Indexed OCR Text

Me. I am with him when he remembers Me. If he
remembers Me in solitude, I remember him in solitude. If
he remembers Me in a gathering, I remember him in a
better gathering.
Remembering Allah ta'ālā in a gathering includes silent and loud
dhikr. In fact, 'Allamah Suyutī is of the view that the benefit of a
gathering is manifested when the dhikr is made aloud.
In the Hadith under discussion, the words fi nafsihi are translated as "in
solitude" because a "gathering" is mentioned in comparison to it. The
words fi nafsihi come in the meaning of "solitude, alone". In his
commentary to the above Hadith, 'Allamah Nawawī rahimahullah
writes in Sharh Muslim:
مراد الحديث أى إذا ذكرني خالياً أثابه الله وجازاه عما عمل بما لا يطلع عليه
أحد. (شرح النووي: ٣٤١/٢)
An ism is defined as follows:
كلمة تدل على معنى في نفسه غير مقترن بأحد الأزمنة الثلاثة.
An ism is a word which singularly refers to its meaning. On the other
hand, a harf needs an assistant. For example, the word min only refers
to a partial beginning when it is attached to another word. Whereas
the meaning of a total beginning is found in an ism.
In his explanation of the verse:
قل لهم في أنفسهم قولاً بليغاً.
'Allāmah Zamakhsharī rahimahullāh, the author of al-Kashshaf, writes:
خالياً بهم
قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: إذا صلى أحدكم لنفس فليطل ما شاء.
Rasūlullāh sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: If a person performs salāh
on his own, he may perform it for as long as he wants.
واذكر ربك في نفسك تضرعاً وخيفة ودون الجهرمن القول
بالغدو والآصال. (سورة الأعراف: ٢٠٥)
739

Continually remember your Sustainer in your heart with
humility and awe, and without raising your voice.
[Remember Him] by morning and evening.
One of the meanings of this verse could be: When you are in solitude,
there is no use in sitting idle. You should therefore engage in Allah's
remembrance with humility and awe. There may be no one else with
you, but Allāh ta'ālā is there. Yes, if you want to engage in loud dhikr,
you may do so but let it not be too loud because there is no one else
present, in which case, you would do it aloud as an encouragement for
him. Therefore, a slightly loud dhikr will suffice. The other meaning of
this verse is that you must engage in Allah's remembrance with
humility and awe in your heart. Or, you may do it audibly but not too
loud.
قال الإمام: المراد أن يقع الذكر متوسطاً بين الجهر والمخافتة والمراد بالجهر رفع
الصوت المفرط وبما دونه نوع آخر من الجهر. (روح المعانى: ١٥٤/٩)
وقال الشيخ عبد الرحمن السعدى المتوفى ١٣٧٦: في نفس أى مخلصاً خالياً.
(تيسير الكريم الرحمن في تفسير كلام المنان، ص ٢٧٦)
وقال ابن عطية الأندلسى: الجمهور على أن الذكر لا يكون فى النفس ولا
يراعى إلا بحركة اللسان. (تفسير ابن عطية، ص ٧٧٣)
2. Rasūlullāh sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "When you pass the
gardens of paradise, you must graze [to your heart's content]." The
Sahābah radiyallāhu 'anhum asked: "What are the gardens of
paradise?" Rasūlullāh sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam replied: "The
masājid." They asked: "What is the meaning of grazing?" He said:
"Sub-hanallah, wal hamdu lillah, wa lā ilāha illallah, wallahu akbar."
3. When people assemble for Allah's remembrance, a caller announces
from the heavens: "Stand up, for you have been pardoned and your
evils have been changed to good.'
4. 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Ās radiyallahu 'anhu asked Rasūlullah
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam: "What is the fruit of the assemblies of
dhikr?" He replied: "It is Paradise. It is Paradise."1
1 مجمع الزوائد: ٧٦/١٠، ومسند احمد: ١٤٢/٣، وغيره وفى اسناده ميمون المرائى وثقه جماعة وفيه ضعف.
740

