The response of governments to the coronavirus has transformed the world.
Numerous basic freedoms have simply been suspended, removed, or severely curtailed. Were these freedoms removed by unelected despots and tyrants, bellicose juntas, or extremist religious theocracies?
No, these profound erosions of civil liberties were introduced by western secular democracies. The stated intention of these curtailments is to “save lives” by “flattening the curve,” the latter a reference to the graphic projection of the rate of transmission of the disease over time, a linguistic de rigueur in all corona virus discussions.
How have the Muslim communities in these secular democracies reacted?
What has informed our analyses, what has guided our response, and how have we managed diversity of opinion within our own community?
Muslims Who Want Masjids Closed Down?
Consider the situation in South Africa, a country in which there is no overt state aggression against Muslims and where religious freedoms are constitutionally protected. In South Africa, controversy within the Muslim community rages regarding the issue of congregational salah.
The law introduced to curb the rate and pace of corona transmission prohibits, by and large, all public gatherings. Given the breadth of the definition in the legislation of what a “public gathering” is, congregational salah falls within the definition.
This public gathering prohibition been effective since the end of March 2020 and, subject to further extensions, will endure at least until the end of April 2020. The effect then is that at least until the end of April 2020, congregational salah is prohibited.
Relying on international precedent and fatawa, some Muslim organisations and individuals consider such restriction as acceptable, given the shar`i imperative to preserve life.
Others however, whilst accepting the imperative to preserve life, are of the view that the closure of masajid does not accord with precepts of Sharia and that congregational salah, however limited and regulated, should be preserved, asserting that its preservation in a controlled, limited manner, does not contradict saving lives.
Muslim scholars and lawyers of the second opinion thus sought exemption from the President of South Africa to continue prayers. But the exemption was not granted. And now, they are considering approaching the civil courts for relief.
Now, these Muslims have not called for any disobedience of the law and are committed to using only legal means to procure the exemption. All they want is the ability to pray in congregation, safely and lawfully.
Shockingly, other Muslims have orchestrated a campaign to alienate and silence this group in order to impede their attempts to re-open the masajid. These campaigners have accused them of everything, from heresy to subversiveness to extremism.
We must ask: What precisely motivates those who actively seek to silence their fellow Muslims from pursuing legal means to achieve an outcome they believe best accords with Sharia and the interests of the community as a whole?
As with all in life, it starts with our belief.
In Defense of the Scholars
Why do some Muslims so quickly and unquestioningly accept the commandments of secular rulers and institutions regarding lockdowns, quarantines, and everything else? Where is the room for ikhtilaf and contrary opinion when it comes to those laws?
Perhaps as a direct consequence of living in a secular society, we have subjected the Sharia and matters of fiqh to “free for all discussions” in which all of us, learned, ignorant, prejudiced, biased, scholar, student, literate and illiterate alike, participate.
This perverse approach is characteristic of Muslims who do not live under the Law of Islam, who have not tasted its sweetness, and who place greater store and trust in secular man-made law and their own reasoning.
Sadly, many simply do not recognize that the Sharia is a self-standing, independent body of law, sourced from the Divine Quran and Sunna. As with any legal system, its interpretation and implementation is a matter of expertise.
Yet, having been taught for so long in secular society that our opinion (irrespective of our expertise) is so terribly important, we, as laymen, do not hesitate to express our opinion on matters of Sharia and complex fiqh, believing foolishly and improperly that our opinions are as important as, and as deserving of equal consideration as the positions of the scholars, past and present.
In fact, without much thought or scholarly endeavor, many delve into fiqh debates without hesitation, and often openly comment on and criticize centuries old juristic opinion and legal precedent in Islam, formulated by peerless scholars who embarked on lifelong, painstaking research to study and understand Islam and deliver rulings that accord with the Quran and Sunna.
On the contrary, depending on our secular ideological leanings, we are dismissive of them, and categorize them as “patriarchs,” “ misogynists,” “Wahhabis,” etc.
Many think it quite acceptable, in fact praiseworthy, to lambaste and ridicule scholars like Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, and Imam Malik, Shaykh Ibn Taymiyya, scholars who spent their entire lives in scholastic endeavor, who, faced years of imprisonment by despotic rulers because they would not cower to the immorality of unjust rule and deviance, who refused to compromise, to give the proverbial inch to the powers that be, powers who sought their endorsement for deviance and tyranny, and who, even when alone and forsaken by people, held firmly to the rope of Allah and stood for the truth.
Now contrast our approach to Sharia with our approach to secular law.
One will be hard pressed to find social media discussions among laypersons on the nuances of secular law and critiques of such law. Which social media “influencer” has delivered insightful comment on the role of intention in criminal law? Which businessman has seen fit to rally people to accept his interpretation of contract or mercantile law? We accept, implicitly, that these are matters, which, whist accessible to all, are not the arena for comment by all, not the arena for the ubiquitous “I think” approach, and certainly not the arena for “our opinions.” We accept that these are matters properly for the jurists, the judges and the legally trained.
It boils down to respect and deference for the law. Many have lost that respect for Sharia and fiqh. We prise open forcibly the doors of ijtihad in Sharia matters for all and sundry to express their opinions, but seal firmly and impenetrably, the doors of ijtihad in secular law.
We need urgently to rectify the situation because, unlike secular law, the priceless thread of divine revelation weaves through Sharia and fiqh. It is Tawhid that is its edifice, its bedrock.
The role of the Muslim scholar is thus not purely worldly. It stems first and foremost from belief, and it is inextricably linked to the afterlife. The Muslim scholarly approach does not accept intelligence devoid of belief, assertions devoid of proof, eloquence devoid of substance, popularity devoid of guidance, and political expediency devoid of truth. His role is nothing other than the noble pursuit of truth.
Why is this relevant to the lockdown?
Fatawa
We know that there are differing fatawa on whether or not salah in congregation at the masjid is and/or remains obligatory in this time of fear due to infection.
That such differences of opinion exist is not a sign of disunity. It is a characteristic of all bodies of law that jurists may differ on legal rulings and the application of the law to specified circumstances. Islamic jurisprudence is no different in this regard.
If we accept this, why would any Muslim find it so objectionable for other believers to follow a different but no less legitimate fatwa? Why would such a Muslim go to extreme lengths to block these other Muslims from pursuing prayer in the masjid, even going so far as creating a media campaign of: “We support the present restrictions” campaign in the Muslim community”?
Breaking the Law
The first misrepresentation from this campaign has been that seeking a relaxation of the lockdown through legal channels is tantamount to rebellion. This is simply untrue.
Obeying the law does not mean that one cannot seek redress from the empowered authority or a court in respect of the law. Ironically, seeking such redress is testament to having deference to and respect for the law.
What possible harm could accrue by such request or application?
If it is dismissed, the status quo (that the objectors support) would remain.
If it is granted, it would make praying in the masjid lawful for those wishing to do so, who would be required to do so in accordance with the ambit of the order or decision.
The same organisations that have peddled the falsehood that those wishing to seek legal avenues to accommodate masjid salah are breaking the law or are not showing sufficient deference to the law, are the very ones who praise South Africa as a country in which all people have access to justice.
Why then limit the right of a Muslim to pursue legal avenues available to all?
It makes absolutely no sense, unless what those who criticize the legitimate exercise of this legal entitlement wish to achieve is to restrict the exercise of legal rights by Muslims in respect of any matter pertaining to Islam to those (and only to those) that they determine to be appropriate, correct or politically acceptable.
Such conduct is deeply offensive and disturbing. It is reflective of a growing political chauvinism that has taken root in the Muslim community. These organisations are not gatekeepers to all matters deen related, to whom all Muslim activity must be channeled for vetting. No organisation in the Muslim community, individually or in association with others, can claim legitimately to represent all Muslims. Muslim organisations in secular states are not representative bodies in the true sense of representation. Whilst they may claim to represent what they perceive to be the interests of Muslims, they are no more than important groupings of like-minded people, governed by their individual constitutions who assert and pursue the objectives that are defined in their respective constitutions.
They are anything but mouthpieces and representatives of what is clearly a disparate community. To be “representative of” and to claim to “represent the interests of” are two very different things.
Claims by any organisation to being the “legitimate voice” of Muslims are thus neither warranted nor correct.
Exploiting Islamophobia
There are rumblings in some quarters that even if a Muslim organisation is able to procure an exemption for masjid congregation, that it should refrain from doing so because Muslims will be seen to be seeking inequality between faiths and this will somehow foment Islamophobia, or Muslims may be perceived as “ungrateful,” and that this labeling is somehow bad for our goodwill and political capital (the latter being a much revered concept in some quarters).
Subhanallah, brothers and sisters, if the unreasonableness and sheer irrational and misplaced, fear-inspired nature of these propositions do not immediately strike us, we are in deep trouble.
