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.

Submitting and surrendering our intellect before the Deen:

Submitting and surrendering our intellect before the Deen:

"The Prophet (ﷺ) then asked us, "Which month is this?" We said, "Allah and His Apostle know (it) better." He kept quiet so long that we thought he might call it by another name. Then he said, "Isn't it Dhul-Hijja?" We said, "Yes." He asked "What town is this?" We said, "Allah and His Apostle know (it) better.' Then he kept quiet so long that we thought he might call it by another name. He then said, "Isn't it the (forbidden) town (Mecca)?" We said, "Yes." He asked, "What is the day today?" We said, "Allah and His Apostle know (it) better. Then he kept quiet so long that we thought that he might call it by another name. Then he said, "Isn't it the Day of An-Nahr (slaughtering of sacrifices)?" We said, "Yes." ...- Sahih Al-Bukhari 7447

This incident is from the Hajjatul wida and has a very profound message for us. How we have to surrender ourselves totally to the teachings and the message of the Prophet ﷺ. 

The sahabah in this hadith surrender their very sense of time and place to the will of the prophet though they all knew that it was the month of ZilHaj and city of Makkah as they all had come to perform Haj! 

But none from the 120000 sahabah present there dared to answer any of the even basic questions of the prophet. Apart from their tremendous Adab for the prophet ﷺ, it shows that the Sahabah did not consider their knowledge and information as worthy of any consideration at all and they waited for the Prophet ﷺ to teach them and enlighten them in every matter. 

Unfortunately, our attitude today is of arrogance and resistance to Islamic teachings instead of willing submission. We try to judge the Shariah and Sunnah from our own limited knowledge and experience and try to raise objections, doubts and contentions when they appear to be against our ideas and desires and our understanding which is shaped by modern culture, western ideologies, media, our family and society and the dominant baatil discourse. 

The more "educated" we are, the more we show this behaviour. Instead of submitting ourselves to the Shariah, we try to submit the Shariah to our whims and fancies. How can we attain true Imaan if we continue this behaviour? May Allah guide us.

Three Ahadith on Dangers of Cursing:

Three Ahadith on Dangers of Cursing:

Hadith 1.
Sayyiduna Abu Darda narrated that he heard Allah's Messenger ﷺ say, ''When a person curses anything (man or an inanimate object), the curse rises up to the heaven but the gates of heaven are locked against it, so it comes down to earth but its gates are locked against it. So, it turns to the right and the left. If it does not find any point of entry, it comes again to that which was cursed (and effects it) if it deserves the curse. If not then it reverts on him who had uttered the curse." Abu Dawud.

COMMENTARY: People take the curse very lightly but this hadith points out how serious it is and the one who curses is himself liable to fall prey to it.
Hence, no one may be cursed unless one is confident that he deserves it, but this can only be known when the Prophet ﷺ tells us who deserves it.

Hadith 2.
Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas narrated that (one day) the wind blew away the cloak of a man, so he cursed it. Allah's Messenger said,
"Do not curse it, because it is under command. If any one curses something and it is not liable to it, then the curse rebounds to him." Tirmidhi & Abu Dawud.

COMMENTARY: the wind is not independent but it follows the command of Allah. Hence, it is very bad to curse it and it is contrary to servitude.
The same command applies at other occasions like when facing reverses of fortune or grief, etc. One must keep one's tongue in check. No complaint must be made. It is against Islamic teachings.

Hadith 3.
Sayyiduna Abu Darda narrated that he heard Allah's Messenger ﷺ say, "those who are accustomed to curse often will not be witnesses or intercessors on the day of resurrection." (Muslim)

COMMENTARY: On the day of resurrection, the ummah of Muhammad ﷺ will be presented as witnesses over the previous peoples. They will testify that the Prophet ﷺ had conveyed to those peoples the messages of Allah and had invited them to Allah's path. But, they did not listen to them. Allah says about it:
{And thus have we made you mid-most justly balanced) community so that you may be witnesses to mankind.} (2: 143) The Prophet ﷺ said that on the day of resurrection such people who are given to cursing will not be honoured as witnesses over the past ummahs, they will also be deprived of the honour of interceding (doing Shifa'at) for anyone on the day of resurrection.