5. There will be some people on the day of Resurrection whose faces
will be shining brilliantly and they will be on pulpits of pearls. Others
will look at them with envy. Someone asked: "O Rasūlullah! Describe
their condition to us." Rasūlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said:
"They are people from different families who assemble in one place
and occupy themselves in Allah's remembrance."2
6. Allah's choicest angels search for assemblies of dhikr. When they
find one such assembly, they sit in it and cover its people with their
wings. When the assembly ends, Allah ta'ala asks them - although He
knows fully well - "Where have you come from?" They reply: "From a
group which was occupied in extolling Your greatness."3
7. Rasūlullāh sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam approached a circle of
Sahābah and asked them: "Why are you sitting together like this?"
They replied: "We are sitting in an assembly of dhikr." Rasūlullah
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "Jibra'īl 'alayhis salām came to me
and informed me that Allah ta'ala is boasting in front of the angels
because of you."
8. Hadrat Jābir radiyallahu 'anhu relates that some people saw a light
and fire in a graveyard. When they approached it, they found
Rasūlullāh sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam and he was saying: "Give me the
body of this Sahabī because he used to make dhikr in a loud voice."4
The above-quoted Ahadith and many others like them confirm the
practice of loud and collective dhikr. Some books of jurisprudence
state the permissibility of loud dhikr, while others state that it is
commendable.
A person asked Hadrat Muftī Mahmud Hasan Gangohī rahimahullah
about loud dhikr. For the sake of brevity, the question is not quoted
here. Hadrat Muftī Sahib replied: For how long are you going to fight
and argue with your friends? You may engage in dhikr in solitude in a
soft tone - in a manner which does not awaken a sleeping person and
does not confuse a person who is in salah. As for proof for loud dhikr,
that is found in the adhan, the khutbah and the takbir tashrīq.
1 مجمع الزوائد: ٧٦/١٠، واسناده حسن.
2 مجمع الزوائد: ٧٦/١٠.
3 Sahīh Bukhārī, vol. 2, p. 248.
4 Abū Dāwūd, vol. 2, p. 451.
741

أجمع العلماء سلفاً وخلفاً على استحباب ذكر الله تعالى فى المساجد وغيربا من
غير نكير إلا أن يشوش جهريم على نائم أو مصل أو قارئ كما هو مقرر في
كتب الفقه. (الحموى على الاشباه: ٢٣٤/٢، وكذا فى الشامى: ٦٦٠/١، سعيد)
The other point to bear in mind is that dhikr is prescribed as a
treatment. One merely has to ensure that he does not go against the
principles of the Shari'ah. The same applies in the treatments
prescribed by physicians and doctors.1
Hadrat Muftī Sahib rahimahullah says in reply to another question:
Hadrat Shah 'Abd ar-Rahīm Wilayatī rahimahullah used to sit on a
hilltop and engage in dhikr. His voice used to travel far and wide.
Hadrat Maulānā Rashid Ahmad Gangohī rahimahullah used to engage
in loud dhikr until the end of his life. He would lock his room from
inside. Anyone outside the door would hear his voice. Hadrat Maulānā
Muhammad Ilyās Sahib rahimahullah used to engage in loud dhikr for
as long as he was not bed-ridden. It is permissible to make dhikr aloud,
silently, individually and collectively.2
The following is related with regard to Hadrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad
Gangohī rahimahullāh in Tadhkirah ar-Rashīd:
Eventually, he himself got up, performed wudu' and entered the
masjid. Hadrat Hajī Imdādullah Sahib rahimahullāh was busy with
some work in one corner. Maulana Gangohī rahimahullah went to
another corner, performed tahajud, and began dhikr of Lā Ilāha Illallah
in a loud tone. He says: "I started loud dhikr. My throat was clear and
my body was strong at the time. When I presented myself before
Hadrat [Hajī Imdadullah Sahib] in the morning, he said to me: 'You
engaged in dhikr like a person who has had a lot of practice.' Ever
since that day, I became attached to loud dhikr and I never felt like
giving it up. Nor did I find any Shar'ī reason for its prohibition."3
Hadrat Maulānā Ashraf 'Alī Thanwī rahimahullah has written a
detailed fatwa on loud and collective dhikr in Imdad al-Fatawā, volume
five. He writes:
1 Tarbīyyat at-Tālibīn, p. 59.
2 Maulānā Muftī Fārūq: Sulūk Wa Ihsān Irshādāt Faqīh al-Ummat, p. 343.
3 Tadhkirah ar-Rashīd, pp. 48-49.
742

