Originally posted in September 2010.

I begin in the name of Allah, the most kind and merciful:

Summarized Answer

Scholars, past and present, have differed over this issue, so it should not be turned into a matter of dispute. It appears to me that Muslims should pray both the ʿĪd and Friday prayer. However, whoever decides to follow the other opinion must pray Ẓuhr and will not incur any sin, since this is a legitimate opinion based on proper reasoning and evidence as well. Mosques must organize the Friday prayer for those people who would like to attend.

Reason for the Difference of Opinion

Pieces of Evidence

A: The verse of the Qur’an stipulates that Friday prayer is an obligation: “O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu`ah [Friday], then proceed toward the remembrance of Allah and leave trade. That is better for you, if only you knew.” ((Qur’an 62:9))

B: There is a report that the third khalīfah (caliph), Uthmān ibn ʿAffān, gave permission for some people to skip the prayer: “…then I witnessed the ʿĪd with Uthmān ibn ʿAffān, and that was on Friday. He prayed before the sermon [khutbah], then gave a speech and said: ‘People. This is a day where two ʿĪds have fallen on the same day. So whoever from amongst the people of the outskirts ((The word used is “al-ʿawālī” which refers to people living about one or two miles from the mosque in Madinah. See al-Laknawī, ʿAbdul Ḥayy, al-Taʿlīq al-Mumajjad)) of Madinah wants to wait for the Friday Prayer, they may; and whoever wants to return [home], I have given them permission.” ((Bukhārī 7:103 #5572, Muwaṭṭa’ 2:249 #613))

C: There are reports that the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) allowed people to skip the ʿĪd prayer.

Zayd ibn Arqam reported that the Prophet ﷺ performed the ʿĪd prayers early in the day but then offered an exemption for Friday prayer and said, “Whoever wants to may pray it.” ((Abū Dāwūd 1:281 #1070, Al-Nasā`ī 3:194 #1591. Scholars differed over the authenticity of this report))

“Two ʿĪds were on the same day during the time of Ibn al-Zubayr [a Companion]. He delayed people from coming out until the daylight had spread. When he came out and gave a sermon, he made it long. Then he descended and prayed but the people did not pray the Friday Prayer on that day. This was then mentioned to Ibn ʿAbbās who said: ‘He has acted according to the Sunnah [the way of the Prophet].’” ((Al-Nasā`ī 3:194 #1592))

Abū Hurayrah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Two ʿĪds have synchronized together on this day, so whoever prefers, it may suffice for Friday prayer. We will soon gather.” ((Abū Dā`ūd 1:281 #1073. Scholars differed over the authenticity of this report))

D: There is a report that the Prophet ﷺ himself performed the Friday prayer on ʿĪd day: “The Prophet used to read surah al-Aʿlā and al-Ghāshiyah in the two ʿĪd Prayers and the Friday Prayer. When the day of ʿĪd and Friday would come together on the same day he would still read both of them in both prayers.” ((Muslim 2:598 #878, Nasā`ī 3:112 #1424))

First Opinion

Only people living in isolated areas [who are normally exempted from attending the Friday prayer] coming from out of town to attend the ʿĪd prayer are exempted from the Friday Prayer. This is the opinion of Abū Ḥanīfah ((Al-Shaybānī, Muḥammad, al-Muwatta’)) , Mālik ((Ḥāshiyah al-Dassūqī 1:391)) , and al-Shāfiʿī ((Nawawi, al-Majmūʿ)) .

Reasoning Behind the First Opinion

Verse A cannot be overridden by any report that indicates something different unless it is of the highest authenticity. It must also be reported by several different people because this is not something that would only be heard/observed by one or two people only.

There doesn’t seem to be any rational reason why one obligation should be dropped due to another being performed. This is similar to the way people must still pray Ẓuhr after praying ʿĪd. ((Ibn Qudāmah, al-Mughnī 2:265))

Report B indicates that the leader of the Muslims exempted only a specific group of people [who normally don’t need to pray the Friday prayer because they don’t live in a city] and none of the Companions objected to his decision. This implies they understood that it was in line with the practice of the Prophet ﷺ.

Evidence C may be general in wording but should be understood as being confined to a specific group of people based on the other evidence.

Much of evidence C is of doubtful authenticity.

Report D indicates that the Prophet ﷺ himself prayed it and he obviously had other people with him.

