Proofs For the Obligation To Follow The Salaf Al-Salih

Firstly, from the Noble Qur’an:

Allah Ta’ala says:

“And the former, the first from amongst the muhajirun and the ansar, and those who follwoed them in righteousness, Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. And He has prepared for them gardens of which rivers flow below, abiding therein forever, that is great success.” (9:100)

Thus, Allah is unreservedly pleased with the Muhajirun and ansar, and is pleased with those who follow them in righteousness. (i.e. The attainment of Allah’s pleasure for the companions is secure, whereas for those who come after them; this is not guaranteed, as it is dependent upon their adherence to the way of the companions in righteousness)

Allah Ta’ala also says:

“And whoever opposes the Messenger (salalahu alayhi wa salam) after the guidance has become clearly manifest to him and follows a path other than that of the believers, We shall leave him to that which he has adopted and land him in hell; what an evil destination!” (4:115)

Allah threatens those who follow a different path to the companions with the punishment of hell, and in the previous ayah, He promises His pleasure to those who follow them.

Secondly, from the sunnah:

1. The Statement of the Prophet salalahu alayhi wa salam : “The best of people are my generation then those who succeed them, then those who succeed them” (al bukhari 5/199, 7/6 and 11/460) and muslim, 7/184 and 185)

This excellence and goodness which the Prophet salalahu alayhi wa salam attested to for these three generations, is an indication of their preference, precedene and majestic rank as well as their knowledge of Allah’s laws and intense adherence to the way of His Messenger salalahu alayhi wa salam.

The following ahadith emphasise these (virtues):

2. The Messenger’s salalahu alayhi wa salam statement: “The jews split up into seventy-one sects, the christians split up into seventy-two sects and this ummah will split up into seventy-three sects; all of them are in the Fire except one.” Someone asked: “Which is that one O Messenger of Allah? salalahu alayhi wa salam. He replied: “Whoever is upon that wwhich I am upon today and my companions. (Related by Abu dawud, 4596-4597; al-Tirmidhi 2640-2641; Imam Ahmad, (2/332, 3/120 145 and 4/120 and Ibn Majah, 3991-3993)

This is a hadith that is sahih and mash-hur (well known)

3. His salalahu alayhi wa salam saying: “… for indeed, those who will still be alive after me will see many differences; so hold fast to my sunnah and to the sunnah of the rightely guided khalifahs after me. Adhere to and cling tightly to it and beware of newly-invented matters, for every newly-invented matter is an innovation and every innovation is a deviation.” (related by Imam Ahmad, 4/126-127; Abu Dawud, 4607; al-Tirmidhi, 2676; al-Darimi, 1/44 and others.)

Hence, the Prophet salalahu alayhi wa salam encouraged his ummah to follow his sunnah and the sunnah of the rightly guided khalifahs after him at the appearance of splits and differences.

Thirdly, from the statements of the Salaf al-Salih and their followers:

1. Abdullah ibn Mas’ud may Allah be pleased with him, said: “People will not cease to be in a good as long as knowledge emanating from the companions of Muhammad salalahu alayhi wa salam and their elders reach them. If however, knowledge comes to them by way of their young and their desires diversify, they will be ruined.” (Al-Zuhd of Ibn al-mubarak, p281 narration number 815)

2. He also said: “Whoever amongst you seeks to adopt a path, should take to the way of the dead, since the living are not safe and secure from being put to trial. They, the companions of Muhammad salalahu alayhi wa salam, possessed the most pious hearts of this ummah, were the most profound in knowledge and the least constraint of this ummah. A people whom Allah chose for the companionship of His Prophet salalahu alayhi wa salam and the establishment of His religion. So know their rights and adhere to their guidance, for they indeed were upon the straight way.” (Jami Bayan al-Ilm wa Fadlih 2/97)

3. He also said: “We emulate and do not set precedents, we follow and do not innovate, and we will not deviate as long as we hold on to the narrations.” (Sharh Usul Itiqad Ahl al-Sunnah of al-Lalaka’i, narration number 115)

4. He also said: “Follow and do not innovate, for indeed you have been sufficed.” (Al-Bida wa al-Nahy anha of Ibn Waddah, pg 13)

5. Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “O assembly of reciters! Remain upright and take to the way of those before you. For by Allah if you (choose to) follow them then know that you have been outstripped by a long distance, and if you take to the right or left (of their path) then you will be upon sever deviation.” (This and the following two narrations are in Jami Bayan al-ilm 2/29)

6. Mujahid said: “The scholars are the companions of Muhammad salalahu alayhi wa salam.”

7. Al-Awza’i said: “Knowledge is that which emanates from the companions of Muhammad salalahu alayhi wa salam, as for anything else besides this, it is not knowledge.” Imam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy upon him, also said this.

