Biography of Shaykh ‘Abdullah bin Hasan bin Qu’ood

Shaykh ‘Abdullah bin Hasan bin Qu’ood – may Allah have mercy upon him- was born on the 17^th of Ramadan in the year 1343 A.H., in the municipality of al-Hariq, south of Riyadh. Since a young age, he was raised in an observant and affluent home, cherished by his parents. His father placed him in a Quran school where he learned the basics of writing and reading the Quran under Shaykh Muhammad bin Sa’d Aali Sulaymaan. After this, he memorized the Quran and some of the abridged works of Shaykh-ul-Islam, Ibn Tayymiyyah, and al-Imaam Muhammad bin ‘Abdil-Wahhaab, under the judge of the land at that time, Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Aziz bin Ibraaheem Aali ‘Abdil-Lateef – may Allah, Most High, have mercy upon them all. 

Upon completion of his studies and reaching adolescence, he traveled to seek more advanced knowledge in ad-Dilam, the territory of al-Kharj, the main place of knowledge in that region in those days. There he studied under the tutelage of his eminence, Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez bin ‘Abdillah bin Baaz – may Allah have mercy upon him-for four years from the date of his travels in the year 1367 A.H. He memorized several prominent Islamic texts such as al-‘Aqeedah al-Waasitiyyah, Kitaab-ut-Tawheed, Buloogh-ul-Maraam, al-Aajuroomiyyah, Alfiyyah Ibn Maalik, and Nukhbat-ul-Fikr, in addition to other texts that were being taught. During his studies with Shaykh Bin Baaz, the Shaykh compiled a hand written copy of Buloogh-ul-Maraam that comprised all of the useful points of relevance Shaykh Bin Baaz covered during his lessons. Shaykh Qu’ood made several copies of it for the students to share and gain insight from their studies by utilizing it.  

When the Ma’ahad ‘Ilmee (literally: the Institute of Knowledge) opened in the year 1371 A.H., he studied until he graduated from the College of Islamic Law in the year of 1377 A.H. From the scholars that he studied under in the institute:

Shaykh ‘Abdur-Razzaaq ‘Afeefee – may Allah have mercy upon him , Shaykh Muhammad al-Ameen ash-Shinqitee and Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahman al-Afriqee both of them professors at the institute. And in the science of Tajweed (Quranic recitation), he was the pupil of Shaykh Sa’d Waqqaas al-Bukhaaree in Makkah after the Hajj of 1370 A.H. 

The Shaykh held a number of work positions, such as:

In 1375 A.H., he was appointed as a teacher in the Institutes of Islamic Knowledge. 

In 1380 A.H., he transferred to the Criminal Courts as a judge. 

In 1397 A.H., he transferred to the presidency of the Administration for Islamic Research and Rulings where he worked as a member as well as the Permanent Committee and Organization of Major Scholars. 

In 1406 A.H., he retired. 

In addition to this, the Shaykh also spent time in the field of preaching during his lessons and lectures. He assisted the University of King Saud by giving lectures to the students in the advanced studies program of the Department of Islamic Studies in the College of Education. Due to his notable efforts and expertise in the field of sermons, the Shaykh was appointed as the Imam and Preacher of Masjid al-Masheeqeeq in Riyadh, in 1378 A.H. In 1391 A.H., he was appointed as the Preacher of Jaami’-ul-Murabba’ until Masjid al-Masheeqeq was restored in 1418 A.H. 

The Shaykh was known for possessing the best of manners in everything he did. He smiled a lot and always exhibited generosity, spending his wealth to help the poor and benefit the students of knowledge. He tenaciously followed the Quran and Sunnah without blind following, and whenever he was sought for a legal ruling, whether by one approaching him in the mosque or over the phone, the Shaykh answered to the best of his ability. The Shaykh always spoke the truth, and most of his talks centered on knowledge and seeking it. 

As for the Shaykh’s works, then his most acclaimed is a compilation of his Friday sermons printed in four volumes. He also worked for the Ministry of Education verifying and adding commentary to some of the Middle and High School religious textbooks in the fields of Hadeeth and Fiqh. He has a number of short treatises in various Islamic subjects and hundreds of legal verdicts that he gave while a member of the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Islamic Rulings. 