This is why the Ahl us sunnah wa al jama'ah refrain from cursing anybody, even if he deserves it. However, there is no harm in cursing the disbelievers about whom it is known for certain that they died as disbelievers.

(Taken from Mazahir e haq- sharah Mishkat English translation.)

The urgency of the Day of Judgment and our heedlessness

The urgency of the Day of Judgment:

"˹The time of˺ people’s judgment has drawn near, yet they are heedlessly turning away." (Quran 21:1)

One of the fundamental themes of the Quran is man's flight from reality. Even at the simplest every day level there is a constant avoidance of the thought of death. The worldly life makes man forget and neglect the inevitable end of his life as well as the end of the entire creation.

It is the tearing-away of all illusions of security that characterizes both the Last Judgement and its anticipation in the Qurān; and this is the background against which life is seen as a brief but immensely precious opportunity, offering a once-and-for-all choice.

Hence the sense of urgency which informs the whole Qurān, making the very thought of 'passtimes' an outrage against common sense; for to waste the little time we have seems to the Muslim like insane profligacy. 

The common plea of those described in the Quran as 'the losers' (al-khāsirūn) –

those who face damnation - is to be sent back, if only for a short while, to human life; and one understands that even a single day in which to make good use of time would be, for them, a treasure beyond anything they desired while living.

 'So warn mankind of the Day when the punishment comes to them and the wrongdoers exclaim: Our Lord! Grant us respite for a short while we will obey Your call and follow the messenger!" (Quran 14:44).

Adapted from 'Islam and the Destiny of Man' by Charles Le Gai Eaton.

Great Sunnah Dua for Love of God:

Sunnah Dua for the ULTIMATE Love of God:

اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ حُبَّكَ أََحَبَّ الأَشْيَاءِ إِلِىْ ، وَاجْعَلْ خَشْيَتَكَ أَخْوَفَ الأَشْيَاءِ عِنْدِيْ وَاقْطعْ غَنِّي حَاجَاتِ الدُّنْيَا بِالشُّوْقِ إِلى لِقَائِكَ ، وَ إِذا أَقْرَرْتَ أَعْيُنَ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا مِنْ دُنْيَا هُمْ ، فَاقْرِرْ عَيْنِيْ مِنْ عِبَادَتِك


Allahummaj'al hubbaka a-habbal ashyaa'i illayya, waj'al khashyataka akhwafa ashyaa'i 'indi, waq-ta 'anni haajaatid-dunya bish shawqi illa liqaa'ika, wa idha aq-rarta 'a'yuna ahlid-dunya min dunnyahum, fa aqrir 'aynee min 'ibaadatika.

O Allah! Make my love for You the most beloved thing to me, and my fear for You the most fearful thing to me, and remove from me all worldly needs and wants by instilling a passion for meeting You, and when You have given the people of the world the pleasures of their world, make the coolness of my eyes (pleasure) in worshipping You.

(Reported in Kanzul ummal, on the authority of Abi Malik)

How to add value to our Good Deeds:

Dhikrullah makes good deeds better:

The most excellent good deed is the one that is performed with fervent Dhikrullah (remembrance of God). The best person among those who observe fast, give wealth in charity or go on pilgrimage is the one who does excessive Dhikr of Allah during the performance of these good deeds.

Ibn Abi Dunya related that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was asked, ‘which of the visitor to the mosque is the best’?
The prophet ﷺ replied, "The one who remembered God most".
"Which warrior is the best?"
"Who remembered God most".
"Which pilgrim is the best?"
"Who remembered God most".
"Which worshipper is the best?"
"Who remembered God most".
After that the narrator Abu Bakr (R.A.) said, "Those who remembered God have taken away all the good".
-From 'al Wabil as sayyib' by Ibn AlQayyim R.A.