Category: Interesting Topics

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

The Qur’an and narrations of the prophet (ﷺ) give us an idea of the events that will occur on the day of resurrection. However, scholars have only attempted to put these events in specific order of occurrence, but we will go through them nevertheless.

After the first blowing of the horn by the angel Israfil, every single thing through the heavens and the earth will cease to exist, except that of which Allah wills.

“The horn is then blown a second time and every soul is brought back to life in a new creation.And the Horn will be blown, and whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth will fall dead except whom Allah wills. Then it will be blown again, and at once they will be standing, looking on.” 39:68

Let us note that there will be no more passing away; after the resurrection there will be no more death.

“That is their recompense because they disbelieved in Our verses and said, ‘When we are bones and crumbled particles, will we [truly] be resurrected [in] a new creation?'” 17:98

“Does man think that We will not assemble his bones?

Yes. [We are] Able [even] to proportion his fingertips.” 75:3-4

The day of judgement itself is going to be 50,000 years of reckoning.

“The angels and the souls will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years.” 70:4

A day that will be made easy for the believer; the prophet (ﷺ) said: “For the believers, the (length of) the Day of Resurrection will be like the time between Zuhr and ‘Asr.” [authenticated by al-Albaani]

And will be made extremely difficult for the disbeliever:

“True sovereignty, that Day, is for the Most Merciful. And it will be upon the disbelievers a difficult Day.” 25:26

That day there will be no water except for the pools provided with each of the prophets, the biggest of which will be Muhammad’s (ﷺ). This fountain requires an invitation of which is only for the believers who will be recognised by their glowing hands, foreheads and limbs from the effects of Wudu’. Once someone drinks from this pool, they will never be thirsty again.

On that day there will be one shade and that is the shade under the throne of Allah. The sun will be placed above the heads of the people; the prophet (ﷺ) said: “On the Day of Judgement, the sun will draw near the servants until it is a mile or two away from them. Then the sun will burn them, and they will be submersed in sweat based upon the amount of their deeds.

From among them there will be those whose sweat will come up to their two heels. From among them there will be those whose sweat will come up to their two knees. From among them there will be those whose sweat will come up to their groins. From among them there will be those who will be bridled in sweat.” [Muslim]

This shade is for whoever Allah wishes, but there is a hadith for those who have their reserved place. The hadith mentions 7 of whom Allah will shade on that day which we will mention in a future post if Allah wills.

The following narration paints a picture of what happens after some time passes:

The prophet (ﷺ) said: “The believers will gather together on the Day of Resurrection and will say: ‘Should we not ask [someone] to intercede for us with our Lord?’ So they will come to Adam and will say: ‘You are the Father of mankind; Allah created you with His hand He made His angels bow down to you and He taught you the names of everything, so intercede for us with you Lord so that He may give us relief form this place where we are.’

And he will say: ‘I am not in a position [to do that]..’ – and he will mention his wrongdoing and will feel ashamed and will say: ‘Go to Noah, for he is the first messenger that Allah sent to the inhabitants of the earth.’

So they will come to him and he will say: ‘I am not in a position [to do that]..’ – and he will mention his having requested something of his Lord about which he had no [proper] knowledge, and he will feel ashamed and will say: ‘Go to the Friend of the Merciful (Abraham)’.

So they will come to him and he will say: ‘I am not in a position [to do that]. Go to Moses, a servant to whom Allah talked and to whom He gave the Torah’. So they will come to him and he will say: ‘I am not in a position [to do that]..’ – and he will mention the talking of a life other that for a life, and he will fell ashamed in the sight of his Lord and will say: ‘Go to Jesus, Allah’s servant and messenger, Allah’s word and spirit.’

So they will come to him and he will say: ‘I am not in a position [to do that]. Go to Muhammad (ﷺ), a servant to whom Allah has forgiven all his wrongdoing, past and future.’

So they will come to me and I shall set forth to ask permission to come to my Lord, and permission will be given, and when I shall see my Lord I shall prostrate myself.

He will leave me thus for such time as it pleases Him, and then it will be said [to me]: ‘Raise your head. Ask and it will be granted. Speak and it will be heard. Intercede and your intercession will be accepted.'” [Bukhari]

The judgement will then commence. Allah will bring the scales which will weigh one’s good and bad deeds which will decide one’s fate.

“And the weighing [of deeds] that Day will be the truth. So those whose scales [of good deeds] are heavy – it is they who will be the successful.

