Ruling on repeating the adhkaar for morning and evening after or with an adhkaar program on your computer or satellite channels

I know it is required for us to say the du‘aa’s for morning and evening (adhkaar) between dawn and sunrise, and after ‘Asr. Is there anything wrong with playing a CD on the computer with the adhkaar (which are from the Sunnah) in our house and listening to it, and sometimes saying the adhkaar with it. This isn’t bid‘ah, is it?.

Praise be to Allaah.

The adhkaar for morning and evening – which are also called the adhkaar of day and night or the adhkaar of the two ends of the day – are adkhaar and du‘aa’s that a person says on his own, between him and his Lord, may He be exalted. It was not the practice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or his Companions to recite them together. If they are recited together, that is a blameworthy innovation (bid‘ah). Ways of reciting them together which are innovations include the following: 

1.     When they are recited together in unison.

2.     When they are recited together with a leader, so the leader of the group recites them and the people present recite them after him, or they say Ameen to his du‘aa’ when he says du‘aa’. 

There is no difference in the ruling whether the dhikr comes from a person or from a recorder or radio or satellite channel. The program “Adhkaar al-Sabaah wa’l-Masa’” has become widespread on many Islamic channels, but they should tell the people about the ruling on repeating it with the program or after it. 

It was narrated that Abu’l-Bakhtari said: A man told Ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him) that some people sat in the mosque after Maghrib, among whom was a man who said: Magnify Allah (say “Allah akbar”) this many times, and glorify Allah (say “Subhaan Allah”) this many times, and praise Him (say “al-hamdu Lillah”) this many times. ‘Abd-Allah said: If you see them doing that, then come to me and tell me about it. When they gathered, the man came to him and told him, and ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas‘ood came and said: By the One besides Whom there is no other god, you have brought a wrongful innovation, or you think you have surpassed the Companions of Muhammad in knowledge. ‘Amr ibn ‘Utbah said: We ask Allah for forgiveness. He said: You have to adhere to the path and not drift from it; if you drift right or left you will go far astray. 

Narrated by al-Daarimi (1/68, 69) and by Ibn Waddaah in al-Bida‘ (p. 8-10) via a number of isnaads from Ibn Mas‘ood. Also narrated by al-Suyooti in al-Amr bi’l-Ittibaa‘ (p. 83, 84); the reviewer said: The report is saheeh in all its isnaads. 

Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

The wird for morning and evening consists of du‘aa’s and adkhaar that are connected to time; the Muslim should limit himself to what is proven from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in the manner that is proven. So he should recite them on his own, in a humble and quiet manner. Hence anything that is added to that, such as reciting the prescribed wird in unison, or if one person recites it and the rest repeat after him or say Ameen, whilst swaying or standing, all of these are innovations that have been added, and it is proven that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not of it will have it rejected.” 

Tasheeh al-Du‘aa’, p. 349 

See another quotation from Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd in the answers to questions no. 105644 and 132538. 

An exception from this prohibition is made in the case of one who is listening to the adhkaar for morning and evening directly from another person or on a CD or via the satellite channel, if it is with the aim of learning the proper pronunciation and wording, such as if he does not read very well and needs someone to correct his recitation of the adhkaar, or he is an ordinary person who does not have a good memory, so he needs to repeat it behind someone else because he cannot memorise it, so long as he only does that for a while and then stops it when he has achieved what he wanted. When he has learned to recite them by himself, he should do without that repetition. The same applies if he manages to learn them properly and memorise them. 

Imam al-Shaafa‘i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

The best is for the imam and the person who prayed behind him to remember Allah after the prayer is over and for them to recite the dhikr quietly, unless the imam has to teach others, in which case he may recite out loud until he thinks that the people have learned from him, then he should recite quietly. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And offer your Salaah (prayer) neither aloud nor in a low voice”

[al-Isra’ 17:110]

referring – and Allah knows best – to du‘aa’ (supplication), which should be recited neither in a loud voice nor in such a low voice that you cannot hear yourself. 

Al-Umm, 1/127 

See also the answer to question no. 145574. 

And Allah knows best.