It is my humble opinion that those who permit loud dhikr are correct.
And that those who say that loud dhikr is preferable in certain
situations and soft dhikr is preferable in other situations are more
correct. The latter view combines all the Qur'anic verses, Ahadith and
statements of the 'ulama' . إن خير الأمور أعدلها - the best matters are those
which are most balanced. Now that the Shar'ī permissibility of loud
dhikr is established, it is not restricted to any form or structure.
Rather, since the proofs are unrestricted, the form will also be
unrestricted. It will therefore be permitted whether done individually,
collectively, while sitting in a circle, while sitting in rows, while
sitting, while standing or in any other way.
After quoting some Arabic texts, he writes:
It is thus proven that loud dhikr in whatever form is permissible. No
one should be prohibited from doing it in any way. This is the
preferred and more correct view.1
Hadrat Thanwī rahimahullah was also of the view that collective loud
dhikr in the masjid is permissible. In the same fatwa, he quotes the
proofs of those who permit it. [One of the proofs is]:
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ مَّنَعَ مَسْجِدَ اللهِ أَنْ يُذْكَرَ فِيْهَا اسْمُهُ وَسَعِى فِيْ
خَرَابِهَا.
Who is more unjust than he who barred in the masajid of
Allāh that His name be taken therein and strove in their
destruction.2
Hadrat says: Prohibiting someone from dhikr is not possible unless it is
done aloud. It is unimaginable for a person to know that another is
engaged in dhikr unless it is done aloud.3
The essence of the above discussion is that since loud dhikr is
permissible - and according to Hadrat Thanwī rahimahullah loud
dhikr whether done individually, collectively, while sitting in a circle
or while sitting in rows is permissible - then collective loud dhikr is
definitely permissible.
1 Imdād al-Fatāwā, vol. 5, pp. 151-154.
2 Sūrah al-Baqarah, 2: 114.
3 Imdād al-Fatāwā, vol. 5, pp. 152.
743

Hadrat Maulānā Shaykh Muhammad Yunus, the Shaykh al-Hadith of
Mazāhir al-'Ulum Sahāranpur, is an erudite scholar in Hadith and
other sciences. He writes in al-Yawāqīt al-Ghaliyah:
In collective dhikr, a collective form is not the objective. Rather, when
people sit together and see each other, they develop enthusiasm and
yearning. This is the objective. Furthermore, at the time of dhikr, some
of the Sufis focus their hearts on the hearts of their disciples so that
the latter are more inclined to dhikr. When everyone engages in dhikr
together with the shaykh, it helps them in acquiring the focus of the
shaykh.
He writes after a few lines:
The disapproval of Hadrat Ibn Mas'ūd radiyallahu 'anhu is probably
based on a specific reason. For example, those people believed it to be
essential and necessary.1
The narration of Hadrat Ibn Mas'ūd radiyallahu 'anhu in which his
disapproval of a circle of dhikr is mentioned is a mauquf Hadith
against which a marfu' Hadith is given preference. I will quote one
Hadith as an example:
لا يقعد قوم يذكرون الله إلا حفت بم الملائكة وغشيت بم الرحمة ونزلت
عليهم السكينة وذكر الله فيمن عنده. (رواه مسلم، باب فضل الاجتماع على
تلاوة القرآن وعلى الذكر)
Moreover, the narration of Ibn Mas'ūd radiyallahu 'anhu is mudtarib.
The narration of Darami states that this incident occurred before the
fajr salāh. The narration of Tabarānī in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir states that it
occurred between the maghrib and 'isha salahs. The narration of
Dāramī states that it occurred in the masjid while the Musannaf of 'Abd
ar-Razzaq states that it occurred in the desert. The narration of
Dāramī states that one person was conducting the dhikr while the
others were chanting after him. The narration of Tabaranī states that
they were all chanting together. Some narrations state that Ibn Mas'ud
radiyallāhu 'anhu asked them to leave - as in Tabaranī. Another
narration says that the two groups were made into one. These
conflicting reports are proofs of the weakness of this Hadith.
Moreover, apart from the narration of Darami, all other chains of
transmission are weak. As for the narration of Daramī, it contains 'Amr
1 Al-Yawāqīt al-Ghāliyah, vol. 2, p. 418.
744

ibn Yahya. Although Ibn Ma'în initially classified him as a reliable
narrator, but when he re-examined his narrations later on, he
classified him as a weak narrator and said:
لیس حدیث بشيئ، قد رأیت، وقال مرة: لم یکن یرضى.
Although Ibn Ma'în sometimes says:
ليس بشيئ، قليل الحديث. (كما فى الرفع والتكميل، ص ١٥٣، وقواعد في علوم
الحديث، ص ٢٦٣، وتعليق الرفع والتكميل، ص ٢١٥، ومقدمة التحقيق لسنن
ابن ماجة للدكتور بشار عواد)
Here he uses the words: ليس بمرضي .When the reliability and
unreliability of a narrator are both mentioned, and it is not known
which was first and which was second, the narration is unacceptable.
Instead, the Hadith scholars restrain themselves from such a
narration. For detailed references, refer to our book Dhikr Jahrī Wa
Ijtimā'ī Sharī at Ke Ā'inah Mei, pp. 125-131.
Some scholars make the objection that according to Imam Abu Hanīfah
rahimahullah loud dhikr is a bid'ah except for those instances where
explicit texts are found. However, Shamī rahimahullah quotes from
Sharh al-Munyah as-Saghir that the difference of opinion is on the issue
of whether it is better or not.
وفى شرح المنية الصغير: ویوم الفطر لا يجهر ہ عنده وعندپما يجهر وہو رواية
عنه والخلاف فى الأفضلية أما الكرابة فمنتفية عن الطرفين. (شامى: ١٧٠/٢،
سعيد)
حاشية الطحطاوى:
قال الحلبي: والذي ينبغي أن يكون الخلاف في استحباب الجهر وعدم لا في
كرابية وعدمها فعندبما يستحب وعنده الإخفاء أفضل وذلك لأن الجهر قد
نقل عن کثیر من السلف کابن عمر رضي الله عنه وعلى رضي الله عنه وأبي
أمامة البايلي رضي الله عنه والنخعى وابن جبير وعمر بن عبد العزيز وأبي ليلى
وأبان بن عثمان والحكم وحماد ومالك وأحمد وأبو ثور ومثله عن الشافعى
745

