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Chapter
4:
The Halal And The Haram In The Daily Life of The Muslim
Faith (iman) is the
foundation of the Islamic society, and tauheed (the belief in the existence and
unity of God) is the essence of this faith and the very core of Islam. The safeguarding of
this iman and of this pure tauheed is the primary objective of all the
Islamic teachings and legislation. In order to keep the Muslim society purified of all
traces of shirk and remnants of error, a continuous war must be waged against all
belief-systems which originate in man s ignorance of the divine guidance and in the errors
of idol worship.
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One of the fundamental
beliefs which Islam inculcates in the soul of Muslims is that this vast universe does not
run itself without any control and guidance, nor does it follow the misguided, blind,
conflicting, and contradictory desires of men or of any other creatures residing in it.
The Qur'an says: If Reality had been
in accord with their desires, the heavens and the earth, and whosoever is therein, would
have been in corruption.... (23:71)
Quite to the contrary, the universe is bound by permanent laws, as the
Qur'an states elsewhere: Thou wilt
not find any changes in the sunnah (practice or rule) of Allah, nor wilt thou find
in the sunnah of Allah any turning aside.
(35:43)
Muslims have learned from the Book of their Lord and the practice of their Prophet (peace
be on him) to respect these laws of the universe, to understand and to use the causes and
relationships which Allah has established among things, and to reject the alleged esoteric
causes propagated by priests, charlatans, and imposters.
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A class of deceivers known as
soothsayers or diviners existed in Arab society during the Prophet's time; they pretended
to know the events of the past and future through their contact with the jinn or
through other secret sources. The Prophet (peace be on him) then declared war on this
deception, which had no basis in knowledge, divine guidance, or a revealed scripture. He
recited to them what Allah had revealed to him: Say: No one in the heavens and the earth knows the Unseen except
Allah.... (27:65)
Accordingly, the Unseen is known neither to the angels, the jinn nor
human beings. Acting on the command of his Lord, the Prophet (peace be on him) proclaimed,
...If I had knowledge of the Unseen,
I should have had abundance of good and no evil should have touched me. Truly, I am but a
warner and a bringer of good tidings to those who have faith. (7:188)
Concerning the jinn who labored for Solomon, Allah Ta'ala says:
..It became clear to the jinn that if they
had known the Unseen, they would not have continued in the humiliating punishment (of
their task). (34:14)
Accordingly, anyone who claims to know what pertains to the Unseen utters a falsehood
against Allah and the truth, deceiving the people.
Once a delegation came to the Prophet (peace be on him) and, supposing
him to be one of those who claimed to have knowledge of the Unseen, they concealed
something in their hands, asking the Prophet (peace be on him) to tell them what it was.
The Prophet (peace be on him) told them in plain words, "I am not a diviner. The diviner, (what pertains to) the
divination, and the soothsayers will all be in the Fire."
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Islam's campaign was not
confined to the soothsayers and diviners but included all those who go to them, ask their
help, and believe in their superstitions and errors. The Prophet (peace be on him) said,
The salat of one who goes to a soothsayer,
asks him something and believes in what he says will not be accepted for forty days.
(Reported by
Muslim.)
He also said, "Whoever goes to a soothsayer and believes in what he says has
denied what was revealed to Muhammad," (Reported by al-Bazzar, from good and strong transmitters.) for what was revealed to Muhammad (peace be on him) asserts that
the knowledge of the Unseen belongs to Allah alone and that Muhammad (peace be on him) has
no knowledge of it, much less anyone else: Say: I do not tell you that the treasures of Allah are with me or that
I know the Unseen, nor do I tell you that I am an angel; I follow only what is revealed to
me....(6:50)
If, after being aware of this clear and explicit statement of the
Qur'an, the Muslim believes that some people can foretell future events and know the
secrets of the Unseen, he has indeed denied what was revealed to the Messenger of Allah
(peace be on him).
