بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Some of the Salaf said that Rajab is the month of sowing the seeds, Sha'ban the month to irrigate the crop, and Ramadan the month of reaping the harvest.
We need to sow the seeds of إيمان (Faith) now, before and whilst we are in the month of Rajab. When you increase your faith, your certainty increases, and accordingly your actions will increase. Sha'ban is a month of action. We will not be able to take action unless we have strong faith. We need to increase in faith then action in these months, so that when we enter Ramadan we will attain the fruits: We will enjoy the acts of worship, Allah will make it easy for us, and we will get the reward which Allah has promised of forgiveness of sins. But we have to prepare ourselves in advance; before we enter the month of Ramadan.
Ramadan is not like a magic wand, where you change and become a better person. You have to prepare yourself in advance before it, in order for it to have an effect on your faith during Ramadan, and to remain on it after Ramadan. Many neglect the month of Rajab and Shaban.
We do not prepare materialistically, we need to prepare for Ramadan with faith, because the Prophet ﷺ said:
مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ
Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and in the hope of reward, he will be forgiven his previous sins. [An-Nasaa'i]
He emphasizes the importance of faith. If we do not have faith, how will we fast Ramadan in the way pleasing to Allah?
What should we do in order to prepare for Ramadan?
#1 - Clear our hearts from worldly occupation
Everyone should look into their hearts and see what is filled with. Most people's hearts are filled with thinking, preparing, and organizing for many things.
If your mouth is busy chewing gum can you remember Allah with it at the same time? No, because your mouth is occupied with the gum. This is the heart - if it is busy with the Dunya, then it will not have space for the Heraafter. You need to remove the gum from your mouth so you can remember Allah; you need to clear your heart from worldly occupation so you can think of the reward of the Hereafter.
Clearing your heart from worldly occupation does not mean you do not eat, drink, wear, go out. It means that your heart is not attached to the Dunya; it is attached to the Hereafter. When you clear your heart from worldly occupation, you will enjoy your prayer, your recitation of the Quran, you acts of worship. Accordingly, your prayer and recitation of the Quran will have an effect on increasing your faith. If you tried your best to leave the Dunya, you will find an effect of that on your heart and faith.
If you enter your kitchen to cook something you cook daily or know how to cook well, will you cook whilst fully concentrated on cooking, or cook while doing and thinking of other things? Similarly, you can eat, drink, and do, while your heart is attached to Allah and to the Hereafter. This is not something impossible to do at all.
The Dunya and the Hereafter cannot be combined in the heart of the believer; one will eventually prevail. Choose which one you want your heart to be occupied with. You can fulfill your worldly obligations without your heart being excessively concerned with it.
#2 - Increase in Hearing about the News of the Unseen
We need to hear about Allah, The Day of Judgement, Paradise, Hell, the Grave, etc. a lot in order to revive our hearts and make it attached to the Hereafter. Learning about Allah is the most noble knowledge which will have an effect on our hearts.
When you read the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ it will definitely have an effect on your heart and increase your faith. When you read the verses where Allah tells you that He is Merciful, Kind, Al-Jabbar, As-Siteer, At-Tawwab, how He takes care of His Awliyaa - you feel hope in your heart to be among those people. That is attained when you particularly read about what Allah said about Himself in the Quran.
If someone asks you to tell them Allah, regardless if he is a Muslim, non-Muslim, someone far away from Islam, many of us do not know what to say. This indicates that our hearts are not filled with knowledge of Allah. If our hearts were filled with knowledge of Allah, it would overflow on our tongues.
We are going to be alone in our grave one day, and we will be asked the question "Who is your Lord?". There is no paper to read from, no one to remind you, so what will you say at that moment? Knowledge about Allah is very important. We have to learn about who Allah is.
The more you increase in knowledge about Allah, the more it will affect your acts of worship. You will perform it with more submission and concentration, and you will enjoy it. You will enjoy your Rukoo and Sujood; unlike the person who does not know Allah. As you learn more about Allah and as you empty your heart from this world, as the seed of faith will be fixed firmly in your heart and the tree will extend high in the sky, and your good deeds will be accepted by Allah. This is what we hope for.
