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Top 10 excuses Muslims give for not doing Dawah

Top 10 excuses Muslims give for not doing Dawah

 

By

Yahya Ahmed

This article is especially for those Muslims who are living in non-Muslim countries. In General, it is for all those who have any contact with non-Muslims. 

Definition of Dawah and Islaah:

Da’wah means a ‘call’ or ‘invitation’; which means to invite non-Muslims to Islam as well as the Muslims to the true understanding and practice of Islam, but many a times, in context, it refers to the invitation of Islam extended to those who are yet to believe in or accept Islam.

‘Islaah’ literally means ‘to repair’ or ‘to improve’. In an Islamic context, it refers to efforts to improve Muslims or to correct them.

Difference between Dawah and Islah:

Dawah in Arabic actually means an invitation and an invitation can only be given to an out sider. And in Islamic terminology, Dawah ul Islam means an invitation to Islam. When we speak about Islam to a non Muslim inviting to Islam it's called Dawah.

Many people even think when we speak about Islam to Muslim it's called Dawah and they use this term Dawah for both types of talk. Basically when we speak about Islam to a Muslim calling him closer or letting him know more about Islam the more appropriate word is Islah,

1. I do not have enough knowledge to do Dawah

This is one of the most common excuses given for not doing Dawah. The Prophet (pbuh) said

“Convey (my teachings) to the people even if it were a single sentence” (Sahih Bukhari, Vol.4, Hadith 667)

In those days, times were different. The access to knowledge was difficult. They did not have the media, there were no books written at that time on Islam. Today the times have changed and access to knowledge has become very easy. There are countless number of books written by Muslims. There are so many websites available. There are so many videos available. Every Muslim at least knows one verse, but you can do the job more efficiently if you master on one topic initially to simply begin. Lets say a topic like “Is Jesus God?” or “Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the Bible” or other religious scriptures or some other topic depending upon the person with whom you are doing Dawah. If you are interested, you can do it very easily its no big deal. All the material you can get for doing Dawah on this site. Or you can browse through the Islamic links section to find out more.

http://www.answering-christianity.com/links.htm

2. My own deeds are not too good, how can I do Dawah with others?

This is a nice statement to hear. This shows that how humble a Muslim is.

For those Muslims, who are not very good Muslims, doing Dawah will surely help you become better practicing Muslims. When you share something with others, you have the inclination to practice it yourself.

Your deeds are not really bad. The Christian missionaries who come to missionize the Muslims and people from other faith, they drink alcohol. Do you drink alcohol? No ! So who is better, Are they better or you? They gamble. Do you gamble? No! So who is better, are they better or you? They are promiscuous. Are you promiscuous? No! So who is better, are they better or you?

When they can do the job, what is wrong with you? They have the falsehood with them. You have the Truth of Islam with you. So why can’t you do the job? The non-Muslims today want to know about Islam especially after September 11, 2001. The situation has turned in favor of Islam. So do not miss the wonderful opportunity that you have.

Note: When I say about missionaries, I do not mean all of them but many of them do indulge in such things. Generally, Muslims are more moral than the missionaries especially those who come from the West.

3. First we should make our own Muslims better Muslims, then we should do Dawah

This is one of the most common excuse given by Muslims who live in Muslim countries. Making Muslim, a better Muslim is called “Islah”. It is important to make a Muslim a better Muslim, if he is not of the right track. Converting people is not in your hand. I know of  “Muslims” who will not practice Islam even after you bring countless evidence and proofs to them. So you mean are you going to stick to them only and not move forward? Your job is to deliver the message to others. The Quran says

“Therefore do thou give admonition, for thou art one to admonish. Thou art not one to manage (men's) affairs. But if any turn away and reject Allah,-  Allah will punish him with a mighty Punishment, “ (Quran 88:21-24)

Dawah and Islah both are important at the same time. In Medina, at the time of the Prophet (pbuh) there were Muslims who did not use to come to the compulsory Prayers and the Prophet said “I feel like setting their houses on fire”

Even in Medina, there were such Muslims who were not good practicing Muslims. The Prophet (pbuh) did not say that I’ll just make them good Muslims and stick to them only. Yet he wrote letters to other non-Muslim kings, asking them to embrace Islam.

