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The Value of Glad Tidings (Bushārah)
Author : Dr. Fadi Rabab`ah
Date Added : 09-06-2026

The Value of Glad Tidings (Bushārah)

Among the values of Islam and the methods of the Islamic sharīʿah in calling people to Allah the Almighty is the giving of glad tidings and the bearing of good news. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Make things easy for the people, and do not make it difficult for them, and make them calm (with glad tidings) and do not repulse (them )." (Reported by al-Bukhārī.) The word bushārah (glad tidings) and its derivatives appear extensively throughout the Holy Qurʾān and the pure Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, as in the words of Allah the Almighty {which mean}: "And give glad tidings to the believers" [Al-Baqarah/ 223], and His words: "So give good tidings to My servants" [Al-Zumar/ 17].

The Islamic sharīʿah and its call to Allah are not confined in their approach to warning, threatening, and frightening people with the punishment of the Fire. Rather, they equally embrace the giving of glad tidings — tidings of Allah's pleasure, of joy, and of a happy life in both this world and the next. It is for this very reason that Allah sent His messengers as both bearers of good news and warners, as He says: "And We do not send messengers except as bearers of glad tidings and as warners." [Al-Anʿām/ 48]

Abū Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that a Bedouin once urinated in the mosque, and the people rushed toward him to rebuke him. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to them: "Leave him, and pour a bucket of water over where he urinated — for you have been sent to make things easy, not to make them difficult." (Reported by al-Bukhari & Muslim)

The value of glad tidings carries profound educational and psychological significance for the human soul. It sharpens resolve and builds confidence; it eases pain and fills the heart with tranquillity; it stirs enthusiasm and the will to act, to bear hardship, and to face difficulty head-on. It gives a person the determination to persevere, to rise after falling, and never to surrender to despair or hopelessness.

The instances of glad tidings in the Holy Qurʾān and the pure Sunnah are many and varied. Among them is the glad tiding brought by the Prophet of Allah, ʿĪsā (Jesus), peace be upon him — the announcement of the coming of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ — as Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "And when Jesus, son of Mary, said: 'O Children of Israel, I am the Messenger of Allah to you, confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing glad tidings of a messenger to come after me whose name is Aḥmad.' But when he came to them with clear proofs, they said: 'This is plain magic.'" [Al-Ṣaff/ 6]

Among them also is the glad tiding for those who are patient in the face of hardship. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth, lives, and fruits — but give glad tidings to the patient." [Al-Baqarah/ 155]

The angels brought glad tidings to the Prophet of Allah, Zakariyyā (Zechariah), peace be upon him, of the birth of Yaḥyā (John), while he stood in prayer in the sanctuary: "So the angels called out to him while he was standing in prayer in the sanctuary: 'Allah gives you glad tidings of Yaḥyā, who will confirm a word from Allah, and will be a master, chaste, and a prophet from among the righteous.'" [Āl ʿImrān/ 39]

And the angels brought glad tidings to Maryam (Mary) of ʿĪsā, peace be upon them both: "When the angels said: 'O Mary, indeed Allah gives you glad tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary — distinguished in this world and the next, and among those brought near to Allah.'" [Āl ʿImrān/ 45]

They likewise brought glad tidings to Ibrāhīm (Abraham), peace be upon him, and his wife, of the births of Is-ḥāq (Isaac) and Yaʿqūb (Jacob), peace be upon them: "And his wife was standing, and she laughed. Then We gave her glad tidings of Isaac and, after Isaac, of Jacob." [Hūd/ 71]

There is also the glad tiding for those who have fallen into sin — the glad tiding of repentance and its acceptance: "Say: 'O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.'" [Al-Zumar/ 53]

And there is the glad tiding of the Prophet ﷺ for the people of tawḥīd (pure monotheism). Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated: "The Prophet ﷺ was riding with Muʿādh ibn Jabal behind him on the mount. He said: 'O Muʿādh!' Muʿādh replied: 'At your service, O Messenger of Allah!' He called again: 'O Muʿādh!' And again Muʿādh replied: 'At your service, O Messenger of Allah!' He said this three times, then the Prophet ﷺ said: 'There is no servant who bears witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muḥammad is His servant and messenger, except that Allah has made him forbidden to the Fire.' Muʿādh said: 'O Messenger of Allah, shall I not tell the people so that they may rejoice?' He replied: 'If you do, they will rely upon it alone.' So Muʿādh disclosed it at the time of his death, considering it a sin to withhold it." (Reported by al-Bukhārī.)

