Muslimah, do you have hair extentions?

     My beloved sisters in Islam, are you wearing hair extensions, or dreds?  Do you know the lengthening of the hair is from the major sins.  And wearing dreads are not from us, referring to  Islam.  Is not about cleaning  your hair or not. Actually I have seen some dreads which look better than my hair  and smell amazing. In the island of Jamaica dreads are used by Rastas, (my Jamaican brothers and sisters you are welcome to explain the reason of the dreads and what is their significance among Jamaicans.) and their  religious believes.

As for hair extensions, Shaykha Umm Abdillah al-Waadi’iyyah, explains in her book, “MY ADVICE TO THE WOMEN,” how the lengthening of the hair is consider a major sin. 

We will start by presenting the first hadith consider in these matters.

Khallad ibn Yahya told us that Ibraaheem ibn Naafi’ upon the authority of  Al-Hasan who is Ibn Muslim from Safiyyah from Aisha that a woman marred her daughter off and shortly afterwards her hair fell out. She then came to the Prophet Muhammad sallalahu alaihim wa salam and mentioned this to him before she told him, “Certainly her husband order me to lengthen her hair.”  Then the messenger of Allah said;

                                “No, most certainly the women who artificially legthen their hair are cursed.”

Muhammad ibn Muqaatil told me that Abdullah informed us that Ubaydullah informed us upon the authority of Nafii’ from ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah said:

Allah curses the woman who artificially lengthens hair and the one who has her own hair lengthened and the woman who tattoos others as well as the one who is tattooed.”

saheeh al Bukharee [5205/9 and 374/10]

Aadam told us Shu’bah told us that Amr ibn Murrah told us that he heard Sa’eed ibn al-Musayyab say, 

“When Mu’aawiyyah came toMadeenah for the last time, he addressed us and then pulled out a tuft of hair and said, I did not think that anyone did this, other than the Jews.  Certainly the Prophet called this falsehood.” He intended by this reference the artificial lengthening of hair.’

  

Concerning  these evidences in some of them it was mentioned that artificially lengthening of the hair is from the major sins.  In other places, it is from the practice of the Jews and we are prohibited the  imitation of the enemies of Islam.  In it is also obedience to Shaytan who has said:

“And I will command them to change Allah’s creation.” 

Surely, the scholars have differed about the lengthening of the hair with something other than hair like a piece of cloth or something like it .  From them are those who prohibit the lengthening of hair with anything, whether it is hair or a piece of cloth and this is the position of the greatest.

It is much information in this matter, and I suggest my sisters to look into it.  We are driven by our whims and desires, not learning or asking questions before we do something.  The saddest part is when you correct many, they basically chop your head off and basically send you to a mute mode.  We are supposed to correct each other in that which is wrong and praise each other when we do good.  If you don’t know something, ask questions.  If you think you know everything you are just a step away from the hell fire. Arrogance will always win the best part of you.

 

Thirty-Three Lessons From Surah Yusuf

Shaykh Abdur Rahmaan Naasir Al-Sa`di

“Tayseer Al-Kareem Ar-Rahmaan”

As-Shaykh Abdurahmaan Ibn Naasir As-Sa’dee states in his tafseer “Tayseer Al-Kareem Ar-Rahmaan” (pg. 408 – 412) regarding the last ayah of surah Yusuf wherein Allah subhaanahu wa ta’la says, “Indeed in their stories, there is a lesson for men of understanding.”
Thisstory is from the best of stories because of what it relates from thevarying phases of life; from trial to tribulation, from being tested tobeing blessed, from humiliation to grandeur, from slavery to kingship,from division to unity, from grief to joy, from superfluity to famine,from famine to glut, from hardship to ease, and from denial toaffirmation. So blessed be the One who revealed it in the best mannerpossible.

From amongst the lessons derived from this surah are:

