Halal & Haram

عن النُّعمان بن بَشير رضي الله عنه قال: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ -وَأَهْوَى النُّعْمَانُ بِإِصْبَعَيْهِ إِلَى أُذُنَيْهِ-: «إِنَّ الْحَلَالَ بَيِّنٌ وَإِنَّ الْحَرَامَ بَيِّنٌ، وَبَيْنَهُمَا مُشْتَبِهَاتٌ لَا يَعْلَمُهُنَّ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ، فَمَنِ اتَّقَى الشُّبُهَاتِ اسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِينِهِ وَعِرْضِهِ، وَمَنْ وَقَعَ فِي الشُّبُهَاتِ وَقَعَ فِي الْحَرَامِ، كَالرَّاعِي يَرْعَى حَوْلَ الْحِمَى يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَرْتَعَ فِيهِ، أَلَا وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ مَلِكٍ حِمًى، أَلَا وَإِنَّ حِمَى اللهِ مَحَارِمُهُ، أَلَا وَإِنَّ فِي الْجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً، إِذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ، وَإِذَا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ، أَلَا وَهِيَ الْقَلْبُ».

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) explains a general rule in matters and that they fall under three categories in the Shariah: clearly lawful matters, clearly unlawful matters, and doubtful matters with the rulings on whether they are illegal or lawful being unclear and unknown to many people. So, whoever abandons those suspicious matters keeps his religion safe by avoiding falling into the unlawful and keeps his honor safe from people's criticism of him for engaging in such doubtful things. Whoever does not avoid doubtful matters risks falling into the unlawful or being maligned by people. The Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) provided a parable to demonstrate the condition of a person who engages in doubtful matters, saying that he is like a shepherd who grazes his cattle close to a piece of land protected by its owner; so, his cattle are likely to pasture in this protected land, given its proximity. Likewise, he who engages in a suspicious matter draws near to the unlawful and is likely to fall into it. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that there is a piece of flesh in the body, namely the heart, and when it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the entire body becomes corrupt.

• The Hadīth urges us to avoid suspicious matters with unclear rulings.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 20) (52). صحيح مسلم (3/ 1219) (1599). التحفة الربانية في شرح الأربعين حديثا النووية (ص18). شرح الأربعين النووية، لابن عثيمين (ص105). فتح القوي المتين في شرح الأربعين وتتمة الخمسين، للعباد (ص41). فتح الباري لابن حجر (4/ 291). شرح النووي على مسلم (11/ 28).

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، إِنَّ اللهَ طَيِّبٌ لَا يَقْبَلُ إِلَّا طَيِّبًا، وَإِنَّ اللهَ أَمَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِمَا أَمَرَ بِهِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ، فَقَالَ: {يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا، إِنِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ} [المؤمنون: 51] وَقَالَ: {يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ} [البقرة: 172] ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ الرَّجُلَ يُطِيلُ السَّفَرَ أَشْعَثَ أَغْبَرَ، يَمُدُّ يَدَيْهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ: يَا رَبِّ، يَا رَبِّ، وَمَطْعَمُهُ حَرَامٌ، وَمَشْرَبُهُ حَرَامٌ، وَمَلْبَسُهُ حَرَامٌ، وَغُذِيَ بِالْحَرَامِ، فَأَنَّى يُسْتَجَابُ لِذَلِكَ؟».