This claimed commitment to equality is illusory.
Where are the champions of equality when it comes to objecting to the special dispensation that has been afforded to mining houses to continue operating, and by doing so, subjecting close to 500,000 miners daily to the coronavirus? These laborers are the most vulnerable of the populace and there are valid concerns that they are, as a group, more immuno-compromised than most other sectors or groups.
It requires a quantum leap in logic to equate seeking exemption with seeking unfair inequality. The law itself allows for exemptions and no person, faith group, or entity is barred from seeking such exemption.
We might as well stop stocking halal meat in supermarkets because Islamophobes are already complaining about the inequity of the situation and the special treatment accorded to Muslims.
Are we really going to compromise the expression of our beliefs and stifle our activity as Muslims by what we perceive will be the reaction of those driven by prejudice and animosity towards our deen?
And if the Islamophobes’ reaction to our legitimate and lawful activity is odious, irrational, and filled with vile prejudice, so what? Can one honestly use that as a good reason not to support the inherently moral?
But the apologists go further. “No,” they argue, “Those who seek the relaxation of the regulations to allow for limited congregational salah give Islam a bad name!” They ask, rhetorically, “Why can’t they accept that we are not living in a Muslim country governed by Sharia and accept that Muslims are not special and are equal with all other faith communities? Why don’t they just keep quiet, count their blessings, and comply?”
Dear brothers and sisters, can we even momentarily, give credence to the view that deen al-Islam, the deen which Allah himself declares explicitly as the only deen acceptable to Him, is “equal” to disbelief?
Has the fear of man become so great that we willingly and without any compulsion are prepared to prevent our fellow Muslims from protecting the divine gifts of Iman and Islam, when Allah the Magnificent, the Sovereign, says:
“O you who believe! Whoever from among you turns back from his religion (Islam), Allah will bring a people whom He will love and they will love Him; humble towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers, fighting in the Way of Allah, and never afraid of the blame of the blamers. That is the Grace of Allah which He bestows on whom He wills. And Allah is All Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All Knower.” (5:54)
Many have become blinded to our culpable inconsistency and hypocrisy. In our daily lives, we disobey Allah publicly, or we do not object to other Muslims public displaying disobedience to Allah. Does that not destroy the image of Islam that we so zealously claim we wish to preserve? Where are the howls of protest, caution, and enjoinment to do the right thing then?
“That’s different,” the apologists will no doubt protest, “That’s freedom of choice!”
The circuity of such reasoning is scary.
There must come a time, and that time is now, to free ourselves from the paralyzing and stifling effects of downright unwarranted hypocrisy, political expediency, and fear mongering, that has all the hallmarks of cowardice. These ills result in irrational self- censorship and unwarranted collective self-restraint in asserting the eminently reasonable and lawful. It has already resulted in the completely farcical situation that Muslims are called upon to be grateful for the freedoms we have to practice our deen fully, but to be wary of actually asserting our right to do so, because such “impertinence” would result in those freedoms being removed!
What freedom is it that curtails us so? What religious freedom do we have if we are fearful of exercising and expressing it?
Servility to Man Is Not an Option
For some reason, Muslims in South Africa and elsewhere have been herded into a complete sense of submission in relation to absolutely everything that that government introduces. Any semblance of objection is actively discouraged out of fear that we would be jeopardizing our freedom of religion. This approach will result, if it has not done so already, in Muslims, making absolutely no contribution whatsoever, as a Muslim collective, to profoundly important socio-political activities and campaigns such as limiting the reach of the secular state control over religious affairs, campaigning against the intrusion of privacy, healthy, constructive public criticism of ill-advised, and incorrect government policy, and active campaigning for true social justice.
These activities are not disruptive of social order or reflective of an “ungrateful minority” that has no idea how lucky it is. On the contrary, they represent the essence of what being Muslim is, a campaigner for justice as defined by Allah, the true Legislator.
For example, have we even stopped for a moment to consider what the effect is and will be of the wholesale spying and monitoring powers given to the authorities recently under the pretext of curbing the coronavirus? Whilst we always act with decorum, whilst we abide by protocol, and whilst we treat all with respect, we never embrace servility to man and in so doing, dishonor the essence of who we are.
There is no need whatsoever, as has become the norm of late, to flatter and heap poetic praise on and gratitude to those in power. We are Muslim. We bow and prostrate only to Allah, for whom ALL praise is due. It merits repeating — we bow and prostrate only to Allah for whom all praise is due.
When we act, we do so without fear or favor of man, but with complete fear and favor of Allah. We obey Him and we do not seek recognition from anyone for doing the good that He guides and enables us to do, for indeed all good we do is only from Him.
Flatten the Curve of Oppression
In relation to the coronavirus, we hear daily just how important it is for Muslims to do the right thing, to save lives, and to act in a way that is preventative. This view is absolutely correct, and should be followed.
We must, however, apply our commitment to saving lives consistently. We cannot, if indeed we are people of integrity, adopt this approach selectively and restrict it purely to those matters that happen to accord with our own individual self interest and yet ignore this principle in relation to other matters involving millions of Muslims.
What about the cries of the oppressed?
We cannot restrict our role to feeding the oppressed, yet stoically avoid confronting the oppressors. We rightfully take preventative measures to protect people from contracting or transmitting the corona virus. We do so because we know that hospital beds are not the answer, preventing the need for the hospital beds, is.
What then of our brothers and sisters who are injured and slaughtered daily by the oppressive nations? Are we content only to provide hospital beds to the survivors of such oppression or to feed them in refugee camps?
Or will we be part of the group that protects them, and thereby prevent the oppressors from maiming and slaughtering them, obviating the need for refugee camps, feeding schemes and hospitals to cater for the displaced, hungry and maimed?
Will we provide our unflinching support to flattening the curve of oppression? Make no mistake: It is not history, but Allah, the Just, who will judge us.
May we worship Allah as He ought to be worshiped and may He bless us with His Divine guidance.
Little bit too much of an ikhwani stench on these conjectural articles.
Your one-liner reposte is an insult to this methodical, deliberate, logical, and well-crafted argument that appeals to a far greater and deeper conscience that you can ever imagine…
Excellent reply
I wonder what the first rule of Shariah is? Disobey the rules of your society, or follow them? clearly Dan and his writers like to create this concept of Muslims vs non-muslims and go with that narrative. I’m surprised someone with an education could actually believe this crap and continue to adhere to hating non-muslim governments when he himself lives under one and follows their rules (hypocritical much). Next time, dont pay taxes, lets see how far you go.
Which pat of the article did you draw the conclusion that the author promotes disobedience to the rule of law, hatred of non-muslim governments etc. Clearly you have a difficulty in comprehending!
Actually, its people with an education who are able to critically analyse and evaluate what is been said and done instead of just taking things at face value and accepting
The likes or stench of you are the very reason we are disunited. If you have something to say, object like a muslim or feel free to place on record your opinion or contribution.
Alhamdulillah I haven’t stopped doing “congregational salaah”, and living in South Africa, I can tell you there is no such prohibition on “congregational salaah”. Alhamdulillah we have been continuing with congregational salaah since the beginning of the lockdown and insha’Allah will continue to do so.
Assalamu Alaykum
Is it befitting for someone sitting in America to comment on the internal affairs of South Africa?
For a mufti to be able to issue a proper fatwa, then he should be well versed in the habits and customs of his people. He should be well aware of the challenges that are being faced in his town/city/country.
By an outsider now commenting on an issue which he has little knowledge of since he is not living in South Africa to be able to really know the demographics, is it really helping the situation? With all due respect, this is actually going to worsen a situation which the ulemaa are trying to fix and repair. By this person writing this all he has done is added fuel to a fire which is already burning and will undo the hardwork of those trying to mend the situation. This article will be used by those who are going around branding the ulemaa who merely hold the opinion that masaajid should remain closed as munaafiqeen.
Walaykum Salaam
Slms. Pardon my “ignorance”, but I somehow cannot find a “fatwa” or ruling on ANY matter in this article. What this article does however, is it expose the hypocritical and contradictory arguments by our Muslim leaders in promoting the closure of our masaajid, and makes salient and relevant points regarding how this debate has been hijacked by those who have no credentials nor qualifications whatsoever to comment on Shar’i matters. Now surely, it cannot be imperative for one to live in a country in order to highlight obvious flaws there?
Please explain with facts how you come to this conclusion:
“all he has done is added fuel to a fire which is already burning and will undo the hardwork of those trying to mend the situation”.
What fires do you speak of? The article merely appeals for one to respect the opinion of differing views. On the contrary, the author asserts this:
“Shockingly, other Muslims have orchestrated a campaign to alienate and silence this group in order to impede their attempts to re-open the masajid. These campaigners have accused them of everything, from heresy to subversiveness to extremism.”