Learn Holy Quran because it will be a proof for us muslim on the Day of Judgment.
This is due to the statement of the Messenger: “And the Quran is a proof for you or against you.” [Muslim] so the deputy of every Muslim is to read quran and learn quran with tajweed so one of two things will occur with this proof, the Book of Allah. And this quran education will be in your favor, a proof for us on the Day when we will need every single good deed and learning quran along with doing quran memorization is one of it and to add more spread the quran teaching and spread the kids quran knowledge and listening to quran online and understand the quran tafseer , it will be something standing against us and follow the guidance of or prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, and these good deeds will be a proof against us! Who could be saved from the terrors of that Day if Allah’s own Speech is against him?!?! Think carefully, so reading Arabic Quran and teaching our kids quran qaida with the tafseer of quran  and let the kids memorize quran dear Muslim brother or sister, about your position with the reading Quran! Are you neglecting it, contradicting it, being heedless of its orders and prohibitions, are you thinking deeply over it?! Will it be on your side on the Day of Judgment.? So learn quran recitation! O Allah! We ask you, by Your Glorious Speech and the rest of your beautiful Names and Attributes, to make the Quran a proof for us! So the Quran tutor should let his student know about these facts also, 

Ahaadeeth which speak of reciting verses from Soorat al-Hashr, al-Dukhaan and al-Baqarah

Reading the last 3 ayats of sura hashor in fajar prayer is sahi hadith or bidah?also sura dukhan on thurse day and 10 ayats from sura bakara is sohi hadith or bidha?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: 

What is narrated about reciting Soorat al-Hashr in Fajr prayer is not a hadeeth and is not the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Rather it is narrated that this was the practice of ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him). 

‘Uthmaan ibn Abi Safiyyah narrated from ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him) that he recited Soorat al-Hashr and Soorat al-Jumu‘ah in Fajr prayer on Friday. 

Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated in al-Musannaf (1/471) with his isnaad: Wakee‘ told us, from al-Hasan ibn Saalih, from his father, from ‘Uthmaan ibn Abi Safiyyah…  

We say: This is an isnaad that is not saheeh, because of ‘Uthmaan ibn Abi Safiyyah, the one who narrated it from ‘Ali. We researched his biography and we did not find any scholar who spoke of him , whether in good terms or bad. So the verdict is that the hadeeth is mawqoof unless the status of this narrator is explained. See: Tahdheeb al-Tahdheeb, 7/113 

But despite that we say: even if we assume that this report is saheeh, there is nothing wrong with reciting Soorat al-Hashr in Fajr prayer occasionally, as ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him) did, but that is on condition that one does not believe that there is a special virtue in this action or that it is a special sunnah from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and one should not do it regularly. 

We have previously pointed out the weakness of a hadeeth that is quoted about reciting the last verses of Soorat al-Hashr in the morning adhkaar, in the answer to question no. 125029, which you may refer to. 

Secondly: 

After an intensive search in the books of hadeeth, we did not find any saheeh hadeeth that speaks in particular of Soorat al-Dukhaan and its virtues or reward, or that recommends reciting it at a certain time. Everything that has been narrated concerning that is da‘eef and odd. 

For example, there is the hadeeth narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), according to which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever recites Ha-Meem al-Dukhaan on the night before Friday, will be forgiven.” 

This was narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2889); he classed it as da‘eef by saying: This is a hadeeth which we only know through this isnaad. Hishaam Abu’l-Miqdaam is da‘eef and al-Hasan did not hear from Abu Hurayrah. This was the view of Ayyoob, Yoonus ibn ‘Ubayd and ‘Ali ibn Zayd. 

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

This hadeeth with all of its isnaads is false and has no basis… Then he quoted al-Daaraqutni as saying: This hadeeth was narrated as both marfoo‘ and mawqoof, but none of it can be proven to be sound. End quote from al-Mawdoo‘aat, 1/247. 

It was also classed as da‘eef by al-Albaani in Da‘eef al-Tirmidhi. 

Thirdly: 

We also did not find anything to indicate that it is mustahabb to recite ten verses of Soorat al-Baqarah on Thursday. 

On our website there are a number of answers which point to the virtues of various soorahs and aayahs of the Qur’aan, in which we have quoted a lot of saheeh hadeeths which speak of the virtues of reciting specific soorahs or specific aayahs at certain times or in certain circumstances. You can read these questions on our site in the section on The Virtues of the Qur’aan. 

And Allah knows best.

He says “Allahu akbar” when going up the stairs and he says “Subhaan Allah” when going down the stairs

When I was young، I was taught in my school that we must say ALLAHUAKBAR when going up the stairs and say SUBHANALLAH when coming down. Could you please explain if this is something that should be practiced in islam.

Praise be to Allaah.

Al-Bukhaari narrated in his Saheeh (2993) that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When we went up we would say takbeer and when we went down we would say tasbeeh. 

