Chapter 102, At-Takathur (Striving for More)

Introduction

This is one of the short chapters found at the end of the Quran.  It is generally accepted that these chapters, which were revealed in Mecca, contain stern, sometimes violent, warnings with an emphasis on belief in God and the Day of Judgement, and descriptions of Paradise and Hell.  They were revealed during the first years of the mission of Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, when ignorance and polytheism were at their peak.

The eight short verses of chapter 102 follow on from the previous chapter 101 The Crashing Blow, in which were told that certain people will find there eternal abode in the fires of Hell.  In this chapter we are told the reason why people will have such a terrifying end and God offers them advice.  This chapter takes its name from the first verse.

Verses 1 The piling up

Striving for more distracts you. 

The Arabic word used here is takathur meaning striving for more.  Many Arabic words have layers of meaning and this word, in this context, has several meanings.  Each meaning adds to the seriousness of God’s advice.  It means firstly, the desire to have a lot of things (including all of life’s distractions).  It also means competing with others to get a lot of things.  For example in these days it could mean wanting a better car then your neighbour, or a better house in a better neighbourhood, or to earn more money than your brother.

The third layer of meaning is taking pride in having all these things and being unable to resist telling people about your worldly wealth and possessions.  Bragging and boasting at every opportunity.    Lastly it means the cooperation between people to acquire more things.  This is a type of cooperation that easily crosses all barriers of religion, ethnicity or age.  It is mutual cooperation in piling up possessions or wealth. 

Verse 2 Pay attention now

Until you visit your graves. 

Humankind has become so obsessed with acquiring things that nothing will put an end to it except death.  Once you visit your grave, the place where you will wait for the Day of Judgement, you will realise that you were distracted from the real purpose of life, which is to worship God.  Humankind is so busy striving for more and more things that there is little time for anything else.  Death is the only thing that will distract us and remind us that we should have been paying attention to the message.  God is advising us against chasing the pleasures of this world while forgetting about the next world.

Verses 3 & 4 Seeing the reality

No.  You will come to understand, indeed again, no, you will come to understand.

When God repeats a warning it adds urgency to the situation.  When you die you will see the reality and understand and then again when you arise on the Day of Judgment you will again understand with certainty.  You will rise from your graves knowing that what you coveted and competed for was nothing but a distraction.  And it has now led you to a terrible conclusion.  You have wasted your life, it has slipped away. 

Verse 5 Understand with certainty

No.  If only you knew (now) with certainty.

God is saying that although you know what you should be doing, you do not know with the kind of certainty that would prevent you from frivolously wasting your life.  People strive for more and more because they want to be immortal.  They want to have more descendants, build a structure that lasts forever, and be remembered as the wealthiest or most handsome.  Wanting to go on forever in some form or another is a common human trait.  And we will live forever, but not here, not in this world.  God is saying that you should strive to know with certainty that there is a reward but it will not be found in the piling up of things.

Verses 6 & 7 With your own eyes

You will most certainly see the Hellfire and you will see it with your own eyes.

On the Day of Judgment you will see the Fire and you will see it as if you were the prey about to be attacked by a ferocious lion.  You will stare into the Fire as if it is the eyes of the lion.  Even those who are not destined for the Fire will see it.  What you see with your own eyes you know with certainty.  It might seem that our final destination is a long way off but our life here is just a blip in God’s reckoning of time.  God is telling us exactly what is going to happen yet we continue to clutch at our belongings as if they can protect us from what is to come.

Verse 8 Questions

And on that Day you will surely be questioned about the comforts you received.

Humankind must understand and know with certainty that on the Day of Judgement they will be questioned about the pleasures and comforts that were blessings and bounties from God.  God will want us to explain how we used the resources that we were given.  Are you grateful for the comforts in this worldly life? God emphasises three times that you will be questioned.  As you pile up your possessions it is worth remembering that the more you have the more you will be questioned.  God will ask about the things you gathered and also about your continuous blessings such as, air, water food, seeing, hearing. - islamreligion.com

Is there a specific punishment for looking at adorned women whilst fasting?

QUESTION :

Will a man’s fast be accepted if he stares at immodest women who display their charms by wearing tight clothes? This is exactly what my husband does, and the woman who he looked at got embarrassed, but what can I do? We cannot avoid mixing here in Germany, especially when we go to visit some of my husband’s family members and the like. The houses here are small and the rooms are small too, and this is really annoying. What must he do in such a situation? What is my role as his wife? Is there a punishment in the hereafter for such behaviour?