And those whose scales are light – they are the ones who will lose themselves for what injustice they were doing toward Our verses.” 7:8-9

This is the ultimate judgement by Allah, all will be done with absolute justice. Everything little thing we have done will be accounted for.

“Indeed, Allah does not do injustice, [even] as much as an atom’s weight; while if there is a good deed, He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward.” 4:40

“That Day, the people will depart separated [into categories] to be shown [the result of] their deeds.

So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it,

And whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.” 99:6-8

There will be types of people when it comes to the scale:

1. The people who will enter paradise without measure: these are the elite Muslims. The prophet (ﷺ) said: “From among my followers, a group of 70,000 will enter Paradise without being asked for their accounts, Their faces will be shining like the moon.” [Bukhari] In another he (ﷺ) mentions: “My Lord has promised me that seventy thousand of my Ummah will enter Paradise without being brought to account or punished. With every thousand there will be (another) seventy thousand, and three handfuls of my Lord.” [Tirmidhi]
2. The people who will have an easy reckoning.  Aa’ishah said: I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about the easy reckoning. I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what is the easy reckoning?’ He said: ‘A man’s sins will be shown to him, then he will be pardoned for them…’ [authenticated by al-Albaani] What this means is that Allah will not question every small thing one did; it will be more like a general check. It is for the righteous Muslims who stayed away from major sins and spent their lives in obedience to Allah.
3. The people who will be examined thoroughly. Every small thing will be questioned; it is for those with weak Imane. This hisab will be a punishment in itself. There will be some Muslims that go through this tormenting check of their actions and Allah will forgive them – they would have paid their dues through this rigorous questioning by Allah, while for others it’ll be the beginning of further punishment.

When the Hisab is over, Allah will destroy all sources of light forming intense darkness and give each person their own noor (light). Some people will have this light – the brightness of which will be determined by their good actions – that will guide them as they walk to Jannah. Others will not see anything as each person will only be guided by their own light.

“On the Day you see the believing men and believing women, their light proceeding before them and on their right, [it will be said], “Your good tidings today are [of] gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein you will abide eternally.” That is what is the great attainment.” 57:12

This light will guide these people towards the “Sirat” – the bridge to cross before getting to Jannah. The prophet (ﷺ) said: “Somebody will then announce, ‘Let every nation follow what they used to worship.’ So the companions of the cross will go with their cross, and the idolators (will go) with their idols, and the companions of every god (false deities) (will go) with their god, till there remain those who used to worship Allah, both the obedient ones and the mischievous ones, and some of the people of the Scripture. Then Hell will be presented to them as if it were a mirage.

Then it will be said to the Jews, What did you use to worship?’ They will reply, ‘We used to worship Ezra, the son of Allah.’ It will be said to them, ‘You are liars, for Allah has neither a wife nor a son. What do you want (now)?’ They will reply, ‘We want You to provide us with water.’ Then it will be said to them ‘Drink,’ and they will fall down in Hell (instead).

Then it will be said to the Christians, ‘What did you use to worship?’ They will reply, ‘We used to worship Messiah, the son of Allah.’ It will be said, ‘You are liars, for Allah has neither a wife nor a son. What: do you want (now)?’ They will say, ‘We want You to provide us with water.’ It will be said to them, ‘Drink,’ and they will fall down in Hell (instead). When there remain only those who used to worship Allah (Alone), both the obedient ones and the mischievous ones…” [Bukhari]

As the Muslims left approach the area in which the Sirat will be placed, Allah will come to them. The prophet (ﷺ) said: “Then the Almighty will come to them in a shape other than the one which they saw the first time, and He will say, ‘I am your Lord,’ and they will say, ‘You are not our Lord.’

And none will speak: to Him then but the Prophets, and then it will be said to them, ‘Do you know any sign by which you can recognise Him?’ They will say. ‘The Shin,’ and so Allah will then uncover His Shin whereupon every believer will prostrate before Him and there will remain those who used to prostrate before Him just for showing off and for gaining good reputation.

These people will try to prostrate but their backs will be rigid like one piece of a wood (and they will not be able to prostrate).” [Bukhari]

The Sirat will then be placed over Hellfire through which every single Muslim will have to cross. The prophet (ﷺ) said: “Then the bridge will be laid across Hell. We, the companions of the Prophet said, O Allah’s Apostle! What is the bridge?’ He said, It is a slippery (bridge) on which there are clamps and (Hooks like) a thorny seed that is wide at one side and narrow at the other and has thorns with bent ends.