Abu Dawood (2599) narrated that Ibn ‘Umar taught him that when the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) got up on his camel, when he was setting out on a journey, he would say takbeer three times, then he would say: “Subhaan allathi sakhkhara lana hadha wa ma kunna lahu muqrineen wa inna ila rabbina la munqaliboon. Allaahumma inna nas’aluka fi safarina haadha al-birra wa’l-taqwa wa min al-‘aml ma tarda, Allaahumma hawwin ‘alayna safarana haadha watwi ‘anna bu’dahu. Allaahumma anta al-saahib fi’l-safar wa’l-khaleefah fi’l-ahl (Glory be to the One Who has placed this (transport) at our service and we ourselves would not have been capable of that, and to our Lord is our final destiny. O Allaah, we ask You for righteousness and piety in this journey of ours, and we ask You for deeds which please You. O Allaah, facilitate our journey and let us cover its distance quickly. O Allaah, You are the Companion on the journey and the Successor (the One Who guards them in a person’s absence) over the family).” 

And when he returned he would say the same words and would add to them: “Aayiboona taa’iboona ‘aabidoona li rabbina haamidoon (Returning, repenting, worshipping and praising our Lord).” 

When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and his army climbed a hill they would say takbeer and when they went downhill they would say tasbeeh. 

Those scholars who say that this is mustahabb when going up the stairs and so on, say that one should say takbeer when going up and that going up stairs or hills is the same thing. 

But others say that saying takbeer when going up the stairs and so on is not prescribed, because that was not narrated except in specific circumstances, namely climbing up a mountain and the like when travelling; with regard to going up the stairs and so on, there is no such report, even though this was something known among them and they used to do it (i.e., climb up and down stairs etc). If it were prescribed, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would have done it or he would have taught it to his Companions as he taught them what to say when entering the house and when leaving it, and other adhkaar to be recited every day and night. 

This is the most correct view concerning this issue. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked the following question: It says in the hadeeth that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to say takbeer when climbing a hill and tasbeeh when going down into a valley. Is this takbeer and tasbeeh only when travelling, or did he say takbeer – for example – at home when going up to the second and third floor? May Allah reward you with good. 

He replied: 

During his journeys, when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) climbed up a hill he would say takbeer, and when he went down into a valley he would say tasbeeh. That is because the one who is above a thing may feel proud and think that he is great, so it is appropriate for him to proclaim the greatness of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, by saying: Allahu akbar. And when he descends, he is going down to a lower level, so it is appropriate for him to glorify Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, when going down. This is the context of saying takbeer and tasbeeh. 

But there is no report in the Sunnah about doing that when not travelling. Acts of worship are based on tawqeef i.e., they are limited to what is narrated in sound reports. Based on that, when a person goes up the stairs in his house he does not have to say takbeer, and when he comes downstairs he does not have to say tasbeeh. Rather that only applies in the case of travelling. 

End quote from Liqaa’aat al-Baab al-Maftooh, 3/102. 

And Allah knows best.

Nameemah (back biting to destroy relations) from a Kaafir

I am a new convert to Islam, and I have a christian brother who lives with me.
My brother does not like a person, who used to be a friend, that helped me to become a muslim, and my brother told me some bad things about that friend.
So I had a big fight with this friend and we don't talk any more.
Did I do wrong?
By the way this friend used to ask me "where I go?" and he used to call me a lot.
Do you think it is wrong to cut my relationship with this friend?
P.S. I know that this friend likes me very much...And I think he is a good muslim

Praise be to Allaah.

Subhaan Allaah! How did you cut off your ties with your Muslim brother because of some news about him that was brought by a kaafir?

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! If a rebellious evil person comes to you with news verify it…” [al-Hujuraat 49:6].

This person is not just a “rebellious, evil person” (faasiq), he is also a kaafir, so how could you believe what he said and on that basis cut off your ties with your Muslim brother? Indeed, what you have done is wrong, and you must go back to this Muslim friend, because it is not permissible for a Muslim to forsake his brother for more than three days. Since he likes you and was the reason why you became Muslim, you owe him a great deal. How can you cut him off? Go back to him and do not leave him unless there is some clear evidence and proof that you should forsake him for some serious matter that goes against Islam. We ask Allaah to grant us and you guidance and strength.