ANSWER :

Praise be to Allah

Firstly: 

Undoubtedly, deliberately looking at women – especially those who are adorned – is something prohibited, and the prohibition is even more emphasised during the month of Ramadan, because sin is graver if it is committed at a time or place of special virtue. 

This haraam looking weakens faith in one’s heart, undermines the fast and decreases the reward, but the fast is not rendered invalid by that. The one who is committing this sin must hasten to repent. 

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

It is haraam for him to look at women, and if he looks with desire, then the prohibition is even more emphasised, because Allah, may He be glorified, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.). That is purer for them...”

[an-Noor 24:30]. 

Letting the gaze wander freely is one of the causes of falling into immorality. What is required is to lower the gaze and beware of that which may lead to temptation, but the fast is not rendered invalid if no maniy is emitted. However, the one who ejaculates renders his fast invalid and must make up that day, if it was an obligatory fast. 

End quote from Majmoo‘ Fataawa Ibn Baaz (15/269)  

What this husband must do is fear Allah and lower his gaze, avoiding looking at that which Allah has prohibited, and he should advise his relatives not to mix freely and explain to them the evil and bad consequences of doing so. 

What the wife must do is remind her husband of Allah, and not delay advising him if she sees him committing some evil deed. 

Undoubtedly heedlessness concerning the commands of Allah – especially in Ramadan – may expose one to the wrath and punishment of Allah, and cause one to waste one’s time during the season of goodness and worship on things that are not pleasing to the Most Gracious, may He be glorified and exalted. That is sufficient loss. 

Fasting has only been prescribed so that people may attain piety, as Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)”

[al-Baqarah 2:183]. 

We do not know of any specific punishment for this sin in the hereafter; rather it is one of the minor lapses that people are prone to, and it is more likely to be pardoned on condition that one does not persist in it, and that one regularly offers prayers on time and avoids major sins. 

And Allah knows best.

--islamqa.info

The muezzin gave the adhaan seven minutes before the proper time and they broke their fast

QUESTION :

We broke our fast when the neighbourhood muezzin gave the adhaan, and seven minutes later we heard another muezzin. After asking our local muezzin we found out that he had given the adhaan by mistake, thinking that the time had started. What should the people of our neighbourhood do?.

ANSWER :

Praise be to Allah.

If a person breaks his fast thinking that the sun has set, then he finds out that it had not set, he has to make up that day. This is the view of the majority of scholars. 

Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Mughni (4/389): 

This is the view of most of the scholars, fuqaha’ and others. End quote. 

The Standing Committee was asked about a man who broke his fast based on his two daughters’ saying that the sun had set, then when he went out to pray, he heard the muezzin giving the call for Maghrib prayer. 

They replied: 

If you broke your fast after the sun had set, then you do not have to make up that day. But if you find out or you think it most likely or you are not sure whether you broke your fast before the sun set, then you and those who broke their fast with you have to make up that day, because the basic principle is that it was still daytime, and this principle cannot be altered except in accordance with sharee’ah, which in this case means when sunset happens. End quote. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 10/288 

Shaykh Ibn Baaz was asked about some people who broke their fast and then found out that the sun had not set. He replied: 

The person to whom that happened should refrain from eating and drinking until the sun sets, and he has to make up that day according to the majority of scholars. There is no sin on him if he broke his fast after doing his best to find out whether the sun had set. This is like when a person wakes up during the day on the thirtieth day of Sha’baan, then he finds out during the day that Ramadan has begun. He should refrain from eating and drinking for the rest of the day, and he should make up that day according to the majority of scholars, and there is no sin on him, because when he ate and drank he did not know that it was Ramadan. His ignorance of that means that there is no sin on him. As for making it up, he must make it up. End quote. 

Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 15/288 

Some scholars are of the view that fasting is valid in this case, and that it is not essential to make it up. This was narrated from Mujaahid and al-Hasan, and it is the view of Ishaaq and of Ahmad according to one report, and of al-Muzani and Ibn Khuzaymah. It was the view favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, and was regarded as more likely to be correct by Ibn ‘Uthaymeen.  

See Fath al-Baari, 4/200; Majmoo’ Fataawa li Shaykh al-Islam, 25/231; al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 6/402-408 

They quoted as evidence the hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari (1959) from Hishaam ibn ‘Urwah from Faatimah from Asma’ bint Abi Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: “We broke our fast at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on a cloudy day, then the sun came out.” It was said to Hishaam: Were they commanded to make it up? He said: It has to be made up. Ma’mar said: I heard Hishaam say: I do not know whether they made it up or not. 

The words of Hishaam, “It has to be made up” were said by him on the basis of his ijtihaad. He did not say that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded them to make it up. Hence al-Haafiz said:

 As for the hadeeth of Asma’, it cannot be deduced from it that it should be made up or that it should not. End quote.  

