# Ep. 24: Just say Bismillah | Road to Return **Author:** Yahya Ibrahim **Series:** Road to Return | How to Come Back from Sin **Published:** 2021-08-20 **YouTube:** https://youtu.be/icYxaI6ArcI **URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-24-just-say-bismillah-road-to-return **Topics:** Acts of Worship, Sharia ## Description When coming across something that makes us question whether it is halal or haram, it’s not enough to just say bismillah and hope for the best. Sh. Yahya Ibrahim discusses this common transgression and how to avoid falling into it. ## Transcript **[0:00]** Just say Bismillah, it'll be okay. SubhanAllah. That's a great transgression with Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, that you just assume that something that could be haram, that you haven't looked into, that you live your life with that haphazard approach. **[0:17]** Allah will forgive it. Just say Bismillah, everything will be fine. **[0:32]** Now, I want you to know that there are rules in our deen, rules in our faith that tell us what is halal, tell us what is haram. There are moments where the scholars will disagree and some will say something is better left alone, but it's not haram and others will say it's okay to do it. **[0:49]** This isn't what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the mindset, the attitude of just doing whatever you want to do without first checking, without first asking, that you eat and then ask later, that you enjoy and then ask later, that you take on a position or a job and **[1:06]** then ask later, that you get involved in a romantic relationship and then wonder, is this halal or haram, is this going to go anywhere? Good, yes or no, later. Those kinds of things are something you need to be very careful with and they **[1:22]** are a transgression with Allah. The Prophet ﷺ says in the authentic hadith, Al-halal bayyin, halal is clearly known, haram is clearly known. Wa baynahuma, in between that which is clear in haram and halal, there are **[1:38]** things that are muddled up, that are confusing. Not many people are able to have fiqh and understanding. And it becomes important for you not to transgress limits that you ask and take judgment from reliable, trained, honorable scholars, people who you trust their **[1:59]** scholarship, trust their opinion, who have an outward way with Allah that you assume inwardly is consistent as well. It becomes important for you not just to make your own decisions, to make your own qualification, to say it should be right. **[2:15]** Oh, I think it's halal. Oh no, I'm not sure if it's haram. But look, you know, it's okay. Those kind of things, if you just say Bismillah, it should be okay. And I'm not just talking about food. I'm talking about the attitude, that lax attitude where your dunya kind of **[2:32]** pushes you forward and can bring ruin to your akhira. Don't be the type of person who lives life without questioning and asking and wanting to know deeper right from wrong, good from bad, halal from haram, sunnah **[2:48]** from bid'ah. And there are actions that certain people will do in the name of Allah that are not pleasing to Allah. There are certain things that people will say about the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam that are not true about the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. And it becomes important for you to be a person who seeks to follow the honest and **[3:07]** true sunnah of the Nabi Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, to understand the Quran, to understand the tradition, the way the early generations understood it, to step away from modernist approaches that want you to just, you know, assume everything **[3:22]** will be okay. That God is a God of hearts and he just judges your heart. And if you meant good, that's all that's necessary. That is not the way our faith has been built and practiced and taught to us by the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. **[3:39]** We are people that we assume anything that relates to the worship of Allah must have a precedent and must have a dalil, an evidence from the life of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. And anything that is questionable in life is something that requires for you and I to **[3:56]** take heed and caution in. Ijtana bash shubuhat, the one who is able to turn away from the doubtful matters has given freedom and protection for their faithfulness, for their honor, for their religion. May Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la allow us to live our life by saying Bismillah on that **[4:14]** which we know is halal and being able to say Bismillah to help us to stay away from that which is haram. That we always question our intentions and motives and that we turn to the people of knowledge when we do not have the knowledge to suffice our answer in whatever quest we **[4:31]** find before us. May Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la limit us from that transgression, from that belief that we can do whatever we want without it being accountable just because we feel Allah will forgive us at the end. ## Other Episodes in "Road to Return | How to Come Back from Sin" - [Ep. 40: Fake News | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-40-fake-news-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 39: It's Just a Joke | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-39-its-just-a-joke-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 38: Friday Prayer Is Not Practical | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-38-friday-prayer-is-not-practical-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 37: What Happens Online Stays Online | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-37-what-happens-online-stays-online-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 36: I'm Not A Racist, But... | Road To Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-36-im-not-a-racist-but-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 35: I Will Never Forgive Them | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-35-i-will-never-forgive-them-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 34: Isn't Zakat Like Sadaqah? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-34-isnt-zakat-like-sadaqah-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 33: The Most Important Thing is Love | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-33-the-most-important-thing-is-love-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 32: Everyone is Doing It | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-32-everyone-is-doing-it-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 31: It’s Just a Video | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-31-its-just-a-video-road-to-return.md) - [Ep: 30 Always Put Yourself First | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-30-always-put-yourself-first-road-to-return.md) - [Ep 29: Marijuana is Not a Drug | Road To Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-29-marijuana-is-not-a-drug-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 28: God Knows my Intention | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-28-god-knows-my-intention-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 27: I Do Pray...Just Not Often | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-27-i-do-pray-just-not-often-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 26: Did You Hear? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-26-did-you-hear-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 25: Does God Really Care? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-25-does-god-really-care-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 23: Parents Just Don't Understand | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-23-parents-just-dont-understand-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 22: Why Do They Have It So Easy? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-22-why-do-they-have-it-so-easy-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 21: Going Against The Flow | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-21-going-against-the-flow-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 20: Hoping For The Best Without Doing Your Best | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-20-hoping-for-the-best-without-doing-your-best-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 19: Good Intentions With Wrong Actions | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-19-good-intentions-with-wrong-actions-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 18: Good Actions With The Wrong Intention | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-18-good-actions-with-the-wrong-intention-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 17: Letting The Qur'an Slip | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-17-letting-the-quran-slip-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 16: Resisting the Teachings of Muhammad ﷺ | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-16-resisting-the-teachings-of-muhammad-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 15: Deprioritizing God | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-15-deprioritizing-god-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 14: Resistance & Resilience | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-14-resistance-resilience-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 13: Shaytan's 6-Step Plan | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-13-shaytans-6-step-plan-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 12: No Good Without Evil | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/no-good-without-evil-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 11: Mastering Self-Control | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-11-mastering-self-control-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 10: The World And Its Splendor | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-10-the-world-and-its-splendor-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 9: An Enemy Within | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-9-an-enemy-within-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 8: Your Inner Voice | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-8-your-inner-voice-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 7: Four Dangers: Causes of Sin | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-7-four-dangers-causes-of-sin-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 6: Different Types of Sin | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-6-different-types-of-sin-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 5: Are All Sins Equal? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-5-are-all-sins-equal-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 4: What Are Sins? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-4-what-are-sins-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 3: Content with God | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-3-content-with-god-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 2: Finding Peace | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-2-finding-peace-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 1: Submitting to God | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-1-submitting-to-god-road-to-return.md) - [Trailer: Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/road-to-return-trailer.md)