If you say that, first I will make Muslims better Muslims and then invite non-Muslims. That time will never come. That time will not come in your entire life, nor will it come even in your next ten generations.

I am not saying that you should only do Dawah. Dawah and Islah both are important. But if you have less time than Dawah is MORE important because the non-Muslims are involved in the sin of shirk i.e associating partners with Allah. This is the most henious of sins. The Quran says

 “Allah forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgiveth anything else, to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin Most heinous indeed.” (Quran 4:48)

So if you see a person who is involved in such a sin. He is going to hell for sure. If you are not going to stop that sin, then he’ll surely go to hell. So doing Dawah is a compulsory duty upon every Muslim and is very important task.

4. My Dawah will not be affective.

As I mentioned, our job is not to convert people. Our job is to deliver the message of Allah. It is he who gives guidance. The  Quran says :

“Therefore do thou give admonition, for thou art one to admonish. Thou art not one to manage (men's) affairs.” (Quran 88:21-22)

Allah (SWT) will not question you on the day of judgment whether they became Muslims or not. But he will question whether you delivered the message or not.

5. Doesn’t the Quran say “There is no compulsion in religion”

The Quran does say so. But it’s not right to quote the verse in bits and pieces. The verse reads

“Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error:” (Quran 2:256)

Your job is to deliver the message with wisdom and beautiful preaching. (Quran 16:125). Your job is not to convert people. A Muslim CANNOT force anyone to embrace Islam.  You are supposed to deliver the Truth of Islam. The rest is up to them whether they accept or not.

6. Doesn’t the Quran say “To you is your religion, to me is mine”

Again, it’s the quotation out of context. Let’s read this verse in context.

 1. Say : O ye that reject Faith!
2. I worship not that which ye worship,
3. Nor will ye worship that which I worship.
4. And I will not worship that which ye have been wont to worship,
5. Nor will ye worship that which I worship.
6. To you be your Way, and to me mine. (Quran 109:1-6)
The Question of rejecting faith only arises when you present the faith in Islam to them. Your job is to deliver the message to them. If they don’t want to accept. As a last, resort its “To you be your Way, and to me mine.” Suppose if I see a Hindu doing idol worship. I’ll try to convince him that it is wrong even according to the Hindu Scriptures such as Bhagvad Geeta 7:19-23 etc. But yet he wants to do. “To you be your Way, and to me mine”
So this is as a last resort NOT the first.

7. When we do Dawah, the non-Muslim says “mind your own business”

This is another common excuse given by the Muslims. The reply is, it is the business of every Muslim to mind other people’s business where faith is concerned. Dawah is a compulsory duty of every Muslim. Therefore, when the person says, “mind your own business” He is right, that is what you are doing. You are minding your own business only.

8. The person gets hurt if I do Dawah, it affects the friendship, and I do not want to hurt anybody.

The Question arises, does it hurt you when you see your friend or anyone doing blasphemy? Don’t you realize that these people are going to hell?

Doesn’t it hurt you when they say that God has a son? The Quran says:

88. They say: "((Allah)) Most Gracious has begotten a son!"
89. Indeed ye have put forth a thing most monstrous!
90. At it the skies are ready to burst, the earth to split asunder, and the mountains to fall down in utter ruin,
91. That they should invoke a son for ((Allah)) Most Gracious.
92. For it is not consonant with the majesty of ((Allah)) Most Gracious that He should beget a son.  (Quran 19:88-92)
Doesn’t it hurt you when they give the worst swearing to Allah (SWT)?  The Quran says that if the mountains had feelings and emotions like you and I have, they would fall in utter ruin, the earth will split asunder, the skies will burst. But what is happening to you? All you need to do is open your mouth.
Furthermore, it is a misconception that doing Dawah will break your friendship. The point is how your approach is. How good you are in your speech. How logical you are in your approach. If you start insulting his religion, that can make a difference but if you do it with wisdom and beautiful preaching inshallah you will not hurt anyone and your friendship to Allah should be much more important than the friendship to your non-Muslim friend. It is Our duty to remove the misconceptions about Islam and present the correct picture of Islam.
To conclude, it all depends upon how strong your Eeman (faith) is.

