession of it only makes things easier for the owner, because how can we oblige him to pay zakaah when he is obliged to give the one who is hard up more time? It is also making things easier for the one who is hard up, by giving him more time. 
An example of that is wealth that is buried and forgotten. If a person buried his wealth for fear that it might be stolen, then he forgets its whereabouts, he should pay zakaah only for the year in which he found it.  
Another example is stolen wealth, if it remains with the thief for several years, then its owner manages to find it; he should pay zakaah for one year only, like the debt that is owed by one who is hard up. End quote. 
Al-Sharh al-Mumti’ ‘ala Zaad al-Mustaqni’ (6/27, 28). 
To sum up: 
You have to pay zakaah on this money for the three years during which you were a partner with your friend. 
After that – from the beginning of your agreement with him to repay the money – this money changes from the money held by a partnership to money that is owed by your friend. It seems from your friend’s situation that he is hard up, so you do not have to pay zakaah on this money until you take possession of it, then you have to pay zakaah on it for one year only, even if it remained in your friend’s possession for several years. 
And Allaah knows best.