The danger of taking sins lightly :

The danger of taking sin lightly:

O believers! Turn to Allah in sincere repentance, so your Lord may absolve you of your sins and admit you into Gardens, under which rivers flow, on the Day Allah will not disgrace the Prophet or the believers with him. Their light will shine ahead of them and on their right. They will say, “Our Lord! Perfect our light for us, and forgive us. ˹For˺ You are truly Most Capable of everything…”   [al-Tahreem 66:8].

Allah has given us time to repent before the honourable scribes ( kiraaman   kaatibeen  – recording angels) record our deeds.The Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The (scribe) on the left hand raises his pen (i.e., delays writing) for six hours  [this may refer to six hours of 60 minutes as measured by astronomers, or it may refer to short periods of time during the day or night  –  Lisaan al - ‘Arab] before he records the sinful deed of a Muslim. If he regrets it and seeks Allah ’s forgiveness, the deed is not recorded, otherwise it is recorded as one deed.”  (Reported by al- Tabaraani in  al -Kabeer and al -Bayhaqi in  Shu’ab al -Eemaan; classed as  hasan by al -Albaani in  Silsilat al -Ahaadeeth al- Saheehah, 1209).

  A further respite is granted after the deed has been recorded, up until the moment before death approaches.The problem is that many people nowadays do not place their hope and fear in Allah. They disobey Him by committing all manner of sins, day and night.

There are those who are being tested by the idea of regarding sins as insignificant, so you may see one of them regarding certain  “minor sins”  (saghaa’ir) as inconsequential, so he might say,  “What harm can it possibly do if I look at or shake hands with a (non -mahram) woman?”  They think nothing of looking at women in magazines and on TV shows. Some of them, when they are told that this is haraam, may even facetiously ask, “So how bad can it be? Is it a major sin ( kabeerah) or a minor sin ( sagheerah)?”

Compare this attitude with that reflected in the following reports narrated by Imam al -Bukhaari (may Allah have mercy on him):-

  Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “You do things which in your eyes are less significant than a hair, but at the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), we used to count them as things that could destroy a man.” 

 Ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said:  “The believer regards his sin as if he were sitting beneath a mountain which he fears may fall on him, whereas the sinner regards his sin as if a fly lands on his nose and he swipes it away.” 

Will these people then understand the seriousness of the matter when they read the following hadeeth of the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)? 

“Beware of the minor sins which are often thought of as insignificant, for they are like a group of people who stopped in the bottom of a valley. One of them brought a stick, and another brought a stick, until they had gathered enough to cook their food. These minor sins, if a person is called to account for them, will destroy him. ”  According to another report, he said:  “Beware of minor sins, for they will pile up until they destroy a person.”  (Reported by Ahmad;  Saheeh al- Jaami ’, 2686- 2687).

The scholars said that when minor sins are accompanied by a lack of shame or remorse, and with no fear of Allah, and are taken lightly, then there is the risk that they will be counted as major sins. Hence it is said that no minor sin is minor if you persist, and no major sin is major if you keep on seeking forgiveness. So we say to the one who is in this situation: Do not think about whether the sin is major or minor; think about the One Whom you are disobeying. 

Insha Allah, these words will benefit those who are sincere, and who are aware of their sins and shortcomings, and do not insist upon doing wrong and adhering to their faults.

These words are for those who believe in the words of Allah: 

 “Declare (O Muhammad) unto My slaves, that truly, I am the oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful.”  [al-Hijr 15:49] and in His words  “And that My Torment is indeed the most painful torment. ”  [al-Hijr 15:50].

 It is essential to keep this balanced view in mind.

From the book "I want to Repent But.." by Saleh Al-Munajjid

Arrogance of knowledge- Qarun's quality

Many people today become arrogant and start feeling superior to others when they get some degree in modern education and they look down upon at the less educated. Indeed, the way modern education is taught almost invariably makes one arrogant! But a Muslim must realise that such arrogance of knowledge is a character trait of the cursed Qarun mentioned in the Holy Quran and we must be humble when Allah gives us knowledge.

Though Qarun was from Musa’s (AS) people, Bani Israel, he rebelled against him and became an ally of the Firaun. Allah had made Qarun the wealthiest man on earth to the extent that the keys to his treasure were so heavy they could not be carried by the strongest men. 