If you prepare for Ramadan with this, you will enjoy every moment in Ramadan. You will not even want to waste one minute with something useless in the month of Ramadan.
The Name of Allah العليم
The Name of Allah العليم is one of the greatest Names of Allah that helps a person to take care of his heart, because he knows that Allah knows everything, even the slightest movements of our heart, and will take account of him for it.
Recap: Tawheed with the Attribute of Knowledge
Allah has perfect, complete knowledge and no one else does. Our knowledge compared to Allah's knowledge is nothing. Even if you combined the knowledge of the Prophets, Messengers, and Angels, their knowledge compared to Allah's knowledge is like the drops of water the bird takes with its beak in comparison to the entire ocean.
Our knowledge is bound between two deficiencies: Ignorance and Forgetfulness
Allah's Knowledge is a صفة ذاتية; an essential attribute of Allah. It is never preceded with ignorance nor followed with forgetfulness. Allah has always been attributed with knowledge and will always be attributed with it. And His knowledge is free from any deficiencies.
Also, Allah's knowledge about something does not occupy Him from another knowledge. We humans can only focus on one knowledge. Those who expertise in a certain knowledge and spend years of their lives in that field are ignorant and not experts of other knowledges, whereas Allah's knowledge is comprehensive and includes all types of knowledge. Never does one knowledge occupy Him from another knowledge.
We have to believe in this to establish Tawheed in this Attribute.
Allah particularized the Knowledge of the Unseen to Him Alone
In other words: No one knows the unseen except Allah.
In Surah Al-An'am [6:59]:
"And with Him are the keys of the Ghaib (all that is hidden), none knows them but He. And He knows whatever there is in (or on) the earth and in the sea; not a leaf falls, but he knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a Clear Record."
"و عنده مفاتح الغيب لا يعلمها إلا هو"
This is Tawheed. Tawheed consists of Affirmation and Negation:
Negation: لا يعلمها (No one knows the Unseen)
Affirmation: إلا هو (Except Allah)
This is Tawheed in صفة علم الغيب (the Attribute of the Knowledge of the Unseen)
In Surah An-Naml [27:65]:
"Say: "None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (unseen) except Allah, nor can they perceive when they shall be resurrected."
Negation: لا يعلم من في السماوات و الأرض الغيب (No one in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen)
Affirmation: إلا الله (except Allah)
Allah mentioned in many verses in the Quran that He is علام الغيوب (The All Knower of all the Unseen). In Surah Luqman [31:34], Allah mentions 5 examples of the unseen:
"Verily, Allah! With Him (Alone) is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain, and knows that which is in the wombs. No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. Verily, Allah is All-Knower, All-Aware (of things)."
These are just examples of the unseen Allah knows. Al-Aloosi رحمه الله commented saying, "Mentioning these five matters of the Ghaib (unseen) does not mean that other than these are known by other than Allah. And what is mentioned in this verse are just some examples of the most important unseen matters." [Ruh Al-Ma'ani]
Undoubtedly, the knowledge of the unseen is wider and more vast than to be restricted or limited to these five matters only.
Aisha رضي الله عنها said, "Whoever claims that he (the Prophet ﷺ) tells about the future (and what will happen tomorrow), the. He has forged a great lie against Allah, and Allah says in Surat An-Naml [27:65]:
"Say: "None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (unseen) except Allah, nor can they perceive when they shall be resurrected." [Muslim]
Whoever claims that the Prophet ﷺ knows the unseen has disbelieved in the verse in Surah An-Naml.
In Surah Al-A'raf [7:33], Allah mentions sins in order, from the least grievous to the most grievous:
"Say (O Muhammad): "(But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawahish (great evil sins, every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge."
"قل إنما حرم ربي" - Say: But the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are:
"الفواحش ما ظهر منها و ما بطن"
Al-Fawahish, whether committed openly or secretly.
"و الإثم"
This refers to all kinds of sins.
"و البغي بغير الحق"
Unrighteous oppression
"و أن تشرك بالله ما لم ينزل به سلطاناً"
To commit Shirk.
What is more serious than Shirk? "و أن تقولوا على الله ما لا تعلمون" - To say about Allah what you do not know.
