Fifth Reflection: What I Have Forbidden You, Stay Away From It

Evidences: Allāh ﷻ said: "And whoever transgresses Allāh’s limits has truly wronged his own soul." [Sūrah Aṭ-Ṭalāq: 1] And He said: "These are the limits set by Allāh, so do not come close to them." [Sūrah Al-Baqarah: 187] And He said: "And whatever the Messenger has given you – take it; and whatever he has forbidden you – refrain from it." [Sūrah Al-Ḥashr: 7] The Prophet ﷺ said: "What I have forbidden you, avoid." [Agreed upon, narrated by Abū Hurairah, may Allāh be pleased with him] Lessons and Rulings -> Completely abstaining from what the Prophet ﷺ has prohibited. -> Refraining from falling into the unlawful or getting close to it. -> When Allāh forbids something, He also forbids the means leading to it. -> The fulfillment of commandments depends on one's ability, whereas abstaining from prohibited actions is not conditional upon ability and should be avoided unless there is a necessity, which must be evaluated accordingly. Assessing Charity Organisations in Light of These Principles -> Many members of charity organisations have fallen into several clear prohibitions that they do not dispute with us(1), and they have misinterpreted or justified actions where there is no valid excuse. Among these prohibited actions are: - Keeping money in banks (usury-based transactions). - Filming living beings. - Begging. - Participating in elections. - Submitting to democratic laws. - These actions, in turn, lead to Hizbiyyah, incorrect walā' wal barā'. Discussion: When the matter of charity organisations was brought before Sheikh Al-Albāni, he asked, "Where do they store their funds?" They responded, "With the bank." Sheikh Al-Albāni then stated, "The project is null and void." If this alone is enough to invalidate it, then what if we take into account all the other prohibitions? Objection: We engage in these prohibitions to achieve other interests that we believe are greater. Response: -> From where did you derive the permission to commit harm for the sake of a perceived benefit? -> In fact, the principle is the opposite: preventing harm takes precedence over acquiring benefit, and committing the lesser of two harms to avoid the greater. -> The benefit is achieved here by avoiding what Allāh and His Messenger ﷺ have forbidden. Objection: These are matters of necessity (ضرورة), and necessities make the prohibited permissible. Response: This is where you have gone wrong. Who has forced you into these actions? Allāh said: "So fear Allāh as much as you are able and listen and obey and spend [in the way of Allāh]; it is better for your selves." [Surah At-Taghābun: 16] The religion of Allāh will not be victorious through disobedience. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Indeed, when you forsake something for the sake of Allāh, He will replace it with something better." [Narrated by Ahmad from an unnamed companion, with a sound chain of transmission] It was also reported from the statement of Ubayy ibn Ka'b, may Allāh be pleased with him, as mentioned by Hannād in 'Az-Zuhd' (p. 201). ___ (1) Unfortunately, some are still in doubt concerning some of these prohibitions.