Explicit Warns about Many Religious Prohibitions

Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid

Categories: General -

In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

All the praises and thanks be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, the last of the Prophets, and upon his family, companions.

Allah and His Messenger have forbidden us from doing a number of things; as avoiding those things leads to the attainment of great benefits. That is in addition to warding off a lot of blights and significant evils. Some of such prohibitions are forbidden and others are disliked. A Muslim must avoid them all, as the Prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has said: “What I have forbidden you from, so refrain from it.”

«ما نهيتكم عنه فاجتنبوه» رواه مسلم

The earnest Muslim is keen in avoiding the prohibitions, whether they are forbidden or disliked, and does not do as those of weak faith, who are lenient in committing the disliked. We must take into consideration that being lenient in doing them leads to committing what is forbidden. The disliked are like preserves for the forbidden; he who indulges in them is about to indulge in what Allah has forbidden. In addition to avoiding what is disliked, a Muslim is rewarded for deserting it for the sake of Allah. Accordingly, there is no difference here between what is forbidden as disliked and what is forbidden as prohibited. However, differentiating between them needs knowledge .Most of the following prohibition are among the forbidden, not the disliked. O noble reader, following is a collection of some of the religious prohibitions.

Prohibitions in Creed

Polytheism in general is forbidden, whether the greatest, the minor and the hidden one. Going to and believing in soothsayers and fortune-tellers, slaughtering for the sake of other than Allah, and to report from Allah and His Messenger without knowledge are prohibited.

Hanging up amulets, that include beads that are used to ward envy off, and magic that separates or combines two persons; and practicing magic in general, soothsaying and fortune-telling are forbidden. Believing in the effect of stars and planets in events and in people’s lives, and believing in the benefit of things that the Creator has not made them so are also prohibited.

It is prohibited to think about the Self of Allah, but thinking is to be about the creatures of Allah. A Muslim should not die but that he has good opinion about Allah Almighty.

It is forbidden to judge that one of the people of religion will be in hellfire, to accuse a Muslim of infidelity without a legal religious argument, to ask by the Face of Allah a worldly matter, and to prevent this that asks by Allah or by the Face of Allah; one, rather, is given unless it is a sin; as a glorification of the Right of Allah Almighty.

It is forbidden cursing time, as Allah is the One who manages time. Pessimism is also forbidden.

It is forbidden to go to the countries of polytheists, living with infidels, to take the disbelieving Jews and Christians as allies rather than the believers, to take infidels as intimates so they are approached for consultancy and intimacy. It is forbidden to invalidate deeds as by hypocrisy, showing off or reminders (of generosity, righteousness, etc.). Going to a place for worshipping, except the three mosques: The Sacred Mosque, the Mosque of the Prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, and Al-Aqsa Mosque are forbidden. It is forbidden to build over tombs and taking them as mosques.

It is forbidden to curse the companions; to discuss the trials happened among them and to argue in the Quran without knowledge. Sitting with those who engage falsely in offensive discourse concerning the Quran and argue about it, visiting the ill who take fatalism as their creed and any other heresiarch and attending their funerals are all forbidden.

It is forbidden to curse the idols of the infidels, if it leads to cursing Allah Glorified and Exalted. Following the paths (of other than Allah’s) or separating in the religion is forbidden so is taking the verses of Allah as a jest and making what Allah forbids as lawful or forbids what Allah had made as lawful. It is prohibited to bow or prostrate to other than Allah, to sit friendly and intimately with the hypocrites or the disobedient, and to separate from the group of truth. It is forbidden to resemble the Jews, the Christians, the Magians and the disbelievers in general, and to start salutation with infidels. It is forbidden to believe or accuse the People of the Scriptures of lying about what they say about their scriptures about which we do not know whether it is right or false, and to request a legal religious opinion from any of the People of the Scriptures in a legal matter (for the intention of knowledge and benefit).

It is forbidden to swear by children, idols, equals, fathers and by the trust, and to say what Allah and you will. It is forbidden that a slave says, “My lord and deity” rather he should say, “My chief, master and lady”. It is forbidden that the owner of slaves says, “My slave and female slave”, rather he should say, “My boy, girl and lad”. It is forbidden to say the disappointment of time and to curse each other by the curse or anger of Allah or by the Fire.