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that Allah is Good, Holy, Exalted far above deficiencies and shortcomings, and possesses the attributes of perfection. He accepts only the deeds, statements, and beliefs that are good, i.e., those that are sincerely devoted to Allah and that comply with the Prophet's guidance. No attempt should be made to get closer to Allah except through this. One of the greatest means to make the believer's deeds good is to eat good and lawfully earned food, and this, consequently, purifies his deeds. For this reason, Allah has commanded the believers with what He commanded the messengers about consuming what is lawful and offering righteous deeds, as He says: {O messengers, eat from the lawful things and act righteously, for I am All-Knowing of what you do.} [Surat al-Mu’minūn: 51]  And He says: {O you who believe, eat of the good things We have provided for you.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 172] Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warned against consuming what is unlawful, which invalidates deeds and makes them unacceptable despite utilizing the apparent means of acceptance, such as: First: Traveling for a long period to perform acts of obedience like Hajj, Jihad, maintaining kinship ties, etc. Second: Having disheveled hair because of not combing it, with the changed color of his skin and clothes because of dust, so, he is helpless. Third: Raising his hands to the sky in supplication. Fourth: Imploring Allah with His names persistently: O Lord, O Lord! Despite the existence of all these means of answering the supplication, he receives no response because his food, drink, and clothes are unlawful, and he is nourished by the unlawful. It is very unlikely for someone with such a description to have his supplication answered, and how could it be answered?!

• Allah Almighty is perfect in His essence, attributes, actions, and rulings.
• We are commanded to sincerely devote our deeds to Allah Almighty and to follow the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
• Using encouraging methods, as the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah has commanded the believers with what he commanded the messengers." So, when the believer realizes that the messengers were commanded to do such things, he becomes motivated and encouraged to comply.
• Consuming what is unlawful is one of the reasons for not answering supplications.
• The means of answering supplications include five things: 1. Going on long journeys, given the state of despondency, which is one of the major reasons for having a supplication answered. 2. The state of dire need. 3. Stretching the hands toward the sky. 4. Invoking Allah persistently by mentioning His Lordship repeatedly, as it is one of the greatest means of seeking a response for supplications. 5. Eating and drinking what is lawful.
• Consuming that which is good and lawful is among the means that help one perform righteous deeds.
• Al-Qādi said: Good is the opposite of evil. When "good" is used to describe Allah Almighty, it means that He is exalted and extolled far above deficiencies and shortcomings. However, when "good" is used as a general description of the slave, it means that he is free of vices and evil deeds and possesses the opposite of that. When "good,"  on the other hand, is used to describe properties, it means that such properties are lawful and of the best type.

صحيح مسلم (2/ 703) (1015). التحفة الربانية في شرح الأربعين حديثًا النووية، لإسماعيل الأنصاري (ص27). شرح الأربعين النووية، لابن عثيمين (ص141). الأحاديث الأربعين النووية مع ما زاد عليها ابن رجب وعليها الشرح الموجز المفيد (ص22).

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ صَخْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: سَمِعْت رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم يَقُولُ: «مَا نَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنْهُ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ، وَمَا أَمَرْتُكُمْ بِهِ فَافْعَلُوا مِنْهُ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ، فَإِنَّمَا أَهْلَكَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ كَثْرَةُ مَسَائِلِهِمْ، وَاخْتِلَافُهُمْ عَلَى أَنْبِيَائِهِمْ».

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) clarified to us that when he forbade us from something, we should avoid it without exception, and when he enjoined us to do something, we should do as much of it as we can. Then, he warned us not to become like some of the past nations, who burdened their prophets with excessive questioning and disagreed with them, and so Allah punished them with various kinds of destruction and ruin. Therefore, we should not be like them lest we be ruined as they were ruined.

• This Hadīth represents a rule that demonstrates the duty of doing what is commanded and avoiding what is prohibited.
• We are not permitted to do any of the prohibitions. With regard to the commands, however, we are required to comply according to our abilities. This is because the abandonment of something is within one's capacity, whereas doing something requires ability.
• Forbidding the act of asking too many questions. Scholars divided questions into two categories: First: Questions that are meant for learning what one needs of the religion, and this kind of question is required, and an example of this is the Companions' questions. Second: Questions that are asked by way of obstinacy and affectation, and this is the kind of forbidden question.
• Warning this Ummah of disobeying their Prophet as what occurred in the previous nations.
• When something is prohibited, this applies to any part of it, great or small, for avoiding it requires avoidance of the action altogether. For example, we are prohibited from usury, and this applies to any amount of it, big or small.
• We are required to shun the means conducive to something prohibited, for this falls under the meaning of avoidance.
• When a person hears a command from the Prophet (ﷺ), he should not ask whether it is obligatory or recommended; rather, he must hasten to act upon it, for he said: "Do it as much as you can."
• Asking too many questions leads to ruin, especially about matters that cannot be grasped, like issues related to the unseen and the detailed description of the conditions of the Day of Judgment. A person should not ask a lot about such matters lest he be ruined and become pretentious and pedantic.