8. Al-Awza’i said: “Patiently restrict yourself upon the sunnah, stop where the people (ie the companions) stopped, say what they say and refrain from that which they refrained. Traverse upon the path of your Salaf al-salih, for indeed what was sufficient for them is sufficient for you.” (Al-Shari’ah of al Ajurri, pg58)

9. Al-Hasan al-Basri was in a gathering when he mentioned the companions of Muhammad salalahu alayh iwa slaam. He then remarked: “They possessed the most pious hearts of this ummah, were the most profound in knowledge and the leaste constraint. A people, whom Allah chose for the companionship of His Prophet salalahu alayhi wa salam, so emulate their character and way, for by the Lord of the Ka’bah, they are upon the straight path.” (Jami Bayan al-Ilm 2/97)

10 Abu Hanifa, may Allah have mercy upon him, was questioned: “What is your comment on the speech innovated by the people regarding al-A’rad and al-Ajsam?” He replied: “Statements of the philosophers! Take to the narrations and the way of the Salaf and beware of every newly invented matter for it is indeed an innovation.” (Sawn al-Mantiq of al-Suyuti, 322)

11. Al-Awza’i said: “Hold fast to the narrations of the Salaf, even if people abandon you. Beware of th eopinions of men, no matter how much they beautify it with their speech, for indeed the matter will become manifest whilst you will be upon the correct straight path concernint it.” ( Al-Madkhal ila al-Sunan of al-Bayhaqi, number 233)

12. Shaykh al-islam Ibn taymiyyah said: “It is a must upon every muslim, who testifies that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah and that Muhammad salalahu alayhi wasalam is the Messenger of Allah, that his basic intention be to single out Allah in his worship of Him alone, without any partner and to obey His Messenger. He is to remain upon this, following it whever he finds it, and he should know that the best of creation after the prophets are the companions.

He should not therefore, offer absolute and unrestricted allegiance to any one person except the Messenger of Allah salalahu alayhi wa salam. Nor should he offer absolute unrestricted allegiance to any one group except the companions; as the guidance remains with the Messenger salalahu alayhi wa salam, wherever he remains, and it remains with his companions and no one else’s companions, whever they remain.

If they are in agreement, they never agree u pon something incorrect, in contrast to the companions of a particular scholar, they could agree upon something incorrect. In fact, everything that they (ie the companions of a particular scholar) have asserted to which none other from amognst this ummah has asserted, can be nothing but incorrect, since the religion that Allah has sent His messenger salalahu alayhi wa salam with is not conferred to any single scholar and his companions. If this was so, that person should be an equal to the Messenger of Allah salalahu alayhi wa salam and this is simlar to the belief ot the Rafidah regarding the ‘Infallible Imam’.

Morever, it is a must that the companions and their successors were aware of that truth with which Allah had sent His messenger salalahu alayhi wa salam, well before the presence of those who are followed; those whom the madhhabs are attributed to, in relation to both fundamentals and subsidiary matters.

It is impossible for them to bring about a truth, which opposes what the Messenger salalahu alayhi wa salam brought, as everything that opposes the Messenger salalahu alayhiwa salam is falsehood. It is also impossible for them to know of something emanating from the Messenger salalahu alayhi wa salam which opposes (the knowledge and understanding of) the companions and their successors in righteousness, as they (ie the companions) did not unite upon any deviation. So his (ie a followed imam’s) saying, if true has to be taken from that which the Messenger salalahu alayhi wa salam brought and present with someone before him.

Every statement in the religion of Islam which lies in opposition to that which the companions and their successors in righteousness were upon, which none of them have asserted, but rather have said other than it, it is indeed a false saying.” (Minhaj al-Sunnah, 5/262-263)

Taken from the book Tawhid of Allah’s Most Beautiful Names and Lofty Attributes The Belief of Ahl al-Sunnah Wa l-Jama’ah by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Khalifah Al-Tamimi (Associate Professor, Islamic University of Madinah)

“If Only You Knew…”

Imam Ahmad, rahimahullah, narrated that Abu-d-Darda’, radiallahu `anh, once said:“If only you knew what you will certainly see upon your death, you would never again eat a single bite out of a craving appetite, and you would never again drink an extra sip of water for the pleasure of unquenchable and insatiable thirst. Hence, you will remain outdoor in perpetuity, bewildered and awaiting the unexpected, and you will never again seek comfort in a shelter or seek a shade. You will wander aimlessly and climb the hilltops of every mountain, you will look up towards the heavens and beseech your Lord for mercy, and you will beat on your chest and cry endlessly, and you will wish that you were a little vegetable - a plant which is protected to grow, and then plucked to be eaten by a hungry person passing along.”