ذكره ابن المنذر فى الاشراف. (حاشية الطحطاوى على مراقى الفلاح، ص ٥٣١.
وشرح منية المصلى، الكبير، ص ٥٦٧، سهيل)
Those who say that loud dhikr is superior, say this because there is
enjoyment in the dhikr and the heart remains focussed. Other benefits
are also acquired. Thus, the superiority of loud dhikr is due to other
reasons. Apart from this, most scholars believe silent dhikr to be
better.
Allāh ta'ālā knows best.
Sitting on a chair in the masjid
Question
What is the ruling with regard to sitting on a chair in a masjid when
delivering a lecture? What about sitting on a chair for any other
reason?
Answer
To sit on a chair in a masjid when delivering a lecture or sitting on it
for any other reason is permissible.
و عن أبي سعيد رضي الله عنه قال: كان لرسول الله صلى الله
عليه وسلم خشبة يقوم إليها فجاءه رجل فأمره أن يجعل له
كرسياً، فقام النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يخطب عليه ... رواه
البزار من رواية محمد بن أبي ليلى عن عطية وكلابما مخلتف فى
الاحتجاج به. (مجمع الزوائد: ١٨١/٢)
... Rasūlullāh sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam had a trunk on
which he used to stand. He then asked a man to make a
chair for him. Rasūlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam
would stand on it and deliver his sermon ...
The above narration is weak. The chair refers to the pulpit because the
authentic narrations generally refer to a pulpit. Yes, to the extent of
permissibility, the ruling for a chair could be based on the ruling for a
pulpit.
746

قال أبو رفاعة رضي الله عنه انتہیت إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وہو
يخطب .. فأقبل على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وترک خطبته حتى انتهى
إليّ فأتى بكرسي حسبت قوائم حديداً قال: فقعد عليه رسول الله صلى الله
عليه وسلم وجعل يعلمني مما علمه الله. (مسلم شريف: ٢٨٧/١)
قال القاضي عياض: وفيه جواز الجلوس على الكراسي ولا سيما فى مثل ذلک
... وارتفع على الكرسي ليسمع كلامه غيره ويشابدوا محاورته إياه. (اكمال
المعلم: ٢٨١/٣)
... Rasūlullāh sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam came to me. A chair was
brought for him. I think its legs were made of iron. Rasūlullah
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam sat on it and began teaching me some of
which Allah taught him.
A narration of Sahīh Bukhārī proves that Hadrat Jibra'īl 'alayhis salām
sat on a chair:
... فرفعت بصري فإذا الملك الذي جاء ني بحراء جالس على
كرسي بين السماء والأرضي الله عنه. (رواه البخارى: ٣/١)
I looked up and I saw the angel who had come to me in
Hira' sitting on a chair between the sky and earth.
The Sahābah radiyallāhu 'anhum also used chairs:
دلائل النبوة:
عن زيد بن صوحان أن رجلين من أبل الكوفة كانا صديقين
لزيد بن صوحان أتياه ... فأقبلا معه حتى لقوا سلمان رضي الله
عنه ... وإذا ہو علی کرسي قاعد ... فقال له زيد ... ان پذين لي
صديقان ... وقد أحبا أن يسمعا حديثك. (دلائل النبوة: ٨٢/٢)
Two men from Kufah who were friends of Zayd ibn
Sauhan came to visit him. They then proceeded with him
until they went to meet Salman radiyallahu 'anhu. The
latter was sitting on a chair. Zayd said to him: "These are
747