Second Opinion

Whoever performed the ʿĪd prayer is exempted from the Friday prayer ((With the exception of the imām, unless no one shows up)) , but must still pray Ẓuhr. This is the opinion of Aḥmad ((Ibn Qudāmah, al-Kāfī fī Fiqh al-Imām Aḥmad 1:338, Ibn Qudāmah, al-Mughnī 2:265)) . It is also the opinion of later scholars such as Ibn Taymiyyah ((Majmū’ Fatāwā Ibn Taymiyyah 24:211-213)) , al-Shawkānī, Ibn Bāz ((Majmūʿ Fatāwā Ibn Bāz 13:13. His opinion is that it is preferable to pray the Friday prayer.)) , and Sayyid Sābiq.

Reasoning Behind the Second Opinion

Evidence C is sufficiently authentic to prove that the Prophet ﷺ made an exception to the rule in order to make life easier for the Muslims.

The sermon for Friday prayer is an addition to the prayer of Ẓuhr. Since one set of sermons was already heard, there is no need for another set later in the day.

Friday prayer is a type of ʿĪd and there is no need for two of them in one day. When two acts of worship of the same genre combine together, one of them drops, the way wuḍū’ (ablution) is not needed when taking a bath [ghusl]. ((Majmūʿ Fatāwā Ibn Taymiyyah 24:211))

Conclusion

There is clearly a legitimate difference of opinion due to both the clarity and authenticity of the two reports in question.

The Question

The life and death of planet Earth byastrophysicist Donald Brownlee and paleontologist Peter Ward. Now these two men are saying that the world will end in 2012. Allah says in the Qur’an that only he knows when the world will end but these men are saying that there calculations are based on the Maya calendar, the calendar has been used to predict the future before and so far, it has only been 43 seconds off. Is there anything in the Qur’an that agrees with this matter?

The Answer

In the name of Allah, The Compassionate, The Merciful

You have made a very wise decision in asking this question on two counts. First, because many young people nowadays have several questions and/or misgivings about their religion but keep them inside. As time goes by, these ideas pile up and then might trigger some day and lead to numerous doubts about their religion without anyone understanding what happened. Therefore, it is beneficial to express what you feel and to ask questions.

Second, you have asked the right people who grew up in an environment similar to yours and have knowledge of Islam. Many people end up asking the wrong people who either can’t relate to them or have no knowledge. This would only end up causing more problems.

The stance of the Qur’an on this issue is clear from the following verse: “They ask you [Prophet] about the end of the world, saying, ‘When will it be?’ How can you tell them that? Its time is known only to your Lord. You are only sent to warn those who fear it.” (Qur’an, 79:42-45)

The point is that when Allah says that something is “known only to your Lord,” it means that it is something that cannot be discovered by man, such as a person’s lifespan. Many people try to predict a number of things and we assume that, because of the advances in science and technology, we can also have knowledge similar to what Allah has. However, think about how many times the weather report has been wrong despite all the satellites and advanced equipment, how many people were supposed to die but lived, and how many people were supposed to have lived but died. All of these things remind us of how far we really are from Allah’s knowledge. As for using the Maya calendar, we need to stop and think about a number of things. First, how many predictions did they make? Second, what were their predictions about? Third, what was the rate of accuracy in all of their predictions and why they aren’t being used as mainstream evidence? Fourth, where did they get this knowledge from?

We must be very critical of people who claim to know the future. Most people who make such a claim are frauds while the others are merely guessing. It’s like horoscopes which are written in such a general way that people think they can actually tell the future when, in reality, they don’t. We shouldn’t be fooled by such things,even if they are packaged and presented in the name of science. Science is a very useful tool, but it is often misused and twisted to fit a certain agenda or just to sell a book. When all is said and done, remember that just because the sun has risen from the east for millions of years doesn’t mean that Allah can’t change it tomorrow and make it rise from the west.  We must remember that just as our own lives are in the hands of Allah, so is the life of the world, and He can end it whenever He likes. May Allah allow us to utilize our limited lives with what pleases Him before our time is up.

Am I allowed to cut my nails and hair during the first ten days of the month of Dhul Ḥijjah?

I begin in the name of Allah, the most kind and merciful:

Summarized Answer

Scholars, past and present, have differed over this issue, so it should not be turned into a matter of dispute. It appears to me that refraining from cutting/removing any hair or nails on the body is recommended for those who intend to sacrifice an animal, whether they will slaughter the animal themselves or are commissioning someone to do it for them. However, whoever decides to do so will not incur any sin. The person who will be slaughtering for another does not need to refrain from anything since they are not doing it for themselves.