إنَّ قَـٰرُونَ ڪَانَ مِن قَوۡمِ مُوسَىٰ فَبَغَىٰ عَلَيۡهِمۡ‌ۖ وَءَاتَيۡنَـٰهُ مِنَ ٱلۡكُنُوزِ مَآ إِنَّ مَفَاتِحَهُ ۥ لَتَنُوٓأُ بِٱلۡعُصۡبَةِ أُوْلِى ٱلۡقُوَّةِ إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُ ۥ قَوۡمُهُ ۥ لَا تَفۡرَحۡ‌ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡفَرِحِينَ

Indeed Qarun was from the people of Musa, then he rebelled against them. And We had given to him such treasures as their keys would weigh too heavy for a strong group of people. (Remember) when his people said to him, “Do not exult. Surely, Allah does not like the exultant. (28:76)

In his Tafseer of Surah Qasas, Imam Ibn Katheer RA says:

Allah informs us how Qarun responded to the exhortations of his people when they sought to guide him to what is good.

﴿قَالَ إِنَّمَآ أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ عِندِى أَوَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَهْلَكَ مِن قَبْلِهِ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مَنْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ قُوَّةً وَأَكْثَرُ جَمْعاً وَلاَ يُسْأَلُ عَن ذُنُوبِهِمُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ ﴾

(Surah Qasas:Ayah 78. He said: "This has been given to me only because of the knowledge I possess.''...)

 meaning, `I have no need of your advice; Allah has only given me this wealth because He knows that I deserve it and because He loves me. ' In other words: `He has given it to me because He knows that I am fit for this.'

This is like the Ayat:

﴿فَإِذَا مَسَّ الإِنسَـنَ ضُرٌّ دَعَانَا ثُمَّ إِذَا خَوَّلْنَـهُ نِعْمَةً مِّنَّا قَالَ إِنَّمَآ أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ﴾

When harm touches man, he calls upon Us; then when We have changed it into a favor from Us, he says: "Only because of knowledge I obtained it.' '(39:49)

An alternative interpretation of this Ayah says that the meaning is: "Only because of what Allah knows about me did I obtain this favor.''

This is like His saying:

﴿وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَـهُ رَحْمَةً مِّنَّا مِن بَعْدِ ضَرَّآءَ مَسَّتْهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ هَـذَا لِى﴾

"And truly, if We give him a taste of mercy from Us, after some adversity has touched him, he is sure to say: "This is from me.'' (41:50)
meaning, "I deserved it.''

 Imam `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam explained this Ayah very well. Concerning the phrase,

﴿قَالَ إِنَّمَآ أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ عِندِى}

He said: "This has been given to me only because of the knowledge I possess.''
 He said: "Were it not for the fact that Allah is pleased with me and knows my virtue, He would not have given me this wealth.''

Ultimately Allah destroyed Qarun and he was swallowed up by the earth along with his wealth..

"Then We caused the earth to swallow him up, along with his home. There was no one to help him against Allah, nor could he even help himself." (28:81)

This arrogance can also be because of Religious knowledge, particularly if it's self acquired with out sitting at the feet of real Ulama. That's why proper Spiritual Tarbiyah and Tazkiya is considered by the ulama as essential for the students of Deeni Ilm too.

 May Allah protect us from the arrogance of knowledge. Aameen.

A sign of Mudāhanat (compromising & diluting the Deen) is having lots of friends & followers

"Having plenty of friends is a sign of weakness in Dīn, i.e., Mudāhanat (compromise) in commanding the good. 

This is because whichever person forbids and stops others from wrong in the matters of Dīn, people become displeased with him. He cannot have many friends."

-Maqālāt e Ṣūfiyyah by Mawlānā Ashraf Alī Thānawī (r.a) & Muftī Shaf'ī (r.a)

 Imam Ibn Hajar says that Mudāhanat is taken from the word ad-Dahhān (the painter) who glosses over something and covers what is actually there. The scholars have explained it as lying with a sinner (by not pointing out his sin) and openly displaying happiness with what he is doing without forbidding him at all. (Fath ul-Bārī [Dār ur-Rayyān], vol.10, pg.545)

So, generally it's done to please the sinners in expectation of some Dunyawi benefits.