It seems that you have the shoe on the wrong foot!
Wait, how do you know the author is in America and not in South Africa? Looks like it is you who are speaking without knowledge.
Wa alaikumussalam
Amazing article Daniel. Let the morons say what they want. When the battlefield opens up and armies are in line. The real faces will come out. May Allah Ta’ala protect us from cowardice and keep as all with Aafiya.
Well, if he didn’t hide behind an alias it would be more manly of him.
He who is not prepared to take one on the chin should not throw punches.
Name of the author please
No harm trying to ,
Let us try gracefully.
AGREE
Strange how you have completely ignored the conduct and branding of all other ʿUlamāʾ Munāfiqīn from the very perspective you are defending… very misleading and biased. Allāh have mercy on us all.
Strange how you have chosen NOT to argue against the many salient and logical points above…
If u study a little of Islam you will see that technically of a person does a certain act the term for that act is called by a name. So by being called manfiq its due and served to the individual in accordance to he’s own action. Remember that some people dedicate their lives to the study of Islam and its laws. And therefore the knowledge they have is more complete then those who touch the surface with a few pages or who’s goals are worldy.
The virus came with Allah Ta a ala permission it will go only with He’s permission. Closing Allah’s doors gonna help He’s deciding in our aid hey??
I agree that leaving out the fact that it is the very same organization who not only make takfeer of Mufti Taqi but also invalidate the marriage of people who “believes in contagion”, makes this article misleeding and not balanced. The truth is that this organization was calling to disobey the law. I personally have no problem with them doing that. But the truth is that this article is not a true reflection of the reality in SA.
The same organization also says that wearing a mask is kufr. And posting articles like this on the Muslim Skeptic site only damages the intergrity of the Muslim Skeptic site.
The problem is less the wish of some muslims to increase their and their families’ chances of catching Covid-19 by engaging in religious practises, than the fact that they are increasing the chance of other people catching Covid-19 from them as a result. Even if we grant them the right to do the first thing, they have no right to do the second thing.
An obvious solution would be to quarantine such people as groups until the pandemic has ended. Israel seems to be thinking of taking a similar attitude with orthodox jews: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/06/calls-to-seal-off-ultra-orthodox-areas-adds-tension-to-israels-virus-response
However, muslims who take this attitude are not self-segregating on the same scale as orthodox jews or as determinedly identifiable and their would be particular difficulties in recognising and isolating them. Perhaps they should be sealed inside their mosques and supplied with rations until the end of the pandemic.
Besides… Nobody is gonna hold a gun at your head for not attending jamaah.its your choice?then is that not your so-called democratic right. Let us not infringe on the rights of others, who have an opposing views. They are practicing their rights. It’s in the Constitution. The effort to try is commendable, for those wanting to attend salaah with jamaah.
https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/south-africa/worlds-deepest-mines-to-take-weeks-to-open-after-virus-shutdown/
Clearly the author has not mentioned that the opposing sides have both the qualifications and stature to deliberate the matter. While social media and laymen have had their opinions, many have simply echoed the sentiments and opinions of the leaders/scholars of the side they stand with. This is not about laymen voiceing their ignorant opinions (as the article perported) but rather the opinions derived from their leaders in which each support. I agree with the above comments that the article is biased.
I like Cosmic Skeptic and usually welcome their articles calling on us to re evaluate our positions on Islamic vs secular attitudes. However, being a Muslim living in South Africa and keeping up to date with the situation, I can tell you that you’re completely missing the context surrounding this entire saga.
The organisation calling for the re opening is of mosques is the Majlis – they are a renegade group whose lead Mufti routinely publishes articles labelling all Muslims and scholars who disagree with him as munafiqeen and even proclaiming them kaafir. Just Google some articles from the Majlis – you’d be appalled by the vulgar language and rhetoric this Mufti uses – against the lay Muslim AND other Muftis who say or do anything he doesn’t agree with.
He has been doing this for decades, causing divisions in the SA Muslim community and insulting everyone with a differing view – so, against this backdrop, you can see why we, the Muslim community, are fed up. And you can also see that criticising the rest of the Muslim community for “not accepting ikhtilaaf” is insulting and laughable.
Why dont you google his biography then come back to comment?
So if a person is “pious” they can say whatever they want. You cannot critique a person if they have a biography
Maybe spend your time in Zikr or other Ibadat, instead of trying to push your opinions above all else? It’s easy for you to write pages on what you feel is right, but I guarantee that your tune will change had you been directly affected by the virus (Allah save both of us and the entire Ummat Ameen). Lives are at risk. No one is forcing you to compromise your entire religion. No one is being a dictator upon you. We are all concerned about the collective safety of everyone.
It’s amazing how many people get an adrenaline rush from trying to act like outlaws. Being a Muslim is not about “opposing Kuffaar every second”. It is about your fellow Ummatees as well.
To those who want to have Masajids opened I say this that you are very naive and are not thinking further than your noses. Then all other religions can also disobey the law and be open. We need to curb this pandemic and we need everyone to play their part. STOP THINKING YOU ARE ABOVE THE LAW. Allah will punish you severely. As Muslims Allah (swt) instructed us to obey the law of the land. So stop being idiots and let’s fight this pandemic together. Remember you’re not representing the entire South African Muslim Ummah.
How do you know that? Did hou receive wahi?
Reading most comments here I have to disagree…the point why NOT excercise the right you have been given? Test it, try it , argue it and let’s see what happens
This is one of the most sensible comments I agree with. There’s no harm in trying, after all everything is with Allah’s will. It is our intention and how we carry out this deed for the sake of pleasing Allah. Let the blamers sit, relax and watch. . .and also let them trust Allah for whatever the result is.
At the very least, we should not advocate for the closure of the Masajid and neither should we oppose the endeavor of those who advocate for the reopening of the Masajid – and that is the lowest form of Imaan
Please at least have the courage to get off the fence and tell us [ definitely not lesser Muslims ] what your counsel is – do we shut up and follow the ‘ renegade ‘ group and carry on with our self destructive actions and exhortations to go after them or do the sensible ijma requiring thing and follow the direction to not congregate which incidentally is not restricted to Muslims.
What a waste of effort, time and expense your [ IBN ISMAIL’S ] vacuous ramblings are and unfortunately for me for allowing myself to read your drivel and take the trouble to comment thereof.
May Allah Help you open your eyes to the dangers facing not only Muslims but all of humanity by foolishly siding with the dissenters whom I hold in the highest regard for their knowledge and outspokenness but the manner and contents of the outspokenness.
Perhaps you could learn from the dissenters to put your point across clearly and unequivocally and without fear and / or favour.
He did put his point across…
Madkhalis and secular education has indeed lead many astray. May Allah protect us from the fitnah and keep us steadfast on the Deen.
Of course we should be lobbying anti-war policies, but how does defending one’s views on closing the masajid in a democratic country, which may mean writing against those who want it open out of concern for the community’s safety (of which sanitising the Masjid, etc is not sufficient prevention), equal to defending those governments every action?
Every Muslim pines for the day when our Masaajid can reopen and we can once again congregate in large numbers to worship our Rabb. As you have averred in the article, there are views from both sides. Each party should respect the other’s view, agree to disagree and show tolerance for their stance. It does not behove a Muslim to feel that only my view is correct and everyone else (in spite of the fact that they too have valid grounds and proofs for their stance), has gone astray and in order to emphasise my view, I have the right to resort to vulgarities and insults to run the other party down. That is not the way of a sensible, Allah-fearing Muslim.
Once, in the company of the famous Saint, Hadhrat Moulana Rashid Ahmed Gangohi rahmatullahi alaih, some Ulema sitting in one corner were embroiled in some duscussion, when they started remarking that “so and so (who does not agree with us) is a kaafir.” Hadhrat Gangohi rahmatullahi alaih overheard these comments and rebuked them by saying, “What nonsensical discussion are you engaged in? Hear me out well, that many of these people whom you are branding as kaafir may well be sent into Jannah long before you, leaving you to rue your unbecoming attitude!”
That same Moulana Rasheed Ahmed Gangohi رحمه الله used a principle called Kufr Tahdeddi to label people Kafir so as to protect the Shariah. Narrate the whole incident don’t cherry pick.
Why has there been no mention of the slander, defamation, character assassination and much more which is being carried out by some of those who hold the view that the ONLY true opinion is that Masaajid have to remain opinion?
Does this not indicate that the author is quite biased towards one side?
Does this not raise questions regarding the motive behind this article?
Equality and justice demands that both issues should be addressed unless the author feels that there is no problem with the slander which is taking place.
What slander exactly? Do you know what the meaning of slander is?
“a false spoken statement about someone that damages their reputation, or the making of such a statement”
Taken from Cambridge online dictionary.