Such a thorny seed is found in Najd and is called As-Sa’dan. Some of the believers will cross the bridge as quickly as the wink of an eye, some others as quick as lightning, a strong wind, fast horses or she-camels. So some will be safe without any harm; some will be safe after receiving some scratches, and some will fall down into Hell (Fire). The last person will cross by being dragged (over the bridge).” [Bukhari]

As with the Noor given in accordance to the deeds and imane one had in the world, the speed at which the sirat is crossed is in accordance with the same. If one makes it across there will be all the prophets of Allah waiting for their people.

However, before the gates of jannah there is one last stage; the prophet (ﷺ) said: “when the believers cross the Hellfire, they will be stopped at a small arched bridge (Qantarah) before entering paradise and will be given retribution for injustices between them until they become purified.

(Then) they will be permitted to enter Jannah. So, by the One in Whose Hands is my soul, they will know their way to their homes in Jannah, better than they know their ways to their homes in dunya.” [Bukhari]

This is for those who have transgressed between each other. Sins such as backbiting, slander, stealing etc. Here the people will have to forgive each other or choose to take from the other’s deeds. This is where we find who the prophet (ﷺ) mentioned as “bankrupt”.

He (ﷺ) said: “Do you know who is the bankrupt?” They said: “The bankrupt among us is one who has neither money with him nor any property”. He said, “The real bankrupt of my Ummah would be he who would come on the Day of Resurrection with Salat, Saum (fasting) and Sadaqah (charity), (but he will find himself bankrupt on that day as he will have exhausted the good deeds) because he reviled others, brought calumny against others, unlawfully devoured the wealth of others, shed the blood of others and beat others; so his good deeds would be credited to the account of those (who suffered at his hand).

If his good deeds fall short to clear the account, their sins would be entered in his account and he would be thrown in the (Hell) Fire”. [Muslim]

The above is the worse case scenario; most of the people at this stage will be merely a readjustment of their level of Jannah because of such sins – let us take heed of this. The transgresser will be de-ranked while the transgressed against will be elevated.

Once these people are accounted for, the gates of Paradise will be presented. The people will be greeted by the Angels and the keepers of Paradise. Allah said:

“But those who feared their Lord will be driven to Paradise in groups until, when they reach it while its gates have been opened and its keepers say, “Peace be upon you; you have become pure; so enter it to abide eternally therein,” [they will enter].” 39:73

This is an overall image of what will happen on Yawm Ul Qiyamah. Some extra details will be mentioned in future posts if Allah wills – they will be linked to other topics.

May Allah grant us all safe passage to Jannah.

Allah knows best.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

Allah says in the Qur’an:

“And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me – indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.” [2:186]

When Allah mentions here that He will without doubt answer our calls to Him this does not necessarily mean that it will be answered how we want. Many of us make the link between Allah’s love for His creation and His answering of Dua – we assume that when He does not answer how we want that we must have done something wrong or are lacking in our worship somehow. This is especially the case when we are in hardship. Let us look at some of the examples that Allah portrays in the Qur’an.

Nuh (Noah), one of Allah’s beloved prophets made Dua for his nation day and night for 950 years.

“He said, “My Lord, indeed I invited my people [to truth] night and day.” [71:5]

Yet they departed from him every single day.

“..But my invitation increased them not except in flight.

And indeed, every time I invited them that You may forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears, covered themselves with their garments, persisted, and were arrogant with [great] arrogance.” [71:6-7]

This included his family whom he constantly made Dua for guidance and they still ended up with the disbelievers. Nuh was an honoured prophet of Allah and yet he did not have his wish fulfilled. This was a very similar story to our prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) who made Dua for his father figure Uncle who also did not end up as a Muslim.

Look at our beloved mother Maryam who in the hardest of situations – pregnant with a miracle baby with nobody around to help, waiting to give birth and having to face her people while not being married – she called out for death and for nobody to look for her after she was gone.

“And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said, “Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten.” [19:23]

Allah acknowledges that we go through hardships and suffering, all in our own ways. However, Dua is not to be answered how we wish – we must remember that Allah has the bigger picture, He knows what is best. Even through hardship there is benefit, one way or another. Take our mother Maryam, her giving birth and taking care of her baby brought a prophet of Allah to the people who guided many people to the path of Islam.

Our prophet Yusuf also suffered a great deal; thrown down a well and taken a slave as a child, imprisoned for years. After years of suffering he was approached by a king who asked Yusuf to decipher a dream that he had which was one of the miracles that Allah gave to His prophet.