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said in al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (6/402): 

So they broke their fast during the day based on their assumption that the sun had set but they were unaware not of the shar’i ruling but of the situation. They did not think that it was still daytime. But the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not tell them to make it up; if making it up had been obligatory it would have been the law of Allaah and it would have been known, but since it was not known and was not narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), the basic principle is that the duty has been discharged and it does not have to be made up. End quote. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (25/231): 

This indicates that it is not obligatory to make it up. If the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had told them to make it up, that would have been well known as it is narrated that they broke their fast. Since that was not narrated, this indicates that he did not tell them to do that. If it is said, that it was said to Hishaam ibn ‘Urwah, “Were they commanded to make it up?” and he said, “Is there any other alternative?” – the answer is that Hishaam said that on the basis of his own opinion and did not narrate that in the hadeeth. The fact that he did not have any knowledge of that is indicated by the fact that Ma’mar is reported to have said: I heard Hishaam say: I do not know whether they made it up or not. Both were narrated from him by al-Bukhaari. Hishaam narrated from his father ‘Urwah that they were not commanded to make it up, and ‘Urwah was more knowledgeable than his son.” End quote.

 If you want to be on the safe side and make up a day in its place, then you are doing well. Making up one day is a simple matter, praise be to Allah, and there is no sin on you for what happened. 

And Allah knows best.

-islamqa.info

Ruling on fasting person who vomits a little

QUESTION :

Does vomiting in small quantity invalidates fasting? It was something between spitting / hawk ans vomiting. I am disposed that it was either very little vomitting /i.e. aI was not able to keep my water down/ or some spitting. Please provide with right Islamic interpretation of this issue.

ANSWER :

Praise be to Allah.  

Vomiting refers to when food etc is expelled from the stomach outside the body.  

With regard to whether this breaks the fast or not, the ruling depends on whether it was done deliberately or not. If a person vomits deliberately, this breaks the fast and he has to make up that day. If he cannot help vomiting and vomits involuntarily, then his fast is still valid and he does not have to do anything else. 

If a person needs to vomit because he is sick and vomiting will help him to recover, then it is permissible for him to do that, but he has to make up that day after Ramadan, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number [of days which one did not observe Sawm (fasts) must be made up] from other days”

[al-Baqarah 2:185] 

According to the correct scholarly view, it makes no difference whether the amount of vomit is great or small. If a person vomits deliberately and only a small amount comes out, the fast is broken. It says in al-Furoo’: If a person makes himself vomit and vomits anything, then his fast is broken, because of the report of Abu Hurayrah: “Whoever cannot help vomiting does not have to do anything but whoever makes himself vomit deliberately has to make up that day.” Al-Furoo’, 3/49. This hadeeth was narrated by Abu Dawood, 2380; al-Tirmidhi, 720 – he said the scholars follow this. It was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani. 

But there is a difference between spitting and vomiting. Spitting and hawking etc do not come from the stomach, so there is nothing wrong with expelling that matter. But vomiting comes from the stomach as explained above. 

And Allah knows best.

-islamqa.info

She did i‘tikaaf in the last ten days of Ramadan, then got her menses; what is the ruling?

QUESTION :

I did Itiqaaf some years back with the intension for last 10 days but could not complete due to menstruation on 27th of Ramadan, I checked in an Islamic book (Bahishti Zewar) where it was mentioned that my Itiqaaf is complete. After some years I checked with a Mufti he told me that book is unauthentic stop referring & that I have to complete the rest of the days. I did Itiqaaf in a room at home, later i came to know it has to be done in Masjid only? Now shall I have to do in a Masjid starting again for 10 days. Your urgent reply will be highly appreciated Shaikh.

ANSWER :

Praise be to Allah

Firstly: 

The scholars are unanimously agreed that for a man, i‘tikaaf is not valid unless it is done in the mosque, because Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “And do not have sexual relations with them (your wives) while you are in I‘tikaf (i.e. confining oneself in a mosque for prayers and invocations leaving the worldly activities) in the mosques” [al-Baqarah 2:187]. So i‘tikaaf is to be done specifically in the mosques. See: al-Mughni by Ibn Qudaamah (3/189). 

The majority of scholars are of the view that women are the same as men in this regard; so a woman’s i‘tikaaf is not valid unless it is done in the mosque, and it is not valid if done in the prayer-place of her house. 

Secondly: 

I‘tikaaf in the last ten days of Ramadan is Sunnah and mustahabb for men, and also for women if there is no danger of fitnah and there is a place that is only for women, and so long as it will not keep her away from her obligatory work, and it is done with the permission of her husband. 