Alhamdulilah brother daniel, an excellent post, which brings solace to the hearts of the mu’mineen. Unfortunately, many people are not very educated. They lack critical thinking and deep analysis skills, hence they disgorge much flotsam. They are like the sheep or the proles in orwells literature. They blindly follow without stopping to think what was before. Just a few points of rebuttal with regards to some of the flotsam comments, which i honestly think is from trolls and munafiqs masquerading as muslims. Some say you have no business commenting on South African issues…firstly, we are ONE ummah. That is, the ahlus sunnah wal jamaah. Why should we care or comment about palestine, syria, israel, yemen saudi etc. If we should only be concerned about our nation? Secondly, most of the muslims of south africa are from india, and are highly, highly racist. They call black people karias and kaffers, call coloureds bushmen, they jeer and scorn their own people of a lower caste,treat them like dirt, only complain about the crime and corruption about the country and so much more, yet they are quick to bootlick its leaders when it suits them. Having gone in Jamaat to many places in s.a, you will hardly find any musjids which have more than 100 or 200 people attending besides for jumua, so it is indeed not surprising for the majority to call for the closing of the musjids, when they only attend of a Friday. As for the majlis, im sure brother daniel knows them very well’ and i can write thousands more words on that topic alone, but just to try and be short, his level of piety is unparralleled. Like that brother who asked to just google some of his articles, i ask you to do just a little research about him. You will be quite surprised. I can refute so much more of these stupid comments with good reasoning and evidence, but i know i will be wasting my time. People call you biased, but they are already so biased in their views, that nothing will make them change it, whether you speak in soft or harsh tines, whether you provide the best of reasoning or evidence. But just so summarise some main points for those who missed it or are interested:
1) this country is a DEMOCRACY, not a theocracy. There are constitutional rights and FREEDOM to PRACTICE your religion is one of them. We have a RIGHT to ask for exemption of the lockdown rules, just as taverns and restaurants amongst other industries are asking too.
2) no one is saying we are representing ALL MUSLIMS. If you don’t want to read at the musjid, don’t come.
3) religious rights and freedoms are ENSHRINED in the constitution, and even if all the muslims had to go out in the lockdown and protest, which we are not calling for, the government cannot change or take away these rights.
4) in terms of deen, yes, people will follow their different ulama and their interpretations. However, the quranic ayat which states who can be a greater oppressor than the one who prevents the thikr from taking place in the musjid, should be adequate for those with brains to understand that whoesoever closes the musjid, preventing others from praying in it, are considered of the greatest oppressors. So when we happily agree to the closing of the musjids, we are actually aiding and abetting the opressors
The write up is such an eye opener. Especially how we should be able to exercise our rights to our religion under “democracy”. We’ll see the extent of democracy we are ‘allowed’ to exercise when it comes to being a Muslim.
Alhumdulillah This a brilliant article thats states the haq and facts and there is nothing biased about it.if you got a problem with it.you need to ask Allah for guidance and help yourself.as we all need to.when you cant swallow the truth then you have to pick on where the author stays and find id issues to try and discredit his straightforward analysis.this religion is as clear as the daylight the answers in quran and sunnah.if muslim want musjid to be open for those musallees who want to attend mashaAllah. Dont shove your opinion on everyone else .Allah will take care of the true believers
Saheeh. . AlhamdulILLAH
Can we please have the Name of the author
Jazakallah
Fear none but Allah Azzawajal -the moment you compromise your religion for fear of people youl be disgraced and humiliated .Learned ppl that are constantly looking to those in authority for acceptance and approval and basically kiss their backside all the time are giving ppl the impression that Allah is not their Lord cos they are in extreme fear and love of those who are calling the shots.Dont suck up to anyone.Be a man! a strong believer with a backbone,not a scared rat sitting in the corner terrified that someone is going to accuse them.it seems to be a pattern going right and wrong is according to the opinion of a few not right or wrong according to the quran and sunnah.Know the quran and the sunnah and youl know its ppl
NEVER in the entire, 1400 year history of this Ummah, throughout its numerous plagues, epidemics, and pandemics, did a single Faqeeh (jurist), nor even a single Munaafiq (a Kaafir masquerading as a Muslim) scholar, ever dare to come out and declare the suspension of Jumuah or the daily congregational prayers, as the pro(re)gressive, liberal LGBT scholars of today, “coming out” of the woodwork, have done in reaction to a so-called pandemic whose fatality rate (1% – 8%) is comparable to the survival rate of some of the real pandemics of the past.
Is Juma obligatory in a dar al-harb?
What does the fiqh each of the four madhhabs say on the basic conditions for the establishment of Juma?
Give the source of your copy-paste comment
reliablefatwas. com/2020/03/29/the-pandemic-of-the-year-449-hijri/
Unless you’re the author of the article on the linked site and you just repeated your original comment on here, it’s very unbecoming of Muslims to cite someone else’s content and portray it as their own.
When did he cite it as his own? Besides there is no such thing as copyright in islam
@Yahya
Giving that comment word for word under his own name IS citing it as his own (unless he is indeed the author of that piece on that website).
There is no copyright in Islam, but there is integrity. If you are quoting someone else, do give him credit.
I understand that this person probably agrees with that comment, so its even more necessary for him to link to or mention the name of the source that he admires.
It saddens me that the more “religious” some people get, their hatred for others increases. Your love is supposed to increase, you’re supposed to be more kind, more tolerant, wiser. Yet, as some people get more “religious” the only thing they focus on is how wrong everyone else is and how they right they are.
So i guess we should love the kuffar, the lbgtqs, the opressors, the munafiqs…lets just spread the love 🌈
That’s not what I’m averring. The Hadeeth is clear that الحب فى الله والبعض فى الله. I’m not talking about those whose twisted Aqaaid and beliefs throw them out of the pale of Islam and are not prepared to see reason.
I’m talking about showing tolerance for those who are Muslim, but their viewpoint differs from yours, for example. So you’re missing the point. What I’m trying to say is that you should agree to disagree and when there are two opposing views with both parties having their proofs. You should show respect for each other’s views without slandering them as Kaafirs or Munaafiqs.
In other words, learn to have tolerance. Learn from the Sunnah of Rasulullâh Sallallâhu Alaihi Wasallam, the love and compassion that he showed even for his detractors and enemies. People who previously labelled him as a madman and sorcerer, these same people (at the time of the liberation of Makkah) were granted general amnesty from persecution. When they saw that there is no retaliation being taken for their oppression and transgression and that they were being welcomed into Islam with open arms, their hearts melted and they willingly embraced the Deen of Islam. Hence all the more reason that we show tolerance for our Muslim brothers who may differ from us in issues such as the one under discussion in the article, without labelling them as Munaafiqs or sell-outs.
Ibadah is everyday regardless of what happens, it doesn’t suspend. I fully agree about the absence of ikhtilaf.
Nevertheless, even though I am no Islamic scholar, what is extremely shocking is how placid, passive & willfully uneducated about their own religion Muslims have become. So many have accepted like sheep & even called for suspensions of congregational prayer around the world. Few, if any have even thought as to how jama’ah can continue (albeit with restrictions/modifications such as each worshipper 1m away, masks for every worshipper, max.capacity of worshippers allowed in a specific area).
In addition, Muslims in some countries have become ignorant cattle. I read about how in a particular small South Asian country some called & supported downright for the suspension of congregational prayers because…”KSA & Iran are already doing it”. If the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia decided to start selling alcohol, would you copy them too?!
This is a terrible symptom of Muslims not educating themselves or others about their own deen. So they now follow anyone or whoever who calls himself a scholar. You would not have seen this kind of placid muteness in the early 90s or 2000s.
Love and hate for the sake of Allah .Al wala wal Bara.so if someone shows everyone that he takes his deen so lightly that he will compromise till he reaches kufr and thats ok.dont tell me you expect Allah fearing ppl to start loving him.Righteous ppl will love the righteous for the sake of Allah .Try to warn and help the wrongdoer in a serious tone which may sometimes sound harsh if the wrongdoer is justifying all his wrong and influencing others of an ignorant nature that could be mistakenly taken as the person is religious and full of hate when hes not
Assalaamu alaykum…
Subhaanallah…
This article is diseased in so many ways with its lies and assumptions, its damn nearly impossible to know where to start showing the errors…. It would suffice to say that the fact that the author didnt feel brave enough to put his real name to this tells you the degree of authenticity one should attach to this and secondly there is not single reference given to back up any of this hot air tells you that its definitely a non scholar or one pretending to be one.