Prohibitions in Purification

Urinating in stagnant water and excreting in the roadbed; the places of people where they take shadow and in water resources are forbidden. Turning one’s face or back to the qiblah while urinating or excreting - some scholars exclude that within buildings, cleaning or wiping one’s private parts by the right hand; forbidding cleaning one’s private parts by bones, as they are the provisions of our brother from the jinn, and cleaning one’s private parts by dung as they are the provender of their animals (the jinn’s) are prohibited. It is forbidden that a man holds his male organ by his right hand during urination and to salute the one who excretes or urinates. It is forbidden that a person who awakes from sleeping to enter his hands in a vessel until he cleans them first.

Prohibitions in Praying

It is forbidden to pray an optional prayer during sunrise, noon and sunset as the sun rises and sets between two horns of a devil, when the infidels who worship planets see it, they prostrates themselves to it. It is forbidden to pray after the dawn prayer until sunrise, and after the afternoon prayer until the sun sets, this prohibition is for the optional prayers that have no cause; if there is a reason such as the prayer of greeting the mosque, so there is nothing wrong in that.

It is forbidden to make homes as tombs by not praying the optional prayers in them, to connect an obligatory prayer to a prayer without speaking (with remembrance or others); and to pray after the calling for dawn prayer except the Sunnah of the two optional dawn prayer units.

Preceding the imam in prayer; that a man prays alone behind the prayer line, looking around in prayer, raising the eyesight to the sky in prayer are forbidden. Reciting the Quran in bowing or prostration is forbidden; but if one invokes in one’s prostration by an invocation from the Quran, there is nothing wrong in that.

It is forbidden to pray naked in one garment with nothing on the shoulders, so one is not to pray with naked shoulders; to pray with the presence of appetitive food and to pray while resisting urine, feces and wind, as all that occupies and distracts the praying person from the necessary submissiveness.

It is forbidden to pray in tombs and toilets, to pray pecking like a crow, turning around like a fox, lying down as a lion, squatting like a dog, or staying like a camel, i.e. to be accustomed to a place in the mosque, and not to pray but in it, and praying in the sitting places of camels, as they were created from devils.

It is forbidden to clean the ground during praying, if it is necessary, so it may be done for only once to level pebbles and the like. It is forbidden also to cover the mouth during praying. The praying person is forbidden to raise his voice during prayers in order not to harm the believers. Continuing praying at night if overwhelmed with drowsiness is prohibited; one is rather to sleep and then wakes up. Praying the whole night, especially if this happens consecutively is prohibited.

It is forbidden to yawn and blow during prayers, to step over people, to tuck garments up and to collect and withhold hair.

It is forbidden to repeat the right prayer, which is “useful for the obsessed”, and the praying person to cut the prayer if he doubts that he passes wind until he hears a sound or finds a smell. It is forbidden to gather in a circle before Friday prayer, to touch pebbles, to play and talk during the sermon. Collecting thighs to the abdomen and tying them with the garment or hands during the sermon is forbidden. It is forbidden that one prays anything rather than the obligatory prayer if the obligatory prayer is being initiated. The unnecessary standing of the imam in a higher place than the followers, and the passing before the praying persons are forbidden. It is forbidden that a praying person allows anyone to pass between him and his praying protection.

It is forbidden to spit during praying towards the qiblah (the direction of the sacred Mosque) and the right side but it can be done to the left side, or under the left leg. It is forbidden that a praying person puts his footwear to his right or left side, that it would be to the right side of another person unless there is no one to his left side, and he is to put it between his legs. Sleeping before the isha prayer if it is not safe that its due time may be over is forbidden, as well as talking after the isha prayer unless for a religious interest. It is forbidden to be the imam for a man in his dominion without his permission, and the same is the forbidding of a visitor to be the imam for his hosts unless they ask him for that; and forbidding a person to be the imam for people who hate him for a legal reason.

