Chain Letters

Have you ever received an email about someone who had a dream about “Hazrat” Zaynab or Aisha, the Holy Prophet (saaw) or some old man with a white beard – asking you to forward it on to x number of people in order to receive good fortune??? And those that don’t pass it on may face some curse or hardship from Allaah (swt)? If you have, and have been unsure what to do with such an email then please read the following article...

To put it simply my brothers and sisters, such emails should NOT be forwarded and instead the delete button should be hit without hesitation. Such emails create doubt in one’s heart and fall into the category of shirk (associating partners with Allaah). This is the only sin which if we were to die upon; Allaah (swt) has informed us He will never forgive!

Thinking that forwarding the email may in some way change our fate, either by benefiting us or warding off some bad luck, is in fact to put faith in other than the Mighty Will of Allaah (swt). Dear brothers and sisters, we should know that not a single event occurs without the knowledge of our Creator, al Alim. Know that EVERY matter that exists was ordained 50,000 years before the creation of the heavens and the earth. And know that every last breath, movement, and occurrence was written down by Allaah (swt) in al-Lauh ul-Mahfudh, the 'Preserved Tablet'. Allaah, Ta’ala tells us in the Qur`aan:

“Do you not know that Allaah knows all that is in heaven and on earth? Verily, it is all in the Book. Verily! That is easy for Allaah.” (Surah al-Hajj 22: 70)
With regards to receiving the email, we should know that sending it or even not sending it, will not change our fate one bit, except for what Allaah has already ordained. In the wise words given to Ibn Abbas, the Prophet (saaw) said, “Remember that if all the people come together to bring you benefit they cannot benefit you except for what Allaah has written. On the other hand if they come together to cause you any harm they will not be able to do it except for what Allaah has written. The pens have been laid aside, and the scrolls have dried.” (recorded by al Tirmidhi)
You may now ask that what if it was in your fate to receive the email and so your Qadr was decided accordingly. The answer to this lies in the Qur`aan and sunnah of the holy Prophet (saaw) and the simple rule is not to have faith in anything except the will of Allaah. No man or woman can inform you of your future, as we are told,

“Say! None in the heavens nor the earth knows the unseen except Allaah” (Surah an-Nahl 27:65).
Similar situations existed at the time of our noble Prophet and so the evidences are bountiful. One such example as narrated by Imraan ibn Husayn, that the Prophet (saaw) once saw a brass bangle on a man’s upper arm, and he said to him, “Woe be on you! What is this?” The man replied that it was to protect him from a sickness called al-Waahinah. The Prophet (saaw) then said, “Cast it off, for verily it would only increase your weakness. And, if you died with it on, you would never succeed.” (collected by Ahmad, Ibn Maajah and Ibn Hibbaan)

Also, it has been reported by Abu Hurayrah and al-Hasan that the Prophet (saaw) said, “Whosoever approaches a fortuneteller and believes what he says, has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad.” (Collected by Ahmad, Abu Dawud)
From this, I ask dear brothers and sisters, how can it be that an electrically typed message, no matter how religious the people described were, or how many people sent or received it, can make the slightest of difference when compared to what Allaah Ta’ala has willed?

From this I would sincerely advise that you spread this message to anyone who may have originally sent a chain message to you – not because it will bring you good fortune or that it may keep away some harm, but in order to inform others of what is correct. Finally, although we may be saddened at how easily and quickly doubt can be put in the hearts of the believers, we should always remember the words of Muhammad (saaw) in his final sermon,

“Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.”