“[Joseph] said, “You will plant for seven years consecutively; and what you harvest leave in its spikes, except a little from which you will eat.” [12:47]

He then carried on with the dream explaining to them a threat that was coming:

“Then will come after that seven difficult [years] which will consume what you saved for them, except a little from which you will store.” [12:48]

This information saved the nation with thousands of babies and children from starvation. If Yusuf was not imprisoned where he was, the king would not have received this warning – one man’s hardship saved thousands from suffering.

The point Allah makes is that we as Muslims must acknowledge Allah’s wisdom and knowledge, just as these honoured people before did. We put our faith in Him when we make Dua, hoping that it will be answered how we wish but knowing that even if it does not, Allah will ease our hardship in another way, and never forget that Allah loves His people. Through one person’s hardship there will be many doors of ease that will open up just as He says:

“For indeed, with [one] hardship [will be] ease [in multiplicity].” [94:5]

 

May Allah make us of those who put their faith in Him whatever the situation and may He ease the struggles of all Muslims around the world.

Allah knows best.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

Allah teaches us through the story of Iblees that arrogance is a blameworthy characteristic and it is what lead him to be cursed. There are various levels of arrogance; the worst of which is arrogance towards Allah’s commands such as prostration which Iblees himself refused to do.

“And We have certainly created you, [O Mankind], and given you [human] form. Then We said to the angels, “Prostrate to Adam”; so they prostrated, except for Iblees. He was not of those who prostrated.

[ Allah ] said, “What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?” [Satan] said, “I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay.” [7:11-12]

His arrogance was towards Allah’s commands but it was lead by his arrogance and pride towards Allah’s creation – Adam. We see today many Muslims look down on others, whether it’s due to their race, the Islamic teachings they follow, their wealth or status, their physical appearance etc. We must realise that this act is one of the features of the Shaytan and that it will lead away from the path of Allah.

It was narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “No one who has an atom’s-weight of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise.” A man said, “O Messenger of Allah, what if a man likes his clothes and his shoes to look good?” He said, “Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty. Arrogance means rejecting the truth and looking down on people.” [Muslim]

This will be the end of the those who pass away in an arrogant state, but what about the dunya? We see around us that pride and arrogance pushes people away, cuts ties, causes tension between family and friends and the worst of all: pushes people away from Islam. This could be arrogance in worldly matters or deen matters, such as those who believe they are better than others due to their perceived religious stature. Allah says:

“…He was most knowing of you when He produced you from the earth and when you were foetuses in the wombs of your mothers. So do not claim yourselves to be pure; He is most knowing of who fears Him.” [53:32]

Allah knows those who are truly pure – we cannot label that ourselves thus we cannot look down on others because of how righteous we may think we are.

The opposite also applies, as many people especially in the current generations look down on others merely due to the fact that they are trying to follow Allah’s commands, forbidding that which is haram and holding on to the prophet’s teachings. At the end of the day we are all Allah’s creations and are all honoured by Allah Himself, as He says:

“And We have certainly honoured the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference.” [17:70]

May Allah make us of those who do not look down on others, are free from arrogance/pride and stick together as one loving Ummah.

Allah knows best.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

Allah says in the Qur’an:

“Indeed, Qarun was from the people of Moses, but he tyrannized them. And We gave him of treasures whose keys would burden a band of strong men; thereupon his people said to him, “Do not exult. Indeed, Allah does not like the exultant.” [28:76]

A bit of a back story: Qarun was from the nation of Musa at the time of Pharaoh. Pharaoh having taken Musa’s nation into slavery spread poverty amongst his people. In fear of an uprising of Musa’s nation, Pharaoh decided he needed surveillance amongst them and thus was willing to pay certain people to spy on the Muslims at the time. One of the people who took this opportunity was Qarun. To show us the extent of Qarun’s wealth after working with Pharaoh, Allah describes the key to one of his treasure vaults as needing a group of men just to lift the latch in order to open the door.

Now imagine such a wealthy man living amongst the poor slaves of Egypt, walking around with an entourage and boasting his wealth, wearing clothes the people around him can never afford, riding a horse, as Allah says later on in the surah:

“So he came out before his people in his adornment. Those who desired the worldly life said, “Oh, would that we had like what was given to Qarun. Indeed, he is one of great fortune.” [28:79]

The people did not know what Qarun was up to behind the scenes but they can see they he was exultant in what he has achieved from how he acted. Let us put aside how he obtained his wealth and focus on a different lesson here and that is being overly exultant.