It is forbidden to lie in all circumstances

My mother is still alive and is over one hundred years old. She is in a difficult situation because she cannot understand things, and she asks whether it is evening when it is morning, and she repeats words more than five times. She cannot move from where she is, and if she has been sleeping she is not able to sit up, etc. Her children answer all her questions, but their answers may be lies, such as when she asks them in the evening whether it is the morning, and they tell her yes, even though it is the evening, and so on. My question is: if they tell her lies, are they sinning or not? The second question is: is there any kafaarah (expiation) which they should pay to make up for her fasts and prayers, or not? Please advise us, may Allaah reward you with good.

Praise be to Allaah. 

You should not tell her lies; you should tell her the truth, because telling her lies does not serve any purpose or benefit her in any way, or make her happy.

 With regard to prayer and fasting, there is no kafaarah to be paid, and there is no sin on her, because she has become like a child. So long as she cannot tell what is what, and her feelings and mind have changed, she is not obliged to pray or fast, because she is not held accountable for that. She is now like a little child who is free of responsibility and there is no sin involved, in sha Allaah. And Allaah knows best.

She gets angry quickly and curses the person with whom she is angry

I get angry easily and at times I go in a rage and start cursing the person I am angry at in private. When I cool down, I say "astagfirruallah," and I keep making an intention to not do it again. I know cursing is haraam. I hate what I do, and I wish I can control myself. I want to know how does one repent for cursing someone in anger. The person does not hear me say these things but I still feel bad about them. And do I have tell the person that I cursed them in private? Can I just keep it to myself as to not create animosity between me and the person? Can I give sadaqah to cancel the harm I did? What do I need to do to fix the problem. I want to stop, and I keep making dua' - but for now I want to repent for the times I cursed people in anger. Also does Allah accept my curses in anger? I am feeling very depressed over this issue. I feel bad when I stand for prayer. I wish to really repent and feel content about my repentance. Jazak Allahu Khairan.

Praise be to Allaah.

 You have to restrain your anger, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“…who repress anger, and who pardon men; verily, Allaah loves Al-Muhsinoon (the good‑doers).” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:134]

“And those who avoid the greater sins, and Al‑Fawaahish (illegal sexual intercourse), and when they are angry, they forgive.” [al-Shooraa 42:37]

 This is because when a person does not restrain his anger, he insults, curses, swears and hits. Anger may be a door to all kinds of evil. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) often advised people not to get angry. Al-Bukhaari narrated in al-Saheeh (6116) from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that a man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Advise me.” He said: “Do not get angry.” The man repeated his request several times, and he said, “Do not get angry.”

 The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) regarded the one who controls himself when he is angry as being the strongest of men. Al-Bukhaari narrated in al-Saheeh (6114) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The strong man is not the one who can wrestle (fight); the strong man is the one who controls himself at the time of anger.”

 Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) made some important points in Fath al-Baari (10/520) in his commentary on the hadeeth “Do not get angry”. He said:

“Al-Tabaraani quoted the hadeeth of Sufyaan ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Thaqafi: I said, O Messenger of Allaah, tell me something that will be of benefit to me, and make it brief and concise. He said, “Do not get angry, and Paradise will be yours.” It was also narrated that Abu’l-Dardaa’ said: I said, O Messenger of Allaah, tell me of a deed which will earn me admission to Paradise. He said, Do not get angry… Al-Khattaabi said: The meaning of the phrase ‘Do not get angry’ is, Avoid the things that cause anger and do not expose yourself to that which provokes it. Anger itself could not have been forbidden, because it is something natural which cannot be removed from human nature. Someone else said: what is meant is that which can be achieved by training oneself… It was said that it means, Do not do that which anger provokes you to do. Ibn Battaal said: the hadeeth indicates… that striving to control oneself is more difficult than striving against the enemy, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) described the one who controls himself at times of anger as being the strongest of people. Someone else said: Perhaps the person who asked this question was hot-tempered; the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to command each person to do that which was most appropriate for him, so he summed up his advice to this person by telling him not to get angry. Ibn al-Teen said: in the words ‘Do not get angry’, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) brought together the good of this world and of the Hereafter, because anger results in cutting off ties and withholding kindness, and it may lead to one doing harm to the person with whom one is angry, which diminishes one’s religious commitment.