Ruling on shaking hands with the opposite sex

Question:
Is it allowable for a muslim woman to greet a muslim man by shaking hands?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

For a man to shake hands with a non-mahram woman (one to whom he is not related) is haraam and is not permitted at all. Among the evidence for this is the hadeeth of Ma’qal ibn Yassaar (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If one of you were to be struck in the head with an iron needle, it would be better for him than if he were to touch a woman he is not allowed to.” (Reported by al-Tabaraani; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5045).

There is no doubt that for a man to touch a non-mahram woman is one of the causes of fitnah (turmoil, temptation), provocation of desire and committing haraam deeds. No one should say that their intention is sound or their heart is clean, because the one who was the purest of heart and the most chaste of all, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never touched a non-mahram woman, even when accepting bay’ah (oath of allegiance) from women. He did not hold their hands when accepting their bay’ah, as he did with men; their bay’ah was by words only, as was reported by his wife ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her). She said that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would test the believing women who emigrated to him with the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): “O Prophet! When believeing women come to you to give you the bay’ah (pledge), that they will not associate anything in worship with Allaah, that they will not steal, that they will not commit illegal sexual intercourse, that they will not kill their children, that they will not utter slander, intentionally forging falsehood (i.e., by making illegal children belong to their husbands), and that thye will not disobey you in any ma’ruf (Islamic monotheism and all that which Islam ordains), then accept their bay’ah and ask Allaah to forgive them. Verily Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [al-Mumtahinah 60:12] ‘Aa’ishah said: “So whoever of the believing women agreed to these conditions, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would say to her: ‘I have accepted your bay’ah by words.’ By Allaah, his hand never touched the hand of any woman when accepting their bay’ah; he accepted their bay’ah by saying ‘I have accepted your bay’ah on this basis.’”

(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 4512; according to another report: he accepted their bay’ah by words… the hand of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never touched the hand of any woman except a woman he owned . Reported by al-Bukhaari, 6674).

Some Muslims feel too embarrassed to refuse when a woman offers her hand to them. In addition to mixing with women, some of them claim that they are forced to shake hands with fellow-students and teachers in schools and universities, or with colleagues in the workplace, or in business meetings and so on, but this is not an acceptable excuse. The Muslim should overcome his own feelings and the promptings of the Shaytaan, and be strong in his faith, because Allaah is not ashamed of the truth. The Muslim could apologize politely and explain that the reason he does not want to shake hands is not to offend or hurt anybody’s feelings, but it is because he is following the teachings of his religion. In most cases this will earn him respect from others. There is no harm done if they find it strange at first, and it may even be a practical opportunity for da’wah. And Allaah knows best.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

The reward of spying against the disbelievers in Jihaad

Today we hear and see Muslims making Jihaad synonymous with complete tolerance with the disbelievers. We ask Allah to save us from these wicked people. The way to rebuke such Faasiqeen is that we revolve our evidences around the Qur’aan and Sunnah since Allah Ta’aala told us that if we think we are truthful, then we must bring our evidences (from it). Now, there are hundreds of ways to confront these Faasiqeen in argument. Here, we would like to present another form taken from the book, “Jihaad: The Forgotten Obligation” from section 18, “The Reward of Spying in Jihaad.” This is in regards to spying against the Kuffaar.

Many will think that this is too dangerous to talk about, but we feel that this needs to be clarified today especially since many Muslims are doing the opposite; they are spying for the Kuffaar against the Muslims. And whosoever does such an evil - and there is absolutely no justification for this in the Shari’ah - is no different than a Kaafir. We ask Allah Ta’aala to protect us from this. This is an important subject because nobody in the West talks about it; they literally water down Jihaad to the extent that it has little or no reference to a military struggle. So you never hear them talking about spying against the Kuffaar, training for Jihaad, increasing love for Jihaad, and so on. This article is a great refresher and we ask Allah to increase our ‘Ilm regarding Jihaad fe Sabeelillaah.