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For the reason mentioned
above, divination with arrows was prohibited by Islam. The Arabs of jahiliyyah used
three arrows for divination; on one arrow was written, "My Lord commanded me,"
on another, "My Lord forbade me," and the third was left blank. If they planned
to go on a journey, to marry, to carry out a raid, etc., they would go to the temple where
these arrows were kept. One arrow would be selected randomly. If they selected the
"commanding" arrow they would proceed with their plan; if they selected the
"forbidding" arrow they would not proceed with it; while if the blank arrow was
drawn they would replace it and repeat the process until they received a clear indication.
The practices in our society of making decisions on the basis of what
is observed in sand, seashells, tea leaves, cards, palms, of opening a book at random, and
the like are similar to this practice.
(This also indicates the practice of astrology, belief in horoscopes, and related matters.
The Prophet (peace be on him) said, "If anyone acquires any knowledge of astrology,
he acquires a branch of magic." (Ahmad, Abu Daoud, and Ibn Majah) He also said,
"The astrologer is a diviner, the diviner is a magician, and the magician is an
unbeliever." (Razi))
Islam has prohibited all such practices and considers
them sinful. After mentioning the prohibited foods, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says:
...And (also forbidden) is predicting the future
by means of divining arrows, for that is impiety....(5:4
(3))
And the Prophet (peace be on him) said, He
who consults with soothsayers or divining arrows, or returns from a journey because of an
ill omen, shall not attain the high rank (in Paradise). (Reported by
al-Nisai.)
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In like manner, Islam
condemns magic and those who practice it. Concerning those who learn magic the Qur'an
says: ...They learned (only) what
harmed them and what did not benefit them....(2:103)
The Prophet (peace be on him) counted the practice of magic among those major deadly sins
which destroy nations before destroying individuals and which degrade those who practice
them in this world prior to the Hereafter. Said he, 'Avoid the seven destroyers.' The listeners asked, 'O Messenger of
Allah, what are they?' He said, 'Associating (partners) with Allah (shirk), magic,
taking a life which Allah has made sacred except in the course of justice, devouring
usury, appropriating the property of the orphan, fleeing from the battlefield, and
slandering virtuous believing women who are indiscreet.' (Reported by
al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
Some jurists consider magic as unbelief
(kufr) or as leading toward unbelief, and some have even advocated that those who
practice it should be put to death in order to purify the society of their evil. The
Qur'an has taught us to seek refuge in Allah from the evil of the practitioners of magic:
(Magic should be understood to denote
witchcraft, sorcery, and all related practices.) ...From the evil of those who blow on knots.... (113:4), since blowing on knots is one of the methods which such
employ. The Prophet (peace be on him) said, "Whoever blows on knots practices magic, and whoever practices
magic is a mushrik (polytheist)." (Reported by
al-Tabarani through two chains of
transmitters, one of which is reliable.)
Just as it is haram for the
Muslim to consult with diviners or fortune-tellers concerning the secrets of the Unseen,
it is likewise haram for him to seek the help of magic, or those who practice it,
to cure an illor to remove a difficulty. The Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) disowned
such persons, saying He is not of us
who seeks an omen or for whom an omen is sought, who divines or for whom divination is
made, who practices magic or asks someone to practice magic for him. (Reported by
al-Bazzar on good authority.)
Says 'Abdullah bin Mas'ood, Anyone who goes to a diviner, a practitioner of magic or a
soothsayer, asking something and believing in what he says, denies what was revealed to
Muhammad. (Reported by
al-Bazzar and Abu Y`ala on good authority.)
And the Prophet (peace be on him) said, "The alcoholic, the believer in magic, and
the one who breaks the ties of kinship will not enter the Garden." (Reported by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih.)
The sin of such things is not
limited to the practitioner of magic alone but includes those who believe in his magic,
encourage him, and trust in what he says. The sin becomes greater and more flagrant if the
magic is used for purposes which are haram in themselves, such as sowing discord
between a husband and wife, inflicting bodily injury, and other evil uses, which are
popular among those who practice magic.