The Shaykh had many students who benefited from him in his sermons, daily lessons, lectures, and from his Islamic rulings. The Shaykh used to arrange knowledge-based lessons for three days out of the week from Saturday to Monday after the Sunset Prayer. After the Friday Prayer he gave lessons from the following books: Tayseer-ul-‘Azeez al-Hameed which is an explanation of Kitaab-ut-Tawheed, ad-Deen al-Khaalis, an abridged version of as-Sawaa’iq al-Murasalah, Buloogh-ul-Maraam along with its explanation Subul-as-Salaam, Saheeh-ul-Bukhaari, Iqtidhaa-us-Siraat-il-Mustaqeem, in conjunction with the students reading many texts in different disciplines like: Tafseer Ibn Katheer, Zaad-ul-Ma’aad, and Saheeh-ul-Bukhaari. 

From the most well-known students of the Shaykh: Badr bin ‘Abdullah al-Fallaah, Husayn bin Muhammad al-Majrashee, Hamad bin ‘Abdul-‘Azeez al-‘Aasim, Khaalid bin Muhammad al-Ghaamdee, Khalid bin Ma’oodh al-Mutayree, Dr. Ahmad bin Saalih al-‘Abd as-Salaam, Dr. Badr bin Naasir al-Badr, Dr. Habeeb Zayn-ul-‘Aabideen, the Deputy for the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, Dr. Hamad bin ‘Abdul-Muhsin at-Tuwayjiree, Dr. Sa’d bin Turkee al-Kathlaan, Dr. Sa’d bin ‘Abdullah al-Hameed, Dr. Sa’d bin Fallaah al-Areefee, Dr. Sa’d bin Matr al-‘Utaybee, Dr. ‘Abdul-Azeez bin ‘Abdul-Muhsin at-Turkee, his Eminence Shaykh Saalih bin ‘Abdil-‘Azeez Aali ash-Shaykh, the Minister of Islamic Affairs, and many others too many to name. 

The Shaykh was afflicted with an injury due to an excessive amount of head surgeries. This caused him to be bed ridden for nearly six years and eventually he went blind. He passed away at nine o’clock in the morning on Wednesday the 8^th of Ramadan 1426 A.H. Funeral services were held after the Afternoon Prayer in the al-Imam Turki bin ‘Abdullah Community Mosque in the city of Riyadh. The prayer was led by the Mufti, Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez bin ‘Abdillah Aali ash-Shaykh. The prayer was attended by Prince Salmaan bin ‘Abdil-‘Azeez, a group of Major Scholars, and a significant amount of worshippers that filled the mosque. The Shaykh was buried in al-‘Uood Cemetery – may Allah have mercy upon him - and place him in the spacious gardens of Paradise. 

Compiled and Translated from various Arabic sources by  Thomas Maldonado

References (some links may not work): 

http://www.aldrs.com/scholar/19/

The Arabic source for this biography was based off of Majmoo’ Rasaail wa Maqaalaat ash-Shaykh ‘Abdillah bin Hasan Aali Qu’ood, supervised by Shaykh ‘Abdullah bin Sulaymaan bin ‘Abdillah Aali Manhaa. 

Another Arabic biography of the Shaykh at Daar-ul-Ifta’s official site:

http://www.alifta.net/Fatawa/MoftyDetails.aspx?Type=Mofty&section=tafseer&ID=3

And another, from the Shaykh’s official site:

http://alqaoud.net/about.php?t=0

An excellent biography of the Shaykh in English:

http://www.fatwa-online.com/abdullaah-ibn-quood/

The Telephone and the Woman by Shaykh Bakr ‘Abdullah Aboo Zayd

If one of the speakers is a woman then she must be cautious of being soft spoken. Indeed Allah the Glorified prohibited the wives of His Prophet, peace be upon him, the Mother of the Believers, Allah be pleased with them, from being spoken to in a seductive manner by the one who is moved with desire. And they in the time of the prophet hood and lifetime of the companions, Allah be pleased with them, were forbidden from being soft spoken, the Most High says:

{Do not be soft spoken unless the one in whose hear is a disease should be moved with desire but speak in an honorable manner.} Soorat-ul-Ahzaab: 32

So what about those women besides them? Indeed their prohibition of being soft spoken is from the most befitting. Therefore fear Allah O believing women, do not be soft spoken, speak in a good and honorable manner. Meaning, with no softness of tone or prolonged speech, the woman does not address the men she is not married to as she would address her husband.

