O Stranger Stand Firm

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “I urge you to adhere to my Sunnah and the way of the Rightly-Guided Khaleefahs. Adhere to it and bite onto it with your back teeth (i.e., cling firmly to it). And beware of newly-invented matters, for every newly-invented matter is an innovation and every innovation is a going-astray.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, al-Sunnah, 3991)

Shyness that prevents you from speaking the truth is Weakness

Question:

My complaint is that a feeling of fear or dread overcomes me when I want to remove an evil or when I want to ask a question to gain knowledge. What is the cure to this condition?

Answer:

This fear and dread you speak of is from the Shaytan, so be wary of it. Be strong, and dont be shy, for Allaah Almighty is not shy of the truth. Therefore, you should be able to both ask a question to a scholar and prevent someone from doing evil without feeling the least bit of shyness. Shyness that prevents you from speaking the truth is not shyness at all, but only weakness. The shyness that is approved by the Shariah is shyness that prevents you from falsehood and evil. It is the shyness the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) intended when he said: Al-Haya (shyness and modesty)is from faith. [1] Or, when he said: Al-Haya is good - (it is) all that is good. [2] Shyness therefore is legislated when it prevents you from perpetrating fornication, from drinking alcohol, from associating with the enemies of Islam, and from all that is evil. This is the prescribed type of shyness.

[1] Al-Bukhari no. 24 and Muslim 36 [2] Muslim no. 37

Shaykh `Abdul-`Azeez Bin Baz

Fatawa Islamiyah Vol. 8 Page 75

Waving When Giving Salaams

Question:
What is the ruling on giving Salaam by waving the hand?


Answer:

It is not permissible to give Salaam by waving, the Sunnah is to speak when giving and when returning greetings of peace. Waving, on the other hand, is not allowed because it resembles the disbelievers, and it is contrary to what Allaah has legislated. In case that a person is far away and is not able to make the other person hear his greeting, then a Muslim can wave in a manner that indicates his greeting, there is no harm in that since there are reports to support it. Similarly, when one is praying, he can respond to a greeting by signalling with his hands, as is authentically reported in the Sunnah of the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam).

Shaykh `Abdul-`Azeez Bin Baz
Fatawa Islamiyah Vol. 8 Page 216