The wisdom behind this could be that a person who is offering a sacrifice wants to resemble a person performing Hajj since it is about sacrifice, so they refrain from cutting the hair and nails to further the resemblance [since pilgrims to Makkah are also not allowed to cut]. ((Sharḥ al-Nawawī ʿalā Muslim 13:138-139. Al-Nawawī mentioned another possible reason as well which I prefer not to mention here.))

Reason for the Difference of Opinion

Pieces of Evidence

A: The prophetic report narrated by Umm Salamah states: “Whoever sights the crescent for the month of Dhul Ḥijjah and intends to sacrifice an animal should cut neither his hair nor his nails.” ((Muslim 3:1565, Abū Dā’ūd 3:94, Tirmidhī 4:102, Nasā’ī 7:211))

B: The prophetic report narrated by ʿĀ’ishah that: “…the Prophet sent a sacrificial animal to the Kaʿbah [while residing in Madīnah] but did not abstain from anything [that a person performing Ḥajj would abstain from]…” ((Bukhārī 7:102, Muslim 2:957))

First Opinion

Scholars who said it is forbidden for a person who intends to slaughter: Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib, Rabīʿah, Aḥmad ibn Ḥambal, Dāwūd, Ibn Ḥazm, Isḥāq, some Shāfiʿī scholars, and Ṭaḥāwī [of the Ḥanafī school]. ((al-Tirmidhī 4:102, Tuḥfah al-Aḥwadhī 5:99-100, Sharḥ Mushkil al-Āthār 14:141-143))  Among the later scholars who upheld this opinion: Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Ibn Qudāmah, al-Shawkānī, Ibn Bāz, and Ibn al-Uthaymīn.

Reasoning Behind the First Opinion

Report A is authentic.

Report B is confined to only those who send a sacrificial animal, not those who sacrifice within their own city. ((`Awn al-Maʿbūd wa Ḥāshiyah ibn al-Qayyim ʿalā Sunan Abī Dāwūd 7:346, al-Istidhkār 4:84))

Report A must be taken literally because even if it was considered to be disliked and not prohibited, the Prophet would never do something which is disliked. ((Ibid.))

Second Opinion

Scholars who said it is disliked but not prohibited: al-Shāfiʿī and some of Aḥmad ibn Ḥambal’s students [such as Abū Yaʿlā]. ((Tuḥfah al-Aḥwadhī 5:99-100, `Awn al-Maʿbūd wa Ḥāshiyah ibn al-Qayyim ʿalā Sunan Abī Dāwūd 7:346))  Among the later scholars who upheld this opinion: al-Nawawī.

Reasoning Behind the Second Opinion

Both reports A and B are authentic and appear to be contradictory because they are speaking about the same issue.

It is best to reconcile both reports by saying that report A is not to be taken literally but rather as something disliked but not prohibited.

Third Opinion

Scholars who said that there is nothing wrong with cutting the hair or nails: Abū Ḥanīfah and his students, Mālik and his students, and Sufyān al-Thawrī. ((Tuḥfah al-Aḥwadhī 5:99-100, al-Istidhkār 4:84))

Reasoning Behind the Third Opinion

Report A has some weakness in it so report B takes precedence over it.

Report A doesn’t make sense because it is contrary to analogy. If a person was supposed to refrain from cutting their nails and hair, they should have also been instructed to refrain from certain clothing, perfume, and intimacy because that is what people who are performing Hajj must also do. ((`Awn al-Maʿbūd wa Ḥāshiyah ibn al-Qayyim ʿalā Sunan Abī Dāwūd 7:347))

Conclusion

There is clearly a legitimate difference of opinion due to both the clarity and authenticity of the two reports in question.

In a world where politicians, talk show hosts, entertainers, and gossipers never seem to stop talking, Islam reminds us that the tongue is like a loaded weapon: the safety latch should always be on. Muslim scholars throughout time have warned us about the dangers of misfiring the tongue, something that almost everyone has been guilty of. The Prophet’s ﷺ concise statement should serve as sufficient evidence that the above is true: “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should say something good, or keep quiet.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] Speech has been tied to belief in this Prophetic statement in order to drive home the idea that what we speak is almost as important as what we believe.

With advancements in technology, weapons are able to inflict much more harm that anyone previously ever dreamt of. Whether it’s a nuke or a cluster bomb, the effects of modern assault is a phenomenon that every person of conscious looks at with regret. The tongue is no different: by means of mass media and satellite, the power of speech has the ability to wreak havoc upon entire communities through deception, propaganda, and instigation.