Jazaakumullah
Assalam u Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu Brother Daniel, I advise you to a avoid putting inappropriate pictures on your pages and website, especially of uncovered women and other lgbtq inclined women. You are against such inappropriate stuff spreading in society so it does not seem correct to post the same pictures of uncovered women on your fbpage. Jazak Allahu Khairan
PANDEMICS AND THE ATTITUDE OF THE PROPHET (SALLALLAHU ALAYHI WASALLAM)
Picture the following scene that occurred during the time of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam):
An epidemic (Wabaa’) is raging in Madinah. The Masjid, as usual, is filled with the Sahabah (radhiyallahu anhum) praying Salaat – both the Ansaar (natives to Madinah) and the Muhajiroon (emigrants of Makkah). With barely an exception, all of them carry intense fevers and are virtually incapacitated by the epidemic. Such is their weakness and exhaustion from the disease that they are all constrained to pray their Salaat sitting down. Furthermore, they are in the Masjid praying extra Nawaafil – optional, supererogatory prayers which could be prayed in the comfort of their own homes.
Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) enters the mosque and observes the scene. Perhaps a hint of disapproval appears on his blessed face. The spectacle of a mosque filled with virtually incapacitated Musallis having to pray their Nawaafil sitting down as a result of contracting a fast-spreading disease, prompts Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) to deliver some Naseehat (advice) – a Naseehat which is ultimately derived from Wahy (revelation) from the Khaaliq (the Creator), for as the Qur’an explicitly states:
“He does not speak except from revealed Wahy.”
Thus, this scenario, just like every other scenario enacted by Allah Ta’ala for His Rasool, is in reality a blueprint divinely ordained by Allah Ta’ala for the entire Ummah to imitate till the very last Hour.
The perfect guidance and unambiguous message Allah Ta’ala issues here at this critical juncture through His Rasool (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) will ultimately shape and determine the conduct and attitude of the Ummah during epidemics and plagues for the next 1400 years, and for as long as there exists even a single person from the gradually dwindling group of believers (ghurabaa) who, according to authentic Hadith, will continue to adhere to the original and untampered Deen of Allah during the final era of mankind’s existence on Earth.
So does Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) issue orders for the diseased to immediately vacate the premises and retreat into solitary confinement in their homes? Does he accuse them of unnecessarily bringing danger to others?
Does Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) scold the few healthy individuals, saying that they are also unnecessarily bringing risk to themselves and to others by potentially contracting a clearly debilitating disease and taking the disease into their own homes where it could prove fatal for their weaker family members?
Does Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) issue instructions for quarantine procedures or a full lockdown of the entire society?
Does Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) suspend the daily congregational prayers and the Jumuah prayers?
Etc. etc.
Continued in link below:
https://reliablefatwas.com/2020/03/29/the-pandemic-of-the-year-449-hijri/
What’s the point of quarantine if everyone has the disease? The epidemic of Wabaa’ is not similar to the Coronavirus.
The following obvious facts need to be borne in mind which require much re-iteration, due to the great web of confusion spun by the multitude of charlatans today who masquerade as Ulama. The Sahabah (radhiyallahu anhum) acquired perfect guidance on how to conduct themselves in each and every scenario they encountered from none other than Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). And, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) acquired such guidance from none other than Allah Ta’ala. And Allah Ta’ala is the Creator of the entire universe, including whatever of His creation He has made to be a cause of spreading disease (ie. “contagion”) such as microbes, viruses, bacteria, mosquitos, fleas, jinns, and the potentially millions of other created entities we humans are hitherto unware of.
The evil implication that stems directly from the satanic contentions of the proregressive modernists is that Allah Ta’aala is unaware (na’oozubillah) of the realities of His own creation, hence He failed (na’oozubillah!) to provide adequate guidance to His Rasool and to the entire Ummah on how to conduct themselves in the proper manner, in a scenario that Allah Ta’ala has not only enacted on Earth innumerable times since time immemorial, but also during the time of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and his Sahabah (radhiyallahu anhum) when ample opportunity existed for the issuance of further guidance.
No Muslim wishes to see the masaajid closed. This breaks our hearts. BUT life is more important is it not?
Fact:
This is all well and good but the actual situation was that the Majlis approached the Presidency. The Presidency was the Respondent, not the Jamiatul Ulama.
If The Presidency discusses with public Muslim organizations islamic viewpoints on things, why should they be barred from doing so?
Jamiat De Deur likes to pretend they are Jamiatul Ulama but they’re actually fake and are based in a small farm outside Johannesburg. They are besties with Majlis.
In the letter which most people received, but perhaps didn’t comprehend, Jamiat De Deur misrepresented themselves as Jamiatul Ulama. This aims to cause confusion with government who are used to dealing with the ACTUAL Jamiatul Ulama in Johannesburg. I’m addition, Majlis and Jamiat De Deur LIED about masaajid that support them. Many came out refuting their claims. This causes further division in our Ummah.
Majlis has been causing havoc on the SA Ummah for a very long time. They have gone unabated.
They have literally called women dumb prostitutes for wanting to attend masaajid or perusing secular education. They have called ulama who disagree with them munafiq, kaafir and paedophiles. The irony of an “organization” having the audacity to demand that the masjids must open when they deny women attendance is truly shocking. I am DISTURBED to see articles defending their stance. They’re the most hateful and misogynistic tabloid there is. Most SANE Muslims are actually embarrassed by them.
They hate women and actually cause more fitnah and harm amongst the Muslim community.
I’m very weary of those using a nom de plume to write articles. Who is Ibn Ismail? And why on an American based website does he care what happens in SA? What agenda do you have? And why does he seem to be interested in Majlis’ stance only? The comments on twitter from non-Muslims due to Majlis’ actions are becoming increasingly Islamophobic in a country where we enjoy Freedom of Religion. Why must be risk that?
Also please note South Africa’s health system is ill prepared handle a pandemic. We have a poor country. We have HIV and TB to deal with. They are already a burden on our hospitals. Now you add Covid19 to that and it’s a recipe for a disaster.
Our country is struggling and as Muslims we help every bit where we can. Our largest relief organization is Gift if the Givers which is recognized by government as being the ones to call in a disaster situation as Covid19.
The issues with poverty in SA is that in the townships we have 10 people living in a room. Their neighbours are in the same situation. It feels like this article is all about mosques and people’s rights to attend the masjid- but what about poor Sipho who is trying to look after his family, some who have HIV and some struggling with TB. PLEASE explain to me HOW a masjid will matter in his life? I wish Majlis and their buddies had taken money and donated to the poor and ill in order to make sure they had food on their table instead.
I cannot care for people who are more interested in calling other Muslims munaafiq’s and kuffaar when we have a major problem of health and starvation on our hands. I cannot sleep at night because I wonder if people have enough food to eat and if they’re being safe. But nope, others out here are calling Muslims Munaafiq and Kufaar over Masjids closing, while the poor are literally crying for food. How will we stand in front of our Creator?
Allah said that the entire WORLD is a place of prayer. So let’s practice that.
I know from reliable sources of mine in SA that the Majlis are not reliable at all.
Those uncouth morons at “reliable fatwas” think they know better than the rest of the Ummah.
Is the coronavirus a little more serious than rain and mud? If yes, we have sahih hadith (Bukhari) for praying at homes:
Once on a rainy muddy day, Ibn `Abbas delivered a sermon in our presence and when the Mu’adhdhin pronounced the Adhan and said, “Haiyi `ala-s-sala(t) (come for the prayer)” Ibn `Abbas ordered him to say ‘Pray at your homes.’ The people began to look at each other (surprisingly). Ibn `Abbas said. “It was done by one who was much better than I (i.e. the Prophet (ﷺ) or his Mu’adh-dhin), and it is a license.’
As for contagious diseases, of course everything happens by the Will of Allah. The Prophet did say that there is no contagious disease, but that is to explain the Will of Allah and Muslim aqidah and negate the aqidah of the days of jahiliyyah. He, sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam, also instructed to not mix diseased camels with healthy ones, and also to maintain distance from people afflicted by the plague.
I personally don’t have a problem on matters of jurisprudence, with the pro or anti side, but to call one side as LGBT imams only because they don’t follow your so-called school of though of uncouth arrogant boors, is disgusting and scandalous.
(afaik, there are both opinions – open masajid & close masajid – by serious and good intentioned scholars on both sides, Asharis & Salafis. Don’t know about the Shias)
As for this article itself, I failed to see some substance or conclusive message come out of it, within the context of Muslim skepticism.
We don’t need to marry any and every event in the world with our Islamic skepticism just for the sake of it! That takes a toll on our credibility.
COVID-19 and its ensuing and evolving scenario, in my humble opinion, was not something to be married with Muslim skepticism, not yet at least. If there was something presentable within the context of Islamic skepticism and our cynicism for the scholars and activists of duniya exploiting deen, it certainly didn’t show up in this piece.
Correction: To maintain a distance of one or two spears is mentioned in regards to people afflicted with leprosy (not plague, afaik). Allahu a^alam.
