6 - MASJÎD an-NABÎ
The four different stages of enlarging Masjid an-Nabî:
1. Bâb as-salâm
2. Bâb al-Jibrîl
3. Bâb an-Nisâ
4. Bâb ar-rahma
5. Bâb at-tawassul
6. Shabakat as-Sa’âda
7. Hujrat as-Sa’âda
8. Muwâjahat ash-Sherîfa
9. Mihrâb an-Nabî
10. Mihrâb al-’Uthmânî
11. Part covered with sand
WHAT IS A TRUE MUSLIM LIKE?
The first advice is to correct the belief in accordance with those which the Ahl-i sunnat savants communicate in their books. For, it is this madhhab only that will be saved from Hell. May Allâhu ta’âlâ give plenty of rewards for the work of those great people! Those scholars of the four madhhabs, who reached up the grade of ijtihâd, and the great scholars educated by them are called Ahl as-sunna scholars. After correcting the belief (îmân), it is necessary to perform the worship informed in the knowledge of fiqh, i.e. to do the commands of the Sharî’at and to abstain from what it prohibits. One should perform the namâz five times each day without reluctance and slackness, and being careful about its conditions and ta’dîl-i arkân. He who has as much money as nisâb should give zakât. Imâm-i a’zâm Abû Hanîfa says, “Also, it is necessary to give the zakât of gold and silver which women use as ornaments.”
One should not waste one’s precious life even on unnecessary mubâhs. It is certainly necessary not to waste it on harâm. We should not busy ourselves with taghannî, singing, musical instruments, or songs. We should not be deceived by the pleasure they give our nafses. These are poisons mixed with honey and covered with sugar.
One should not commit giybat. Giybat is harâm. [Giybat means to talk about a Muslim’s or a Zimmî’s secret fault behind his back. It is necessary to tell Muslims about the faults of the Harbîs, about the sins of those who commit these sins in public, about the evils of those who torment Muslims and who deceive Muslims in buying and selling, thus causing Muslims to beware their harms, and to tell about the slanders of those who talk and write about Islam wrongfully; these are not giybat. [Radd-ul-Muhtâr: 5-263)].
One should not spread gossip (carry words) among Muslims. It has been declared that various kinds of torments would be done to those who commit these two kinds of sins. Also, it is harâm to lie and slander, and must be abstained from. These two evils were harâm in every religion. Their punishments are very heavy. It brings plenty of thawâb to conceal Muslims’ defects, not to spread their secret sins and to forgive them their faults. One should pity one’s inferiors, those under one’s command [such as wives, children, students, soldiers] and the poor. One should not reproach them for their faults. One should not hurt or heat or swear at those poor persons for trivial reasons. One should attack nobody’s property, life, honour, or chastity. Debts to others and to the government must be paid. Bribery, accepting or giving, is harâm. However, it would not be bribery to give it in order to get rid of the oppressions of a cruel person, or to get rid of some other disgusting situation. However, even in such cases, it is harâm to accept the bribe offered. Everybody should see his own defects, and should every hour think of the faults which he has committed towards Allâhu ta’âlâ. He should always bear in mind that Allâhu ta’âlâ does not hurry in punishing him, nor does He cut off his sustenance. The words of command from one’s parents, or from the government, compatible with the Sharî’a, must be obeyed, but the ones, incompatible with the Sharî’a, should not be resisted against so that we should not cause fitna. [See the 123rd letter in the second volume of the book Maktûbât-i Ma’thûmiyya.]
After correcting the belief and doing the commands of fiqh, one should spend all one’s time remembering Allâhu ta’âlâ. One should continue remembering, mentioning Allâhu ta’âlâ as the great men of religion have communicated. One should feel hostility towards all the things that will prevent the heart from remembering Allâhu ta’âlâ. The more you adhere to the Sharî’at, the more delicious it will be to remember Him. As indolence, laziness increase in obeying the Sharî’at, that flavour will gradually decrase, being thoroughly gone at last.
It is harâm for Muslims, women and men alike, to go out or to engage in outdoor activities such as ball games and swimming without properly covering (those parts of their body which Islam prohibits one to expose to others and which it terms as) their awrat parts. As well, it is harâm to attend places occupied by people with awrat parts exposed. [İslâm Ahlâkı (Islamic Moral Values), p. 331.] If, while committing something harâm, one also dawdles away the time allotted for one of the five daily prayers of namâz (without having performed it within its prescribed period of time), this not only will add to the sin, but also may induce one to a state of disbelief. It is harâm to play any sort of musical instrument, as well as to perform any religious recital, e.g. reading or reciting (passages from the) Qur’ân al-kerîm, reciting (an eulogy to the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad ‘alaihis-salâm’, termed the) mawlid, or reciting (the prescribed invitation to prayer of namâz, termed the) azân (or adhân), melodiously. Also, it is harâm to use musical instruments such as flutes, or loudspeakers in the performance of such religious performances. Saying something melodiously means elongation of some vowels, which may spoil the wording. Wahhâbîs are trying to prohibit the performance of mawlid with casuistries such as, “The Prophet is dead; he will not hear you. Besides, it is polytheism to eulogize anyone other than Allah.” It is this belief of theirs which is disbelief. Using a loudspeaker is like using the telephone. If something is harâm to say, it is not permissible to listen to it through a loudspeaker. It is permissible to use loudspeakers for educational purposes, e.g. in teaching science, arts, economics, religious knowledge, ethics and martial lessons. It is not permissible to use loudspeakers to announce corrupt publications fabricated so as to impair moral and religious comportments or to amplify the sound during the performance of adhân or public prayer of namâz, or to listen to such performances. The voice heard from a loudspeaker installed on a minaret is not the voice of the muadh-dhin (person calling the adhân). It is the voice produced by the instrument, despite its close similarity to the human voice. When we hear this voice, we should say, “It’s prayer time (time for namâz),” instead of saying, “The adhân is being called.” For, the sound produced by the loudspeaker is not originally the voice of (the person saying the) adhân. It is a reproduced copy of adhân.