Allah uses the word “farhan” which in Arabic translates to being overly excited or overly exultant. An example could be someone who jumps from event to another, one materialistic matter to another, indulging merely in entertainment and nothing else. Their life becomes an everyday celebration, one high after another. The advice the people gave Qarun –  those who did not desire the worldly life – told him that Allah does not like those who are overly exultant; which is essentially telling him that life is not just about these highs.

Look around us in our time now on social media. People live to post pictures and videos of themselves boasting to others living on likes and follows, constantly trying to portray that their lives are one big happy lane, continuously chasing this fake life, just as Qarun continuously chased more wealth.

Why do people do this?

We find that these people chase these things to fill a void in their hearts but instead the hole is widened through this materialism. Not only is this affecting themselves but also the people who see this fake life and are intrigued by it, wanting the same thing which will simply never satisfy as it is a fairy tale.

So the first advice Allah gives is that we should not reduce our lives to this kind of constant over exultancy. He then continues:

“But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you. And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters.” [28:77]

Allah is essentially telling us here that we should pursue what Allah has made halal for us, things that will benefit us now and in the hereafter. When we go after that which is permissible, it is a form of worship; whether this may be spending of income or time. This piece of advice also tells us that Allah wants happiness for us in this world.

Western society has deluded many people into thinking that the more religious a certain group is, the more miserable they are when this is simply not the case at all. Whatever desire we may have, there is always a halal path to it; but just as the shaytan deluded our parents Adam and Hawa’ with the tree – when Allah offered them an entire jannah of trees with one being haram and they still went for it – we are being deluded in the same way. We see a field of halal in front of us, yet the haram is made enticing by the shaytan.

When Allah describes that which is halal, He says:

“O mankind, eat from whatever is on earth [that is] lawful and pure and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.” [2:168]

He pairs the word halal with pure, therefore letting us know that whatever is made haram will bring impurity, some kind of corruption into our lives. It will not solve any problems it will only make them worse and this is proven through what we see around us today.

May Allah protect us from the delusion of the shaytan and allow us all to seek the pleasures in what is made halal and pure.

Allah knows best.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

As Muslims we know that the source of evil actions is a corrupted heart. However, within this notion of corruption there are issues which are apparent on the outside and there are others which aren’t so obvious.

An example of this could be in people of knowledge or students of Islam – people in the Ummah who are studying the Deen. Studying Islam is a must for all Muslims but there are certain individuals who pursue it more than others and this can apply to those who advise others on matters of the religion.

These individuals tend to gain some knowledge and teach it to others but the intention is not always pure. We have an issue of ego within many groups and individuals in our society. They look down on others based on their apparent behaviour or school of thought or the sheikh they listen to.

Even the scholars themselves have this problem, refuting each other without any real basis – simply to put others lower than themselves. This ego problem can lead to a hardened heart.

The root cause of this attitude is when one does not truly understand who Allah is or through their journey in life has forgotten who their creator is. No scholar or teacher or student or layman Muslim is the source of goodness – only Allah is the true source. When we forget that, we replace the appreciation of Allah with the appreciation of our own selves.

Some people can look very religious, they have the facade of a pious Muslim, they have all the knowledge and the right words. The beard or the khimar is there, all worn properly – on the outside they seem to be pure Muslims yet on the inside there’s an ego; an urgency to show supremacy, to show that they are more qualified than others.

This sense of supremacy is known as “kibr” – arrogance. As we know, the prophet (ﷺ) said: “No one who has an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise.” A man said, “O Messenger of Allah, what if a man likes his clothes and his shoes to look good?” He said, “Allah is Beautiful and loves beauty. Arrogance means rejecting the truth and looking down on people.”  [Muslim] Being denied Jannah is not a small matter as there is only one other place to go.

We have one one hand the “bad Muslims”; drink alcohol, parties, zina etc. – these people’s actions are outwardly, most of the time they can easily be recognised. However, the issue of ego is inwardly – it can’t be seen by others, in most cases. In no way should we condone outwardly sins – those are punishable for sure; but which of these situations is easier to fix? Think about it.

When a sin is on the outside it can be addressed by others and helped, but when it comes to arrogance, the only one that can sense it is the person himself.

If this problem is not fixed, the outwardly deeds will hold no value due to the heart not being in the right place. As Allah says:

The Day when there will not benefit [anyone] wealth or children

But only one who comes to Allah with a sound heart.”

[26:88-89]

Brothers and sisters, we must take a step back and judge our own hearts. The deen is for Allah and not to serve our own selves.