my two friends who would like to hear Hadith from
you."
نسائی:
عن على رضي الله عنه أنه أتى بكرسي فقعد عليه ثم دعا بتور
فيه ماء. (نسائى: ٢٧/١)
A chair was brought for 'Alī radiyallahu 'anhu. He sat on
it and asked for a utensil in which there was water.
If sitting on a chair for wudu' is established, it ought to be permissible
to sit on it for a lecture. It is also permissible to sit on a chair when
eating.
ويجوز ... والجلوس على الكرسى المفضض ... إذا كان يتقى موضع الفضة. وقال
أبو يوسف يكره ذلك. (الهداية: ٤٥٣/٤)
Muftī Kifāyatullāh Sāhib rahimahullāh writes: It is permissible in itself
to sit on a chair to deliver a lecture.1
Allāh ta'ālā knows best.
1 Kifāyatul Muftī, vol. 9, p. 72; Fatāwā Mahmūdīyyah, vol. 15, p. 279.
748

ISSUES RELATED TO MADĀRIS
Spending the money of one account for another
Question
An amount was deposited into a certain account of the madrasah. Can
it be used for a different purpose? For example, the madrasah received
money for textbooks. Can this money be used for construction? Or vice
versa? Both monies were received as optional charities.
Answer
It is incorrect and impermissible for the madrasah to use the income of
one fund for another. This is because the distributorship of the
mandator has to be taken into consideration. It is necessary to act on
it. When a person donates money for textbooks, it cannot be used for
any other purpose.
الوكيل إنما يستفيد التصرف من الموكل وقد أمره بالدفع إلى فلان فلا يملك
الدفع إلى غيره، كما لو أوصى لزيد بكذا ليس للوصي الدفع إلى غيره فتأمل.
(فتاوى الشامى: ٢٦٦/٢، سعيد)
When a person donates a sum to a madrasah, the principal is the
representative of the donor. He will have to spend the money as
dictated by the donor (mandator). When he gave money for textbooks,
it will amount to treachery and breach of trust if the money is spent
for construction purposes.
Fatāwā Mahmūdīyyah:
It is necessary to spend the money for the purpose which the donor
specified. If it is spent for a different purpose, daman (guarantee or
surety) will have to be given. This is because the trustee is placed in a
position of trust and representation. He does not have the right to act
against the explicit instruction of the mandator.1
If the donors approve and have no objection [to using it for a purpose
other than what was specified], then it is permissible to do this.2
1 Fatāwā Mahmūdīyyah, vol. 3, pp. 315-316.
2 Fatāwā Mahmūdīyyah, vol. 15, p. 474.
749

Allāh ta ālā knows best.
Spending the funds of one madrasah in another madrasah
Question
A person collected an amount for a certain madrasah. Now there is
another madrasah which is in need. Can he spend this amount for the
other madrasah? Take note that a receipt was not made.
Answer
At the time of making a donation, the donor explicitly stated that he is
giving this amount for a certain madrasah. As long as the madrasah
needs the money or will need it in the near future, it will not be
correct to give it to another madrasah. Yes, if the madrasah neither
needs the money immediately nor will it need it in the near future,
while the other madrasah is in dire need, then in such a case, some
jurists have permitted giving it to the other madrasah. However, the
more cautious way to proceed will be to obtain the permission of the
donor if it is possible to contact him. The money may then be used for
the other madrasah.
Fatāwā Mahmūdīyyah:
It is necessary to spend the money for the purpose which the donor
specified. If it is spent for a different purpose, daman (guarantee or
surety) will have to be given. This is because the trustee is placed in a
position of trust and representation. He does not have the right to act
against the explicit instruction of the mandator.1
If the donors approve and have no objection [to using it for a purpose
other than what was specified], then it is permissible to do this.2
Fatāwā Dār al-'Ulūm Deoband:
A person gave his property or cash money to a masjid. At the time of
making it waqf, he laid down the condition that any left over money
can be used for a madrasah or any other good cause. It will be
permissible to use the left over money for the madrasah even if the
endowers are not presently ready to do this. Or, if the endowers laid
down this condition at the time of the waqf that they will maintain the
right to change the recipient of their property or money, the
endowers can still divert their contribution to another madrasah or to
1 Fatāwā Mahmūdīyyah, vol. 3, pp. 315-316.
2 Fatāwā Mahmūdīyyah, vol. 15, p. 474.
750