Thirdly: 

The basic principle concerning i‘tikaaf is that it is Sunnah, not obligatory, and that it is not obligatory unless it is in fulfilment of a vow. If a person has made a vow to observe i‘tikaaf, then it is obligatory to fulfil it, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever vows to do an act of obedience to Allah, let him obey Him, and whoever vows to do an act of disobedience to Allah, let him not disobey Him.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (6696). 

And ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allaah, during the Jaahiliyyah I vowed that I would spend a night in i‘tikaaf in al-Masjid al-Haraam. He said: “Fulfil your vow.”Narrated by al-Bukhaari (6697) and Muslim (1656).

Ibn al-Mundhir said in his book al-Ijmaa‘ (p. 53): They are unanimously agreed that i‘tikaaf is Sunnah and is not obligatory upon people, unless a person has committed himself to it by way of a vow, in which case it is obligatory for him. End quote. 

Fourthly: 

If a woman observes i‘tikaaf in the mosque, then gets her menses, she must leave the mosque – according to scholarly consensus – but what she has already done of i‘tikaaf is not rendered invalid by her menses, according to the majority of scholars. 

Then she should go back home, and when she becomes pure, if her i‘tikaaf was obligatory, because of a vow, she must go back to the mosque and complete her i‘tikaaf, continuing from where she left off and making up what she missed; and she is not required to offer expiation. 

But if it was a Sunnah i‘tikaaf, she does not have to go back to the mosque or make up this i‘tikaaf later on. 

Imam Maalik said concerning women: If a woman does i‘tikaaf, then gets her menses whilst she is in i‘tikaaf, she should go back home, then when she becomes pure, she may go back to the mosque at whatever time she becomes pure, and continue her i‘tikaaf from where she left off. Al-Muwatta’ (1/316). 

Shaykh Ibn Jibreen said: If she does i‘tikaaf, then gets her menses, she must leave the mosque until she becomes pure, then go back after she has purified herself. 

If the time of i‘tikaaf ends before she has becomes pure from menses or nifaas (post-partum bleeding), she must make it up if her i‘tikaaf was obligatory in fulfilment of a vow, but it is waived if it was voluntary, because the time for it has now ended. 

Hiwaar fi’l- i‘tikaaf, published on his website:

http://www.ibn-jebreen.com/?t=books&cat=356&page=10&book=6

See also: al-Mughni (3/206); Sharh al-‘Umdah by Ibn Taymiyah (2/829 – as-Siyaam)

Conclusion: 

If your i‘tikaaf was voluntary – as appears to be the case – then whatever was done before your menses is valid. As for what remains after your menses began, you do not have to go back to the mosque to complete it. But if your i‘tikaaf was obligatory (in fulfilment of a vow), then it is essential to know the wording of the vow in order to determine whether you have to complete it or not? 

Fifthly: 

We have not come across the book Behishti Zewar by Shaykh Ashraf ‘Ali at-Tahaanawi – who was one of the leading reforming scholars of his era in the Indian Subcontinent. His book is according to the Hanafi madhhab, and the words of any person may be accepted or rejected except the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). But we should not hasten to issue a verdict on any book before reading it carefully. 

And Allah knows best.

-islamqa.info

"No God but God"

Allah is the name of the only true God, the one whom the believers worship with full sincerity and devotion, giving their hearts and their worship to no other. 

Allah tells us: "Say: Truly, my worship, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the Worlds. He has no partner. This I am commanded, and I am first of those who surrender (unto Him)." [Sûrah al-An`âm: 162-163] 

The statement by which a person enters into Islam is "There is no God but Allah." By making this declaration, we profess Allah's lordship over all Creation as well as His exclusive right to be worshipped. We then turn all of our strengths – those of the mind, the heart, and the body – to glorifying and praising Him. 

Our bodies, and the atoms that make them up, already glorify their Creator, whether we acknowledge it or not. However, we are given the choice when it comes to our minds, our hearts, and our deeds. We can willingly turn to Allah and embrace the message that he sent to us with His messenger, or we can remain heedless. 

We as human beings are blessed with a natural inclination to recognize our Creator and to worship Him. We instinctively feel the need to do so. Therefore, when we worship our Lord, we are in harmony with our own natures and with the rest of Creation. 

As for someone who worships something other than the Creator, that person is taken by the tides of worldly existence and his soul is torn by it. In ancient times, polytheism was generally expressed through the worship of stones and trees. The hearts and passions of the people would turn to these inert material things with their problems and hopes. This can still be seen openly today in some remote places. Indeed, it is amazing to find an educated person, a professor of microbiology or astronomy, or someone of great intellectual probity in other aspects of life, bowing his or her head to some stone statue of human manufacture, where written at its base we read: "made in 1910"! 