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In the same category is the
hanging of charms, seashells and the like in the belief that they will bring about the
cure of a disease or act as a protection from it. There are still some people in the
twentieth century who hang a horseshoe on the door. Moreover, we still find today
charlatans in various countries who exploit the ignorance of simple people by writing
amulets and charms for them, drawing lines and talismans and reciting strange
incantations, with the claim that these practices will protect the bearer from the
aggression of evil spirits, the influence of demons, the evil eye, envy, and so on.
As far as the prevention and treatment of disease are concerned, Islam
has prescribed measures which are well known, condemning those who turn away from them to
the deceitful methods of swindlers. The Prophet (peace be on him) said, "Seek the remedy, for He Who created illness
also created its cure." (Reported by Ahmad.)
He also said, "There is a remedy in three things: a drink of honey, bleeding by
a cupper, and cauterization by fire." (Reported by
al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
In our time these three types of cures include, by
analogy and extension, all medicines which are taken by mouth, surgical intervention, and
therapies utilizing heat or electricity.
As for wearing beads, seashells, charms and amulets, or reciting
certain incantations to treat or prevent illness, such practices are sheer ignorance and
error, are contrary to the laws of Allah Ta'ala, and constitute a denial of tauheed.
'Uqba bin 'Amir narrated that he came to the Prophet (peace be on
him) in a group of ten persons. The Prophet (peace be on him) accepted the oath of
allegiance (bay'ah) from nine of them, withholding himself from the tenth.
"What about him?" they asked There is an amulet on his arm," the Prophet
(peace be on him) replied. The man tore off the amulet and the Prophet (peace be on him)
then accepted his oath, saying, "The
one who wears it is a polytheist." (Reported by Ahmad and
al-Hakim; the words are from al-Hakim. Ahmad's
transmitters are reliable)
The Prophet (peace be on him) also said, May Allah not fulfill the hopes of the one who
wears a charm; may Allah not protect the one who hangs seashells. (Reported by Ahmad, by Abu Y'ala with good
transmitters, and by al-Hakim, who classified it as sound.)
'Umran bin Hasin narrated that the
Prophet (peace be on him) saw a man wearing a brass bracelet on his arm and he said to him
"Woe to you, what is this?" He replied, "To protect me from weakness."
The Prophet (peace be on him) said, Indeed,
this only increases your weakness. Throw it away, for if you die wearing it, you will
never attain success. (Reported by
Ahmad, by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih, and by Ibn Majah without "Throw it
away" to the end.)
These teachings of the Prophet
(peace be on him) penetrated the minds of his companions, and they rejected such erroneous
and false practices, neither accepting nor believing in them. 'Isa bin Hamzah narrated,
"I visited 'Abdullah bin Hakim who had a fever. I said, 'Why do you not wear a
charm?' He replied, 'I seek refuge in Allah from that.' " In another version he said,
"Death is preferable to that." The Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) said,
"Whoever wears a charm will be left to rely
on it." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi.)
'Abdullah bin Mas'ood once saw his
wife wearing a knotted thread around her neck. He pulled at it and broke it, saying,
"The family of 'Abdullah is free of associating anything with Allah for which He has
sent no authority." Then he said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be on
him) say, 'Incantations, amulets and
spells are shirk.'
Someone once said to him, "Abu 'Abdur-Rahman (as he was commonly called), we are familiar with incantations and amulets,
but what are spells?" He said, "Something which women employ to make their
husbands love them.'' (Reported by Ibn
Hibban in his Sahih. Al-Hakim has a shorter version, and he says it has sound
transmitters.) Accordingly, a spell denotes a kind of
magical practice.
Scholars say that if incantations are in a foreign language so that one
does not know what is being said, they are prohibited out of fear of their being mixed
with unbelief and magic. However, if what is being said can be understood and there is
mention of Allah in it, it is commendable because it is then a supplication to Allah and
is not meant to be a cure or a medicine. The incantations of jahiliyyah were
intermixed with magical formulae, polytheistic phrases, and nonsensical utterances.