9.      It will create provocation among the non-Muslims

Provocation is likely to be created if a person is a hater of Islam. Is this the reason that should stop you from spreading the message of Almighty Allah?
Provocation is not the test. If this was the test, then our Beloved Prophet (pbuh) was a failure (Naoozobillah). The pagan leaders, who loved him before, became his worst enemies. Did it make him stop from what Allah had commanded him?
So provocation will be created among those non-Muslims who are haters of Islam, that should in no means bother, instead you should remain steadfast and practice what Allah (SWT) has commanded.

10. If Every Muslim becomes a Daee, then who will take other professions like Doctors, lawyers, engineers etc?

Doing Dawah is a compulsory duty of every Muslim. In the Glorious Quran, Allah (SWT) speaks about full time Daees. The Quran says :
“Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity.” (Quran 3:104)
Today it is a dire need of the Muslim Ummah. We have very few people who are full time Daees.
I am not saying that every Muslim should become full time Daee, but every Muslim can do part time Dawah e.g with your colleagues who you meet everyday in the office, with your friends who you meet in the school and university. While traveling, if you meet a non-Muslim or you can do Islah with those Muslims you meet, who are not good practicing ones. You can do it using media such as computer, internet etc. You can do it in many ways.
The Glorious Quran says
“Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious:” (Quran 16:125)
May Allah (SWT) make your efforts successful!  Ameen !

Khilafah Structure

Signs of Weak Iman and How to Increase It

Signs of weak Faith: 

• Committing sins and not feeling any guilt.
• Having a hard heart and no desire to read the Quran.
• Feeling too lazy to do good deeds, e.g. being late for salat
• Neglecting the Sunnah. 
• Having mood swings, for instance being upset about petty things and bothered and irritated most of the time.
• Not feeling anything when hearing verses from the Quran, for example when Allah warns us of punishments and His promise of glad tidings.
• Finding difficulty in remembering Allah and making dhikr. 
• Not feeling bad when things are done against the Shariah.
• Desiring status and wealth.
• Being mean and miserly, i.e. not wanting to part with wealth.
• Ordering others to do good deeds when not practising them ourselves.
• Feeling pleased when things are not progressing for others.
• Being concerned with whether something is haram or halal only; and not avoiding makroo (not recommended) things.
• Making fun of people who do simple good deeds, like cleaning the mosque.
• Not feeling concerned about the situation of Muslims.
• Not feeling the responsibility to do something to promote Islam.
• Liking to argue just for the sake of arguing without any proof.
• Becoming engrossed and very involved with dunya, worldly things, i.e. feeling bad only when losing something in terms of material wealth.
• Becoming engrossed and obsessive about ourselves. 
  
  

  

   

Okay, how to increase our faith then ? 

• Recite and ponder on the meanings of the Quran. Tranquility then descends and our hearts become soft. To get optimum benefit, remind yourself that Allah is speaking to you. People are described in different categories in the Quran; think of which one you find yourself in.   
• Realize the greatness of Allah. Everything is under His control. There are signs in everything we see that points us to His greatness. Everything happens according to His permission. Allah keeps track and looks after everything, even a black ant on a black rock on a black moonless night.   
• Make an effort to gain knowledge, for at least the basic things in daily life e.g. how to make wudu properly. Know the meanings behind Allah's names and attributes. People who have taqwa are those who have knowledge.   
• Attend gatherings where Allah is remembered. In such gatherings we are surrounded by angels.  
• We have to increase our good deeds. One good deed leads to another good deed. Allah will make the way easy for someone who gives charity and also make it easy for him or her to do good deeds. Good deeds must be done continuously, not in spurts.   
• We must fear the miserable end to our lives; the remembrance of death is the destroyer of pleasures.   
• Remember the different levels of akhirah, for instance when we are put in our graves, when we are judged, whether we will be in paradise or hell.   
• Make dua, realize that we need Allah. Be humble. Don't covet material things in this life.   
• Our love for Subhana Wa Ta'Ala must be shown in actions. We must hope Allah will accept our prayers, and be in constant fear that we do wrong. At night before going to sleep, we must think about what good we did during that day.   
• Realize the effects of sins and disobedience- one's faith is increased with good deeds and our faith is decreased by bad deeds. Everything that happens is because Allah wanted it. When calamity befalls us- it is also from Allah. It is a direct result of our disobedience to Allah. 

