Shakawa Wa Hulool - Problems and Solutions
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Creator: Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
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Subject: character
Title: Shakawa Wa Hulool - Problems and Solutions
Created on: Thu Nov 08 09:26:17 -0500 2007
Updated on: Thu Nov 08 09:26:17 -0500 2007
Version: 1
Abstract: ... d say, "Ya Hayyu ya Qayyoom, bi rahmatika astagheeth. Allahu rabbee wa la ushriku bihi shay'an (O Ever-Living, O Eternal One, by Your mercy I seek Your help. Allah is my Lord, and I do not associate anything with Him)." (Saheeh al-Jaami', 4791). In the famous du'aa' to relieve stress and anxiety, he said: "Allahumma inni 'abduka, wa'bnu 'adbdika wa'bnu amatika… (O Allah, I am Your slave, the son of Your slave, the son of Your maidservant…)." This is a concept which has to be understood properly before we move on to a discussion of the practical ways of dealing with the problem of excessive laughter, which can be dealt with in the following ways: Remembering death, the grave, the Last Day and its reckoning, the bridge over Hell (al-siraat), the Fire, and all the other terrors of the Hereafter. The way to remember all these things is to read the texts that describe these scenes and to study the details and commentaries, as well as sitting with people who are ascetic (zaahid) and whose hearts are devoted to Allah. Thinking about the situation of the Muslims and how they are suffering because they have strayed from their religion; they are behind in all fields of life, facing oppression, hardship and destruction, and subject to the plots of international conspiracies. When the Muslim thinks long and hard about this situation, it needs must have an impact on how much he laughs and cries. Feeling the weight of his great responsibility towards his ummah, which is need of huge efforts to save it from the danger of falling. If this becomes his main concern, he will start making active efforts to reform his family and friends, and his society, as much as he can. He will not have the time for cracking stupid jokes or for excessive laughter or trivial pursuits. Avoiding mixing with jokers who are well-known for making people laugh and trying to be funny, and keeping away from gatherings where they are present, whilst also trying to advise them and the people who sit with them. We have already referred to some Islamic workers who use the tactic of making people laugh as a means of winning people over, and in some cases the general public may say, "Where is the shaykh who makes us laugh? We want the shaykh who makes us laugh!" This is a step backwards, which we hope the ummah will avoid, because the Religion of Allah is great and strong. Allah says (interpretation of the meanings): "Verily! This (the Qur'aan) is the Word that separates (the truth from falsehood…). And it is not a thing for amusement." [al-Taariq 83:13] and: "…Hold fast to that which We have given you…" [al-Baqarah 2:93]. The Prophet(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "If you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much, and you would go out to the hills, beseeching Allah for help." If we really understood what is required of us, and what lies ahead, we would never even sleep peacefully. Resisting the urge to laugh as much as possible, as well as tying to stop others from laughing. There may be a gathering where the people are accustomed to laughing and chortling most of the time. So the Muslim must first suppress his own laughter, just as he suppresses a yawn, then he should advise the other people present and help them to control themselves. It takes a persuasive, determined and serious person to do this. There is a lot of goodness in people, praise be to Allah, and they are ready to respond to the one who wants to reform them and improve them. This can be achieved in a number of ways, such as telling them how bad it is to laugh and make others laugh, because it can lead to lies and falsehood when the "comedian" cannot find a true story to tell, so he makes up a tale from his imagination to make people laugh. This is the kind of person who was warned by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "Woe to the one who talks and tells lies to make people laugh… woe to him, woe to him!" (Saheeh al-Jaami', 7136). It can also make him an unstable person who is held in low esteem by others, because the person who makes people laugh is despised by them, even if he thinks otherwise. They have no respect for him at all, and the same applies to the person who laughs too much. Changing the subject that led to the laughter, and introducing another, useful subject. If you see that the people have gone too far with their laughter, try to bring them to their senses, using a proper method, and introduce a serious topic and help them to make good use of their time, by reading a useful book, discussing an important topic, exchanging ideas, or suggesting some charitable project or other good work that Allah likes and is pleased with. As a last resort, if you have done all that you can to advise them correctly, get up and leave the gathering, to protect yourself from corruption. "… and no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another…" [al-An'aam 6:164 - interpretation of the meaning]. ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~~*~ ~*~~*~ ~*~~*~ ~*~~*~ ~*~~*~ ~*~~*~ ~*~ Waswaas (insinuating thoughts from Shaytaan) A person may ask: "I am suffering from many insinuating thoughts (waswaas) about the nature of Allah, may He be glorified. There are thoughts going around in my mind that I cannot utter because they are not befitting to Allah, and they keep coming back to me, when I am praying and at other times. It is so bad that I doubt my faith, and wonder if I am even a Muslim or not. What is the cure for this problem?" A number of ahaadeeth have been reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) which contain the answer to this problem, al-hamdu Lillah. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The Shaytaan may come to any one of you and say, 'Who created Allah?' If any one of you experiences this, let him say, 'Aamantu billaahi wa rasoolih (I believe in Allah and His Messenger),' and that will drive him away." (Saheeh al-Jaami', 1657). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The Shaytaan may come to any one of you and ask, 'Who created the heaven?' and he will say, 'Allah.' The Shaytaan will say, 'Who created the earth?' and he will say, 'Allah.' Then the Shaytaan will say, 'Who created Allah?' If any one of you experiences this, let him say, 'Aamantu billaahi wa rasoolih.'" (Saheeh al-Jaami', 1656). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever experiences anything of this waswaas, let him say three times, ''Aamantu billaahi wa rasoolih,' and that will drive (the Shaytaan) away." (Saheeh al-Jaami', 6587). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The Shaytaan may come to any one of you, and say, 'Who created such-and-such? Who created such-and-such?' until he asks, 'Who created your Lord?' If this happens to anyone, let him seek refuge with Allah and let him stop these thoughts." (Saheeh al-Jaami', 7993). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The people will nearly ask too many questions, so that one of them may say, 'Allah created all of creation, but who created Allah?' If they say this, then say: 'Allah is the One, Allah is the Self-Sufficient Master. He begets not, nor was He begotten; and there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him' [al-Ikhlaas 112:1-4, interpretation of the meaning], and spit (drily) to your left three times, and seek refuge with Allah from the Shaytaan." (Saheeh al-Jaami', 8182). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Think about the signs of Allah, do not think about Allah (Himself)." (Saheeh al-Jaami', 2975) The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Think about the creation of Allah, do not think about Allah (Himself)." (Saheeh al-Jaami', 2976) From these texts we may summarize the following six ways of overcoming these insinuating thoughts: The person who is experiencing such ideas should say, "Aamantu billaahi wa rasoolih (I believe in Allah and His Messenger)." He should seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytaan, and say three times, "A'oodhu billaahi'l-Samee' il-'Aleem min al-Shaytaan il-rajeem, min hamzihi wa nafkhihi wa nafathih (I seek refuge with Allah, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, from the accursed Shaytaan, and from his slander and evil insinuations)." He should spit (drily) to his left three times. He should stop thinking about whatever it is that is on his mind, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Let him stop." This is an important tactic, because continuing to allow the Shaytaan to influence one in this way can only make it worse. The Muslim must stop these thoughts, as much as he is able, and keep his mind busy with something useful and beneficial. He should recite Soorat al-Ikhlaas (Qul huwa Allahu ahad), because it describes attributes of the Most Merciful and is considered to be equivalent to one-third of the Qur'aan. Reciting this great soorah will guarantee an end to these insinuating thoughts. He should think about the creation and blessings of Allah, not about His nature, because his weak human mind can never comprehend the nature of Allah. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): "… and they will never compass anything of His Knowledge" [Ta-Ha 20:110] ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ Staying up late We have received so many questions about this problem that we know it is crying out for a solution. So many people are wasting so much time in staying up late at night. But the truth of the matter is that this phenomenon is not homogenous. There are three kinds of staying up late: (1) Staying up late to worship Allah This is the worthy kind of staying up. It includes staying up for reasons that are of benefit to the Muslims in general, such as engaging in jihaad and guarding the borders of Islam, as well as staying up to pray (qiyaam al-layl) and read Qur'aan. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): "They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their Lord and praying, with fear and hope]." [al-Dhaariyaat 51:17]. We should not forget, in this context, the great Sahaabi who was guarding the Muslims at night, and spent his time on guard duty praying. He was struck by an arrow fired by the mushrikeen, and his blood began to flow, but he kept on praying, enjoying his contact with his Lord. It is reported that some of the scholars used to discuss hadeeth until the sun came up. Some of the sincere da'iyahs (callers, Islamic workers) still stay up at night discussing matters that keep those who care about the ummah awake. An example of this is what happened with Shaykh 'Abd al-Hameed ibn Baadees and Shaykh al-Basheer al-Ibraaheemi, the founders of the Muslim scholars' organization (Jam'iyat al-'Ulama' al-Muslimeen) in Algeria. During their time in Madeenah, they used to stay up all night, until fajr time, discussing the state of the Muslim ummah and the bid'ah, myths and backwardness in which it had ended up, and planning how they would rescue Algerian society from this sorry state. This kind of staying up is entirely worthy, so long as it does not lead to the neglect of something more important or more obligatory. Some people may stay up for a legitimate purpose, then miss fajr prayers. This is a mistake. (2) Staying up for a permissible reason This is fine, as long as it does not lead to the neglect of something obligatory. This includes, for example, travellers staying up to talk to one another, in order to relieve the tedium of travel. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would stay up to talk to one of his wives and keep her company, when they were on a journey. This also includes talking to one's guests and keeping them company. Also included is the staying up involved in modern-day shift work, created by the demands of materialistic circumstances. No doubt some of the interests of the Muslims demand the work of people at night, such as those who work in the security forces, in hospitals and airports, in supplying electricity, and so on. (3) Staying up to commit sin, such as staying up to watch movies, to play haraam games such as cards, or to consume the flesh of others by gossiping and backbiting and slandering, and other kinds of sin. This kind of staying up is haraam, and those who do it are sinners who deserve the punishment of Allah. Their number has increased in modern times, for the reasons mentioned by the poet: "Youth, idleness and good health, corrupt man in such a bad way!" It is important to distinguish between one type of staying up and the other. The habit of staying up late at night has become widespread in our times for a number of reasons, including the following: Staying up for worldly purposes, as in the case of some traders and businessmen who stay up late putting their affairs in order, or students who stay up to study. People in this situation should try to organize their time so that they will not need to stay up late and can thus avoid its bad consequences. The nature of modern life and the social changes which it has wrought. Earlier generations used to slow down and go to sleep when darkness fell, but the presence of electricity in modern times had led to people doing many activities, kinds of work and social activities that they never used to do during the hours of darkness. In some cases, people's nights have become just like their days. Many people's indulgence in the arts and media, by means of TV, radio, video, etc. Many people make their visits to family and friends, or organize programs etc., at nighttime, because of the nature of their work and studies. So you rarely find anyone who will visit you during the day, except at the weekend. Even gatherings for the pursuit of Islamic knowledge are mostly held after 'isha' prayers. Some people indulge to excess in idle chatter and trivial discussions, even disturbing others with their talk and laughter. This phenomenon is perhaps most obvious among students living in university residences, where some inconsiderate visitors stay up late talking about who said what, causing harm to themselves and others, then neglecting many of their duties. Insomnia, which is often caused by indulgence in sin and being far away from Allah. Being far away from Allah means that a person can never feel content or at peace, but will be dogged by constant anxiety, alienation and confusion. Problems with one's family, money, studies or work, etc., also have a clear role in causing anxiety and insomnia, until they are resolved. Also, we should not ignore the fact that there are those who are prevented from enjoying the calm of sleep by insomnia that is caused by the fear of Allah and the keen desire to reform this enslaved ummah. Having examined the types of staying up late, and explained the reasons for it, we may now turn to ways of treating this widespread problem. Treatment from the theoretical point of view We should think about the physical harm that may be caused by staying up late and its detrimental effect on many of our interests, such as: Neglect of Islamic duties, such as missing fajr prayer, whether by not managing to attend the prayer in congregation, or by missing the prayer altogether and having to make it up later, or by praying in congregation but without the necessary concentration because of feeling so exhausted that one is left fighting sleep and failing to understand what is being said. So a person may not even know what the imaam is reciting, or which rak'ah he is praying, or what he is saying at the various stages of the prayer. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade conversing after 'isha'. Physical harm may result from making the night a time for activity and the day for resting, contrary to the natural rhythm which Allah has created in the universe and in mankind. Allah says (interpretation of the meanings): "And [We] have made the night as a covering [through its darkness], and have made the day for livelihood." [al-Naba' 78:10-11] "Say: 'Tell me! If Allah made night continuous for you till the Day of Resurrection, who is an ilaah [a god] besides Allah who could bring you light?…'" [al-Qasas 28:71] "Say: 'Tell me! If Allah made day continuous for you till the Day of Resurrection, who is an ilaah [a god] besides Allah who could bring you night wherein you rest? …" [al-Qasas 28:71] So we find people who have gone astray and gone against their innate nature (fitrah) suffering from ill health. One hour of sleep at night is worth twice as many at any other time, as is well known from experience. Many employees fall short in their work (as a result of staying up late). A man may come to work late, exhausted, and put in a poor performance, treating clients badly. It may be so bad that there is even doubt that his salary is entirely halaal, because of his shoddy work. The same applies to students who stay up late, and come late to school or university the next day, not caring if they have missed their early classes and barely understanding anything that is said in the classes they do attend. Staying up late may cause a person to sleep at inappropriate times, such as sleeping after 'asr. The salaf (early generations of the ummah) used to dislike sleeping after 'asr unless there was a need for it - but if it is necessary, there is nothing wrong with doing so. Moreover, sleeping after 'asr can cause headaches, and make it difficult to get to sleep at night. Staying up late makes it difficult to do some voluntary acts of worship, such as devoting the last third of the night to prayer, or getting up to eat suhoor prior to observing a voluntary fast - how can those who stay up late manage to do these things? There is no doubt that exhaustion would prevent them from getting up, and so they deprive themselves of a great deal of good. Missing out on the blessing of getting up early in the day. Those who stay up late sleep until after fajr, thus missing out on the time of which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The early morning has been blessed for my u... [Full Article...]