Ameer Al-Mu’mineen Mullah Muhammad ‘Umar Mujahid’s message to the people of Afghanistan on the 88th anniversary of Afghanistan’s independence from Britain

 

18-08-200

In the name of Allah who is The most kind and The most merciful.

Message from the leadership of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on the 88th year of liberty and freedom regained.

Freedom is a huge award of Allah and its importance is only recognized after one losses it; meaning when a person is free, he cannot understand and appreciate the value of freedom until someone takes away his freedom, only then he or she can understand the importance of freedom.

Today 28th of (Zamari) 88th year of liberty, we congratulate the brave Afghans and Mujahid’s of this nation for regaining the freedom from the cruel English and ruthless invaders 88 years ago from today. As we celebrate the day of freedom, once again those English and now with their allies have invaded our country. Our houses have been collapsed, our children have become orphans, our brave and warrior people have been martyred, barbarically tortured, and some are spending nights and days in inhuman and difficult conditions in jails.

Tens of thousands of foreign soldiers are stationed in our home land; air and ground are under their invasion. Every day because of air strikes and ground operations, the cries of the wounded and martyred Afghans in houses and at weddings in the villages could be heard.

So respected people of Afghanistan, we request you to pay attention to the points mention below, so that you may pull yourselves out from the worries and sorrows of the current situation.

The enemies of Islam, religion and countries want to increase their agenda under the name of democracy and separate Afghans from each other. They have been trying to utilizing their formula of dividing Afghans since the invasion so they can take advantages by dividing us. We must not flow in their traps of divisions; we must put aside issues of race, language, personal enmities and other issues. We must stand before them joining hands, giving rebirth to the Jihadi emotions and status, proud to be Afghans and take steps which will be detrimental to the enemy.

As you know that the fighting for freedom is going ahead successfully against the enemy who is in confusion and are cowards, which is being witnessed in their lies and their allies are going back and do not want to help each other as each day passes. In this period of distress to the enemy, we once again urge and ask those Afghans that if they work with the administration made under international invasion, if they are members of parliament, if they work for the provincial councils or governmental department, if they are police, national army or intelligence they must end their cooperation with the enemy and join hands with the Mujahideen directly or indirectly so that just like before we again can get our liberty and freedom to be shared among all Afghans and to be proud of it.

Mujahideen military action should gain the confidence, respect and affection of people and they should try their best not to harm the civilians in fighting. They should convince everyone; if they are mullahs, talibs, engineers, doctors, scientists, politicians, writers, journalist and farmers to take part in the fight for freedom, not only in the battle field but in the fields of politics, economics and (Ijtimaai) fields too, and disrupt all enemies plans.

Best wishes for the Islamic Shari’ah

Ameer Al-Mu’mineen Mullah Muhammad ‘Umar Mujahid

She loves her cousin and he has proposed to her but he does not pray apart from Jumu’ah (Friday prayer)

Question:
“All praise be to Allah who guided me to pray, wear hejab and niqab. My question is about my cousin, he told me secretly that he loves me. He proposed to me but my father refuses him in spite of knowing that we love each other. He refuses the matter of marriage between relatives; also my cousin does not pray but jumu’ah, he smokes cigarettes and shisha and wastes his time sitting on cafés. He is of less status than us, financially and socially, as I am a doctor and he is a clerk, he is not religious either and his family and my father have many problems. But we love each other and I do not see my happiness in all those things, it is only with whom I love. I think it is easy for Allah to guide him as he guided me, as he is a moral man.
Shall I persist in asking my father to accept him hoping that Allah guides him after marriage, sacrificing all these differences between us, and thinking of the prophet’s (PBUH) Hadeeth: “marriage is the best for the two who love each other”?.”