Please stop lying. It’s not even a Majlis issue. Almost all, if not all, the Madrasahs have come out in support of opening the Masjids. As for your lie about the Majlis lying about the Masjids on their list, see here:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1680510768756345&id=110593272414777
Those “uncouth” guys at reliablefatwas seem to have destroyed all your points. See below for example about your argument about the Prophet (saw), and his companions (ra), and 1400 years of scholarship ever using the “rain” or “muddy” excuse for all the pandemics and plagues they encountered:
The proregressive modernist charlatans who masquerade as Ulama allege, both explicitly and implicitly, that the entire galaxy of Fuqaha (including the Sahabah) for 1400 years had miserably failed to correctly apply the ruling for extreme weather (e.g. rainstorm), or the principle of “la darar”, or the alleged suspension of Hudood by the Sahabah (radhiyallahu anhum), etc. to the scenario of a pandemic, and hence, as a result, they became the terrible cause for the unnecessary deaths of countless people. Allegedly, all of them together, failed in their divinely ordained duty to offer proper guidance on this issue to the masses. This is despite the fact that the entire galaxy of Fuqaha – tens of thousands of the best minds the Ummah had ever produced – had dedicated their entire lives to issuing the proper guidance on every possible scenario based purely on the premise that the Prophetic example which stems from Wahy is perfect.
By this, these vile proregressive modernists imply the imperfection of the message Allah Ta’ala delivered to the Ummah through His Rasool (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), or worse, they impute a lack of knowledge regarding disease to Allah Ta’ala. How is it possible for the entire Ummah, all without exception, to have been so misguided on a straightforward issue that has been a recurring one encountered by mankind ever since the beginning of creation, without imputing imperfection to the guidance issued to this Ummah by Allah Ta’ala through Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and the Sahabah (radhiyallahu anhum), both in general terms and as practically exemplified by their attitude displayed in real life as described in the narrations above?
This was never an area (ie. Jumuah and other related issues) in which Allah Ta’ala had ordained for there to be some legitimate form of difference in which there was scope for ijtihaad. No one engaged in ijtihaad in this sphere simply because the example and conduct of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and the Sahabah (radhiyallahu anhum) in the two incidents described above and also in the plague at Amwaas was so glaringly unambiguous and obvious. Hence, there never existed any dissenting opinion on this issue despite the extreme severity of the innumerable epidemics to have hit this Ummah.
The Fuqaha have said that searching for the lone and anomalous opinions of the scholars is an act that expels one from the fold of Islam. Rejecting the broad agreement of the Fuqaha on any matter, in favour of a solitary and errant ruling issued by even a genuine Faqeeh (jurist), is tantamount to rejecting Allah Ta’ala and His Rasool (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). However, on the subject of pandemics there does not exist even an anomalous and errant ruling that could hint even vaguely at the variety of satanic measures instituted by the Ulama-e-Soo’ today. Thus the extent of the villainy and evil perpetrated by these modernists can never be overstated.
While detailed guidance is found in Allah’s Shariah on the exact circumstances an individual is permitted to miss congregational prayers, the Shariah’s guidance in the scenario of a pandemic matches in exactitude the attitude displayed by Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and the Sahabah (radhiyallahu anhum) in the narrations above. No special measures other than increasing one’s ibaadah (worship) were adopted during an epidemic or a plague. Hence this has been precisely the attitude adopted by the entire Ummah, from its very inception.
Never in the entire, 1400 year history of this Ummah, throughout its numerous plagues, epidemics, and pandemics, did a single Faqeeh (jurist), nor even a single Munaafiq (a Kaafir masquerading as a Muslim) scholar, ever dare to come out and declare the suspension of Jumuah or the daily congregational prayers, as the Ulama-e-Soo’ (evil scholars) have done today, thus laying bare their liberal LGBTQ-like values which hitherto had been camouflaged by deceptively Islamic outer veneers and sound-bites, all in reaction to a so-called pandemic whose fatality rate (1% – 8%) is comparable to the survival rate of some of the real pandemics of the past.
Gora Mota is just copying and pasting Majlis. LOL. I have seen documentation from various masaajid refuting the Majlis, so PLEASE take your allegations of me lying elsewhere.
First message was addressed to “Rose” the second one to Ahmad
@Abdul
QUOTE: “Those “uncouth” guys at reliablefatwas seem to have destroyed all your points.” UNQUOTE
Oh really?
QUOTE: “The proregressive modernist charlatans who masquerade as Ulama allege, both explicitly and implicitly, that the entire galaxy of Fuqaha (including the Sahabah) for 1400 years had miserably failed to correctly apply the ruling for extreme weather (e.g. rainstorm), or the principle of “la darar”, or the alleged suspension of Hudood by the Sahabah (radhiyallahu anhum), etc. to the scenario of a pandemic, and hence, as a result, they became the terrible cause for the unnecessary deaths of countless people. Allegedly, all of them together, failed in their divinely ordained duty to offer proper guidance on this issue to the masses. This is despite the fact that the entire galaxy of Fuqaha – tens of thousands of the best minds the Ummah had ever produced – had dedicated their entire lives to issuing the proper guidance on every possible scenario based purely on the premise that the Prophetic example which stems from Wahy is perfect.
By this, these vile proregressive modernists imply the imperfection of the message Allah Ta’ala delivered to the Ummah through His Rasool (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), or worse, they impute a lack of knowledge regarding disease to Allah Ta’ala. How is it possible for the entire Ummah, all without exception, to have been so misguided on a straightforward issue that has been a recurring one encountered by mankind ever since the beginning of creation, without imputing imperfection to the guidance issued to this Ummah by Allah Ta’ala through Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and the Sahabah (radhiyallahu anhum), both in general terms and as practically exemplified by their attitude displayed in real life as described in the narrations above?” UNQUOTE
Idiotic ramblings like that and nonsensical implications make them and you look like bigger fools than people would otherwise think.
If you do not know about Usul al-Fiqh and the changing of ahkam due to new circumstances and newer worldly knowledge, technological progresses, etc. then first go learn about reasons that can change the ruling on a matter; and these were provided by mujtahid fuqahaa. Besides, “social distancing” in matters of diseases is proven from ahadith and actions of sahaba.
Notwithstanding the fact that since the last 60 years medical science too has progressed further and provided newer information on diseases and their transmission, the population explosion, speed of travels and therefore diseases, speed of communication, etc.
QUOTE: “This was never an area (ie. Jumuah and other related issues)” UNQUOTE
QUOTE: “nor even a single Munaafiq (a Kaafir masquerading as a Muslim) scholar, ever dare to come out and declare the suspension of Jumuah” UNQUOTE
A tadpole in a well thinks he’s seen the entire world when in fact he can’t see beyond the walls of its dwelling. Same story here with you and your “reliable fatwas.” They claim to follow the Hanafi school.
Firstly, is South Africa Dar Al-Islam or Dar Al-Harb? Was it ever conquered by Muslims?
What is the dominant opinion of the Hanafi school on Jumah prayers in Dar Al-Harb? (Hint: Not allowed. They have to be led by the ameer/ruler/sultan/imam of the Muslims and those permitted by him in Dar Al-Islam, in a place easily accessible to all. That’s why there’s no Jumah in jails or for travelers even in Dar Al-Islam. And here we are talking normal times, sans pandemic. Read the opinions of classical Hanafi fuqahaa before rambling.)
That’s to give you but one example.
Calling people of differing ijtihadi opinions as scholars of evil and LGBT supporters and their medical evidence backed prevention methods as “satanic” shows that this whole lot is nothing but a bunch of uncouth arrogant tadpoles in a well.
Again, Hanafi as well as non-Hanafi scholars I respect, from Muslim countries as well as nonMuslim nations, hold each of the mentioned opinions (don’t close masajid, close masajid to stop pandemic, and also an in between opinion – open masajid but restrict the jama^ah to 3 people and don’t do Jumah but rather Zuhr in order to maintain the jama^ah) – but to accuse well meaning scholars who worry about common Muslims’ safety and well-being of being satanical and supporting the LGBTQ agenda and abetting the enemies of Islam is disgusting and pathetic. Those dumb morons at reliablefatwas should hang their head in shame.
Salam.
Ok let’s deal with one point at a time.
Did all these scholars suspend Jumuah and shut down all the Masjids for all congregational prayers because these countries have suddenly become Darul Harb?
Or was it because of a pandemic, albeit a very weak one compared to the innumerable ones faced by the Ummah in the past?
We can address later on the underlying reasons the Fuqaha stated regarding the Sultan’s presence being a condition for Jumuah and hence why the scholars, almost all of them (including the ones you are supporting), said Jumuah is still obligatory in the Darul Harb today, due to the absence of that particular underlying reason.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s see you first address the “illat” of Darul Harb since you’re the first one I’ve seen bringing this up amongst all the different excuses the pro-shutdown scholars have been coming up with thus far ie. What exactly is the illat for the suspension of something even these scholars have previously regarded as obligatory, and which of the scholars today and how many of them have cited the Darul Harb reason, as you so craftily have?