E.g. To say Allah loves you, Allah put him in Paradise, Allah admitted him into Hellfire, etc. How do you know? There are people who boldly judge and talk on behalf of Allah, and this is more serious than committing Shirk.
Even when we explaining the Quran, we should have references. We should not say something out of our own imagination or interpretation, because it is to say about Allah what you do not have knowledge.
Another type of تقول على الله بغير علم (speaking about Allah without knowledge) is to claim knowledge of the unseen, which Allah has particularized to His Noble Self.
At-Tihaanah
Soothsaying and Fortunetelling has taken a different form than in the past. We imagine magicians and fortunetellers to look like people in a dark dirty place, but nowadays they have taken a modern form - that have offices, secretaries, appointments. Many people could fall into this without knowing that it is Kufr and Shirk.
We have to affirm three things:
1- Allah is the only One attributed with علم الغيب (Knowledge of the Unseen); it is something particular to Allah, according to the aforementioned verses.
2- There are two types of Unseen:
a) Absolute Unseen (غيب المطلق) which no one knows except Allah, whether it is from the matters of the past or the future.
b) Partial Unseen (غيب النسي) - It is unseen to certain people, and known by others.
E.g. We are in the centre. We know what is happening here, but we do not know what is happening in our houses right now, or in the streets, etc. It is unseen for us, but seen for others.
3- The Ruling for those who claim they associate with Allah in Knowledge of the Unseen: Mushrik Kaafir. He has committed Major Shirk which will bring him out of the fold of Islam, with the consensus of all the Scholars. This is because he has claimed an attribute which is particular to Allah and no one else.
This is regardless of the means he uses for his claim; regardless if it is done by palm reading, reading coffee cups, cards, throwing shells, making lines in the sand, etc.
Those who claim the Ghaib do so either:
a) By Telling Lies (دَجَل)
They are Dajjal, who just guess and assume, and their lies could conform with the facts, as a test from Allah.
b) By Using the Jinn
They do acts of worship to please the Jinn in order for the Jinns to serve them. Allah has given Jinns the power of flying with speed; they can go over all the world in minutes, as mentioned in Surah An-Naml [27:38-39]:
"He said: "O chiefs! Which of you can bring me her throne before they come to me surrendering themselves in obedience?"
"An Ifrit (strong) from the jinns said: "I will bring it to you before you rise from your place (council). And verily, I am indeed strong, and trustworthy for such work."
The Jinn used to either fly throughout the world to get the news, or go to the heavens and listen stealthily to the news of the heavens and bring it to the fortunetellers who would then add 100 lies to it.
If the person uses the Jinn, he will be committing double Shirk.
How do we distinguish between those who claim to know the unseen and كرامات (Supernatural Matters which Allah gives His Believing Slaves)?
| The Person | The Purpose | |
| معجزة (Miracles) | Prophets and Messengers | To Support them and prove their Truthfulness |
| كرامات (Supernatural Matters as an honour for a person) | Awliyaa of Allah; Those who believe and have Taqwa | As an honour; To keep them firm |
| أحوال الشيطانية (Satanic States) | فاجر - The Unrighteous Wicked Person | A Trial (Fitnah) |
Miracles
Allah gives the Prophets and Messengers miracles in order to support them and prove their truthfulness to the people.
E.g. The Miracle of the stick of Musa عليه السلام turning into a snake, the splitting of the moon for the Prophet ﷺ, the fire turning cold and peaceful for Ibrahim عليه السلام.
كرامات
Allah gives كرمات to His Awliyaa; who are مؤمن، متقي (Believers, Practice Taqwa)
The Tabi'een had more كرمات than the Companions. As the people are further away from the time of the Prophet ﷺ, as the Karamaat increase, because Allah wants to keep them firm on the religion. Them will be less righteous people so they need more support from Allah to keep them firm.
E.g. Umar bin Khattab رضي الله عنه was on the pulpit of the Prophet ﷺ delivering the Khutbah. In the middle he cried, "يا سارية الجبل". Saariya was leading an army fighting the Persians. At that moment, he has been encircled by the enemy and was in a dangerous situation. At that moment Umar cried, "يا سارية الجبل" - (O Saariya, betake yourself to the mountain.) Saariyah had heard Umars cry and he betook himself to the mountain and they defeated the Persians.