Ibn al-Qayyim: Imaan cannot be perfected unless one hates Shirk as well as the Mushrikoon

This is a beautiful and short section in Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawzeeyyah’s (rahimahullah) ‘Ar-Rooh’ [1/254] Regarding al-Walaa’ wal Baraa’ah:

The difference between loving for the sake of Allaah and loving something alongside Allaah is one of the most important distinctions. Everyone needs to make this distinction and is indeed obliged to do so. Loving for the sake of Allaah is a sign of the perfection of faith, but loving something alongside Allaah is the essence of shirk. The difference between them is that a person’s love for the sake of Allaah is connected to his love of Allaah; if this love becomes strong in his heart, this love dictates that he will love that which Allaah loves. If he loves that which his Lord loves and he loves those who are the friends of Allaah, this is love for the sake of Allaah. So he loves His Messengers, Prophets, angels and close friends because Allaah loves them, and he hates those who hate them because Allaah hates those people. The sign of the love and hatred for the sake of Allaah is that his hatred for the one whom Allaah hates will not turn into love merely because that person treats him kindly, does him a service or meets some need he has; and his love for those whom Allaah loves will not turn to hatred simply because that person does something that upsets or hurts him, whether it is done by mistake or deliberately, in obedience to Allaah or because the person feels that he has a duty to do it for some reason, or because the person is a wrongdoer who may yet give up his wrongdoing and repent. The entire religion revolves around four principles: love and hatred, and stemming from them, action and abstinence. The person whose love and hatred, action and abstinence, are all for the sake of Allaah, has perfected his faith so that when he loves, he loves for the sake of Allaah, when he hates, he hates for the sake of Allaah, when he does something, he does it for the sake of Allaah, and when he abstains from something, he abstains for the sake of Allaah. To the extent that he is lacking in these four categories, he is lacking in faith and commitment to religion. This is in contrast to the love of things alongside Allaah, which is of two types. One is diametrically opposed to the principle of tawheed and is shirk; the other is opposed to perfection of sincerity and love towards Allaah, but does not put a person beyond the pale of Islaam.

Three articles on the act of spying against Muslims or “Terrorists” & why it is Haraam

[Below we have 3 excellent articles regarding spying on the Muslims. Today, the Western Governments are urging the Muslim Communities to spy on those that seem “Jihaadee” or seem to be doing or acting suspicious or who seems to be a “terrorist” who will carry out a “terrorist” operation. Spying on such people - even if their action would be considered Haraam in the Shari’ah, it would still be Haraam to spy on them. The Muslim Community must be aware that the Western Governments are fighting the true Islaam - by picking on the Mujaahideen - so it is incumbent upon all Muslims to stay away from the influence of the Government and their orders to spy on fellow believers. On a side note, it should be noted that in Islaamic history whenever the Muslims did Offensive Jihaad or an assassination attempt (and yes the Sahaabah have done this many times), and in some cases, they would try to blend in with the Kaafir society for some time and then eventually carry out their orders. One example is the killing of Musaylamah al-Khaddhaab. And if a Muslim were living in that society, it would be haraam for him to spy on that Mujaahid and then to report it back to the leaders.

The Muslim Community today has to realize that they are their own nation apart from the Kaafir nations and that they have their own troops: the Mujaahideen. And it is the Mujaahideen who will return the Islamic Caliphate on the earth, inshaa’Allaah. We have nothing to do with America and her allies and we declare to them that we are free from them and we hate them for the sake of Allah Ta’aala until they become Muslim. Anyone who declares allegiance to America & her allies has committed apostasy and only deserves humiliation in both worlds. And the example here that can be used is the hadeeth related to Haatib ibn Abi Balta’ah (radiyallahu ‘anhu) when he unintentionally spied for Quraysh, and he was nearly killed by the Sahaabah because of it.  

So there is absolutely no justification whatsoever to spy on the Muslims. We hope that the likes of “Shaykh” Yasir Qadhi repents for their evil misdoings for they have spread these lies regarding the “permissibility” of spying against our bretheren.]

Lal Mosque Massacre: Who Were Those Girls? Where Did They Go?

Reported by Ahmed Jan, JUS Pakistan Correspondent in Islamabad | Source: Translated from Dr. Shahid Masood’s TV Programme “Meray Mutabiq” (According To Me), GEO TV.

Islamabad: The massacre of innocent believers; sisters and brothers, continues to inflict pain and grief on Pakistani Muslims, whose eyes remain focused on whether Islam will prevail in the Land of the Pure that some 600,000 mothers, sisters, brothers and fathers were sacrificed for. Following is an article that described the memories of a renowned Pakistani analyst Dr. Shahid Masood who runs regular weekly programme at a local television channel.

“Brother! Why Would They Kill Us?”

The only crime of those girls was that they came out with an ambition to forbid evil in our society. They got a hold of a lady who was operating a brothel. They made her repent (to Allah) and after couple of days she was released with Hijab! Later, they went to a “massage center” and captured a few women who were also involved in flesh trade. Those women were reprimanded and were released after some preaching. Even though these girls walked with sticks in their hands, they did not break anyone’s head in the country, where every other person in the ministry is associated with the “land mafia”.