Prohibitions in Mosques

It is forbidden to buy, sell and seek for the lost. It is also forbidden to use mosques as means but only for remembrance or praying, they are not to be used for implementing penalties. It is forbidden that one intertwines hands if one goes out purposely towards the mosque; as one is still in prayer when he intends to pray. Getting out from the mosque after the call for prayer unless he prays is prohibited. It is forbidden that this who enters to the mosque to sit down before praying two prayer units, to walk quickly if the prayers are being initiated, rather one walks with tranquility and dignity. It is forbidden to make prayers rows between columns in mosques; unless if need arises. It is forbidden that the one who eats garlic, onion or anything of a smell to go to the mosque. It is also forbidden that a man passes in the mosque with something that hurts Muslims.

Preventing women from going to mosques following the legal conditions is forbidden. It is forbidden that women put on perfumes if they go to the mosque. It is forbidden to have sexual relations with women during seclusions at mosques. Boasting in mosques, and adorning them with a reddish or yellowish colour, decoration and whatever occupies the praying persons are prohibited.

Prohibitions in Funerals

Building on, lifting, raising, sitting on, walking by shoes over, lightening, writing over and disinterring tombs, taking tombs as mosques, and praying to a tomb except the funeral prayer in the graveyard are prohibited. A woman is not to mourn a dead person for more than three days, except the husband, as she mourns him for four months and ten days.

It is prohibited that a woman whose husband has died puts on perfume, smears her eyes with kohl, uses henna and adorns herself; such as with the kinds of jewelries and wearing dyed garments (which is an adorning garment).

Lamentation and the helping of a woman to another woman whose one of her family died by crying are prohibited, as such crying is not for the sake of Allah. In addition, gathering for crying in such way is lamination.

Among prohibition: hiring a professional mourner, splitting garments, spreading hair because of the death of a person, and forbidding announcing the death of a person in a way like that of the pre-Islamic people, as for just announcing the death of a person, there is nothing wrong in that.

Prohibitions in Sales and Earnings

Consuming usury, the sales that include ignorance, deceiving, and swindling, selling the meat of sheep before slaughtering, selling the surplus water, selling a dog, river, blood, wine, a pig and idols, copulation, i.e. the semen used for fertilization, the price of dogs, and everything prohibited by Allah, so its price is prohibited whether by selling or buying are all prohibited.

Raising the price without needing to purchase as happens in a lot of auctions; hiding and concealing the defects of a commodity upon selling are prohibited. Selling after the second call of prayer on Fridays, selling what one does not possess, selling a thing before having and getting it, selling food before getting it fully are all prohibited as well. It is forbidden to sell gold for gold and silver for silver unless they are equivalent in weight and from hand to hand. It is prohibited that a person sells the same thing after another person sells it, to buy the same thing after another person buys it, and to bargain for a thing after another person bargains for it, and to sell fruits unless they are sound, ripe with no defects.

It is forbidden to give less than the due weight or measure, monopoly, and to receive convoys; that is to receive those who come from outside the town to sell or buy to them at the outskirt of the town, they are, rather, to be left until they reach the market of the town, which is a benefit for all. It is forbidden that an urbanite sale for a nomadic, (for example, an urbanite is a broker for a nomadic), but he has to let him sell for himself. A man is not to sell the skin of his sacrificial animal.

The partner of a land, palms or the like is not allowed to sell his share until he offers it first to his partner.

It is forbidden to eat and ask a lot taking the Quran as means (such as those who recite the Quran and beg through it). It is forbidden to consume the people’s and orphan’s money unjustly, to bet, to gamble, to give and take a bribe, to steal, to embezzle from spoils, to loot people’s money, to borrow a loan without the desire of returning it, and to deprive people of their due things.

Hiding and concealing a waif, taking the waif except for the one who identifies it, and all kinds of cheating are prohibited. It is forbidden that a Muslim takes any of his Muslim brother’s money without his own free will, and what is taken by shyness and embarrassment is illegal. It is forbidden to accept a present for mediation. Demanding a lot of money, expanding and distributing it in countries, so that one’s heart is occupied with it from Allah is forbidden.

