Advice to the Muslims in Finland
Praise be to Allaah.
We
have read more about the country – Finland – in which you are living; some of it
saddened us, but other things made us happy. We are saddened by the division
that there is among you, and by the fact that many neglect to call people to
Allaah or pay attention to their families and children. We are also saddened to
learn that some Muslim women have married Christian men in that country, as
these are invalid marriages; and that many people have failed to obey Allaah and
adhere to His religion. All of that makes the burden of the people of knowledge
and goodness even greater, and lays upon them a huge responsibility towards the
Muslim community in that European land.
But what made us
happy is the news that the number of Muslims in that country is increasing, and
the Muslim community is now one hundred thousand strong, according to some
reports, although we do not know how many of them are Sunnis. And we are happy
to learn that many of the people of that country have entered the religion of
Allaah.
What we advise you,
and we hope that our words will have a good effect on your hearts and
actions:
1.
First and foremost,
every Muslim should try to return to his homeland, and those who have become
Muslim should move to a Muslim country where they can practise their religion
safely. They should leave that country where the religious commitment, minds and
hearts of many Muslims have been corrupted, whenever they are able to do
so.
2.
Those who cannot
leave or who do not want to should fear Allaah with regard to themselves and the
members of their household; they should advise them sincerely and take good care
of them, and protect themselves and their families from the Fire of Allaah.
3.
You must strive to
establish study circles for learning Qur’aan and (Islamic) knowledge, in which
the ignorant may be taught and the young Muslims (?) may learn to obey Allaah.
It is not permissible for you to be careless about this matter. We have read how
the Tatars in Finland preserved their language and culture; your Islam and
Arabic language are more important and you must take great care of them in your
daily lives.
4.
Try to invite
scholars and seekers of knowledge to come to you, so that they can undertake the
duties of calling people to Islam, exhorting, guiding and teaching. Such
meetings will play a part in uniting you and helping you adhere to the rulings
of sharee’ah which have to do with the realities of your lives.
5.
Do
not leave any room for the devils among mankind and the jinn to cause division
in your ranks and spread disunity among you. You have to be aware that you are
living in a Christian society, a Christian country, whose flag bears the cross!
You have to remember that what happens between Muslims who have differences is
not like your differences with other religions. The difference between Muslims
who pray in the same direction (ahl al-qiblah) is may be a difference between
Sunnah and bid’ah, and in some cases it may be the difference between a correct
view and a less correct view, but the difference between you and the other
religions is the difference between Islam and kufr. These are two different
issues.
6.
With regard to this
party that is trying to establish an Islamic state in Finland, they should think
on the basis of reason and not emotion; they should look at reality and not turn
a blind eye to it. You cannot even bury a Muslim in a graveyard that is just for
Muslims, so would you be able to close liquor stores and establish an Islamic
state there?!
What is this, O
slaves of Allaah?! This is imaginary dreams and farfetched thinking, which may
be excused in a man who does not know the reality of where you live and does not
know anything about the difficulties that you face. But a man who sees what you
see and knows what you know should think soundly on the basis of fitrah,
sharee’ah and reason, and his efforts should be aimed at achieving whatever he
is most able to of the Muslims’ interests in your country, and warding off
whatever evils, harm and oppression he can.
Based on that, if
those people have an Islamic party, they should invest their efforts in
establishing Islamic institutions, schools, Muslim graveyards, and stop thinking
about establishing an Islamic state, because in fact that is virtually
impossible and is just an illusion, based on what we have seen of the Muslims’
inability to achieve that, even in their own countries, so how can they do it in
a non-Muslim country? Just demanding an Islamic state will bring evil
consequences such as only Allaah knows, so how about if they took practical
steps towards it? If the state is unable to stop them – which is not the case –
then let them imagine their fate if the European Union were to get involved in
stopping that. What would be the fate of all the efforts that have been made for
decades? We have read about the situation of Muslim men and women in your
country after September 11th, so how about if the anti-Islam establishments were
to spread the idea that the Muslims only want to rule in order to apply Islam
and limit freedoms and oppress women? Yes, they are exaggerating and lying, but
we are giving them the ammunition that they are throwing in our faces.
7.
One of the priorities
of that Islamic party should be to preserve Islamic identity and strive to
spread the message of Islam, free of distortions; they should present it to the
Muslims so as to bring them back to commitment and righteousness, and you should
prove to non-Muslims that your religion is a religion of unity, brotherhood and
cooperation in righteousness and piety.
8.
The Muslim brothers
who are of that land should continue to call people to Allaah among their
families and relatives, and tell others of the joy they have found by entering
Islam. It seems that they will have more impact on the people of that land than
Muslims who have migrated from other countries.
9.
Strive to buy a piece
of land as soon as possible to be used for graves for Muslims who believe in
Tawheed (the oneness of Allaah), and try to move the Muslims who were buried
with non-Muslims to these Islamic graves.
10.
It
should be a priority of Islamic groups and political parties, especially those
that are trying to establish an Islamic state, as we said, to preserve the
identity of the Muslims who are living there. One of the most important means of
preserving their identity is for Muslim men to marry Muslim women and to strive
to create an Islamic atmosphere in their social lives. In the Islamic parties
and organizations there should be people who direct the Muslims’ private matters
such as marriage, divorce and social relationships in accordance with the laws
of Allaah, without trying to impose that on everyone in the Christian country
which, as we have said, is a very farfetched idea, the consequences of which
will be bad for you.
11.
We
advise everyone to be gentle in calling people to Allaah and to follow the way
of the Prophets and Messengers and successful daa’iyahs. You should direct your
da’wah to leaders, politicians, decision makers, journalists, writers and all
classes of people. Perhaps Allaah will guide one of them who will become very
influential. And strive to remove evils from the lives of Muslims in the way
that is best.
12.
You should always be
in contact with your Muslim brothers in Europe and in the Muslim world, so that
you can consult them about your affairs and ask the scholars about issues and
problems that you are facing. The Muslim is the mirror of his brother, and two
brothers together are stronger than one on his own.
And Allaah knows
best.
Islam Q&A
What should you do if you find yourself thinking about zina (fornication/adultery)?
Praise be to Allaah.
Thinking about zinaa may mean one of two things.
(1) It may be merely thoughts that cross the mind, without becoming a firm resolve. A person cannot be blamed for this, but it is better to rid oneself of these thoughts so that they do not lead to anything else.
(2) It may be an established thought accompanied by resolve and intention. In this case, the person must hasten to deal with it in a number of ways, including the following:
1- Seriously thinking of getting married, because this is the shar’i (legal Islamic) and natural protection for the Muslim man and woman.
2- Fasting if one cannot get married.
3- Muslim men and women should strive to strengthen their eemaan (faith) by reading Qur’aan, praying naafil (voluntary) prayers and doing other kinds of acts of worship.
4- Taking care to choose righteous friends.
5- Keeping away from everything that might provoke desire; one of the most obvious of these is looking at things which are haram (impermissible).
6- Remembering the punishment for zinaa in this world and in the Hereafter, and that its evil affects far outweigh the immediate pleasure that a person may experience.
Shaykh Muhammad al-Duwaysh
(Curtesy: islamqa.info) 