text by: Abu Banan

Stages to do Jihad

Secondly: 

The idea of waging physical jihad against the kaafirs went through a number of stages, depending on the state in which the Muslim ummah was.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

“The first thing which his Lord revealed to him was to read in the name of his Lord who had created. That was the beginning of his Prophethood, where Allaah commanded him to recite to himself but He did not yet command him to convey that. Then He revealed the words (interpretation of the meaning: 

‘O you (Muhammad) enveloped in garments!
Arise and warn!’

[al-Muddaththir 74:1-2]

So he became a Prophet with the word ‘Iqra (Read!) and he became a Messenger with the words, ‘O you (Muhammad) enveloped in garments…’ Then Allaah commanded him to warn his closest kinsmen, then to warn his people, then to warn the Arabs around them, then to warn all the Arabs, then to warn all of mankind. He continued to call them for over ten years from the beginning of his Prophethood, without fighting or imposing the jizyah; he was commanded to refrain, to be patient and to be forbearing.

Then permission was given to him to migrate, and permission was given to him to fight. 

Then he was commanded to fight those who fought him, and to refrain from fighting those who left him alone and did not fight him. 

Then Allaah commanded him to fight the mushrikeen so that the religion would all be for Allaah.

After jihad was enjoined upon him, the kaafirs then fell into three categories: those with whom there was a truce or peace treaty; those with whom he was at war; and those who lived under the rule and protection of the Islamic state.” 

(Zaad al-Ma’aad, 3/159) 

Thirdly: 

The ruling on physical jihad against the kaafirs is that this is an obligation on the community as a whole (fard kafaayah). 

Ibn Qudaamah said: 

“Jihaad is an obligation upon the community; if some people undertake it, the rest are relieved of the obligation.” 

What fard kafaayah means is that if it is not undertaken by enough people, then all the people are guilty of sin, but if enough people undertakes it, the rest will be relieved of blame. Initially the command is addressed to all of them, as in the case of an individual obligation (fard ‘ayn), but then in the case of fard kafaayah the obligation is dropped if enough of the people undertake to do it, unlike the case with fard ‘ayn where the obligation is not dropped if someone else does it. Jihad is a fard kafaayah, according to the majority of scholars.” 

(al-Mughni, 9/163)

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz said:  

“We have previously explained on more than one occasion that jihad is fard kafaayah, not fard ‘ayn. All Muslims are enjoined to support their brothers with their selves (i.e., physically, by joining them), or with money, weapons, da’wah and advice. If enough of them go out (to fight), the rest are freed from sin, but if none of them do that then all of them are sinners. 

The Muslims in Saudi Arabia, Africa, North Africa and elsewhere are obliged to do their utmost, and if there is a jihad in one country, the surrounding countries should hasten to help them, the closest then the next closest.  If one or two states, or three or more, manage to fulfil the obligation, then the rest are freed of responsibility. They deserve to be supported, and it is obligatory to help them against their enemies, because they are oppressed. Allaah has enjoined jihad upon all Muslims, and they must fight against the enemies of Allaah until their brothers are victorious. If they fail to do that then they are sinners, but if sufficient people undertake to do that, then the rest are absolved of sin.” 

(Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 7/335) 

Fourthly: 

Physical jihad against the kaafirs becomes obligatory in four cases, which are: 

1 – When the Muslim is present in a jihad situation.

2 – When the enemy has come and attacked a Muslim land

3 – When the ruler mobilizes the people, they must respond.

4 – When a person is needed and no one else can do the task except him.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: 

Jihad is obligatory and becomes fard ‘ayn if a person is present where fighting is going on. This is the first of the situations in which jihad becomes an individual obligation, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“O you who believe! When you meet those who disbelieve, in a battlefield, never turn your backs to them.