Among the greatest glad tidings in Islam is the glad tiding of Paradise for those who believed in Allah and His prophets, peace be upon them all, and did righteous deeds. Allah, blessed and exalted, says {what means}: "And give glad tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds that they will have gardens beneath which rivers flow. Whenever they are provided with fruit from it as provision, they will say: 'This is what we were provided with before.' And it will be brought to them in resemblance. And they will have purified spouses therein, and they will abide therein forever." [Al-Baqarah/ 25]

It is therefore incumbent upon callers to Islam, reformers, and those responsible for educational curricula to cultivate and reinforce the value of glad tidings in their approach to calling people to Allah and in their educational methods — following in the footsteps of the Holy Qurʾān and the noble guidance of the Prophet ﷺ, and being, in truth, bearers of good news.

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling of islamic law on statutory (legal) interest awarded by a court?
 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is permissible for a person in whose favor a judge has awarded statutory (legal) interest to deduct the actual litigation costs incurred in filing and prosecuting the lawsuit from these interest funds.
 
Any remaining balance beyond those actual expenses must be returned to the party upon whom the payment was imposed, provided that party is a specific individual. If, however, the paying party is a public entity or state institution, the remaining amount should be spent on the general public interests of Muslims—such as schools, mosques, roads, and similar public utilities shared by the community—or given in charity (Sadaqah) to the poor and needy. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the wisdom behind the legislation of fasting?

Fasting is a divine school from which the believer learns much and trains in virtues that may be needed in life. Among these virtues is patience, as it is the month of patience. Fasting also teaches honesty and consciousness of Allah in both private and public, for there is no observer over the fasting person in abstaining from lawful pleasures except Allah alone.
Fasting strengthens willpower, sharpens determination, and nurtures mercy and compassion among the servants of Allah. It is a struggle against the self, a restraint of desires, a purification of the soul, and a cultivation of goodness.
The Prophetﷺ said: "Allah, the Almighty, said: ‘Every deed of the son of Adam is for him, except for fasting; it is for Me, and I shall reward for it. Fasting is a shield. So when one of you is fasting on a day, let him not engage in obscene speech or raise his voice in anger. If someone insults him or fights him, let him say: I am a fasting person. By Him in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the breath of the fasting person is more pleasant to Allah than the fragrance of musk.’" [Bukhari and Muslim]
 

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on the colored discharges that appear one or two days before the menstrual cycle?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Colored discharges carry the same Islamic ruling as blood, whether they appear at the beginning or the end of the menstrual period. This remains true even if the discharge is intermittent—appearing for some days and stopping for others before returning—provided that the total duration does not exceed fifteen days nor fall short of a day and a night (24 hours). This is because the minimum duration of menstruation (Hayd) is one day and a night, while its maximum duration is fifteen days. Furthermore, the minimum period of purity (Tuhr) between two menstrual cycles is fifteen days, and there is no maximum limit for it. And Allah the Exalted knows best."

What is the ruling on men wearing rings (those made of silver and of other metals, such as iron), and are there conditions for men wearing rings?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is sunnah for men to wear a silver ring on the right hand, following the practice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It is reported in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, on the authority of Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) took a silver ring and had “Muḥammad Rasūl Allāh” engraved on it. He said: “I have taken a ring of silver and had ‘Muḥammad Rasūl Allāh’ engraved on it, so let no one engrave the like of its engraving.”
It is a condition that the silver ring not exceed the size customary in the local norm (ʿurf). If it does, that is extravagance (isrāf). A ring made of a metal other than silver, such as iron or copper, is permissible to wear without disapproval (karāhah), except gold, which is forbidden (ḥarām) for a man to wear.
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.1/p.586): “It is permissible, without disapproval, to wear a ring of iron or lead. It is sunnah for a man to wear a silver ring on the little finger of his right or left hand. Wearing it on the right is better, and it is permissible on the left, and on both together.”
It is also stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.2/p.97): “It is lawful for him, that is, the man, and likewise the khunthā (person of indeterminate sex), indeed all the more so, to wear a ring of silver, by consensus (ijmāʿ), because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took a ring of silver, narrated by the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhārī and Muslim). Wearing it is in fact sunnah, whether on the right or the left, though the right is better according to the sound position, as stated in the chapter on clothing in al-Rawḍah… The Shāfiʿī jurists did not specify the permitted size of the ring, and they probably relied on custom (ʿurf), that is, the custom of that country and the habit of people of his standing in it. Whatever exceeds that is extravagance, as they said regarding a woman’s anklet. This is the reliable position (al-muʿtamad).” And Allah Almighty knows best.

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