It is reported that 'Abdullah bin Mas'ood forbade his wife to utter
such jahili incantations. She told him, "I went out one day and saw such and
such person. One of my eyes then began to water (meaning that it was the effect of his
evil eye and envy). But when I recited an incantation it stopped watering, and when I left
off reciting it, the eye started watering again." Ibn Mas'ood said, "That is
Satan. When you obey him he leaves you alone, but when you disobey him he stabs your eye
with his finger. But if you do as the Prophet (peace be on him) did, it will be better for
you and will most probably cure your eye. Bathe your eye with water and say,
Remove the hurt, O Lord of mankind. Heal me; Thou
art the Healer. There is no cure except Thy cure which leaves behind no disease. (This is Ibn Majah's wording. Abu Daoud has a
shorter version of this hadith, and al-Hakim a shorter one than either of the
preceding.)
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Drawing evil omens from
certain articles, places, times, individuals, and the like was, and still is, a current
superstition. In antiquity, the people of the Prophet Salih (peace be on him) said to him,
We augur an evil omen of thee and
those with thee....(27:47)
And whenever a calamity struck them, Pharaoh and his people ...ascribed it to evil omens connected with Moses and those
with him. (7:31)
Many times, when Allah Ta'ala tried the unbelievers by sending a
calamity, they would say to the messengers of Allah (peace be on them all), ...Indeed, we augur an evil omen from you. (36:18)
The reply of the messengers was, Your
auguring of evil omens is with yourselves (36:19),
meaning, "The cause of your evil omens is in your own attitude, stemming from your
unbelief, stubbornness, and arrogance in regard to Allah and His messengers."
The Arabs of jahiliyyah had a long history of such practices
associated with a variety of beliefs which persisted until the coming of Islam, which
abolished all such notions and brought the people back to the way of sound reason. The
Prophet (peace be on him) classified the auguring of evil omens with divination and magic
in his saying, He is not of us who
seeks for evil omens or for whom evil omens are sought, who divines or for whom divination
is made, who practices magic or for whom magic is practiced. (Reported by al-Tabarani on
the authority of Ibn 'Abbas through good transmi.)
The Prophet (peace be on him) also said, "Augury from drawing lines in the sand, from
the flight of birds, and from stones pertains to shirk." (Reported by Abu
Daoud, al-Nisai, and Ibn Hibban in
his Sahih.)
The auguring of omens has no basis
in science or in reality but is a weakness of the mind and a superstition. How can a sane
human being believe that a certain person or place, the cry of a bird, the flick of an
eyelid, or the hearing of a certain word can bode something evil? Even if there is some
weakness in human nature which is conducive to the seeking of omens from certain things,
one should not surrender to this weakness, especially when a decision is to be made or an
action is to be taken. It is stated in a hadith that No one is free of three things: suspicion, auguring evil
omens, and envy. Thus, if you have a suspicion, do not pursue it; if you augur an evil
omen, do not turn back; and if you are envious, do not transgress.
(Reported by al-Tabarani.)
In this way these three things will remain mere
thoughts which cross the mind without affecting the actual behavior, and Allah Ta'ala will
forgive them. Ibn Mas'ood reported the Prophet (peace be on him) as saying three times,
"Auguring evil omens is shirk (polytheism)."
And Ibn Mas'ood added, "None of us fails to be
affected by this, but Allah removes such influences through our trust in Him"
(Reported by Abu Daoud and al-Tirmidhi.), meaning that although there is no one among us who is not affected
by this weakness at one time or another, this weakness is removed from the heart of the
person who turns to Allah, trusting in Him and not letting such ideas obsess him.
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On the one hand Islam
launched an attack on jahili beliefs and superstitions which were a threat to
reason, morals, and manners, and on the other, on jahili customs, which were the
product of chauvinism: boastfulness, pride, and the glorification of the tribe.
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Islam's first step in this
direction was to reduce every kind of group chauvinism to dust, forbidding the Muslim to
revive any of the disputes of such chauvinism or to summon others toward it. The Prophet
(peace be on him) declared himself free of responsibility for anyone who practices it,
saying, He who calls others to group
chauvinism does not belong to us; he who fights for the sake of group chauvinism does not
belong to us; and he who dies upholding group chauvinism does not belong to us.