And whoever turns his back to them on such a day — unless it be a stratagem of war, or to retreat to a troop (of his own), — he indeed has drawn upon himself wrath from Allaah. And his abode is Hell, and worst indeed is that destination!”

[al-Anfaal 8:16]

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that running away on the day when the army is advancing is one of the sins that doom a person to Hell. He said: “Avoid the seven sins that doom a person to Hell…” among which he mentioned running away on the day when the army is advancing (agreed upon). But Allaah has made exceptions in two cases: 

1-     When it is a military manoeuvre, in the sense that he is leaving to bring reinforcements.

2-     When he is going to join another group, when he has been told that there is a group of Muslims elsewhere who are about to be defeated, so he goes to join them in order to strengthen their numbers. This is subject to the condition that there is no risk to the group he is in; if there is a risk to the group that he is in, then it is not permissible for him to go to the other group. In this case (jihad) is an individual obligation upon him (fard ‘ayn) and it is not permissible for him to leave.

The second situation (in which jihad becomes an individual obligation) is when a city is besieged by the enemy. Then he has to fight in defence of the city, because when the city is besieged there is no alternative but to defend it, for if the enemy is going to prevent people from leaving the city or entering it, and prevent provisions from reaching it, and other things which are well known, then in this case the people of the city are obliged to fight in order to defend their city.

The third situation is when the leader tells the people to mobilize; the leader (imam) is the highest authority in the state, but he need not necessarily be the leader of all the Muslims, because there has been no leader of all the Muslims (khaleefah) for a long time. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Listen and obey, even if you are ruled by an Abyssinian slave.” So if a man becomes a leader, then his word is to be heeded and his commands are to obeyed. 

(al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 8/10-12).

Islam Q&A

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Kinds of Jihad

Firstly: 

Jihaad is of various kinds, some of which are obligatory upon everyone who is accountable, and some are obligatory upon the community as a whole – if some people undertake them then the rest are relieved of the obligation. And some kinds of jihad are mustahabb.

• Jihad al-nafs (jihad against one’s self) and jihad al-Shaytaan (jihad against the Shaytaan) are obligatory upon everyone who is accountable. 
• Jihad against the munaafiqeen (hypocrites), kaafirs (disbelievers) and leaders of oppression and innovation is obligatory upon the community as a whole. 
• Physical jihad (i.e. fighting) against the kaafirs may become an individual obligation upon everyone who is able to do it in certain circumstances, which will be described below. 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

Once this is understood, then jihad is of four kinds: Jihad al-nafs (jihad against one’s self), jihad al-Shaytaan (jihad against the Shaytaan), jihad against the kaafirs and jihad against the hypocrites.

• Jihad al-nafs (jihad against one’s self) is of four kinds: 

1 – Striving to learn the teachings of Islam without which one cannot attain success and happiness in this world or in the Hereafter; if this is missing then one is doomed to misery in this world and in the Hereafter. 

2 – Striving to make oneself act in accordance with what one has learned. Simply knowing without acting, even though it may not cause any harm, is not going to bring any benefit. 

3 – Striving to call others to Islam, teaching those who do not know about it. Otherwise one will be one of those who conceal that which Allaah has revealed of guidance and teaching, and it will not benefit him or save him from the punishment of Allaah. 

4 – Striving to bear patiently the difficulties involved in calling people to Allaah and the insults of people; bearing all that for the sake of Allaah.

If a person achieves all these four levels, then he will be one of the rabbaaniyyeen (learned men of religion who practise what they know and also preach to others. Cf. Aal ‘Imraan 3:79).
The salaf were agreed that the scholar does not deserve to be called a rabbaani unless he knows the truth, acts in accordance with it and teaches it to others. Whoever teaches, acts in accordance with his knowledge and has knowledge, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

• Jihad against the Shaytaan is of two types: 

1 – Warding off the doubts that he stirs up to undermine faith. 

2 – Striving against him to ward off the corrupt desires that he provokes.

The first jihad is followed by certainty of faith, and the second is followed by patience. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And We made from among them (Children of Israel), leaders, giving guidance under Our Command, when they were patient and used to believe with certainty in Our Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.)” [al-Sajdah 32:24] 

Allaah tells us that leadership in religion is attained through patience and certainty of faith. Patience wards off desires and certainty wards off doubts.