Prohibitions in Marriage

Celibacy, which is non-marriage is forbidden so are castrating, marrying two sisters at the same time, marrying a woman and her aunt at the same time neither the elder after the younger nor the younger after the elder to avoid severance of relations. It is forbidden that a man marries his stepmother. It is forbidden that a man marries an unbelieving woman or a woman to get married to an unbelieving man. Exchanging marriage is prohibited; that a man says, for example, I will give you my daughter or sister in marriage and you give me your daughter or sister in marriage, thus there is an exchange of a one by one, which is injustice and illegal.

Temporary marriage is forbidden, in which the two parties agree to end up the contract in a specified time; marriage without a guardian and two witnesses is also prohibited. It is forbidden that a woman marries off another woman or marries off herself. Marrying off an ex-married woman without asking her and a virgin without taking her permission is prohibited.

A man is not to betroth a betrothed girl until the fiancé disengages her or allows to him. The expressed engaging to a woman whose husband died and she is in the waiting period and the revocable divorced from her house is prohibited; rather it can be done through hint. It is forbidden that a woman gets out from the house of her husband and leaves him during the waiting period of the revocable divorce. It is forbidden that a man takes back his divorcee unwillingly while he has no wish for her but only to increase the waiting period so she is harmed; it is also forbidden that the divorced woman conceals what Allah has created in her womb.

It is forbidden to play with divorce. It is also forbidden that a woman ask for the divorce of her Muslim sister, whether she is a wife or fiancée; such as a woman who asks a man to divorce his wife to marry him. It is prohibited that a husband or a wife talks to others about their sexual life. It is forbidden to set a woman against her husband and vice versa. The Prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has forbidden a woman from talking to other woman without her husband’s permission. Having sexual intercourse with a woman during menstruation and having intercourse with a woman in her back passage are forbidden; a man can have sexual intercourse with his wife after she purifies herself. A woman should not desert the bed of her husband (abstain from having intercourse with him), if she does that without a legal excuse, angels will curse her. It is forbidden to harm a recalcitrant woman if she again obeys her husband. It is forbidden that a woman makes any person into her husband’s house without his permission; his general permission is enough if it is not contradictory to religion. Rejecting the invitation to a feast without a legal excuse is forbidden. Congratulating by saying “We hope you live in harmony and have many boys” is prohibited as this is the congratulation of the pre-Islamic people who hated girls.

It is forbidden that a man has sexual intercourse with a woman who is pregnant from another man, as well as the husband’s ejaculation outside the vagina of the free wife to avoid pregnancy without her permission. It is undesirable that a man knocks the door of his family open and surprises them at night if he is coming from travel; if he informs them of the time of his arrival, so there is nothing wrong in that. Taking anything from the dowry of a wife unwillingly is forbidden as well as harming the wife to ransom herself by money. It is prohibited to make “zihar” (Az-Zihâr is the saying of a husband to his wife, “You are to me like the back of my mother (i.e. unlawful for me to approach)”).

It is forbidden to incline to one wife more than the other, to avoid acting justly among wives, and tahlil marriage, i.e. to marry a woman who is divorced for three times to make it lawful for her first husband to remarry her.

Prohibitions in Women-Related Matters

Women are forbidden from: displaying their beauty and ornaments but for the unmarriageable men, the wanton display of themselves, uttering slander and intentionally forging falsehood (i.e. by making illegal children belonging to their husbands). It is forbidden that a mother shall be treated unfairly on account of her child, nor a father shall be treated unfairly on account of his child; and that a mother should not be separated from her child. It is illegal to exaggerate when performing female circumcision. Women are not to travel without an unmarriageable person, are not to handshake marriageable men, they are not to wear perfume when they go out and pass with their perfumes before men. It is forbidden that a man be alone with a marriageable woman, cuckoldry, looking to a marriageable woman and following one look after the other.

Prohibitions in Clothes and Adornments

Exaggeration in clothing, wearing gold for men, wearing a ring in the middle finger and the following one (i.e. the forefinger) and iron rings are all forbidden. Nudity, walking naked, and exposing the thighs are prohibited. It is forbidden to lower clothes to be under the anklebones, to trail them along proudly, and to wear clothes of fame and silk (for men).

Men are forbidden from wearing reddish with safflower colour. They are forbidden from imitating women and wearing like them, women, as well, are forbidden from imitating men and wearing like them. Women are prohibited from wearing short, thin and tight clothes.