The woman must be cautious in engaging in lengthy discussions with men that she is not married to even with her relatives that she is not allowed to be alone with according to what the Divine Legislation has forbidden, and the souls refuse it, and brings about in the same listener closeness.

She must also be cautious in raising her voice louder than normal and talking for a prolonged period of time while still being cautious of (avoiding) beautification, gentleness, softness, elegance, and flirtatiousness in a gentle tone and soft spoken manner.

Just as it is impermissible for her then it is also impermissible for the man to listen to her voice indulgently, even if she was reading the Quran. If the woman perceives that then it is impermissible for her to continue speaking with him due to the trial that it leads to.

And here (mention) is set aside for the man, the protector of the home, to arrange his affairs based on guarding and upholding virtue and to protect those that are sacred. So the woman (of the home) should not be the first one responsible for answering the phone while the male relatives are present. She should not respond in the presence of their absence under any circumstances, rather, the man of the home should direct her according to the circumstances and necessities he sees fit. And it is obligatory for her to hear and obey in honor, protecting what is more properly (to be protected) and leaving off any issues of difficulty.

Written by: Shaykh Bakr ‘Abdullah Aboo Zayd, may Allah have mercy upon him.  
Taken from Adab-ul-Haatif (The Islamic Manners of Using the Telephone) Pages 15 – 16. 
Translated by: Thomas Maldonado on 10/08/2008.

Using Topical Medication that contains Pig Fat: Islamic Ruling by Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen

The questioner has a big problem which she hopes that maybe we can summarize a ruling for her. She says that her mother used some medications and remedies for her hair that caused most of it to fall out. She says that she is embarrassed or something to this effect whenever she sits with the other women. She mentioned that a person was afflicted with what she was where most of his hair fell out and he used a remedy that cured him and caused his hair to grow back thicker. She said that he was cured and the hair grew back in thicker amounts. She wanted to get the remedy from him but he told her that after he had been cured he was told by those who could read English that the remedy contained pig fat and some of its blood. She wants to know if it is still permissible for her to use this medication since she is against using hair braids since she holds that it is impermissible for the Muslim woman. She hopes to benefit from his eminence.

Answer: All praise is for Allah, honestly this question contains two issues. The first is the use of hair braids for this type of condition which you have described that the hair has fallen out and there is no hope that it will grow back. Regarding this issue then we say that there is no harm in using hair braids for this type of condition since realistically this adding to the hair is not for the purpose of beautification. Rather it is to remove a deficiency so based on this reason it is not considered from the braiding where the Prophet (may the peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) had cursed the one who braids the hair “he cursed the female who braided the hair and the female who sought for it to be done”.

The Waasilah is the female who braids fake hair into real hair. However this woman in reality does not resemble the Waasilah since she did not add the fake hair for the purpose of beautification or for adding hair which Allah the Blessed, the Most High has created. She wanted to remove a deficiency that occurred so there is no problem with this since it is to remove a deficiency not to add for the purpose of beautification which there is a difference between the two.

As for using this medicine that has pig fat in it, if it is confirmed that there is in fact pig fat in it then there is nothing wrong with that when done out of necessity since the only thing that is actually prohibited is eating it. Allah says: {Rather you have been forbidden cadaver, blood, or flesh of the swine}. And Allah Most High says commanding his Messenger (may the peace & blessings of Allah be upon him): {Say; I find no impressibility in what has been revealed to me for the person who gives others food to eat to do so, so long as it is not cadaver meat, spilled blood, or flesh of the swine}.

It has been established from the Prophet (may the peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) that he forbade eating the meat of the cadaver but allowed that benefit be derived from its skin after it was tanned. It has also been established from him that he forbade drinking alcohol, eating meat of the cadaver, flesh of the swine, and worshiping idols.