• Jihad against the kaafirs and hypocrites is of four kinds: with the heart, the tongue, one’s wealth and oneself. Jihad against the kaafirs is more along the lines of physical fighting whereas jihad against the hypocrites is more along the lines of using words and ideas. 

Jihad against the leaders of oppression and innovation is of three kinds: 

1 – Jihad with one's hand (i.e., physical jihad, fighting) if one is able. If that is not possible then it should be with one's tongue (i.e., by speaking out). If that is not possible then it should be with one's heart (i.e., by hating the evil and feeling that it is wrong).

These are the thirteen types of jihad, and “Whoever dies without having fought or having resolved to fight has died following one of the branches of hypocrisy.” (Narrated by Muslim, 1910). 

Zaad al-Ma’aad, 3/9-11)

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

“Jihad is of various kinds, with one’s self, one's wealth, by making du’aa’, by teaching and guiding, by helping to do good in any way. The greatest form of jihad is jihad with one’s self (i.e., going oneself and fighting), followed by jihad with one's wealth, jihad by speaking out and guiding others. Da’wah is also part of jihad.  But going out oneself to fight in jihad is the highest form. 

(Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 7/334, 335)

Islam Q&A

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Jihad Meaning

Google Translated

jihad - الجهاد
war - حرب
battle - معركة
fight/resistance - مقاومة
struggle - النضال

Does Jihad only and simply mean to kill non Muslims?. 
No.

The wisdom behind jihad

In Arabic, the word jihad means striving and expending one’s energy. 

In Islamic terminology, jihad means the Muslim striving to make the word of Allaah supreme and to establish His religion on earth. 

The purpose of jihad in Islam is not to kill non-Muslims, rather the purpose is to establish the religion of Allaah on earth, to establish the rule of His sharee’ah, and to bring people forth from the worship of other people to the worship of the Lord of all people, from the injustice of other religions to the justice of Islam. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and polytheism, i.e. worshipping others besides Allaah), and the religion (worship) will all be for Allaah Alone”

[al-Anfaal 8:39]

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Sa’di said in his commentary on this verse: 

Here Allaah states the purpose behind fighting for His sake, which is not to shed the blood of the kaafirs and take their wealth; rather the purpose is so that all religion (worship) will be for Allaah alone, and the religion of Allaah will prevail over all other religions, and everything that goes against that, whether it is shirk or anything else – which is what is meant by fitnah – will be repelled. If this purpose is achieved, there will be no killing or fighting.

To be Continued ...

Pornography Advice

How can I advise someone who is addicted to pornography? 

 

I have a friend who uses the internet and goes to pornographic websites. What is the shar’i ruling on that, and how can I help him to keep away from such things?.

Praise be to Allaah.  

It is not permissible to look at pornographic pictures that show the charms of women, either on internet web sites or in newspapers or magazines etc. That is because looking at them is a means of enjoying them and knowing the beauty of the woman in the picture. 

This may also be a means that leads to something haraam, so it is also regarded as haraam, because the means come under the same rulings as the ends. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 2424. 

Many people take the matter of looking at pictures of non-mahram women lightly, on the grounds that these are just pictures and are not real. But this is a very serious matter, because it inevitably tempts a man to try to look at the woman directly. Allaah 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). That is purer for them”

[al-Noor 24:30] 

Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 1/268 

You can help your friend to keep away from these things by always advising him and making him fear Allaah, and reminding him that Allaah is always watching him and that nothing is hidden from Him. And remind him of the blessings that Allaah has bestowed upon him, such as giving him eyes with which to see things that will benefit him, and He has forbidden him to use them to look at things that He has forbidden. Remind him that Allaah will question him about that, hence Allaah concludes the verse referred to above with the words (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Verily, Allaah is All-Aware of what they do”

[al-Noor 24:30] 

And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Verily, the hearing, and the sight, and the heart of each of those ones will be questioned (by Allaah)”

[al-Isra’ 17:36] 

If a wise man thinks about it, when he is looking at these haraam pictures, he will realize that there is nothing behind these glances but loss, pain and sorrow, because he cannot really get what he sees in these pictures. 