It is forbidden to wear shoes while standing up, due to the hardship faced like the shoes that need to be laced; to walk with one shoe, as Satan walks with one shoe.

Tattooing, cleaving the teeth, and sawing them, like using a file are forbidden. However, correcting teeth by wires and the alike is not included.

It is forbidden to imitate the infidels, in letting the moustache, and shaving the beard, rather, shave the moustache and grow the beard.

Pulling out the facial hair and the most excessive is pulling out the hair of the eyebrows, a woman shaving her hair, connecting hair with a human or any wig for both men and women, pulling out the gray hair, dying the gray hair into black, and shaving a part of the hair and leaving another part are all prohibited.

It is forbidden to picture whatever has a soul; in clothes, walls, paper and others, whether it is drawn, printed, engraved, cast by a mold and the like. If it is necessary, so one can picture trees and whatever has no souls. It is also forbidden to use silk, tiger hide and whatever contains vanity as a spread; as well as covering the walls.

Prohibitions in Tongue

Perjury; slandering the chaste women; false accusation for an innocent person and slander; backbiting; calling each other by offensive nicknames, culminating, tale-bearing, and mocking at Muslims, vying in glory by ancestries, defaming lineage, cursing, obscenity, obscene language and ribaldry and the public mention of evil except by one who has been wronged are all prohibited.

Lying is forbidden. The worst kind of lying is lying about dreams, such as fabricating dreams to achieve a virtue or money profit, or fear those who are in enmity with him. One of its punishments is to be asked to do an impossible matter on the Day of Resurrection i.e. to knot two little hair.

It is forbidden that a person claims sanctity for himself. Secret counseling between two persons excluding a third one is prohibited as this may grieve him. Conspiring together for sin and wrong doing, cursing a believer and cursing those who do not deserve that are prohibited.

It is forbidden to raise the voice over the voice of the Prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, which includes raising the voice over the voice of a reader of Hadith, and raising the voice at the tomb of the Prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him. It is forbidden to: curse the dead, curse the cock as it awakens to pray, curse the wind as it is ordered, curse the fever as it expiates sins, and curse Satan as it becomes proud with every curse; the useful thing is to seek refuge with Allah from its evil. It is forbidden to ask for death in supplication or to wish for death because of an affliction, to invoke Allah against souls, children, servants and money.

It is forbidden to call grapes as “karm” in Arabic (i.e. generosity) as the pre-Islamic people used to think that wine inspires generosity. A man is not to say, “My soul has become malicious”, or “I have forgotten a verse”, but he should say, “I have been made to forget”. He is not to say, “O my Lord forgive me if You wish” but insists on invoking and asking.

It is forbidden to call the hypocrite a master, to uglify people especially the husband uglifies his wife (such as saying “May Allah uglifies you”. It is forbidden to say “Ra’ina”, (Râ’ina In Arabic means “Be careful; Listen to us, and we listen to you”, whereas in Hebrew it means “an insult”, and the Jews used to say it to the Prophet with bad intentions). Begging before saluting; and praising each other are forbidden.

Prohibitions in the Ethics of Eating and Drinking

It is forbidden to eat what is in front of others, to eat from the middle of the food; rather one should eat from its borders and sides, as blessing comes down in the middle of food. It is also forbidden to leave a fallen morsel; rather remove the harm and eat it and do not leave it to the devil.

Eating and drinking in dishes made of gold and silver are prohibited. Drinking while standing up, drinking from the notch of a broken cup in order not to hurt oneself, drinking from the mouth of the glass, breathing in it, and drinking with one breath are forbidden. Rather, one is to drink at three stages as this is more pleasant, healthy and quenching for the thirst.

It is forbidden to blow in food and drink, eat or drink by the left hand, eat while prostrating on one’s belly, and eat two dates together unless his eating partner permits him to do that as gathering includes gluttony and prevention for his partner.

It is forbidden to use the dishes used by the People of the Book. If there is nothing else, so it can be washed and eaten in. Sitting in a table in which wine is circulated is prohibited.

enter his hands in a vessel to clean them.

Muhammad ibn Salih Al-Munjjid

Ibn Khuzayma House