 One of the scholars said: Allaah created anger from fire, and made it an instinct in man. When there is a dispute, the flames of anger are fanned until a person’s face and eyes become red, because the skin reflects what is underneath it… Anger produces external and internal changes, such as a change in colour, trembling, uncontrolled actions and a change in appearance, such that if the angry person could see himself when he is angry, he would feel ashamed of his ugly appearance and they way his appearance has changed. All of that is what happens on the outside. The internal effects are even worse, because it generates hatred in the heart, envy (hasad) and all kinds of bad feelings. The most ugly effects of anger are the internal effects, and the external changes are the results of the internal changes. All of this has an effect on the body. The effect on the tongue is that it speaks words of slander and foul language which the wise person would feel ashamed of, and the angry person regrets them when he calms down. The effects of anger can also be seen in people’s actions, when they beat and kill. If the angry person does not have the chance to do that, he turns his anger against himself, tearing his garments and slapping his cheeks; sometimes he may have a seizure, or fall unconscious, or break vessels, or hit someone who has not done anything wrong. Whoever thinks about these evil actions will realize just how much wisdom there is in these gentle words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), ‘Do not get angry,’  and to how great an extent they protect people’s interests by warding off this great evil which may otherwise lead who knows where. All of this has to do with anger for the sake of worldly things, not anger for the sake of religious matters… (Anger for the sake of Allaah is praiseworthy and recommended, such as anger when seeing evil actions). It helps a person not to get angry when he bears in mind what has been narrated concerning the virtues of restraining anger, and the warnings concerning the results of anger; he should also seek refuge with Allaah from the Shaytaan… and do wudoo’… And Allaah knows best.”

 Remember, too, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was not a person who insulted or cursed others. It was reported in Saheeh al-Bukhaari (6031) that Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was not a person who insulted people or used obscene language, and he did not curse people. If he wanted to rebuke anyone, he would say, “What is wrong with him? – may his forehead be rubbed with dust.”

 You must repent to Allaah for any curses and aggressive words that you have uttered, but there is no need to tell those whom you have cursed, so as not to provoke any evil actions. You can ask their forgiveness in a general way. With regard to the people whom you have prayed against, pray for good things for them, especially if you have been unfair to them in your prayers against them when they did not deserve such a thing. Ask Allaah to be kind to you, for a person’s du’aa’s may come back on him if he prays against someone who does not deserve that. You must keep your tongue busy with du’aa’ and dhikr (remembrance of Allaah), because that brings peace to the heart. “… verily, in the remembrance of Allaah do hearts find rest” [al-Ra’d 13:28 – interpretation of the meaning]. Keep away from using your tongue to hurt other people. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Important note to learn and Read Quran online
The Holy Quran is the word of Allah; it has been sent down to guide us and the guidance can online be gained through reading quran online. No other book can be like holy quran. As you come to the learn tajweed quran, Allah speaks to you and reading Arabic Quran is to hear Him, even to converse with Him, and to walk in His ways. So it is must for us as a Muslim to learn and do quran memorization by heart and the Quran tutor should teach the kids from quran qaida and then teaching quran online along with the quran tafseer and let the kids memorize quran so that we as Muslim could learn quran tajweed rules and then understand the quran tafseer  It is the encounter of life with the Life-giver. 'God - there is no god but He, the Ever-living, the Self-subsisting (by whom all subsist)  He has sent down upon you the Book with the Truth ... as a guidance unto mankind ...' (Al 'Imran 3: 2-3 learn quran recitation). So we should always remember the guidance of Allah and we should be listening to quran online along with obeying the commandments of Allah so let us join hands to lean the Koran and let our kids do quran memorization and learn the teaching of quran education online and apply them in there life there is kids quran lesson available online as well

If he touches his private part during ghusl, does he have to repeat wudoo’?

My question is regarding tahara, especially about ghusl of janaba. After washing hands and private place, then making wudu’, is it permissible to wash the private place another time when we cover the whole body with water, or will it invalidate the wudu’ if I intend to pray after finishing ghusl?.

Praise be to Allaah.

The Sunnah is to wash the private part before starting ghusl, as is indicated by the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (276) and Muslim (317) from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: Maymoonah said: I brought the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) water to do ghusl and screened him with a cloth. He poured water over his hands and washed them, then he poured water over his left hand with his right and washed his private part, then he struck his left hand on the floor and wiped it. Then he washed it and rinsed his mouth and nose, and washed his face and forearms, then he poured water over his head and all over his body, then he moved aside and washed his feet. 

If someone touches his private part after that or washes it again, then to be on the safe side, he should do wudoo’ after he finishes ghusl, because the majority of scholars are of the view that touching the private part invalidates wudoo’. This has been discussed in the answer to question no. 82759. 

And Allaah knows best.