What are the prescribed means of warding off sihr (witchcraft) before it happens?

{Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat al-Sheikh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (رحمه الله), 
vol. 8}

Praise be to Allaah.

Among the most important means of warding off the danger of sihr before it happens is seeking protection through the adhkaar (dhikr) prescribed in Islam, making du’aa’ and reciting prayers seeking refuge that were narrated from the Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم. These include: 

1 – Reciting Aayat al-Kursiy [al-Baqarah 2:255] after every prescribed prayer, after reciting the adhkaar which are prescribed after the salaam. 

2 – Reciting Aayat al-Kursiy when going to sleep. This is the greatest aayah in the Qur’aan, in which Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى says: 

“Allaah! Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), Al-Hayyul-Qayyum (the Ever Living, the One Who sustains & protects all that exists). Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens & whatever is on the earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, & what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Kursiy extends over the heavens & the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding & preserving them. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.”

[al-Baqarah 2:255]

3 – Reciting “Qul huwa Allaahu ahad”, “Qul a’oodhu bi Rabb il-Falaq” and “Qul a’oodhu bi Rabb il-Naas” [i.e., the last three soorahs of the Qur’aan] following every prescribed prayer, and reciting these three soorahs (three times) at the beginning of the day after Fajr prayer, and at the beginning of the night after Maghrib prayer. 

Two Types of Guidance

 

Sheikh Zayd Al-Madkhalee رحمه الله

Similarly, guidance is of two types. The first type of guidance is the guidance of direction, instruction, and teaching. Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى is responsible for this as are the human beings. Allaah gives them the favor to be able to do so; therefore, they have the ability to do it. At the head of them and at the forefront of them are the noble messengers and the magnificent prophets and the Imams of guidance. Meaning, they direct the people to that which contains rectification for the religion as well as their Dunyaa. And they direct them towards that which Allaah wants from them and that which the Messenger ﷺ wants as well. And the evidence for this is the statement of Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى:

وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِي إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

"And verily, you (O Muhammad ﷺ) are indeed guiding (mankind) to the Straight Path."

(Ash-Shura 42:52)

Meaning, you guide and direct to the upright path which has no crookedness in it. Likewise, the statement of Allaah  سُبحانه وتعالى :

I don't want to learn Fiqh...

By: Sheikh Zayd Al-Madkhalee رحمه الله

Question: 

I fear that if I gain Fiqh (comprehension in the religion) that I will not act upon it and thus fall into sin.

Answer:  

This is an argument that is not correct. It has no basis in the legislation nor in the intellect, and it is not permissible for him to hold this ideology. It is upon him to have a good thought about himself and be truthful with Allaah. So if he learns whilst being determined to act upon his knowledge then Allaah will pour forth upon him from His Tawfeeq and will guide him to act upon that which he knows. As for him preferring to remain upon ignorance, fearing that he will not act upon the knowledge, then this is a sign of destruction and a reason for bankruptcy in terms of legislative knowledge which rectifies the affairs of the Deen and the Dunyaa.

The likeness of the believer...

Stand firm against evil thoughts!

"Stand firm against evil thoughts... for if you fail to do so, they will become ideas, if you do not, they will become desires, so fight against them. If you do not, they will become a form of determination and intention. If you do not resist, they will become actions, and if you do not follow them up with their opposite, they will become habits that will be hard to quit."

(Imaam Ibnul-Qayyim – Al-Fawa’id: A collection of wise sayings pg.54)

No Soul shall bear the sin of another

  

وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى وَإِن تَدْعُ مُثْقَلَةٌ إِلَى حِمْلِهَا لَا يُحْمَلْ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبَ

"And no bearer of burdens shall bear another's burden, and if one heavily laden calls another to (bear) his load, nothing of it will be lifted even though he be near of kin."

(Fatir 35:18)

 --- Meaning: And no soul shall bear the burden of sin of another, and if a soul heavily laden with sin calls someone else to bear its sins, nothing of it will be lifted even though he be near of kin.

Sheikh `Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Naasir as-Sa‟dee said in his Tafseer of the Aayah:

And the last meaning is indicated by what He mentioned after it, in His Saying:

وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى

"And no soul shall bear the burden of sin of another."

--- meaning: on the Day of Resurrection everyone shall be recompensed for his own deeds, and no one shall carry the sins of anyone else..

"And if a soul heavily laden with sin calls someone else to bear its sins.."

--- i.e. a soul  weighed down with sins and evil deeds: if it calls on someone to take on some of its sins.

Things that are hated during the salaah

Sheikh Saleh al Fawzaan حفظه الله

Advice for Fathers with their Children

Ibnul Qayyim aj-Jawzeeyah (d.751 A.H.)  رحمه الله said:

‘Allaah’s advice for fathers with their children precedes advice for children with their fathers.

So whoever was careless and negligent of educating his son, and leaves off benefiting him and leaving him useless, then he has been evil to him, extremely evil.

Indeed most children being corrupt is due to their fathers, and then being neglectful of them.

Them leaving their education of the Faraa'id (obligations) and the Sunnan (practices of the Sunnah) of the religion, so they caused them to be lost when they were young. Then the fathers did not benefit from them when they were older.

Just like some fathers held it to be shameful that their children were disobedient, so the child says, O my father you showed disobedience to me when I was young,  so now I’m being disobedient to you now that I am older. You caused me to be lost when I was a boy,  so I caused you to be lost in your old age.’

[From 'Tuhfat al-Mowdood bi Ahkaam al-Mowlood' pg.387]

Declare the Islaamic State in your Home first - Sheikh al-Albani

Sheikh Al-Albani  :رحمه الله

"We should not think about how we should drive out the Jews from Palestine. No! We should think of how we are declaring the Islaamic state in our own hearts. When will you be able to declare an Islaamic country in your little home?

The majority of those who shout for an Islaamic law in the world have neither an Islaamic law in their own homes, in themselves, their sons, daughters or their wives. The one who has nothing can't give anything.

I assume that I have clarified what you found unclear and that I do not support the intifada since it is not based upon the verse:

 إِن تَنصُرُوا اللَّهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ
"If you help (in the cause of) Allâh, He will help you, and make your foothold firm."

(Muhammad 47:7)

(Silsilat-ul-Huda wan-Nur (352)