1. Theknowledge of interpreting dreams is a very important branch ofknowledge that Allah gives to whom he pleases from His servants. Andmost of them (dreams) are based on symbols that are ambiguous inmeaning and in description. For indeed the significance of the sun, themoon and twelve stars bowing to Yusuf, is that these lights are thebeauty of the sky, and from them emanates benefit. Likewise theprophets and the scholars are the beauty of this earth, and by themmankind is guided through darkness just as they do by the light of thestars, the sun and the moon. Moreover, since the source of this lightis his mother and father, hence it is very befitting that the moon andthe sun symbolize his parents, for from them emanate the greatest lightfrom which he and his brothers are off-springs. Thus, the sun, which isa feminine noun, symbolizes his mother and the moon, which is amasculine noun, symbolizes his father, and the stars symbolize hisbrothers.
2. Thesignificance of the dream of his fellow prison mate who saw himselfpressing wine, is that the one who does such work is usually theservant of someone else. Thus he interpreted it to mean that thisprison mate would be a servant for the king, and this would guaranteehis freedom from prison. Regarding the significance of the dream of theone who saw birds eating bread from the top of his head, Yusufinterpreted this dream as a indication that he will be crucifiedbecause the skull protects the brains and once a person is crucifiedand left in the open, the brains will become exposed, thus the birdwill eat it.
3. Thereinare evidences of the truthfulness of the prophethood of ProphetMuhammad (Peace be upon him), for he narrated to his people this longstory and he never read the previous books nor learned from any one.
4. Oneshould distance oneself as much as possible from situations that canlead to an evil outcome. Also the permissibility of not disclosing whatone fears might harm them based on the statement of Ya’qûb to Yusuf, “He (the father) said: “O my son! Relate not your vision to your brothers, lest they arrange a plot against you.”
5. Thepermissibility of a person mentioning to someone else, as a means ofsincere advice, a matter that is disliked based on the ayah, “Lest they arrange a plot against you.”
6. Theblessing that Allah bestows upon the servant is not simply restrictedto that particular individual, rather it is a blessing that encompasseshim, his family and his friends. And whatever good is obtained isbecause of that person based on the statement of Allah, “Thus willyour Lord choose you and teach you the interpretation of dreams (andother things) and perfect His Favor on you and on the offspring ofYa’qûb (Jacob), as He perfected it on your fathers, Ibrahîm (Abraham)and Ishâque (Isaac) aforetime. Verily, your Lord is All-Knowing,All-Wise.”
7. Theimportance of being cautious of the evil results of sins, because onesin often leads to many others. For the brothers of Yusuf tried varyingplots when they wanted to separate him from his father; they lied manytimes, they falsified the blood on the shirt, they came at nightpretending to cry, and all of this is as a result of one sin, one thingleading to a next.
8. Thematter that really counts in the life of the servant is the successfulending and not the deficient beginning. For the children of Yacub didwhat they did in the beginning which was a very reprehensible act, thentheir affair ended in sincere repentance, complete forgiveness fromYusuf and their father, and du’a was made for them to be forgiven andhave mercy upon.
9. Someevil are lesser then others and committing the least or lesser evil isalways better. For when the brothers of Yusuf agreed to kill him orthrow him in the well, one of them said, “Kill not Yûsuf (Joseph), but if you must do something, throw him down to the bottom of a well.” Thushis suggestion was better in comparison with those of his brothers (inspite of it still being an evil one) and because of this he lessenedthe greatness of the sin they committed.
10. Thereis no sin on a person that buys, sells, or uses anything that isconsidered as merchandise according to prevailing business practices.Nor is the one who is not aware how this merchandise was obtainedguilty of any sin. For the brothers of Yusuf sold him, which was aharaam, impermissible transaction, then he was found by a caravan ofpeople who took him to Egypt and sold him there as a slave, and inspite of all this Allah referred to him as ”merchandise.”
11. Oneshould be careful to avoid being secluded with women whom may be acause of fitnah, and one should also be cautious of the love forsomeone that may be harmful. For the wife of the king did what she didbecause of her infatuation with Yusuf that lead her to try to seducehim, tell lies about him and cause him to be imprisoned for a longtime.
12. Theinclination that Yusuf would have had for the woman, but resisted itfor Allah’s sake is what actually brings him closer to Allah. Becausethis type of inclination is from amongst the soul’s evil suggestion andit is something that happens naturally to most of mankind. However, thelove and fear of Allah overpowered the call of fulfilling desires.Thus, he is from amongst those “who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires, and lusts.” And also from amongst the “sevenwhom Allah will shade in His Shade on the Day when there is no shadeexcept His Shade: a man who is called by a woman of beauty and position[for illegal intercourse], but be says: ‘I fear Allaah.”

FORGETING ALLAH FORGETTING ONESELF

From among the punishments of sinful acts are that they cause the servant to forget himself.

So, consequently when a person forgets his soul, he corrupts it, and then destroys it.  If o­ne would ask, “How does someone forget himself if he does forget?  Which things does he remember?” Allaah the Most High has said,“And do not be like those who forgot Allaah (i.e. became disobedient to Allaah) and He caused them to forget their own selves.”  [Sooratul-Hashr (59):19]In other words, glory is to Him, Allaah punishes the o­ne who forgets Him with two punishments:1)   Allaah forgets him.2)   He causes the individual to forget himself.Allaah’s forgetting the servant involves His disregard, abandonment and neglect of the disobedient o­ne. As a result, destruction draws closer to him than his own face and hand.As for the sinner, his forgetting himself means that the person stops thinking about the finer qualities of the soul and the things that lead to its success and well-being.  He forgets all of this.  The matter does not even come to mind.  Nor does he bring it to mind.In addition, the disobedient servant is made to forget the diseases of the heart and soul along with the agony that accompanies them.  In the end, there is no effort to remove these destructive ills that of which eventually lead him to corruption and ruin.  He becomes a sick individual covered with layers of disease.  The internal disorder causes destruction to spread through him.  However, this negligent soul is not aware of his sickness nor does the remedy occur in his mind.This is the worst kind of punishment. What punishment is worse than an individual neglecting, and then destroying himself? He forgets the beneficial qualities his soul possesses.  This rebellious servant becomes heedless of the causes of his acquiring good in this life and a permanent resting place in the abode of eternal bliss. “Sins and Their Punishments” by Ibnul Qayyim al-Jawziyyah; Pgs. 54 – 56