After the demolition of the mosques, they moved to capture a library in the neighbourhood! Between the beautiful bungalows of the “broadminded”, stylish and blissful society in the capital of Pakistan, where most spend their nights partying… these simple, innocent Hijab-clad pious souls kept busy reciting the Quran in a corner!!

When I met them for the first time, I felt a sense of annoyance and bereavement in their tone! Sadness and complaints in their eyes… Sick of the society!! Their hands, free from bracelets of gold and nail polish… sticks in their hands showed their utmost helplessness – the same helplessness that is evident in the eyes of those decent and pious girls belonging to humble and poor families!!

When I tried to counter them a little over their behaviour and attitude of what they had been doing, they all defied me at once..!! Shahid Bhai (Br. Shahid)!! You don’t know… Doctor Sahib!! You have no knowledge what’s going on… reference of a Quranic verse… evidence from Hadith… they roared at me all at once!! “Do you know what’s happening in America?”, “This is a conspiracy by Jews!!”, “Tactics of our enemy!!” “It’s a crusade!!” etc. etc… With so much difficulty and after accepting my fault, I was able to calm them!! Their principal, Umm-e-Hassan then informed me that these girls haven’t talked to any of the male guests for long, but they were determined to meet me. I thought it would be good for me if I just listened to what they said. This was altogether a different world for me! They may have been looking out from the windows of their small and dark rooms… daily… to find out good looking fashionable girls wearing Jeans and T-shirts… drowned in the swamp of modernism… driving and passing by!! It’s possible… that while going to the nearby market, tempting beats of musical songs could be reaching their ears… at that small age, their eyes may also have dreams for the future… Their hearts must be pounding thinking about better marriage proposals…!! They also may have feelings to get new clothes for Eid… to wear henna, bracelets and bangles into their hands…!! But, all these desires, aspirations and wishes failed only to get vanished behind their veils so much so that there were no faces… no identities…!! ! Only their voices remained and are still echoing in my ears…

Amongst them was a little girl… somewhere around eight to ten years of age… she was clad in the Hijab with her face visible… She was continuously smiling, not knowing the topic of our discussion… may be… our argument became reason of fun for her…!! “What’s your name my daughter?” she replied immediately “Asma…Uncle!” Her elder sister, who was standing behind, slowly slapped on her head.” No Uncle… Call him bhai (Brother)…”, I’ve no idea why but that little angel laughed even louder to repeat “yes, bhai Jaan!!”… “What do you do”, I asked little Asma. “I study” replied Asma… “What do you study my kid?”… Her sister standing behind her replied “Brother, she’s memorizing the Quran”… “Is she studying anything else?” I asked… “Yes, she says she will become a doctor when she grows up”… her fifteen or sixteen year old sister who was covered with full Hijab replied again! “Are you both sisters?” I asked. “Yes Bhai” elder sister replied while taking Asma into her arms. “Three brothers live in the village… we are from Battagram and we own some fields to do cultivation…”

I was present at Jamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid to do recording of a program. After talking with Ghazi Abdul Rasheed and the students, I said good bye to the students and was about to move with Ghazi Sahib to his room when Asma came running behind me, “Brother, Please give me an autograph”, she was almost out of her breath “My name is Asma and my sister’s name is Aaisha.”!! As usual, I wrote for them a duaa for their longer life…!! When I moved a little, she requested again… “Brother! Please give me your mobile number… I won’t bother you again…” I don’t know why, but quite unusually, I gave her my mobile number and her eyes just shone! Ghazi Rasheed then pulled my hand and said… “Doctor Sahib… she will keep you bothering like that… food must be ready by now… and Abdul Aziz Sahib is also waiting for you” The girl then ran away and I followed through the compressed lanes of the Madrassah to reach Ghazi Rasheed’s room at the back where he said… “Doctor Sahib, I’ll bother you once more as our mother also wants to make duaa for you”… We ate while sitting on the ground when Abdul Aziz Sahib joined us.

We kept talking for some time more. When I requested their pardon to leave, I was presented with a set of their latest book and they took a promise from me that I’ll come here again… both the brothers then came to see me off up to the gate of the Madrassah… I was amazed at the way both the scholars were trying to convince me to come there again…!! Few armed men were roaming around at the gate…

I shook hands with them but avoided any discussion… As soon as I left the gate, that little naughty girl came again saying “Brother, I’ll not call you as my sister’s card gets over… I’ll send SMS… keep replying… please brother…” Her eyes were full of innocence and her style was full with naughtiness… “Yes my daughter! Sure… Allah hafiz” When I turned around while going I saw that her elder sister was also watching from the window! As if it was the whole world for them!