Allah honoured Umar and Saariyah by this.
E.g. The Story of Khubayb Ibn Aadi رضي الله عنه when he was captured by the Quraish. He was chained before his killing. They found him eating grapes in Makkah, when there were no grapes at that time. This was a Karamah to keep him firm, until he was killed by the Quraish.
The more you strengthen your relationship with Allah, the more you will be a Wali of Allah, and the more Allah will support you.
أحوال الشيطانية
Miracles and كرامات are from Allah while أحوال الشيطانية are from the Shaytan and are given to the unrighteous wicked person. E.g. You can find this person walking on water, stabbing himself with knives without getting hurt, etc.
Ibn Taymiyah رحمه الله said if you want to know the reality - whether if what the person is given is a كرمة or from the Shaytan - you should look into the state of the person. If the person is following the Quran and Sunnah, it is a كرمة, if the person is not praying and opposes the Quran and Sunnah it is from the Shaytan and a test.
E.g. Iblees was given respite; to live until the Day of Judgement. He will not die until then. Why did Allah give Iblees this supernatural ability? As a Fitnah for him and the people.
Listening to music, commit illegal sins, innovations, Shirk, all make a person more deserving of the Shaytan to overpower him.
Ibn Taymiyah رحمه الله said that if you see a man flying in the air or walking in water do not take his word unless you present his state to the Quran and Sunnah.
Once Imam Ahmed رحمه الله was walking and heard a voice from the clouds saying, "Now, you have reached a status where all obligations are dorpped on you. I am your Lord." Ahmed Ibn Hanbal رحمه الله said, "You are the enemy of Allah and a liar"
- because he knew, how can he stop praying if the Prophet ﷺ prayed until the end of his life? Having knowledge benefits people.
The Ruling of going to a Fortuneteller:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
مَنْ أَتَى عَرَّافًا فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ شَىْءٍ لَمْ تُقْبَلْ لَهُ صَلاَةٌ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً
He who visits someone who claims to have knowledge of the unseen and asks him about anything, his prayers extending to forty nights will not be accepted. [Muslim]
In another Hadith, reported by Ahmad and Authenticated by al-Albani, he ﷺ said:
من أتى كاهناً فصدقه بما يقول فقد كفر بما أنزل على محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم
Whoever goes to a fortuneteller and believes what he says has disbelieved in that which was revealed upon Muhammad ﷺ
مَنْ أَتَى عَرَّافًا فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ شَىْءٍ
"Something" could be anything. It could be about the past, present, future.
Also, approaching a fortuneteller does not necessitate going on your feet to him. It could be by calling him, writing him, reading horoscopes, etc.
لَمْ تُقْبَلْ لَهُ صَلاَةٌ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً
This does not mean that he does not have to pray, it means that he has to pray but he will not be rewarded for his prayer. Someone might say: "If my prayer will not accepted, I won't pray for forty days."
If he does not pray, he is considered a Kafir. The Prophet ﷺ said:
بَيْنَ الْعَبْدِ وَبَيْنَ الْكُفْرِ تَرْكُ الصَّلاَةِ
Between a slave of Allah and disbelief is abandoning the Salat. [At-Tirmithi]
Acts of worship are of three degrees:
1) The obligation to do the action
2) You will receive a share of reward
3) You will get the full reward
The person is on the first degree - he is obliged to perform the prayer. But he has no share in reward.
As for the person who believes in what the fortuneteller says: فقد كفر بما أنزل على محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم (Then he has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad ﷺ)
What was revealed upon the Prophet ﷺ? The Quran and the Sunnah.
What is in the Quran? The verse in Surah An-Naml [27:65]:
"Say: "None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (unseen) except Allah, nor can they perceive when they shall be resurrected."
Also, in Surah Al-Baqarah [2:256]:
"There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower."
In order to believe in Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, it is a condition to disbelieve in the طاغوت. A طاغوت is any false deity; and the fortuneteller is a طاغوت.