(Reported by Abu Daoud.)
There is no special distinction for
a certain color of skin, a particular race of mankind, or a special region of the earth.
The Muslim is forbidden to be a partisan of one race against another, one people against
another, or one country against another. It is not permissible for a believer in Allah and
the Last Day to support his people without regard for whether they are right or wrong,
just or unjust.
Wathilah bin al-Asq'a narrated, "I asked, 'O Messenger of Allah,
what is chauvinism?' and he replied, That
you should help your people in wrongdoing." (Reported by Abu Daoud.)
And Allah Ta'ala says: O you who believe, be steadfast in justice, as witnesses for
Allah, even though it be against yourselves or parents or kindred. (4:135)
...And do not let hatred of (other)
people cause you to deviate from justice. (5:9 (8))
"Help your brother, whether he is the oppressor or the
oppressed," was a well-known proverb in pre-Islamic jahiliyyah which people
used to take literally. The Prophet (peace be on him) changed its meaning in a subtle
fashion. After the faith was firmly established in the hearts of his Companions, he once
repeated this proverb to them. They were shocked, saying, "O Messenger of Allah, we
know how to help the oppressed, but how can we help the oppressor?" He replied,
"Stop him from wrongdoing; that is helping
him." (Reported by al-Bukhari.)
We know from these statements that a
call toward nationalism or racism is a call of jahiliyyah, and Islam, its Prophet
(peace be on him), and its Book have totally rejected it. Islam does not recognize any
loyalty other than to its belief, any relationship other than that of its brotherhood, or
any differentiation among human beings other than on the basis of belief and unbelief
.Even though he may be a fellow countryman, a relative, or one's own blood brother, the
unbeliever who shows hostility to Islam is an enemy to the Muslim. Says Allah
Ta'ala: Thou wilt not find any people who believe in
Allah and the Last Day loving those who resist Allah and His Messenger, even if they are
their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred....(58:22)
O you who believe, do not take your
fathers or your brothers as friends if they love unbelief more than faith....(9:23)
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Al-Bukhari reported that Abu
Dharr and Bilal, the Abyssinian, both of whom were among the earliest Muslims, once
quarreled and insulted each other. Carried away by his anger, Abu Dharr said to
Bilal,
"You son of a black woman!" Bilal complained about this to the Prophet (peace be
on him), who turned to Abu Dharr, saying, "Are you taunting him about his mother? There is still some
influence of jahiliyyah in you!'' (Reported by
al-Bukhari.)
Abu Dharr narrated that the Prophet
(peace be on him) said to him, "Look!
You are no better than a white or black man unless you excel in the fear of Allah." (Reported by al-Bukhari.)
The Prophet (peace be on him) also said, "You are all children of Adam, and Adam was
created of dust." (Reported by Ahmad.)
Thus Islam made it haram for
the Muslim to boast about his genealogy and kinship, mentioning his forefathers and
saying, "I am the son of such and such," or "I am white and you are black,
I am an Arab and you are a non-Arab." What is the value of kinships and genealogies
when all people come from one single origin? And even supposing that genealogy had value,
how does it add to the credit or debit of a person to have been born to this or that
father? Said the Prophet (peace be on him), These genealogies of yours are not a reason to revile anyone. You are
all children of Adam. No one has superiority over another except in religion and taqwa (the
fear of Allah). (Reported by al-Bazzar)
Mankind is descended from Adam and
Eve....On the Day of Resurrection Allah will not ask you about your kinships and
genealogies. The most honorable among you in the sight of Allah is the one who is the most
God-fearing (mutaqqi).
(Reported by Ahmad.)
The Prophet (peace be on him)
launched a fierce attack on those who boast about their fathers and grandfathers, saying,
Let people cease to boast about their ancestors
who have died, who are merely fuel in hell, or they will certainly be of less account than
the beetle which rolls dung with its nose. Allah has removed from you the pride of jahiliyyah
and its boasting about ancestors. One is either a God-fearing Believer or a wicked
sinner. All people are children of Adam, and Adam was created from dust. (Reported by Abu Daoud and
al-Tirmidhi; the wording
is from the latter, who classified it as good. It is also reported by al-Bayhaqi through
good transmitters.)
