Hayatan Tayyibah

In the name of Allaah, Most Beneficent and Most Merciful

Allah (swt) has said regarding the Shaytaan:

Verily, he is a plain enemy to you (36:60)

Recently somebody asked on askimam.com, the online fatwa reference site that:

“Alhamdillah, I’m currently doing hifz. But recently, I had a dream. I don’t remember what happened (it had to do with quitting hifz), but I remember that when I awoke, I felt depressed and didn’t feel like doing hifz anymore. I’ve been in hifz for a while now, and sometimes I don’t feel like reading. But when I force myself and begin reading I feel like continuing reading. But even after I started reading, after I had the dream, my mood was off. It slowly wore off in a few of days, but yesterday I had another dream. I remember I was put back into secular school and wasn’t sure if I was hafiz or stopped memorizing, but now that I think about it I think I quit hifz. I still feel like reading, unlike last time, but I remember during my dream I was depressed. What do these dreams mean?”

Mufti Ebrahim Desai (db) responded to this question:

“The dream has no significance. These are the whispers of Shaytaan stopping you from becoming a Hafiz. The virtue of a Hafiz can never be comprehended. Continue doing your hifz with commitment and dedication and pay no attention to these dreams.” (Ask Imam Website)

Shaytaan can never brook the idea of somebody performing a good deed, and more so when one takes on the task to do hifz.

Allah states:

So when you recite the Qur’an, seek refuge with Allah from Shaytan, the outcast (16:98)

This is known as Isti’adhah which Ibn Kathir (rah) describes as:

“Isti`adhah means, “I seek refuge with Allah from the cursed Satan so that he is prevented from affecting my religious or worldly affairs, or hindering me from adhering to what I was commanded, or luring me into what I was prohibited from.”

“Indeed, only Allah is able to prevent the evil of Satan from touching the son of Adam.” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

So one shouldn’t pay any attention to dreams or thoughts that paint a negative aspect of one’s hifz. On the contrary one should always convey to himself and to others a positive and optimistic outlook of one’s efforts so that what has been started will Insha-Allah be finished by the Grace and Mercy of Allah.

Reading Other Books

When the urge to memorize Quran comes, it is often accompanied by an excited feeling that at that very moment one wants to gain all the Islamic knowledge: Fiqh, Hadith, Tafsir, etc. While this intention is ambitious and very good indeed, it can be harmful to one’s hifz. Man by nature is weak.

Allah  says:

And man was created weak (4:28)

Many people find it difficult to even devote time to regularly reading the Quran everyday, hifz then is a considerably more time-consuming undertaking. Now if one were to add along with this other books, then the person from lack of time will eventually get frustrated and lose the possibility of becoming a Hafiz.

“Qurzah bin Ka’b stated: “We stirred out with the intention of going to Iraq. Hadrat Umar t came with us up to Saurar well. He performed ablution and then said: ‘Do you know why did I accompany you?’ The Sahaba y said: ‘Yes, We are all Allah’s Messenger’s r Sahaba. (Hence) you came with us. Hadrat Umar t said: ‘You will be going to such townspeople for whom there is a light voice with the Quran, like the humming of the bees. Don’t express hadith to them lest they should engage you in it. Make the Quran exclusive and report traditions from the Rasulullah r sparingly. Now you go and I am with you.’ When Qurzah came to Iraq, the people asked him to relate hadith. He replied: ‘Ibn Khattab t has forbidden us.'” (Hayat- us-Sahabah, Volume III)

This incident narrated highlights the importance of gaining knowledge in a focused manner. The Quran is sure enough present in our houses but is not read as it should be. Thus, if a focused effort is made, first to memorize the Quran then to proceed with other Islamic sciences, it will be better rather than a haphazard dive into all the Islamic sciences.

In addition we humans tend to gauge ourselves by the progress we make, and this is especially true in the West, where achievements are everything. When this mentality is applied to the Quran, then a person wants to progress quickly, he feels one juz should finish every two months or so, and he has calculated the exact date of when he will become a Hafiz.

This is a trait that is quite difficult to get rid of. So in order to continue progressing a person should devote as much time as possible for hifz. That way the progress he makes serves as an encouragement for him to continue forward.

That being said one should not completely neglect reading other Islamic books, rather he should increase his time spent on hifz, and not give anything preference over it until he becomes a Hafiz.

However if a person is found to have a superb memory, and complete dedication and devotion then that is a different story. Such a person may pursue both hifz and uloom as much as possible, but this book is being written with the thought that those reading have other obligations such as work, school, etc.

So the basic concept is that ‘if one’s plate is already full’ there is no need to add more to it. If work, school or other obligations which take up a greater part of one’s day are present, then doing hifz will be more than enough to ‘fill that plate’.

Restaurant Foods

Speaking of ‘filling the plate’, as much as possible one should avoid foods that are bought from restaurants especially because of the fear of haram being inadvertently eaten.

Many times it has been noticed, that even if all the factors that make food halal have been observed, even then something as small as the fact that the knife used to cut the sausage pizza was the same as used to cut the cheese pizza even though the cook was told to wash it and he didn’t. There is no limit to the types of scenario resembling something like this that could materialize.

If this seems harsh, one should consider the following analogy. When dieting all types of food are avoided that are deemed harmful by the originator of that particular diet. Whether its a low carb diet, a low fat diet or a low calorie diet.

So when one is dieting he strictly follows the regimen prescibed by that particular diet to get into shape, to lose a few pounds, etc. Would it be too difficult to avoid restaurant foods to be able to progress in one’s hifz?

Another analogy can be deduced from a person who has diabetes. They have to restrict their intake of sweets. Due to their being passionate about the health of their body, they willingly turn a blind eye to pastries, candies, cakes and sweets, only indulging in these up to the limit their doctors allow them. Similarly the person who is doing hifz, in order to mantain ‘the health of his hifz’ should refrain from restaurant foods as much as possible.

Mufti Ebrahim Desai (db) writes:

“At the outset, it must be noted that the Shariah has emphasized exercising precaution in consuming halal and abstaining from haram. Therefore, the Noble Quran advises to eat that which is Tayyib (halal beyond doubt).

Furthermore, Rasulullah r advised us to abstain from places where one can be accused of engaging in haram.

Basically there are two points to consider before eating at any

place.

a) The food outlet must be owned (not managed) by a good and upright Muslim. When in doubt, abstain – that is best for your taqwa.

b) The fact that an outlet selling only fish, for example, also cannot be “trusted” simply because the law of halaal applies beyond the frontage of the outlet. The area of concern is the kitchen. In one case, a strictly fish outlet – served nothing but only fish – looked absolutely fine until a Muslim employee expressed concern that the owner and family regularly prepare their meals at the same kitchen serving pork, bacon, etc. prepared in the same fryer, utensils, etc.