However, just as nuclear technology can be harnessed for immense good, the power of the tongue can also be amplified for positive things. The Prophet ﷺ said: “The greatest struggle [Jihād] is a word of truth² in front of a tyrant ruler.” [An-Nasā’ī] This statement should not fool anyone to think that the effect of prohibiting someone from doing wrong is confined only to the next world. One of the ways that ‘wrong’ is made ‘right’ is through the tongue. In fact, according to the Messenger ﷺ, this oral activism becomes a necessity when unable to physically correct something: “Whoever perceives something wrong must correct with their hand. If unable to, then with their tongue. If still unable, then with their heart, and that is the weakest level of faith.” [Muslim]

A detailed analysis of this command reveals a number of things:

• First, the perception that something is wrong must be correct and based upon knowledge, rather than suspicion or false accusation. Had the command been limited to what every ignorant person perceives to be wrong, it would lead to chaos.
• Next, correcting something with the heart means to hate it in your heart. You can only hate what you know. Therefore, the Prophetic wisdom is commanding people to know what evil is happening around them. Those people who live in an environment surrounded by injustice and oppression but are ignorant of what is taking place are just as guilty as those who know about it but don’t hate it.
• Lastly, the sequence that was mentioned deserves special attention. The first step is to acquire the knowledge of what is defined as ‘wrong.’ Islam rejects the idea of moral relativism, in its absolute sense. What is right and wrong has been defined by our Creator, not by the creation. The second step is to have the knowledge of what is taking place around you. If you do not know what is taking place, you cannot even attempt to hate it.

However, hatred is not the end goal. It is a means to an end, the same way that knowledge is a means towards action, rather than a goal in itself. The awareness and hatred for ‘wrong’ will manifest itself on the tongue when a person is in a position to do so. In turn, that oral struggle will manifest into action when the opportunity presents itself.

The tongue has so much power because of its ability to lead to action, whether it is the individual speaking, or others who are listening. It is because of this power that the safety on this weapon should remain on, but it is also because of this power that those who are in a position to do so should aim with it, and shoot.

Everyone cherishes success. Whether it is in school, work, athletics, or something else, people do things with the intention to succeed. One does not enter school with the intention of failing, nor go to work and not expect to get paid, nor fight to lose.

The bright side of this as Muslims is that Allah judges us by our intentions. As the Prophet (sal Allahu `alayhi wa sallam – peace be upon him) eloquently said: “Actions are by their intentions. Everyone will be compensated according to what they intended.”¹

As Muslims, we realize that life is a test. Success lies in adjusting our deeds to be in accordance with what pleases Allah. That may mean that things don’t always go our way. It may sometimes, in our limited view of reality, seem that we have failed. Yet, as this hadith indicates, the Prophet (s) once again revolutionizes our view of reality: “The life of a believer is truly amazing.  Everything that happens to him is good.  This is only true for a believer and none else.  If something pleasant happens to him, he is thankful and that is good for him. But if something bad afflicts him, he is patient and that is also good for him.”²

This is a huge comfort to us Muslims. We understand that behind all difficulties is a master plan being executed by the Lord of all worlds. But what about being successful in the tasks that we attempt to undertake? Is failure itself always a test for which we should resort to patience? Or is it that we are doing something wrong that needs to be corrected?

There are thousands of tips and tricks in how to be successful; many lines have been written on the subject. The Messenger of Allah (s), however, was blessed with the ability to impact people with a few words. One of his concise sayings about success should echo in the thoughts of every Muslim: “The most beloved actions to Allah are those performed consistently, even if they are few.”³

Many times we get into action mode and begin to do something, whether it’s exercise, extra fasting, or increasing in knowledge.  But one of the common complaints is that this “rush” doesn’t last long. The solution, however, is so blatantly simple that the Prophet (s) had summarized it the one sentence above. Furthermore, we should know that one of the reasons why it is better to perform one’s actions consistently is because it is tougher. We can pray all night once or twice a year, fast an extra week, or browse through a few books, but real success lies in consistency. It lies in building good habits, not merely in compulsive deeds, and requires a commitment.

Pay close attention to the above statement of the Prophet (s). It is not only consistency that leads to success; experts in the motivational field would agree upon that. The essential ingredient which leads to success is that the action is something that is loved by Allah. Once that is established, then Allah loves our consistent actions more than our compulsive ones. There are two reasons for this; first, because it is more difficult to be consistent, and requires more effort; and second, because consistency helps lead to success. May Allah reward us with success in this life and the next.