This is just one extreme expression of devotion that people can be subject to if they neglect the worship of Allah. There are many other ways people can succumb to the world if their hearts are not devoted to the Creator. Some people fall victim to their personal desires and self-aggrandizement. Some give themselves over to material wealth, enslaving themselves to the almighty dollar. Some people give themselves over to their occupations or to attaining social status. Others revere those who wield political power. 

There are many forms of devotion by which people lose themselves and stray from the guidance of Allah. All of these lead to anxiety, stress, and dissatisfaction with life. Allah says: "Allah puts forth a parable: a man belonging to many partners at variance with each other, and another man belonging entirely to one master: are those two equal in comparison? Praise be to Allah! But most of them have no knowledge. " [Sûrah al-Zumar: 29] 

Today, we even find something called "Satan worship", with adherents primarily in Europe, America, and other western countries. They have their own symbols, rites and rituals to unite them, and they build their religious beliefs and practices upon selfishness and carnal desire to the exclusion of everything else. These ideas have even penetrated into the Muslim world, capturing the imaginations of some adolescents who get together and toy with the Satanic rites and symbols. 

Allah tells us: "Did I not enjoin on you, O you Children of Adam, that you should not worship Satan; for he is to you an avowed enemy? And that you should worship Me? That is the right path." [Sûrah YâSîn: 60-61] 

The heart can find no peace, no true pleasure or contentment, unless its Creator alone is its object of devotion, its focus of desire, and its most beloved. Every living thing besides Allah – whether human or animal, angel or jinn – is dependent upon Allah. It needs to attain what benefits it and avoid what harms it. Therefore, it needs to understand benefit and harm. It needs to know what it needs and desires. Then it needs to know what it must rely on to attain what it needs. 

Truly, Allah alone is the one who should be supplicated and longed for. It is His pleasure we should seek. He is the one who we should seek to attain what we aspire to. To turn in worship to anything else or pin our hopes upon created things will only lead us to disappointment and harm. 

Only Allah can truly avail us. Everything in Creation is His. He can bring us to what benefits us in His creation. Everything that we dislike or fear in the world is also nothing other than His creation, and only through Him do we have the means to avoid what harms us. 

Allah's Messenger knew his Lord better than anyone else. He used to beseech Allah in supplication saying: "O Allah! I seek refuge with Your pleasure from Your wrath, with Your pardon from Your punishment. I seek refuge with You from You. I cannot encompass your praise. You are as You have praised Yourself." [Sahîh Muslim (751)] 

He also said in supplication to his Lord before going to sleep: "O Allah, I have submitted myself to You and have entrusted to You my affairs, and I have taken refuge in You, in both hope and fear of You. There is no refuge or sanctuary from You except with You. O Allah! I believe in Your Book which You have revealed and Your Prophet whom You have sent." 

He then said: "If you die in on this night of yours, then you will be on the natural faith. Make these words the last thing that you utter." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (247) and Sahîh Muslim (2710)] 

Allah is our refuge and our sanctuary. Everything in existence exists only by His will. Everything we might hope for or fear is also His creation. So we must seek refuge with Him in everything. He is worthy of all our praise, and He is above all praise. - islamtoday.net

Blood Test for the Fasting Person

Question: What is the ruling on a blood test for a fasting person, does it break the fast?

Answer: The fasting person does not invalidate his fast due to the removal of blood for the purpose of a blood test, because the doctor needs to take blood from the sick person in order to do tests on it, so this does not break the fast. It is only a small amount of blood which does not affect the body in the same way cupping does, so it does not break the fast. The fundamental principle is that the fast remains valid, and we cannot make it invalid without some legal evidence, and there is no evidence that a fasting person breaks his fast by such a small amount of blood. But as for taking a lot of blood from a fasting person for the purpose of giving a transfusion to another person who is in need of it for example, if a large quantity of blood was taken which has the same effect on his body as cupping, then his fast will be broken thereby. Based upon this, if the fast in an obligatory one, then it is not permissible for a person to donate this large amount of blood to anyone, unless this person to whom blood is donated is in danger and it is not possible for him to wait until after sunset. This would be if the doctors have determined that the blood of this fasting person will benefit him and remove the harm from the patient. In these circumstances, there is no objection to him donating his blood, breaking his fast, and eating and drinking, so that his strength will return to him. He must also make up for the day in which he broke his fast.  And Allah knows best. -fatwaislam.com