Whoever knows about my personal life is aware that I live around a forest of news!! I spend most part of my day in newspapers, magazines and keep myself buried in the pages of books!!

Therefore, in past three months, when the issue of chief justice took an interesting and complicated turn, I still kept myself busy with these activities. During all that period, from time to time, I kept receiving SMS from an unidentified number… in general translation of a verse from Quran… or a Hadith… or some dua’a… all in Roman Urdu… and in the end, name of the sender… “Your younger sister Asma”… It’s true that initially I could not recall who is sending those messages but one day when I read a message saying “When are you coming to the Madrassah again?”, I recalled that it’s the same little naughty Hijab clad girl whom I promised that I will reply to her!! I immediately replied “Very soon!” she answered “Thank you brother.”

I kept removing those messages from my mobile. Few days back when I heard of the announcement of possible military operation on Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsah, I desperately started searching for the messages of that little girl, but unfortunately I had erased everything! Hoping that Asma must have left the premises with her elder sister! But I was still at unrest!!! There were no more messages containing verses, hadith! I tried to satisfy myself thinking of the situation where her guardians might have come from remote village to take them home in a hurry, it could be a possibility that they did not get enough chance to inform anyone. Whenever I heard of the announcements like “military operation will start tonight”, “Firing and bombings have started”, “More girl students have surrendered” “There are more women and girls inside” “they’ve been made hostages” etc. etc., my eyes will desperately move to my cell phone wishing that her message come again once… just once! the very same message that I never saved!!

It was the night of 8th July when all of a sudden I received a short SMS saying “Brother… phone card has no more balance… Please give us a call…” When I called, my little… pretty Asma was crying profusely “Brother… I’m very scared! Firing is going on here… I’ll die!” I answered her shouting “Let me talk to your sister…” Her sister then took the phone… “Both of you get out of there immediately… situation is getting worse… if you allow, I can talk to someone to get you out safe from there…” Sound of blasts was still echoing!!!… I felt as if elder sister has secured Asma between her arms while she is still in pain and crying…!! ” Brother, why would they kill us?? They are our Muslim brothers!! They also recite the same Kalimah!! After all, what crime have we committed?? You know Brother! That we also let Shameem Aunty go after little warning… did the same to the Chinese sisters… Brother … this is all their politics… they are trying to scare us” her elder sister said with confidence…!! “See… situation is bad… I’m telling you… get out of there… for the sake of Allah!!!” I felt as if I was ordering them!!!

“Brother!! Why are you worried so much… Ghazi Sahib was saying that they want us to bow down to their demands… There are few brothers outside who are guarding us! Nothing will happen; you will see… military has arrived after all! They will chase the corrupt policemen out of here…!!! Do you know Brother … military men are supposed to be good Muslims… Why would they kill us?? Are we criminals? Are we Indians? Are we Kuffar? Why would they kill us!!! Sister’s tone was full of confidence… She was not ready to listen anything… “Doctor Brother … I feel like laughing that you are trying to scare us!! You also know that these things work out like that! For Asma, she’s scared a bit more… that’s it!… and yes, please don’t disclose our names anywhere… otherwise agencies will arrest my parents and brothers from our village Battagram. Everything will work out Brother! They will never kill us!!”

I then disconnected the phone along with my prayers for both of them and saved their number as well. Next day, there were news of negotiations for hours and as a matter of fact, I was hoping that this week long issue will be resolved very soon; while I was watching these negotiations getting into final stages, I felt that there is something suspicious! I called up few people in Islamabad to express my feelings that this issue seems to be getting worse; they replied that my anticipation of the situation was baseless but it proved to be correct! And after the failure of negotiations by delegation of scholars and the conclusion of Chaudhry Shujaat’s press conference the military operation started… the intensity of which was described by a government officer as “It seems that the whole Indian army has attacked a very small country Bhutan”

Firings… blasts… bombings… shelling… spy jets, gunship helicopters… and Allah knows what else!!!

And then official announcement of the military operation!! I also got a chance to talk to Abdul Rashid Ghazi on TV and then we came to know that his mother is also taking her last breath…!!!