صحيح البخاري (9/ 94) (7288). صحيح مسلم (2/ 975) (1337). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (1/ 236). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (1/ 181). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (2/ 268).

عَنْ أَبِي الحَوْرَاءِ السَّعْدِيِّ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِلْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ رضي الله عنهما: مَا حَفِظْتَ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ؟ قَالَ: حَفِظْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «دَعْ مَا يَرِيبُكَ إِلَى مَا لاَ يَرِيبُكَ، فَإِنَّ الصِّدْقَ طُمَأْنِينَةٌ، وَإِنَّ الكَذِبَ رِيبَةٌ».

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded that one should leave whatever words or deeds he has doubts about, whether they are prohibited or not, unlawful or lawful, and choose instead what is not doubtful—things whose goodness and lawfulness he is certain about, as such things bring tranquility and comfort to the heart, whereas whatever is doubtful sows anxiety and confusion in the heart.

• A Muslim should set up his affairs upon certainty and leave whatever is doubtful and should be insightful regarding his religion.
• The prohibition of falling into suspicious matters.
• If you are seeking tranquility and comfort, then abandon what is doubtful and leave it aside.
• Allah is Merciful to His slaves, as He has commanded them with what brings comfort to the soul and mind and has forbidden them from what causes anxiety and confusion.

سنن النسائي (8/ 327) (5711). سنن الترمذي (4/ 286) (2518). مسند أحمد (3/ 248) (1723). التحفة الربانية في شرح الأربعين حديثًا النووية، لإسماعيل الأنصاري (ص29). شرح الأربعين النووية، لابن عثيمين (ص153). فتح القوي المتين في شرح الأربعين وتتمة الخمسين للنووي وابن رجب (ص56).

عَنْ أُمِّ المُؤْمِنِينَ أُمِّ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا، قَالَتْ: قَالَ: رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم: «مَنْ أَحْدَثَ فِي أَمْرِنَا هَذَا مَا لَيْسَ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ رَدٌّ». وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ لِمُسْلِمٍ: «مَنْ عَمِلَ عَمَلًا لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُنَا فَهُوَ رَدٌّ».

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarifies that whoever innovates something in the religion or does something that is not supported by evidence from the Qur’an and Sunnah will have it rejected and Allah will not accept it from him.

• Acts of worship are based on what is prescribed in the Qur’an and Sunnah. We worship Allah Almighty only in accordance with what He has prescribed and not in accordance with religious innovations and heresies.
• Religion is not based on reason or juristic discretion; rather, it is based on following the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
• This Hadīth is proof of the perfection of the religion.
• "Bid‘ah" (religious innovation): It is every belief, saying, or act that is newly introduced in the religion, which neither existed during the time of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) nor during the time of his Companions.
• This Hadīth represents one of the fundamentals of Islam. It acts as a criterion for deeds. Every deed that is not exclusively devoted to Allah Almighty, its doer will not be rewarded for it and the same rule applies to every deed that does not conform with the Prophet's Sunnah will be rejected upon its doer.
• The Hadīth constitutes a rule for rejecting religious innovations and evil acts that may arise.
• The prohibited innovations are those related to religion and not those related to worldly affairs.

صحيح البخاري (3/ 184) (2697). صحيح مسلم (3/ 1343) (1718). التحفة الربانية في شرح الأربعين حديثًا النووية (ص16). شرح الأربعين النووية، لابن عثيمين (ص96). فتح القوي المتين في شرح الأربعين وتتمة الخمسين، للعباد (ص38).