English Translations of Majmoo’al-Fatawa of late Scholar Ibn Bazz (R) Second Edition By: Sheikh `Abdul `Aziz Bin `Abdullah ibn `AbdulRahman ibn Bazz (May Allah forgive and reward al-Firdouse to him and his parents) He was The Mufti of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chairman of the Council of Senior Scholars, and Chairman of Department of Scholarly Research and Ifta' This English Translations are collected from http://www.alifta.com Portal of the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta' This file is volume No.09 of 30 ( Part No : 9, Page No: 1) ( Part No : 9, Page No: 2) ( Part No : 9, Page No: 3) ( Part No : 9, Page No: 4) ( Part No : 9, Page No: 5) In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Important advice to the whole Ummah From 'Abdul 'Aziz bin 'Abdullah ibn Baz to whomever reads it among fellow Muslims, May Allah guide me and them, and guard us all against the reasons of humiliation and regret, Amen. As­salamu `alaykum warahmatullah wabarakatuh (May Allah's Peace, Mercy, and Blessings be upon you!) To continue, the aim is to advise and remind people in accordance to Allah's Saying (Glorified be He): And for verily, the reminding profits the believers. And the ,(ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ remind (by preaching the Qur’ân, O Muhammad saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): The Din (Religion of Islam) is sincere advice, it was said: O Messenger of Allah, to whom. He said: To Allah, His Book, His Messenger, The leaders of Muslims and their common folks Thus, I recommend you and myself to observe Taqwa (fearing Allah as He should be feared) for it embraces all good, and it is the basis of happiness, and the best provision in the worldly life and the Hereafter. Allah (Exalted be He) says: And take a provision (with you) for the journey, but the best provision is At­Taqwa (piety, righteousness). So fear Me, O men of understanding! He (Exalted be He) also says: O mankind! Fear your Lord and be dutiful to Him! Verily, the earthquake of the Hour (of Judgement) is a terrible thing. Allah (Glorified be He) also says: O you who believe! Fear Allâh and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow, and fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is All­Aware of what you do. And be not like those who forgot Allâh (i.e. became disobedient to Allâh), and He caused them to forget their ownselves, (let them to forget to do righteous deeds). Those are the Fâsiqûn (rebellious, disobedient to Allâh). Allah (Glorified be He) also says: ( Part No : 9, Page No: 6) Verily, for the Muttaqûn (the pious ­ See V.2:2) are Gardens of delight (Paradise) with their Lord. Over and above, He (Exalted be He) says: And whosoever fears Allâh and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. Allah (Glorified be He) also says: O you who believe! If you obey and fear Allâh, He will grant you Furqân [(a criterion to judge between right and wrong), or (Makhraj, i.e. a way for you to get out from every difficulty)], and will expiate for you your sins, and forgive you Accordingly, these noble Ayahs enforce us to offer Taqwa and observe it, they also include a declaration of Allah's Promise to whoever observes it to make things easy for them, relieve their distresses and forgive their sins, as well as admitting them to the delights of Jannah (Paradise), therefore, a sincere servant should abide by Taqwa, call to it and warn people against discarding it. The true meaning of Taqwa is to fulfill obedience which Allah has obligated upon a servant and avoid sins which He (may he be Exalted) prohibited. However, its origin and basis is to testify that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, not just by words, rather by knowledge and actions. Consequently, a servant will devote their worship to Allah alone believing that He is the only true lord and that there is no other deity but Him, as well as refuting the worship of anything but Him along with knowing that it is false. In addition to this, they should also believe that Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah ibn 'Abdul­Muttalib the Hashimy (from the tribe of Banu Hashim) (peace be upon him) is the Servant of Allah and His true Messenger who was sent to both Jinn and Mankind, thus, whoever obeys him will enter Jannah (paradise) and whoever does not will enter Nar (Hellfire). Moreover, a servant should believe that he (the Prophet) is a servant, who is not to be worshipped, and a messenger who is not to be disowned; rather he is to be followed. Love of Allah and His Messenger should precede anything else. ( Part No : 9, Page No: 7) Furthermore, a Muslim should love their fellow Muslims only for Allah's Sake, hate Shirk (associating others in worship with Allah) as much as they would hate to be thrown in Hellfire, as then, a servant will enjoy the sweetness of Iman (faith/belief) as mentioned in the Hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: There are three (qualities), whoever possesses them, will find the sweetness of Iman: when Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to them than anything else; when they love not any person except for the sake of Allah; and when they hate to return to Kufr (disbelief), after Allah has saved them from it, as much as they hate to be thrown into Nar” He (peace be upon him) also said: None of you will (truly) believe until I become more beloved to them than their children, father and all people . And this entails that a Muslim should abide by the Shari`ah (Islamic Law) of the Messenger (peace be upon him) and give precedence to his obedience (peace be upon him) over personal desire, or the obedience of anyone else. But, whenever a person prefers their personal desire to the obedience of Allah and His Messenger, this shall indicate weakness of their Iman, and imperfection of their Shahadah (testimony of faith). However, Allah's Saying (Glorified be He): Verily, the earthquake of the Hour (of Judgement) is a terrible thing. includes a reminder of the Hereafter, encouragement to be ready for it, and a warning against its terrors and adversities. Furthermore, His Saying (Exalted be He): Fear Allâh and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow also includes a command to abide by Taqwa, call ourselves to account for what we have prepared for the Hereafter; if it is good, a person should praise Allah and ask Him to bestow steadfastness and uprightness upon them. ( Part No : 9, Page No: 8) But if not, one should repent and regret their negligence and spend the rest of their life observing righteous acts. Allah (Exalted be He) said: And verily, I am indeed forgiving to him who repents, believes (in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does righteous good deeds, and then remains constant in doing them, (till his death). Over and above, His Saying (Exalted be He): And be not like those who forgot Allâh (i.e. became disobedient to Allâh), and He caused them to forget their ownselves, (let them to forget to do righteous deeds). Those are the Fâsiqûn (rebellious, disobedient to Allâh). comprises the warning against neglecting the Commandments and Prohibitions of Allah and deviating from the guidance of the Messenger, as it embodies an indication that whoever turns away from Allah's Command, forgets His Rights, He (Exalted be He) will make them forget their own benefits and interests, which are the reasons for their salvation from Allah's Torment, such that all money, power and their long life will be the greatest reasons for their torture and failure. We ask Allah to grant us soundness and safety from whatever causes His Wrath. One of the greatest aspects of Taqwah is to acquire knowledge of the Din (religion of Islam), contemplate the Noble Qur'an, abide by its commands, avoid its prohibitions, and not overstep the boundaries, as well as asking about any confusing matter. Allah (Exalted be He) says: Verily, this Qur’ân guides to that which is most just and right Allah (Glorified be He) also says: Say: “It is for those who believe, a guide and a healing." He (Exalted be He) also says: (This is) a Book (the Qur’ân) which We have sent down to you, full of blessings, that they may ponder over its Verses, and that men of understanding may remember. Allah (Glorified be He) also says: Do they not then think deeply in the Qur’ân, or are their hearts locked up (from understanding it)? Allah (Glorified be He) also says: So ask the people of the Reminder, if you do not know. The Prophet (may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him) also says: ( Part No : 9, Page No: 9) When Allah wishes a person to attain goodness, He causes them to understand the Din. Therefore, contemplate the Qur'an, increase your recitation of it and your listening to it, and never part with it even in your gatherings, you should also seek to purify your hearts from all causes of sickness with it.