some other place. But if either of the two conditions were not made at
the time of the waqf, then it is certainly impermissible to give the left
over money of the masjid to any madrasah. However, if any other
masjid is in need of funds, then based on extreme necessity, the fatwa
of permissibility could be given on the view of the latter jurists. This is
on the condition that the masjid which owns this money does not need
it at present nor does it foresee needing it in the near future, and there
is a danger that the extra money may get destroyed.1
Allāh ta'ālā knows best.
When madrasah teachers act against the conditions of employment
Question
Some trustees appointed two teachers to their madrasah. They laid
down the condition that they will teach only in the afternoon in their
madrasah. They will not do any work in the morning so that when
they come to teach in the afternoon, they can teach with full focus and
attention. The teachers accepted this condition. Based on their
acceptance, the trustees increased their salary by 35%. Subsequently,
these teachers started teaching somewhere else in the morning. Is it
correct for them to do this?
Answer
It is forbidden to act against the terms of employment of the madrasah
after having accepted those terms. As far as possible, they must adhere
to the conditions laid down by the madrasah. Because both these
teachers have contravened the terms of employment, they are
culpable. The trustees now have the right to stop them from working
in the morning or reduce their salary. Yes, if they are teaching with
full enthusiasm, energy, focus and sacrifice in the afternoon; the
trustees should permit them to teach in the morning.
يَأَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ أُمَنُوْا أَوْفُوْا بِالْعُقُوْدِ.
O believers! Fulfil your covenants.2
In his commentary to this verse, Imam Abu Bakr Jassās Rāzī
rahimahullāh quotes from Hadrat 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbās radiyallāhu
'anhu, Mujāhid ibn Jurayj, Abū 'Ubaydah and several other scholars
1 Imdād al-Muftīyyīn, vol. 2, p. 768.
2 Sūrah al-Mā'idah, 5: 1.
751

that the word "covenants" refers to promises and mutual agreements.
Lawful conditions also fall under covenants. He writes further on:
كذلك كل شرط شرطه إنسان على نفسه في شيء يعمله فى المستقبل فهو عقد.
The same applies to any condition which a person imposes on his self
with regard to whatever he is to do in the future. It is a covenant.
He then describes what is demanded by this verse:
وبو عموم في إيجاب الوفاء بجميع ما يشترط الإنسان على نفسه ما لم تقم دلالة
تخصصه.
This verse makes the fulfilment of whatever conditions a person
imposes on himself to be obligatory. This is provided that there is no
proof which demands a specification.
A similar theme is mentioned elsewhere in the Qur'an:
وَأَوْفُوا بِالْعَهْدِ.
Fulfil your promises.
Qurtubī rahimahullāh writes in his commentary to this verse:
لفظ عام لجميع ما يعقد باللسان ويلتزم الإنسان من بيع أو صلة أو مواثقة
في أمر موافق للديانة.
A covenant applies to all the things which are agreed upon verbally
and which a person imposes on himself. Whether it is buying and
selling, maintaining ties of kinship, or any other agreement which is in
line with Din.1
Furthermore, when the teachers accepted the condition, they are
classified as specific employees. It is not permissible for a specific
employee to work in another place.
والثاني وبو الأجير الخاص ويسمى أجير وحد وبو يعمل لواحد عملاً موقتاً
بالتخصيص ويستحق الأجر بتسليم نفسه فى المدة وإن لم يعمل كمن استوجر
شهراً للخدمة أو شهراً لرعي الغنم المسمى بأجر مسمى، بخلاف ما لو آجر المدة
1 Quoted from Jadīd Fiqhī Masā'il, vol. 3, p. 37.
752

بأن استاجره للرعي شهراً حيث يكون مشتركاً إلا إذا شرط أن لا يخدم غيره
ولا يرعى لغيره فيكون خاصاً وتحقيقه فى الدرر: وليس للخاص أن يعمل
لغيره ولو عمل نقص من أجرته بقدر ما عمل. (قوله وتحقیق فی الدرر) ونصر
اعلم أن الأجير للخدمة أو لرعي الغنم إنما يكون أجيراً خاصاً إذا شرط
عليه إلا يخدم غيره أو لا يرعى لغيره أو ذكر المدة أو لا. (قوله وليس للخاص
أن يعمل لغيره) بل ولا أن يصلى النافلة. (الدر المختار مع الشامى: ٦٩/٦، ٧٠)
Allāh ta'ālā knows best.
Making a house waqf for a madrasah
Question
A man built a house on his land with the intention of making it waqf.
He laid down the condition that after him, the house is waqf in favour
of a certain madrasah, and that a certain teacher will live in it. Is it
permissible for some other teacher to live in this house? Does the
endower have any right to object if some other teacher lives in it?
Answer
According to the Shari'ah, the conditions laid down by the endower
will be taken into consideration. Therefore, the teacher in whose
favour the endower explicitly stated that he would live in his house,
will necessarily live in it. If some other teacher is made to live in that
house, the endower has the right to object. Yes, if he - later on - gives
an open permission, it will be permissible to get some other teacher to
live in it.
كل شرط لا يخل بحكم الوقف ولا يوجب فساده فهوجائز معتبر .. شرط
الواقف المعتبركنص الشارع فى الفهم والدلالة ووجوب العمل به - (قانون
العدل والانصاف،٧٤-٧٥،الفصل الاول فى الشرط على العموم).
وفى الدر المختار: شرط الواقف كنص الشارع أى فى المفهوم والدلالة ووجوب
العمل به فيجب عليه خدمة وظيفته أو تركها لمن يعمل وإلا أثم لا سيما فيما
يلزم بتركها تعطيل الكل، وفى الشامية: وبه صرح فى الخيرية أيضاً أى فإذا قال
753