It was said to him, “O Messenger of Allah, what do you say about the fat of the cadaver which is used to paint the boats with and is rubbed on the skin by the people?” The Messenger of Allah (may the peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “No it is not permissible”…here he meant selling it since it is the topic of the narration and the companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) relayed this not for the sake of them knowing the ruling of these issues but for the sake of justifying its sale. They said that these benefits that the people derive from using it does not justify that it can be sold. The Prophet (may the peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) said that it was impermissible so based on this using medication of this type to rub into the head if it is proven to be beneficial then the need is applicable and if she uses it then she must wash it off before prayer since pig fat is impure, and that is only if the medication is proven to contain this ingredient.

Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen
Translated by:  Thomas Maldonado
Source: http://www.ibnothaimeen.com/all/noor/article_4629.shtml

Selected Benefits from Shaykh ‘Uthaymeen’s Explanation of Kitaab-ut-Tawheed

Benefit One

The Categories of Tawheed are three:

1 – Tawheed ar-Ruboobiyyah: and it is to single out Allah with being the creator, the owner of all the dominion, the one who controls all of the affairs of the universe.

2- Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah: and it is to single out Allah in worship.

3 – Tawheed al-Asmaa’ was-Sifaat: and it is to single out Allah by His Names and His Attributes without Tahreef (Distortion), Ta’teel (To deny Allah’s attributes), Takyeef (Saying how something is done), and Tamtheel (To compare Allah to the creation).

Therefore Tawheed has two issues connected to it:

1 – an-Nafyee (Negation) “Laa Ilaha” (There is no focal point worthy of worship)

2- al-Ithbaat (Affirmation) “Illa Allah” (Except for Allah)

Benefit Two

The decree of Allah (al-Qadhaa) consists of two categories:

1 – Kawnee (Having to do with the universe and all that is in it): This occurs by necessity. It consists of what Allah loves and what He does not love.

2 – Shar’ee (Having to do with the divine legislation): This consists of only what Allah loves. It occurs or it may not occur.

Issue: How is it that Allah decrees what He does not love?
Answer: That which Allah loves (al-Mahboob) consists of two categories:

1 – Mahboob li-Ghayrih : (Loved for something else) This is disliked within itself but loved because of the benefit and wisdom that is contained within. So it is loved to Allah from one aspect but disliked from another. This can be likened to the situation of the sick person and medicine whether it is cauterization (medical treatment by using a hot iron tip) or something else. It is loved from one aspect but disliked from another.

2 – Mahboob li-Dhaatih: (Loved within itself) There is no issue concerning this part of al-Mahboob (as it is understood).

Benefit Three

There are three types of Thulm (oppression):

1 – The oppression of mankind concerning the rights of Allah such as ash-Shirk and this is the greatest type of oppression.

2 – The oppression of mankind upon themselves such as one overburdening himself with something that he has no power of fulfilling.

3 – The oppression of mankind upon others such as murder without right and this is the greatest type of oppression concerning the right of a human being over another.

Benefit Four

Supplication (ad-Dua’aa) consists of two categories:

1 – What is known as Dua’aa-ul-‘Ibaadah (the supplication of worship): Directing the supplication to others besides Allah is considered Shirk Akbar (Major Polytheism). So whoever supplicates in a devotional manner to what is created then that person has committed Shirk Akbar.

2 – What is known as Dua’aa-ul-Mas’alah (the supplication of asking for something) which consists of three categories:

A - Supplicating to Allah Most High which is an act of worship.

B – Asking from someone besides Allah who is not able to carry out only what Allah can such as one who requests the dead feed him or requests that someone cure his illness, this is considered Shirk Akbar.

C – Asking someone besides Allah who is able to fulfill the request such as asking a living person to feed him, then this is permissible.

From: al-Fawaaid al-Muntaqaah min Sharh Kitaab-it-Tawheed 
(Selected Benefits from the Explanation of the Book of Monotheism)
Written by: Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen
Translated by Thomas Maldonado on 09/03/2010