Please don’t run away
Nope, not running away at all.
QUOTE: “Did all these scholars suspend Jumuah and shut down all the Masjids for all congregational prayers because these countries have suddenly become Darul Harb?” UNQUOTE
Which countries? We are talking about South Africa (even though, I do not have a problem if you count other countries like UK, USA, etc. also)
It has not suddenly become Dar Al-Harb. Always was, to the best of my knowledge.
To answer your question, no – they did not suspend the Jumah or congregations because they suddenly woke up one day and realized they were dwelling in Dar Al-Harb.
They did it because of COVID-19. We all know that.
My point mentioning that was to refute your (and your “reliable” fatwa team’s) arrogant style as if you guys are the masters of all fiqh and ijtihad, and to state that ***Jumah was not even fard there to start with***, based on the opinions of the mutaqaddimeen imams of the madhhab.
As for praying Jumah in present day Dar Al-Harb, I follow the opinion of the mutaakhkhireen scholars of the Hanafis who have said that although the mujtahid scholars gave the conditions they gave, since Jumah is established in most kafir countries, one can pray Jumah there. The path of scrupulousness would be to pray Jumah and as a precaution pray 4 rak^ah’s of Zuhr fard too after it.
QUOTE: “Or was it because of a pandemic, albeit a very weak one compared to the innumerable ones faced by the Ummah in the past?” UNQUOTE
So what makes a pandemic weak or strong?
You prefer we wait till a million or two Muslims lose their lives before you call it strong?
I take it you do not believe that prevention is better than cure.
Imposing the measures to deal with pandemics in the past, upon the life of today, ignoring all that we have learnt of medicine so far – is as moronic as it gets. No one is saying deen is not complete. Worldly knowledge on matters of medicine, technology, etc. did advance and deen itself gives us plentiful provisions to deal with new worldly developments. Maybe for you guys, traveling by plane to go for Hajj is also a part of a major satanic conspiracy and you guys travel on animal driven carts and foot.
Your line of reasoning suggests we do not adopt any preventive measures based on current medical knowledge or even cures, and just gleefully wish for a couple million Muslims to die.
It’s good you mentioned the word i^llah (cause).
So what are the i^lal that necessitate a change in hukm on a matter in the fiqh of the 4 madhhabs (we are concerned with Hanafis here)?
I’ll wait for you to list at least 3. (Hint: There are more)
I have said openly that I did not mention to you Dar Al-Harb as something to hide behind given the current scenario with the rulings concerning the pandemic. So no point taking this Dar Al-Harb point any further.
Now you don’t run.
I just wanted to reiterate that differing opinions on matters of furoo^ and ijtihad on modern day matters is normal. I know respectable scholars with all sorts of opinions on the issue of masajid in regards to COVID-19.
But the “reliable” “scholars” on that “reliablefatwas” site are ugly and moronic for suggesting that those who do not follow their opinions are knowingly or unknowingly involved in some sort of a satanic pro-LGBT conspiracy against Islam. If you want to level such charges, prove them on their own merit. Talk about COVID issues on its own merits.
In UK they argued about the same issue and now they dying …
Stop the arguing . Keep masjids closed and save lifes.
Allah knows best
Tell that to the dumb khariji morons pretending to be “scholars” at “reliable fatwas” who are calling the rest of the Muslim world as satanic LGBT puppets! Khadhalahumullah.
(It is a trait of the arrogant khawarij to think that piety ends at themselves and to be antagonistic and contemptuous towards the whole lot of normal Sunni Muslims and consider them kafirs and/or munafiqin)
Alhamdulillah, we’ve both agreed not to run, lol. So let’s stay for the long haul.
Inshallah this will be a beneficial discussion
To make things easy, I think if we separate all the aspects and focus on one at a time:
1) You mention illat. Please if you enlighten us and more specifically how it applies to this case, and why the practice of the Prophet (saw) and whole Ummah for over thousand years need changing suddenly today. The more specific you can be the better. What is the specific change in technology or the specific knowledge we got now which if the Prophet (saw) and the Sahabah (ra) knew they would’ve done exactly the same thing? Yes, they had revelation coming down but they did lack scientific knowledge and technology. So if you could be as specific and precise as possible.
There was at least one epidemic during Prophet’s (saw) time and possibly at least 3 if you include the Sahabah’s (ra). What technology or knowledge prevented them from saving lives by implementing social distancing rules and closing all Masjids. This would’ve saved potentially hundreds of millions of lives because the whole ummah ever since have been following the Prophet’s (saw) example.
2) Let’s compare how serious Corona is compared with other pandemics of the past, particularly the mortality rate. Also useful will be a comparison with other viruses today such as the common flu which, last I checked, has claimed much more lives this year and does so every year (half a million lives each year). Maybe we can make a strong case to implement permanent shutdowns of mosques each year since it could save millions of lives since flu spreads almost identically to Corona. Many other viruses also spread through close contact, so let’s explore the potential to minimise that element by stopping large congregations or at least implementing permanent social distancing in mosques, now that we have much more scientific knowledge.
3) I understand your point about Darul Harb. Basically Jumuah was not such a big issue all this time. What worries me though is the door this has opened. A Mufti recently said that it’s no longer necessary to wash the dead and do Janazah. Many others are following suite. There are already calls to suspend the fasts of Ramadhan. No less heavyweight than Mufti Ali Jumuah said that we will follow the scientists without hesitation on this question ie. If they advise we should all miss or are allowed to miss fasts, then we will. One of my local Muftis is saying exactly the same thing. How far do we go? What will be left of Islam?
You can start of with educating us with point 1 and specifically how it applies to the Prophet’s (saw) way and the Sahabah’s (ra) way of dealing with epidemics. Let’s stick to point 1 before moving to next points. If you wish to introduce any new points please feel free to add to the list but let’s keep our focus on point 1 for now.
Fire away!
Ok, I’m glad you mentioned Ali Jumuah. I don’t take my deen from him. I don’t care what opinion he has on what matter. He simply isn’t hujjah for me. I despise him because of a bunch of issues and softness or outright involvement in interfaith issues.
To reiterate my problem with that reliablefatwas piece, it’s about taking a stand on a matter of fiqh, ijtihad, and furoo^ and characterizing the rest of the ummah that disagrees with it as a bunch of pro-LGBT satanic cult.
As an unrelated example, just imagine how stupid and moronic it would be if Hanafi muftis called the muftis of the remaining 3 madhhabs as sellouts or making a mockery of deen or something on the matter of zakat for a woman’s personal usage gold.
If they mentioned a particular person or group and leveled those accusations of governmental puppets and LGBT supporters at him/them, and given the reasons or evidences for those accusations, that would have been a different case. But to call the entire body of scholars just for having an ikhtilaf on a fiqh matter as crooks is a hallmark of the khawarij and a criminal act really.
The methodology of the Ahlus Sunnah is to be rigid in articles of faith and be forbearing in matters of fiqh and furoo^.
I have said it a few times already. Scholars I respect have a bunch of opinions:
1. Masjid closure – Adhan only, and pray at home
2. Restricted access (major) – Adhan plus jama^ah by just imam, muadhdhin, and a caretaker of mosque in order to maintain the jama^ah and the sha^airil Islam. Rest of the folks stay at home and maintain social distancing, and in sha Allah ask Allah for the thawab of the congregational prayer.
3. Restricted access (minor) – Adhan plus jama^ah with safety and hygiene precautions – only for 15 to 50 years olds. No minors, no one over 50, no women. No eating or wudu in mosques etc. (Pakistani scholars have negotiated this position with the government for the tarawih prayers for Ramadan while fard are to be prayed at home. That doesn’t settle well with me. Fard is higher priority than tarawih although I understand the reasoning being tarawih as a hallmark of Ramadan and a once in a year opportunity)
4. Unrestricted access as always.
Personally I lean towards the second opinion of majorly restricted access. Adhan and congregation of 2-3 people in mosques with social distancing for the rest of the society.
I can write more and carry this discussion forward from both fiqh and science perspective but I don’t see it suitable or fruitful for this comments section. You are very welcome to think I’m running away scared of debate.
I’ll just add that you don’t know much about the covid virus we are talking about here. Your insinuation that it’s like the flu virus is like saying “all cars are blue Fords”. Plus the fact that social distancing as a concept is validated by hadith and actions of sahaba too.
Salam
A lot of respected Ulema have recommended the article from Reliablefatwas. One of the senior Muftis who is respected by everyone in the country where i live has called it a masterpiece. So it’s upto each individual to seek the truth and decide.