وقفت على أولادى الذكور يصرف إلى الذكور منهم بحكم المنطوق -(الدر
المختار مع فتاوى الشامى: ٤٣٣/٤، سعيد)
فتاوى الشامى
شرائط الواقف معتبرة إذا لم تخالف الشرع وبو مالك فله أى يجعله ماله
حيث شاء ما لم يكن معصية ولم أن يخص صنفاً من الفقراء. (فتاوى
الشامى: ٣٤٣/٤)
Majmū ah Qawānīn Islāmī:
The conditions laid down by an endower hold a status similar to an
explicit text. Therefore, deriving benefits from a waqf and
arrangements related to it will have to be done as per the conditions
laid down by the endower.1
Allāh ta'ālā knows best.
Making a condition after the waqf is completed
Question
An endower did not lay down any condition at the time of making a
waqf. Later on he says that a certain teacher will stay in the waqf
house. Will it be binding to apply this condition? Or will it be treated
as a piece of advice?
Answer
When an endower makes a condition after the waqf has been made,
the condition is on the level of a piece of advice. It is not binding on
the madrasah administrators to abide by it. An endower can only
change conditions if he states in the waqf document that he reserves
the right to make changes. If not, he does not have the right to make
changes and additions.
1 Majmū ah Qawānīn Islāmī, p. 354.
754

الدر المختار:
قال فى الدر المختار: ولكن يجوز الرجوع عن الموقوف عليه المشروط ... وفى
الشامية: وفى الإسعاف لا يجوز له أن يفعل إلا ما شرط وقت العقد، وفيه لو
شرط في وقف أن يزيد في وظيفة من يرى زيادته أو ينقص من وظيفته من
يرى نقصانه أو يدخل معهم من يرى إدخاله أو يخرج من يرى إخراجه جاز
ثم إذا فعل ذلك ليس له أن يغيره لأن شرط وقع على فعل يراه فإذا رآه
وأمضاه فقد انتهى ما رآه، وفى الفتاوى الشيخ قاسم وما كان من شرط معتبر
فى الوقف فليس للواقف تغييره ولا تخصيص بعد تقرره ولا سيما بعد
الحكم. (الدر المختار مع الشامى: ٤٥٩/٤، سعيد)
الفتاوى الهندية:
وإذا قال أرضي صدقة موقوفة لله تعالى أبداً على أن أضع غلتها حيث شئت
جاز ولم أن يضع غلتها حيث شاء فإن وضع فى المساكين أو فى الحج أو في
إنسان بعين فليس له أن يرجع عنه. (الفتاوى الهندية: ٤٠٢/٢)
قانون العدل:
إذا كان الوقف مرسلاً لم يشترط الواقف فيه الاستبدال لنفسه ولا لغيره
فليس له بيعه واستبداله. (قانون العدل، ٩٨، مادة ١٣٣)
Allāh ta'ālā knows best.
Constructing a house on waqf property
Question
A piece of land belongs to the madrasah. A person constructs a house
on it with the intention of waqf. Will it be classified as waqf? Later on,
the endower wants a certain teacher to live in that house. Who will
have more right to do this, the endower or the madrasah
administration?
755