Since this compromises the Shariah and goes against the Hukm of Amr bil Maroof and Nahi anil munkar and displays lack of gheerah for Deen, it's prohibited. 

Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah says that mudāhanat is a quality of a Munafiq (hypocrite). The mudāhin (compromiser) uses kindness in order for the person to remain established upon falsehood and leaves him upon his desires. (Ar-Rūh pg. 231)

Many modern 'social-media scholars' and 'Chocolate Daiees' fall into this error to gain followers & publicity on social media and end up creating a very imbalanced and one-sided concept of Dīn in the masses. May Allah protect us.

Wisdom behind not cutting one's hair or nails in the first 10 days of Zul Hajj until Qurbani and it's Fiqh status:

With regards to not cutting one’s hair and pairing one’s nails, Rasūlullah صلى الله عليه و سلم has mentioned, “When the ten days (of Dhul Hijjah) commence and a person has a sacrificial animal, which he intends to slaughter, then let him not cut his hair or pare his nails.” (Muslim) 

قال إذا دخل العشر وعنده أضحية يريد أن يضحي فلا يأخذن شعرا ولا يقلمن ظفرا

(مسلم رقم الحديث 1977, دار إحياء التراث العربي) 

Rasūlullah صلى الله عليه و سلم did not mention the exact reason why a person should not cut his hair or nails; therefore, any explanation for its underlying reason is mere conjecture. 

Nevertheless, some ‘Ulamā and commentators of Hadīth state various possible reasons for this instruction. 

Imām Nawawī رحمه الله states that the wisdom behind not cutting the hair and trimming the nails is to include these body parts in the emancipation from the fire after the sacrifice of the animal along with the remainder of the body. This understanding is possibly based on the following narration quoted in al-Targhīb wa al-Tarhīb, “Whoever offers a sacrifice with a contented heart anticipating reward for his sacrifice, it will serve as a veil for him from the fire.” 

وروي عن الحسين بن علي رضي الله عنهما قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم من ضحى طيبة نفسه محتسبا لاضحيته كانت له حجابا من النار (الترغيب والترهيب رقم الحديث 1664, دار الكتب العلمية) 

Other commentators of Hadīth such as Ibn Qayyim رحمه الله state that it constitutes part of the completion of the sacrificial rite of the Qurbānī. He presents the following narration of Rasūlullah صلى الله عليه و سلم as evidence for this claim, “Cut your hair and nails, trim your mustache and shave your pubic hairs for verily that constitutes the completion of your sacrifice by Allah, the Most-Honored and Sublime” 

تأخذ من شعرك وأظفارك وتقص شاربك وتحلق عانتك فتلك تمام أضحيتك عند الله عزوجل 

(ابو داود رقم الحديث 2789 , دار الفكر) 

Imām Suyūtī رحمه الله mentions that some ‘Ulamā are of the opinion that the wisdom behind not cutting one’s hair and nails is to resemble, in some way or the other, the pilgrims of Hajj.

(Taken from Shaikh Yusuf bin Yaqub's fatwa on askimam.og) 

Majority of the Ulama consider this to be a recommended act and not compulsory. 

According to the Hanafi Fiqh, It is Mustahabb (meritorious, preferable) for one intending to make Qurbani not to trim the nails and not shave during the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. (Raddul Muhtaar V6 P185). If one does trim, etc. no sin will be incurred.

This is understood to be a recommendation based on the fact that ‘A’isha relates that the Prophet (Allah bless him) sent a sacrificial animal to be slaughtered during the Hajj seasons while in Madina but he did not abstain from those things that a person performing Hajj abstains from (due to the rules of ihraam). [Bukhari; Muslim] 

As such, this action indicates that the instruction of the Prophet (Allah bless him) mentioned in the first narration was not for obligation but recommendation. 

According to the Shafaee Fiqh, It is Sunnah for one intending to make Qurbani not to trim the nails and not shave during the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. (Mughnil Muhtaaj V4 P283). It will be Makrooh to trim without need. 

However, in the Hanbali fiqh , the rulling is stricter and it is considered haraam (forbidden) to cut your hair and nails if you’re intending to do Qurbani.