Let’s make it simple for all of us:
Broadly, we can consider two options to deal with this thing:
ONE – This whole covid thing is a conspiracy by one or all of Americans, Europeans, Israelis, Chinese, Russians, Hindus, atheists, mafia, communists, military dictators, mainstream media, and more.
Those who subscribe to this view need to prove how MUSLIM doctors worldwide from every school of thought, sect, ethnicity and every country, are ALL in on the conspiracy – OR they need to prove just how ALL those MUSLIM doctors from every region, school of thought, sect, etc. got the wool pulled over their eyes, and for this medical evidence needs to be provided to substantiate this claim.
TWO – This thing is a real calamity from Allah and a medical reality.
In this case,
a) we have NO RIGHT to cry conspiracy (besides, it would be insane to say yes and no at the same time)
b) we HAVE TO accept the medical advice from MUSLIM doctors we trust, without non-doctors trying to teach them medicine and epidemiology
c) the scholars (whom we trust) among us have to do ijtihad – on religious matters like opening/closing masajid, praying in congregation/at home, dietary requirements, funeral proceedings, medications etc. – on how best to deal with this calamity based on the medical advice received from Muslim doctors
Now on action c) of this option TWO (ijtihad considering it a real issue for the times, not a conspiracy) there can be differing opinions and rulings by scholars, and we all need to respect the differences of opinion without blasting those with differing opinions as a part of a conspiracy that we have just admitted does not exist.
We just can’t say it is and isn’t a conspiracy at the same time, in the same breath.
Of course every individual will follow the scholar he trusts.
@Daniel Haqiqatjou
Loved the report on Yaqeen Institute, but why is it closed for comments?
Also I think a similar report is due for Zaytuna.
I didn’t like this particular covid article of your site, but you can’t make everyone happy all the time. 🙂
As received:
*REPENT! AN UNIMAGINABLE WORLDWIDE CATASTROPHE IS BREWING….*
Allah, exalted is His praise, works in mysterious and wondrous ways. By means of this virus, amongst the smallest of His creations, and even after considering that, an extremely lame one relative to the genuinely deadly pandemics of the past, He has thoroughly exposed the great multitude of Ulama-e-Soo’ who have been leading the Ummah astray for many a year now.
Moreover, via this meek virus, Allah Ta’ala has also demonstrated categorically how weak and impotent mankind will prove to be, for all his supposed technological and scientific prowess, in halting the march of utter destruction in the terrifying wake of a far more powerful and deadlier version of this infinitesimal species which is likely to arrive very soon, considering the fact that in an Earth deserving of unprecedented Wrath, saturated as it is with a hitherto unparalleled quantity of Shirk (polytheism), Kufr (rejection of Allah), godlessness (atheism), secularism, and open immorality, the only ones who are supposed to have upheld His worship in the exact manner in which He has prescribed explicitly, have all conspired together, en masse, to shut down His houses of worship, on a scale never witnessed before in the entire recorded history of mankind.
In order to aid in appreciating Allah’s sifaat (attribute) of “Shadeed ul-Iqaab” (Stern in Punishment) and to provide a small glimpse of the scale of horrors that await this Ummah and the world as as a whole, we produce a brief account of a medium-scale plague that occurred earlier on in this Ummah:
“In Jumāda ‘l-Ākhirah [of the year 449] a letter arrived from Bukhārā from Transoxiana that an unprecedented and unheard of pandemic occurred there such that 18,000 caskets (Janaazahs) came out of this region in a single day! Those that died were counted and they were 1,650,000, up to the writing of this letter. The pandemic spread to Azerbaijan and then to Ahwāz, Baṣrah and Wāsiṭ, and other regions. Large pits were dug and 20 to 30 people would be dumped in them. Those that died close to the river Dajlah, would be dragged by their legs and dumped in it. The weak would excavate the corpses, roast them and devour them (and likewise the dogs would dig out the corpses and devour them).. Every house in which death entered, it would overtake them all. The heart of the diseased person would burst open bringing forth blood which would then dribble out of his mouth, or worms (would issue). One would not know what they were. He would then die.” (Al-Maqrizi)
In contrast, the symptoms and severity of this Corona trial pale in comparison. A leading scientist describes the effects of this relatively weak virus on the vast majority as follows:
“Most of those infected won’t even know it…Most people who are infected will recover without even knowing they were sick….Not everyone [who is infected] dies; most of them will get better and won’t even know they were sick, or will have a bit of MUCUS.”
The Corona pandemic bears the dimensions and hallmarks of a small taster before the main course, a tiny glimpse of what’s to come, a little tester by which Allah Ta’ala has already thoroughly established Hujjah (proof) of the villainy of a wretched nation (Ummah) before the descent of the Greater Punishment, by having revealed to those of its inhabitants still dwelling in self-deception, how justified the impending catastrophe is.
Can there be a greater and more symbolic proof (hujjah) of the evil of a nation than the shutting down of the Houses of Allah on an unprecedented scale, with our own hands and well before the Kuffaar imposed their law of prohibition?…..
[Excerpt from “Pandemics and the Attitude of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam)”]
Please share
Difference of opinion if ofcourse perfect-no problem. The problem comes in when others shove their opinion on others unnecessarily-and the other problem problem is that people go directly against the quranic injunctions and border on kufr over and over and over again on different issues and .give preference to the to dunya over deen .got alot of hate speech against those enjoining good and forbidding according to the quran and sunnah and then call it difference of opinion.you can try and bluff people but Allah is our witness You cant bluff the Lord of the Universe
I see your point. You mention:
“go directly against the quranic injunctions and border on kufr over and over and over again” – and
“you can try and bluff people but Allah is our witness You cant bluff the Lord of the Universe”
Agreed. But we need to show who is wrong on iman and kufr, where and how, before we reject them, or name them specifically. Making sweeping generalizations about the whole lot of scholars worldwide who do not side with your opinion is nonsense. That is the point.
In this very comments section, I have stated that I don’t take my deen from Ali Jumuah for the same reason that he takes iman and kufr issues very lightly. I don’t care if he asks to keep the masajid open or closed. Either way, his words mean nothing to me.
However, I do know of respectable scholars (to me) who have both types of opinions.
Salam jzk brother we need this kind of dialogue in our community as the majority of scholars have lost their spine and seem to follow scientific research rather than facts and Quran and Sunnah we seem to have a ijma of modernist secularist scholars who promote institutional values over Islamic values and sharia seems to be manipulated for a neutralistic disposition when it has no scope beside the black and white it has always been legislated as
To Ahmad .its not my opinion whats kufr and the what nullifies your iman .thats all clear in the quran and if you need to research any verse you should pick up a tafsir ibn kathir with commentry and read it if you have a scholar of haq that you have confidence in and you sure he will give you the whole truth then you should direct your questions to him regarding any verses and regarding any thing that takes you out of iman.the bottom line is you need to stop fearing eyes looking at you and follow the haq sincerely.there are definitely those ulama that will give their lives for the haq and for preaching it while the others unfortunately water down the real deen of islam.im not generalising and sweeping everyone with the same brush.everyone knows who they are and what they are in Allahs sight
You missed my point. What is kufr or not, is dictated by the Shari^ah of course. Not me, not you.
When did I say that we have to worry about eyes looking at us?
The point is if a particular scholar or group is wrong on matters of iman and kufr, then of course it is utterly useless to consider his ruling for issues of furoo^ like opening or closing masajid.
My point is that two different scholars of haq on the right ^aqidah of Ahlus Sunnah can have two different rulings on a matter of furoo^.
I suppose that may be true long as the scholar is well informed and has proper proof and not biased.the problem comes in when someone is obstructing someone elses right to choose.no ones going to force anyone to go the masjid.personally i dont see what the big deal is with attending the musjid if it was allowed basically 5 to 6 minutes for each fardh prayer and take whatevr necesary permissable precautions,we going to the store daily and many many people are currently employed for 8 hour shifts and we got numerous stops sometimes at the petrol station or need to do buying for the elderly or helping the underprivelaged.everyone is entitled to their opinion long as its in line with quran and sunnah.also im my opinion the kuffar news and propaganda are not 100% trustworthy .we cant swallow every stat hook line and sinker cos we have not reviewed or seen every case of corona so we cant trust the media 100%.this is my opinion so feel free to differ and run your own life on how you deem fit
The fact that this article paints a takfir-obssessed group of Muslims as victims. The Majlis believe women planting trees in their own backyard is haram and have made takfir on genuine scholars instead of just criticising validly. Disappointing read with no regard for context and the state of affairs wrt South African Muslims and the childish rivalry between some ulema. Agreed that iktilaaf on the matter of masaajid being closed should have been honoured by all Muslims regardless of their own stance- the campaign was highly unnecessary ad embarrassing.