A few signs that can tell us if we have this problem could be if we get offended when someone corrects us in our deen. The correction could be completely wrong but our first thought should not be to take offence but instead to look at the good the advice may have and leave the bad.

Another sign could be taking offence when our opinion is not heard, not taken into consideration by others. Our intention should always be for Allah – if it is then it should not matter if others do not take it as our rewards will be with Allah either way.

A further sign could be that we find it easy to sin in private. There is an outer shell that others see but when we are alone, the evil within comes out – ego can lead to this since if the heart is no longer soft, sins will no longer affect us.

If we find ourselves not being moved by Allah’s words through reading or listening or tafsir of the ayahs, whatever it may be – this could be a sign of ego or a hardened heart. If the deen simply becomes a routine, the Qur’an just becomes something we read and salah is just something we do – this could be an inwardly problem. Allah says:

Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth? And let them not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so their hearts hardened; and many of them are defiantly disobedient.

[57:16]

We can only help ourselves with this, no other person can assist as it is unseen and must be judged on an individual level.

May Allah rid all our ego, purify our intentions and soften our hearts.

Allah knows best.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

Our ummah is suffering greatly from impermissible relationships between men and women. It has become so easy to fall into this trap especially in Western society and the rise of online technology. Connections between the genders can be made 24/7 with a few presses on a phone or laptop. It has become a huge test especially on the youth.

For a girl and a boy to have a physical relationship outside of wedlock is widely known across the ummah to be haram. However, we have now fallen into the idea that it is okay for the genders to keep contact – whether in person or through social media, texting etc. – as long as nothing physical happens. Let us go through what the Qur’an says about this.

“And do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you. Indeed, their killing is ever a great sin.

And do not go near unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is ever an immorality and is evil as a way.

And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden, except by right. And whoever is killed unjustly – We have given his heir authority, but let him not exceed limits in [the matter of] taking life. Indeed, he has been supported [by the law].” [17:31-33]

Allah here does not mention performing the action of zina is haram – He says even going NEAR it is already a huge sin. This sin is so severe as to be mentioned along side the murder of innocent souls – it is not the only place this link is made:

“And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should do that will meet a penalty.” [25:68]

Allah makes such links for a reason – to emphasise the severity of the sin. Staring at the opposite gender, talking privately, conversing alone all falls into going near zina. The prophet said: “No man is alone with a woman but the shaytan is the third one present.” [Tirmidhi] In our time this includes being in a private chat, sending texts, voice notes, pictures, going out alone etc.

The blessing of Allah is not there in these haram relationships. Allah mentions in the Qur’an:

“And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you love and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.” [30:21]

Real love is the love placed in the hearts by Allah and it is not done by disobeying Him. The “love” relationships we think we have is merely lust in disguise.

Maybe many of us in Islam have pure intentions when it comes to this – we want to meet a spouse. Let us understand that the person we are getting to know privately, is not showing their true side. Sincerely looking at it, both the man and woman are on their best behaviour – they are showing what will please the opposite. One will never truly understand the persona of a person until there are big responsibilities in place and the first step of that is marriage.

A real man and an honest woman who truly have pure intentions will look at the halal methods of getting to know each other. Family dinners and outings are an easy start. Having a family member as the silent 3rd in a group chat will avoid temptation of explicit talk. There are many ways around this – one has to be sincere.

How many times have we heard “we are just friends” or “we are just talking over the phone”? Shaytan will not stop there. Over time he will remove the guilt – it will become comfortable enough for one to justify one’s actions and he will encourage one to move to the next step. Where do we draw the line? Where do we stop? The boundaries become so blurred that it will simply not be clear enough to tell between haram and halal anymore. Islam says prevention is better than cure – do not go near it.

The prophet said: “Any share of fornication of the son of Adam is written and no doubt he will reach it: The fornication of the eyes is looking at that which is forbidden. The fornication of the ears is listening to that which is forbidden. The fornication of the tongue is saying that which is forbidden. The fornication of the hand is grasping that which is forbidden. The fornication of the feet is walking to that which is forbidden. The fornication of the heart yearns and desires and the genitals either confirm it or contradict it.” [Muslim]

Let us end with questions that the Muslims in these relationships should ask themselves.

Are you truly looking to get married following Allah’s guidelines?

If so, what will happen if you spend months or years “falling for someone”, intending to marry at the end, then the father refuses?

Let us ponder over this and let us guide each other to goodness not evil. Let the parents of the ummah realise the severity and widespread of this issue and open the doors to marriage for the younger generation.

Allah knows best.