The poet spoke the truth when he said: 

“When you give free rein to your eyes, this will cause great pain to your heart.

You will see what you cannot have, and you will feel frustration because you do not have some of what you see.” 

So it is clear that there is nothing to be gained from these pictures except the wrath of Allaah, and wasting time and money on things that are not pleasing to Him, and tormenting yourself. 

The Muslim has to seek chastity by means of marriage, and try his best to achieve that. 

He should also give up bad company who may have a bad effect on him and encourage him to go to these bad web sites. 

He should also keep himself busy with things that will benefit him in both religious and worldly terms, such as memorizing the Book of Allaah, attending gatherings of dhikr, and going to useful websites that contain sound knowledge.

Islam Q&A

Hug Vs Cuddle

A hug is a near universal form of act/reaction or be an expression of feelings (such as close friendship, love,) which people have for one another. in which two people put their arms around the neck, back, or waist of one another and hold each other closely. If more than two persons are involved, this is referred to as a group hug.

Cuddling is a related form of physical intimacy in which two people hold one another with each person's arms wrapped around the others body. Similar to hugging, cuddling is a more affectionate and intimate embrace, normally done for a longer period of time. Cuddling is usually shared between two people who are lying down together or sitting somewhere in an intimate manner.

Step 1: Intention

Firstly, it is important not to let your hugee get caught off guard. Don’t just run up to someone and hug them without letting them know your intention as this will come across as if you’re about to grope them. They may feel you’re going for their undies and not realize you’re hugging them.
Instead, open up your body with your hands about 20cm apart, ensure your right-hand is higher than your left-hand and lean back slightly. In doing so you may initially look like you are about to perform some Euro-techno robot dance, but rest assured that the hugee will see that you’re approaching them to hug, and not to dance.
Step 2: Your Head
Tilt your head to the left, letting your hugee know where you’re going otherwise you could both end up approaching each other and accidentally kissing. We wouldn’t want a situation where you re-enact a scene from Brokeback Mountain.
Step 3: Embrace
Step in towards your fellow man, your right-hand will go over their shoulders, with your head going to the left of theirs.
Your measure of sincerity is shown by you firmly gripping them into your hands.
If you fail to firmly grip, you’ll end up in a floppy, half-hearted attempt that will make you look like a retard at a hugging convention. Keep your head straight, facing forward.
WARNING: If you look down or incline towards your hugee, this may seem inappropriate and look like you’re smooching.

Step 4: How long do I hug?
The hugging timeline depends on how comfortable you are, but realistically, a second or two is fine. If it’s a family member or a best friend, it may be much longer. However, be careful. Staying longer in this compromising position may make you uncomfortable and catch the eye of girls passing by, meaning that, instead of thinking you’re cool, they would think you swing the other way.
Step 5: Making the embrace a ‘Man-Hug’
At the moment you probably feel as though this hug is as camp as an Elton John on pills. But don’t worry, what makes the hug ‘man-ly’ is the Pat. The pat is the most crucial part and separates the boys from the men. Lift your right hand up (not like you’re hailing Hitler) and firmly pat the back of your hugee. This shows you’re a man, and the harder you pat, the more masculine you are.
Step 6: Step back
You’ve now completed the man hug. But knowing how to complete your step back is important. After patting your hugee three or four times, smartly move away, lifting your hands and stepping back.

WARNING: Do not slide your arms slowly across your hugee’s body or arms in a lethargic manner, otherwise you will leave your friends confused as to your hugging intentions. If this occurs, and you cannot avoid it, RUN!
Step 7: Finishing off
You have now completed the first 6 steps of the perfect man hug. But to end this in the most appropriate manner, don’t cough, scratch yourself or look scared after hugging. Instead, say something that corresponds with why you hugged like ‘how are you?’, ‘great to see you’, or ‘hey dude, how’s things?’
Well done! You have done it. You’re still a man, and you’ve performed a hug showing your feminine side. You are the beast of the 21^st century. You are the gladiator of the world. You’re the Dude.