And Allah said in Surah Ta-Ha [20:69]:
"And throw that which is in your right hand! It will swallow up that which they have made. That which they have made is only a magician's trick, and the magician will never be successful, no matter whatever amount (of skill) he may attain."
The magician is never successful. If you believe in the magician and fortuneteller, it is as if you believe they have succeeded, and it contradicts and opposes what Allah said in the Quran. It is in this way that the person disbelieves in what was revealed upon the Prophet ﷺ of the Quran and Sunnah.
What kind of disbelief? Ibn Othaimeen رحمه الله said, "If the person knows that he should not go to a fortuneteller and believe in him, but goes and believes what he says, it is Major Kufr. But if he is ignorant, he is condemned of Minor Kufr (كفر دون كفر)." [AlQawl AlMufeed 'Ala Kitab At-Tawheed
What are the types of Fortunetelling?
1- To claim to know what is in the hearts and minds of people.
E.g. Children at school play the game of guessing a number from 1 to 10.
This is the play of the Shaytan. A says guess a number, B guesses a number. Shaytan will whisper the number in the other persons mind. Then he will say how do you know?
The Shaytan wants our children to fall into fortunetelling.
2- Using Computers
This is a sophisticated way of fortunetelling, which you can find in some Museums in Arab Countries. You have to put money and it says it is analyzing your personality. The first question is: What is your Name and your Mothers Name?
As soon as someone asks you what your mothers name is, you should know that he is a magician or fortuneteller.
You give your name and your mothers name, then he will say to put your palm on the screen. They then read the palm and after some time a paper comes out and tells you who you are, what you like, your favourite things, etc.
The fortuneteller is behind the screen using the help of the Shayateen. But many people do not know that is a kind of fortunetelling.
3- Hypnotism
Many psychologists use hypnotism, claiming that it is therapy and they can cure the sick through it. Lajnah al-Iftaa in Saudi Arabia issued a fatwa regarding it, calling it Shirk, because it is based on using the Jinn. The hyptoniser uses the Jinn to overpower the sick person, and the Shaytan will overpower him and make him speak and do actions according to the wishes of the hypnotizer. The Jinn serves the hypnotizer according to how much he serves the Jinn. They usually use this technique to get secrets from the persons. Whoever claims this is a means of cure is a liar.
4- Abajad
This is marking every letter with a number and using it as a way of calculation. The Arabs used to use this and it is fine to use for calculation purpose.
There is a forbidden type of using these letters, which is fortunetelling. There are people who ask you for your name, and use the letters it consists of to tell you your personality. Or they will tell you to write any sentence on your mind on a piece of paper, and then they turn them into numbers and use these numbers to calculate the date of your death, etc.
This is common nowadays, even amongst religious people. And the Prophet ﷺ said,
مَنْ أَتَى عَرَّافًا فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ شَىْءٍ لَمْ تُقْبَلْ لَهُ صَلاَةٌ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً
He who visits someone who claims to have knowledge of the unseen and asks him about anything, his prayers extending to forty nights will not be accepted. [Muslim]
And if you believe in what he said, then you have disbelieved in what was revealed on the Prophet ﷺ. This is something very dangerous.
In addition to that, the character of humans change. A person might have a bad character, and then Allah guides him and he is refined. How can you then believe what the fortunetellers say? They are كذابين (liars).
What is not included in fortunetelling is weather forecast, lunar and solar eclipses, forecasting comets, because it is all based on calculations and is permissible.
With regards to people claiming that they feel something is going to happen and it happens and telepathy:
E.g. A woman's husband is outside. Before entering she feels that her husband will enter anytime soon, and exactly at that moment he enters. This may repeat with her until she believes she has the power of knowing the unseen.
Your Jinn which is accompanying you, and the Jinn of your husband who is accompanying him, inform each other. This is the whole story; nothing more than that. It is the play of the Shaytan with the people.
E.g. You feel like you know what a specific person is thinking on the other side of the world. There is nothing called telepathy; it is the work of the Jinn. The Jinn puts the same thing in the other persons mind, and they think they are close and have a connection.
No one knows the غيب (Unseen) except Allah.
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