People who boast about their remote
ancestors among the pharaohs or the choesroes (the rulers of ancient Persia) and the like
should take note of this hadith. As the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) has
stated, these ancestors of theirs, whether Arab or non-Arab, or pre-Islamic jahiliyyah,
are nothing but the fuel of hell.
During the Farewell Pilgrimage, while thousands of Muslims gathered in
the sacred place, during the sacred month, the Prophet (peace be on him) delivered his
last public address, emphasizing the basic principles: O people, your Lord is One. Know that there is no superiority of an
Arab over a non-Arab or of non-Arab over an Arab, nor of a white over a black or of a
black over a white, except through consciousness of Allah (taqwa). Verily, the most
honorable among you in the sight of Allah is the one who has most taqwa.
(Reported by
Ahmad.)
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Among the customs of
jahiliyyah which were denounced by Islam was the prof wailing, lamenting, and showing
excessive grief for the dead.
Islam's teaching concerning death is that it is not the annihilation of
an individual, causing him to become non-exis, but that it is a journey from one world to
another and that no amount of mourning will bring the dead back to life or change the
decree of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. The Believer should receive death, as he receives any
other calamity which may befall him, with patience and dignity, repeating the ayah, To Allah we belong and to Him do we return. (2:156)
The pre-Islamic manner of mourning for the dead is strictly forbidden
to the Muslim. The Prophet (peace be on him) declared, " He who slaps his cheeks, tears his clothes, and cries out in the
manner of jahiliyyah is not of us." (Reported by
al-Bukhari.)
The Muslim is not permitted to wear
a mourning band, discard his adornment, or change his usual attire to express his sorrow
and grief. (The wearing of black as a
sign of mourning is prohibited in Islam, even in the case of a widow in mourning for her
husband. (Trans.))
However, a wife must observe a mourning period ('iddah)
of four months and ten days for her deceased husband in loyalty to the sacred ties of
marriage; in Islam this period is considered an extension of her previous marriage and she
is not allowed to receive any new proposals of marriage during this period. Thus, she is
required to refrain from adorning herself during that time both as a sign of mourning and
in order to keep the thought of remarriage out of her own mind and that of her potential
suitors. However, if the deceased is someone other than her husband, for example, her
father, brother or son, it is haram for her to mourn for more the three days.
Al-Bukhari reported concerning Umm Habeebah and Zaynab bint Jahsh, both of whom were wives
of the Prophet (peace be on him), that at the time of the deaths of Umm Habeebah's father
Abu Sufyan bin Harb, and Zaynab's brother, each of them perfumed herself, saying By Allah,
I am not in need of perfume, but I heard Allah s Messenger (peace be on him) say,
It is haram for a woman who believes in
Allah and the Last Day to mourn for a deceased person for more than three nights, except
for the husband (for whom the period of mourning is) four months and ten days.
(Reported in the
Book of "Funerals" in al-Bukhari's Sahih.)
The period of mourning for the deceased
husband is obligatory and should not be violated. A woman came to the Prophet (peace be on
him) and said, "My daughter's husband has died, and her eye is infected. May she use
kohl?" (In addition to being an
adornment, kohl also possesses medicinal value for the eye.) The Prophet (peace be on him) said, No, and repeated it twice or thrice.
(Reported in the Book of Divorce in
al-Bukhari's Sahih. The narration here is that of Umm Habeebah, and Zainab's
narrative is similar.) This demonstrates that adorning
or beautifying herself during the prescribed period of iddah is prohibited to the
widow. As grief and the expression of it are natural, she may mourn and weep but without
wailing and shouting. Upon the death of Khalid bin Walleed, 'Umar heard some women
weeping. Some people wanted to stop them from it but 'Umar said, "Let them weep for
Abu Sulayman (the name by which Khalid was called), as long as they do not throw dust on
their heads or start crying out."
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