It is stated as follows in some hadîth-i-sherîfs: “Towards the end of the world, the Qur’ân al-kerîm will be being read through (instruments called) mizmârs.” “There is such a time to come that the Qur’ân al-kerîm will be read through mizmârs. It will be read not to please Allâhu ta’âlâ, but only for pleasure.” “There are many people who read (or recite) the Qur’ân al-kerîm and the Qur’ân al-kerîm utters a curse against them.” “There will come such a time when the most dissolute people will be (among) muadh-dhins.” “There will be a time when the Qur’ân al-kerîm will be read through mizmârs.” “Allâhu ta’âlâ will pronounce a curse on them.” Mizmâr means a musical instrument of any sort, such as a whistle. A loudspeaker also is a mizmâr. Muadh-dhins should dread these hadîth-i-sherîfs and avoid calling the adhân calling through loudspeakers. Some people who are ignorant in religious matters assert that loudspeakers are useful appliances because they convey sound to long distances. Our Prophet admonished, “Perform the acts of worship as you saw me and my As-hâb(companions) do them! Those who make changes in the acts of worship are called “ahl-i-bid’at” (people of bid’at, heretics). People of bid’at will certainly go to Hell. None of their acts of worship shall be accepted.” It is not something right to claim to make useful amendments to religious practices. Claims of this sort are lies fibbed by enemies of religion. It is the Islamic scholars’ business to judge whether a certain change is useful. These profound scholars are called mujtahids. Mujtahids do not make changes at will. They know whether an amendment or a change will be (an act of) bid’at. They were unanimous in the fact that calling the adhân through a loudspeaker (mizmâr) is an act of bid’at. The path that will lead to the love of Allâhu ta’âlâ is through the human heart. By creation, the heart is pure like a mirror. Acts of worship will add to the heart’s purity and lustre. Sins will darken the heart, so that it will no longer receive the fayds (subtle pieces of spiritual information) and nûrs (lights, haloes) conveyed by (invisible rays of) love. Sâlih (pious) Muslims will sense this absence and will feel sad about it. They are disinclined to commit sins, but eager to perform more and more acts of worship. Instead of performing only the five daily prayers of namâz, for instance, they wish to perform other prayers of namâz as well. Committing sins feels sweet and sounds useful to the human nafs. All sorts of bid’at and sins are nutritive to the nafs, which is an enemy of Allâhu ta’âlâ, and they will fortify its strongholds. An example of them is to call the adhân through a loudspeaker.
Childhood is the age to acquire knowledge, and if this flowering period of time is frittered away, Muslims’ children will be left ignorant, which in turn means an irreligious generation ahead. Having watched this catastrophic process in heedless silence, religious authorities will be the biggest shareholders in the grave sin. If a person does not learn the halâl and the harâm, or if he flouts them though he may have learned them, he will become a disbeliever. He is no different from church-goers or from those disbelievers who worship idols or icons. Man’s arch enemy is his own nafs. It always wishes to do what is harmful to him. Desires of the nafs are called shahwa (lust). Doing these carnal desires of the nafs gives it great pleasure. It is not sinful to do them as much as necessary. Yet it will be harmful and sinful to do them to excess. In order to distract Muslim children from acquiring religious knowledge, enemies of Islam have enticed them into ball games in the name of sports activities and physical training. Since exposing the parts of (the body called) awrat and looking at others’ awrat parts are the nafs’s favourite enjoyments, craze for ball games has spread rapidly among the children. Muslim parents should see to that their young sons and daughters enter into a (suitable) marriage as early as possible, they should prevent them from going out in groups of mixed sexes and from joining ball games where they would inevitably expose their awrat parts, and they should send them to a sâlih (true) Muslim teacher so that they will learn their religion and faith.
HÜSEYN HiLMi IŞIK
'Rahmat-allahi alaih’
Hüseyn Hilmi Işık, 'Rahmat-allahi alaih’, publisher of the Waqf Ikhlas Publications, was born in Eyyub Sultan, Istanbul in 1329 (A.D. 1911).