And then during the dawn I received an SMS “Please call”… it was Asma!!

When I called back, I could hear cries, shouting, girls’ voices at the other side… “Hello… Asma!

My daughter! Hello…” Only Allah knew what was happening there… “Hello my daughter… can you listen to me?” I was shouting as loud as I could “Talk to me… what has happened?”

That sentence… will be alive in my ears till my last breath!! A girl`s broken voice who was crying profusely and saying “My sister has died! Dead is my sister” and phone disconnected!

I was getting calls from Studios asking me to comment on the situation… but I was trying to call them again and again with no luck!! I didn’t have power to say or to listen anything!! Myself lacking power of a commando, honesty of Ijaz-ul-Haq and truthfulness of Tariq Azeem, while hearing any blast on TV, I could feel too many cries… with each firing… many sobbing… and within the noise of every bombardment; I could hear the words ” Brother! Why would they kill us?”… There could be small rooms filled with smoke… or there could be firings all over outside… There were many girls… phone was not getting connected… and then there was fire in the building… I wanted to give Asma a departing Duaa’a in lieu of many dua’as that she sent to me… I was unsuccessful!

In the morning when Fajr Adhan were being echoed all over, I thought while making wudhu that those girls clad in black clothes who were arguing with me unnecessarily… would be looking more beautiful in white shroud (kafan)! like fairies…

Good news to the guardians of the flesh trade that Islamabad is peaceful now but it must be sad as well! And like others, following question will chase me for the rest of my life:

Who were those girls? Where did they go?

Oh Pakistani nation! Rise up against this apostate who has rebelled against the Allah’s commands.

Oh Pakistani Ulema! Come forwards and join hands with the innocents of Lal Mosque and shed your fear of this tyrant.

Oh Pakistani Islamic politicians! Shed your hypocrisy and ambiguous stance for Allah shall surely make you accountable.

Oh Pakistani Youth! Rise up for the inevitable battle against the great evil, the United States and her client the Musharraf regime that is worst hypocrite on the face of this earth is on the horizon.

Oh Allah! Grant help to the oppressed women and children who are being slaughtered in your cause by the munafiqeen forces.

Oh Allah! Tear down this evil army and replace it with the believers, and strengthen our hands.

Garment Should Not Hang Past Ankles (for muslim males).

Hadith - Al-Muwatta 48.12, Similar narration in Abu Dawood #4082
Yahya related to me from Malik from al Ala ibn Abd ar-Rahman that his father said, “I asked Abu Said al-Khudri about the lower garment. He said that he would inform me with knowledge and that he had heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, ‘The lower garment of the mumin should reach to the middle of his calves. There is no harm in what is between that and the ankles. What is lower than that is in the Fire. What is lower than that is in the Fire. On the Day of Rising, Allah will not look at a person who trails his lower garment in arrogance.’ “

Hadith - Sahih Al-Bukhari 7.678, Narrated Abu Huraira, r.a.
The Prophet (saaws) said, “The part of an Izar which hangs below the ankles is in the Fire.”

Hadith - Sunan of Abu Dawood, Narrated AbuJurayy Jabir ibn Salim al-Hujaymi
The Prophet saaws said, “Have your lower garment halfway down your shin; if you cannot do it, have it up to the ankles. Beware of trailing the lower garment, for it is conceit and Allah does not like conceit.”

Folding up the hem because your garment is too long, is forbidden. Pull the trousers upwards, instead. (hint: hard to do if your pants are too tight to start with!)

Hadith - Sahih Muslim #5200, Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar, r.a.

I happened to pass before Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) with my lower garment trailing (upon the ground). He said: Abdullah, tug up your lower garment. I tugged it up, and he again said: Tug it still further, and I tugged it still further and I went on tugging it afterward, whereupon some of the people said: To what extent? Thereupon he said: To the middle of the shanks*.

*The part of the leg between the knee and ankle.

Said Ibn ‘Abbas, “The Prophet ordered us to prostrate on seven bodily parts and not to fold back the hair or clothing: the forehead, the hands, the knees and the feet.” In another wording, the Prophet said, “I have been ordered to prostrate on seven bodily parts: the forehead, and he pointed to his nose, the hands, the knees and the ends of the feet.” (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) In another narration, he said, “I have been ordered to prostrate on seven bodily parts and not to fold back the hair or clothing: the forehead, the nose, the hands, the knees and the feet.” (Related by Muslim and an-Nasa’i.)