TREASURY OF BLESSED KNOWLEDGE
TREASURY OF BLESSED KNOWLEDGE
Is it possible to use someone else’s land without the permission of its owner?
But what should be done by one who uses vacant lands that belonged to a mosque or lands, the income from which was partially transferred to a mosque? If the ancestors gave this land for the mosque, then it should be returned to the mosque, because it is not permissible to use it. If the imam and the village community decide to leave the land given to this person for a certain fee or for joint use, for example, for the benefit of a mosque, then what is forbidden in that? If this land for a mosque is not a wakuf, but land from which it previously received income (nafaka) - for example, a person using a certain piece of land had to partly provide the mosque with light over the course of the year, then this land can be used. At the same time, it is necessary to fulfill the obligation to the mosque. If a house is built on such land, then it will be permissible again on the condition that the previously agreed income is allocated to the mosque. If income is not paid in favour of the mosque, then the person using the land falls into sin.
In the event that someone built a house on land belonging to a mosque, then he will have to find equivalent land in another place and give it to the mosque. If he does not have such an opportunity, then it is necessary to calculate what income this land brings per year on average and the one who uses it must pay this amount to the mosque annually. I do not think that in such a case the Shariah demands that the owner demolish his house. The best solution, I think, will be the above. Allah ﷻ is omniscient! If the community of the village needs this land for the construction of a mosque, then I cannot say that the one who has built a house on it can continue to live in it. That is, everything that has been said here depends on what is happening within the community of a particular village.
Now a question arises, connected with the fact that certain villages began to use the lands of other villages and if they ask whether it is correct to use it without permission, then how should one answer, if not in the negative. Moreover behind this question, there are various answers related to the matter, which have other reasons. What will happen tomorrow, tomorrow will show. Today it is probably better to leave everything in its place. There is a trade-off in this. May the Almighty ﷻ help Muslims to find a compromise in resolving these issues!
Dear brothers in faith, Muslims, and especially the ‘ulama! Do not think that I am taking on the responsibility of making any conclusions as a great alim. I am not. The issue of land is very complex and difficult to rule on under Sharia law, even at the ‘alim level. All I have said here is what, in my opinion, is the best compromise in solving these questions, I do not know any other acceptable answers or methods. One who survives will witness how the Imam Mahdi will appear and the Prophet ‘Isa will come and then the truly, pure Sharia will reign in the world. I think that even they are unlikely to make any other decisions on land issues, other than those leading to the best compromise in relations between people. Because of the growing number of people asking these and subsequent questions, I had to write this book.
Dear brothers, if somewhere I have committed some sort of inaccuracy, do not blame me but correct it. Where you find the truth, throw away pride and accept it and follow it, for pride came from Satan. No matter how great an ‘alim is, it is always human to make mistakes, to forget and be inaccurate.
Why is there no unity among the Muslims of Dagestan and is there a way to unite them?
There are many different reasons for the fact that there is no unity among Muslims of Dagestan and that they cannot come to an agreement. Similar divisions among humans have existed since the creation of mankind. Against the teachings of each prophet, the Almighty ﷻ sent enemies who denied the mission of the Prophet. Likewise, with regard to the imams, ‘ulama, awliya and sheikhs, there have always been enough opponents who reject their mission. Contradictions exist not because Allah ﷻ cannot guide all people on the path of truth, but because a deep meaning has been put into the order of the universe by the Almighty ﷻ.
Almighty Allah ﷻ says, “If I wanted to lead all people and djinns on the path of truth, then I would rule them ... But my decision is invariably to fill Hell with those who did not submit to Me and those who did not have faith in Me - be they djinn or people.” (Quran, 32:13). In this regard, the question may arise, “If Allah ﷻ guided me, I would be on the path of truth. Why did not Allah ﷻ guide me?" This is a question that Satan also asked the Almighty ﷻ. Iblis asked, "If from the very beginning it was predetermined for me to stray from the path of truth, then what is my fault?" The Almighty ﷻ asked him a question, “When did you learn about My original decision that you will fall into delusion - before or after?" When Satan replied afterwards, the Almighty ﷻ told him, "Therefore, I have distanced you from My mercy." That is, Satan did not know about his future. If he knew from the very beginning about the decision of the Almighty ﷻ and followed it with the aim of fulfilling the predestination and thus fell into error, then he could ask questions and argue. But his disobedience was not for this reason at all - he rebelled against the will of Allah ﷻ because of his pride and envy of Adam . The Almighty ﷻ recorded his decision about this disobedience of Satan even before his creation, for the Almighty ﷻ knew in advance that Satan would disobey Him.
Imam ash-Shafi'i once met Satan on his way. Satan asked him, "Imam, is not fact that the Almighty ﷻ deprived me of His mercy, despite the fact that He ordained to me to be disobedient, violence towards me?" The Imam replied to him as follows, “If the Almighty created you so that you did what you want, then depriving you of His mercy would be violence. If He created you in order to do with you what He wants, then it will be justice, not violence." "Through this question," said Satan, "I managed to lead seventy awliya astray from the path of truth but you broke my back." After these words, he walked away.
Now let us return to the person who asks what is his fault if he committed a sin, since it was originally predetermined for him by the Almighty ﷻ? His fault is that, having departed from the will of Allah ﷻ and His decrees, he followed Satan, his nafs and whims and committed the sin. In leaving knowledge of the unknown to us, that is, about predestination, to the Almighty ﷻ, we are obliged to live according to the Sharia. We are taught this by the Holy Quran and the hadith of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ.
Let us return to a question we raised at the beginning. The biggest obstacle to the unification of Muslims of Dagestan is ignorance and misunderstanding of the Islamic religion. This ignorance leads a person to commit the most negative deeds. Despite the fact that many are crying out about the need for unity, it is difficult to find those whose hearts really ache for it. Are there not conditions necessary for unification? It is imperative for Muslims to unite around the truth, first confirming the true as true and the false as false. In order to find the truth and choose what is true, you need solid knowledge and strong faith. We will probably not reach this level soon.
When Hasan al-Basri [1], one of the famous sheikhs and awliya of Allah ﷻ who saw the companions of the Prophet ﷺ, was asked if there now were hypocrites (munafiqun), he replied, “If the hypocrites had tails, then the foot would have nowhere to step." If even in the old days there were such a number of hypocrites, then how many are there now? A hypocrite is a person who has faith on his tongue but his heart is full of unbelief. The intrinsic quality of a hypocrite is opposition to the believer in all his deeds, no matter which path he takes.
To be continued…
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[1] Al-Hasan al-Basri (642-728 CE) was the greatest theologian and a Sufi.