Of the one hundred and forty-four books he published, sixty are Arabic, twenty-five Persian, fourteen Turkish, and the remaining translated books consist of French, German, English, Russian and other languages.
Hüseyn Hilmi Işık, 'Rahmat-allahi alaih' (guided by Sayyid Abdulhakim Arvasi, ‘Rahmat-allahi alaih’, a profound scholar of the religion and was perfect in virtues of tasawwuf and capable to direct disciples in a fully mature manner; possessor of glories and wisdom), was a competent, great Islamic scholar able to pave the way for attaining happiness, passed away during the night between October 25, 2001 (8 Shaban 1422) and October 26, 2001 (9 Shaban 1422). He was buried at Eyyub Sultan, where he was born.
To: Hakîkat Bookstore
Dear Brothers in Islam.
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
All praise to Allahu ta’âlâ. Peace be upon the holy Prophet of Islam (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). May Allah be well pleased with you!
I have written this letter to thank you and praise your good deeds in the straight path you have taken to redeem Islam and Muslims in this modern, blind world.
I have received your worthy and valuable books - ENDLESS BLISS IV, BELIEF AND ISLAM, and THE SUNNI PATH. The books arrived just six days after I wrote a letter asking questions on Qada and Qadar with music. However, I do not know how to thank you as no word, phrase nor letter could convey my feeling to you. In fact, I will never deem of limiting my thanksgiving through words and letters and I hope you will bear with the poor and weak mind of mine.
In the first instande, I had written to express my thanks on Edless Bliss III and also requested for its price and those of other books published by Hakikat Kitâbevi. What a great person you are! You did not ask me to pay for the book. Yet, you sent another without demanding anything. I don’t just know what to say as you are pleasing my heart, making me to realise myself as a Muslim and protecting me against the enemies of Islam. There is not much to say than may Allah be pleased with you, favour you, provide for you in aboundance and rewards you with everlasting bliss.
As I am focusing my attention on the just received Endless Bliss IV with others, I could deduce that you are presenting Islam in its absolute purity and I am very happy to say in good authority that it has provided answers to most of my questions. This book is a unique book teaching the practical faith and duty of Muslims. It has become my friend when going out, my companion when alone, my teacher when learning and my quidance when praying. All the books are simply too great. With them, I have come to realise that one must not resign himself to luxury, prosperity and the good life but should strive hard and be profoundly learned in Islamic knowledge and to communicate the message of true religion to the people of all ages.
However, I am very sorry and bitterly touched to inform you that my father is not a practising Muslim. This has served as hindrance towards my learning the religion of Islam many years ago. I have remain the victim of the oppressed for years and there is no peace everywhere in the house. All the times, days and years, I have been full of thinking and supplication sorting things with my best ability and planning a way out of this situation. It was during this time that a young man of my age came to my life. We are so intimate that we usually discuss our private affairs with each other. After discussing about my problem, he advised me to write to your publication. For many years, I have sat desperately to contemplate what makes me a Muslim. I scrutinised to discover how to be a Muslim to truly and unambiguously accept the Holy Quran and its injunctions and to put them into practice; sincerely, in its entirety.
Here in this part of the world, people are very corrupt, there are many heretical groups who make game of religion, trade in religion and converts religion into business in order to fulfil their sensudus desires. Some of those who claim to be Muslim leaders have strayed away and defected from Islam. Many have turned religion into a lucrative business from which they realize millions of Naira (Nigerian currency note). In fact one cannot be too careful. Religion leaders have reduced faith to mere words of mouth which can be decorated with beautiful rhetorics just to attract applause.
After attaching myself to your publication, I have now realised that I need nobody else and I need nothing else in this world except Hadrat HILMI IŞIK. I have come to understand that I have much to regret in the hereafter if I failed to search for true and correct knowledge. And what do I have to tell my Allah to justify my case if I do not learn, practise and serve Islam.
Dear brothers in Islam, I have made up my mind and ready to learn the only religion. I don’t want to sit down arms folded watching helplessly as they lead people to ruination. I would therefore will be very pleased if you favourably consider my request of coming to Turkey.I would like to be with you in all spheres of your activities and struggles for Islam since it is my activities and struggles as well. I want to learn the correct dîn and adapt myself to the Hanafî Madhhab under your guidance and by your courtesy.
If my request is accepted, I would like you to give me detail information on how I will make my transport arrangements.
Meanwhile, as I have no provision yet, I will want to work for few years in order to earn my transportation fare.
I would like to say again that I had enclosed a copy of my photograph and asked few questions on Qada and Qadar in my last letter. Happily, Endless Bliss IV has provided an answer to my puzzles on Music.
I will want you to continue sending me more of your valuable books. I seek your support in combating and safeguiding myself against the corrupt actions and books of the enemies of Islam.
May Allah provide good for you wherever you may be! Âmin.
Wassalam.
Your brother in Islam,
Alabi c/o Muhammad Shaikh,
P. O. Box 1071
Ogbomoso, Oyo State
Nigeria