Answer
Since the land belongs to the madrasah, the house will be under the
control of the madrasah. The trustees of the madrasah will have
control and authority over it. The one who endowed the house will
have no right over it.
البحر الرائق:
وفى المجتبى لا يجوز وقف البناء بدون الأصل بو المختار وفى الفتاوى
السراجية: سئل بل يجوز وقف البناء والغرس دون الأرض؟ أجاب، الفتوى
على صحة ذلك، وظابره أنه لا فرق بين أن يكون الأرض ملكاً أو وقفاً ... قال
فى الظهيرية: وإن كانت (الشجرة) في أرض موقوفة فوقفها على تلک الجهة جاز
كما فى البناء. (البحر الرائق: ٢٠٤/٥)
معین الحکام:
وإذا كان أصل القرية وقفاً على جهة قرية فبنى عليها رجل بناء ووقف بنائها
على جهة قرية أخرى اختلفوا فيه فأما إذا وقف البناء على جهة القرية التي
كانت البقعة وقفاً عليها فيجوز بالإجماع ويصير وقفاً تبعاً للقرية بذا بو الذي
استقر عليه فتاوى أئمة خوارزم. (معين الحكام مع لسان الحكام: ٢٩٤، الفصل
العاشر فى الوقف)
Imdad al-Fatawā contains the following answer to a question:
In this case, all the houses have become waqf. Had they been excluded,
they would not be waqf. But now there is no doubt about their being
waqf. Since they are waqf due to being on waqf land, the conditions
laid down with regard to the recipients will also follow that of the
property. For example, if the income/benefits from the property were
to be given to a masjid, madrasah or poor, when those houses are
given on rent, the rental income will have to be spent on the same
recipients [masjid, madrasah or the poor].1
1 Imdād al-Fatāwā, vol. 2, p. 607.
756

We learn from this that the waqf land is under the full control of the
madrasah administrators. They will decide on how to use it. Therefore,
their control will also extend over the house which is built on that
land. The house should be given over into the supervision of the
madrasah administrators. This is because the house is subservient to
the land. Thus, the endower's condition - that such and such person
will live in it - will not be considered. In the same way, if the land is
made waqf for the madrasah students, and someone plants a tree on
that land with the condition that it is for travellers, this will not be
correct.
Allāh ta'ālā knows best.
Returning something after it is no longer needed
Question
A man stipulated a piece of land for a girls madrasah. Another plot of
land was given to cut a road to the madrasah. Later on it was realized
that the second plot of land is not required by the madrasah. Is this
second plot - which has its own boundary and plot number - also
classified as waqf? Can it be taken back?
Answer
If the plot was given to the madrasah because it was needed by the
madrasah, and the person clearly stated: "I have given this plot to the
madrasah", then it has fallen under the ownership of the madrasah. It
cannot be taken back.
ولو قال: وببت داري لمسجد أو أعطيتها لم صح ويكون تمليكاً فيشترط
التسليم كما لو قال: وقفت ... الخ. (الفتاوى الهندية: ٤٦٠/٢، وكذا فى الفتاوى
التاتارخانية: ٨٥٣/٥)
If the person uttered the words of waqf, he still cannot take back the
plot.
وجعله أبو يوسف كالإعتاق فلذلك لم يشترط القبض والإفراز أى فيلزم عنده
بمجرد القول كالإعتاق بجامع إسقاط الملك. (فتاوى الشامى: ٣٤٩/٤)
والأخذ بقول الثاني أحوط وأسهل بحر، وفى الدرر وصدر الشريعة وبه يفتى
وأقره المصنف. (الدر المختار: ٣٥١/٤، كتاب الوقف، سعيد)
757

It becomes absolutely clear from these texts that as per the accepted
verdict, it is not necessary to give ownership of the land to the trustee
and to separate the waqf land. Once the waqf is complete, it is totally
forbidden to sell it for any price. Yes, in some instances there is leeway
to exchange the land for another piece of land.
اعلم أن الاستبدال على ثلاثة وجوه: الأول أن يشترط الواقف لنفسه أو لغيره
أو لنفسه وغيره فالاستبدال فيه جائز على الصحيح، وقيل اتفاقاً. والثاني: أن لا
يشترطه سواء شرط عدمه أو سكت لكن صار بحيث لا ينتفع به بالكلية بأن
لا يحصل منه شيء أصلاً أو لا يفى مؤنته فهو أيضاً جائز على الأصح إذا كان
بإذن القاضي ورأيه المصلحة فيه. والثالث: أن لا يشترط أيضاً ولكن فيه
نفع فى الجملة وبدله خير منه ريعاً ونفعاً وبذا لا يجوز استبداله على الأصح
المختار. (فتاوى الشامى: ٣٨٤/٤، سعيد)
The gist of the above is that there are three situations with regard to
changing a waqf:
1. The endower lays down the condition from the beginning that
he or someone else has the right to change the waqf.
2.
The waqf has become totally useless, and no benefit
whatsoever can be derived from it. Or, it cannot pay for its
own expenses. It can be changed by the order of a judge.
3. The condition of changing it was not laid down, but an
alternative to it is better. In other words, the one with which it
will be changed has more benefits. In such a case, it is not
permissible to change it.
We learn from the previous details that it is not permissible to return,
change or sell the plot under discussion. Rather, it will remain in the
ownership of the madrasah.
Remember, when a temporary need is fulfilled from a waqf, [and the
need no longer remains], the waqf does not come to an end.
Allāh ta'ālā knows best.
758