Ruling on prisoners praying Jumu’ah when they are in their cells

Key word - {*Friday Prayers:-}
- - -

What is the ruling on prisoners praying Jumu'ahand praying in
congregation behind one imaam who stands in front of them, when they
are in their cells, via loudspeakers.
Praise be to Allaah.
The Committee of Senior Scholars issued a fatwa stating that they did
not agree with prisoners praying Jumu'ah or in congregation behind one
imaam in Jumu'ah or congregational prayers, and following him via
loudspeakers whilst they are in their prison cells, because they are
not obliged to pray Jumu'ah since they cannot go to the prayer, and
for other reasons.
But anyone who is able toattend Jumu'ah prayers inthe prison mosque –
if there is a mosque there – should pray it in congregation. Otherwise
aperson is not obliged to pray Jumu'ah and he should pray Zuhr
instead. The group in each cell should pray the five daily prayers in
congregation inside their cell if it is not possible for them to
gather in the mosque or in one place.
Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh
al-'Allaamah 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn 'Abd-Allaahibn Baaz (may Allaah have
mercy on him), part 12, p. 345

3a] Acts of worship which are prescribed on Fridays

Key word - {*Friday Prayers:-}
- - -

3a]
He also said:
The scholars said that the reason why it is forbiddento single out
Friday for fasting is that Friday is a day of du'aa', dhikr and
worship, such as ghusl, going early to the prayer, waiting for the
prayer, listening to the khutbah and reciting a lot of dhikr
afterwards, because Allaah says (interpretationof the meaning):
"Then when the (Jumu'ah)Salaah (prayer) is ended, you may disperse
throughthe land, and seek the Bounty of Allaah (by working), and
remember Allaah much"
[al-Jumu'ah 62:10]
And there are other acts of worship to be done on this day. So it is
preferablenot to fast then, as this will help a person to perform
these duties in anenergetic manner and enjoy them without feeling
bored or tired. Thisis like the pilgrim on the day of 'Arafah in
'Arafah, because the Sunnah is for him not to fast on that day for the
same reason… This is the reason for not allowing singling out Friday
for fasting. And it was said that the reason is so that people will
not go to extremes in venerating it as happenedin the case of
Saturday. But this view is weak, because on that day we offer Jumu'ah
prayer and do other acts of worship which are a kind of veneration.
And it was said that the reason for itsprohibition is so that people
would not think that this was obligatory. This is also a weak view
because it is encouraged to fast on Mondays and there was no fear that
anyone would think it was obligatory. No attention should be paid to
this far-fetched view. The same argument is applicable in the case of
fasting the day of 'Arafah and the day of 'Ashoora', etc. The correct
view is that which we have stated above.
And Allaah knows best.

3] Acts of worship which are prescribed on Fridays

Key word - {*Friday Prayers:-}
- - -

3]
I know that Friday has many virtues. Could you tell me some acts of
worship that I can do on this day?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Yes, Friday is a good day; there are many ahaadeeth which speak ofits
virtues. See Question no. 9211 .
There are many acts of worship which are prescribed for the Muslim to
do on this day. These include:
1 – Salaat al-Jumu'ah (Friday prayer)
Allaah says (interpretationof the meaning):
"O you who believe (Muslims)! When the call is proclaimed for the
Salaah (prayer) on Friday (Jumu'ah prayer), come tothe remembrance of
Allaah [Jumu'ah religious talk (Khutbah) and Salaah (prayer)] and
leave off business (and every other thing). That is better for you if
you did but know!"
[al-Jumu'ah 62:9]
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaahhave mercy on him) said in Zaad al-Ma'aad (1/376):
Friday prayer is one of themost important obligations in Islam, and
one of the greatest gatherings of the Muslims.Gathering on Friday is
more important and moreobligatory than any other gathering apart from
'Arafah. Whoever neglectsit, Allaah will place a seal on his heart.
It was narrated from Abu'l-Ja'd al-Damari – who was a companion of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoeverneglects
three Jumu'ahs, Allaah will place a seal on his heart."
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1052; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
Saheeh Abi Dawood, 928
It was narrated from 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Umar andAbu Hurayrah that they
heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) say on the minbar:
"Let people stop neglecting Jumu'ah, or Allaah will place a seal on
their hearts, then they will be among those who are neglectful."
Narrated by Muslim, 865.
2 – Making a lot of du'aa'.
On this day there is a timewhen a person's Lord will answer his du'aa'
– by Allaah's leave.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) mentioned Friday and said: "On this day there is a time when no
Muslim stands and prays, asking Allaah for something, but Allaah will
grant him it" – and he gestured with his hands to indicate how short
that time is.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 893; Muslim, 852
3 – Reading Soorat al-Kahf.
It was narrated from Abu Sa'eed al-Khduri that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoeverreads Soorat al-Kahf on
Friday, he will be illuminated with light between the two
Fridays."Narrated by al-Haakim; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
Saheeh al-Targheeb, 836
4 – Sending a lot of blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him).
It was narrated from Aws ibn Aws that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "The best of your days is Friday. On that
day Adam (peace be upon him) was created; on that day he died; on that
day the Trumpet will be blown; and on that day all of creation will
swoon. So send a great deal of blessings upon me, for your blessings
will be shown to me." They said, "O Messenger of Allaah, how will our
blessings upon you be shown to you when you have turned to dust?" He
said, "Allaah has forbidden the earth to consume the bodies of the
Prophets, peace be upon them."
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1047; classed as saheeh by Ibn al-Qayyim in
his comments on Sunan Abi Dawood, 4/273; classed assaheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 925.
He said in 'Awn al-Ma'bood:
Friday is singled out because it is the best of days and the chosen
day. So there is an advantage to sending blessings uponhim on that day
that is not present on any other day.
Along with these virtues and acts of worship, the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade singling out Friday for
fasting, or singling out thenight of Friday for doing acts of worship
that are not narrated in sharee'ah.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet(peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "Do not single out the night of Friday
for qiyaamal-layl, and do not single out the day of Friday for
fasting, unless that is part of the habitual fasting of any one of
you."
(Narrated by Muslim, 1144).
Al-San'aani said in Subul al-Salaam:
This hadeeth indicates that it is haraam to single out the night of
Friday forworship or reading Qur'aan that is not one's regular custom,
apart from that which is indicated in the texts, such as reading
Soorat al-Kahf.
Al-Nawawi said:
This hadeeth clearly statesthat it is forbidden to single out the
night of Friday for prayer or the day of Friday for fasting. Itis
agreed (among the scholars) that this is makrooh.:->

Combination of aspirin,clopidogrel ineffective as stroke preventer: study

- Acombination of aspirin and clopidogrel, both common bloodthinners, does not prevent recurrence of a common type ofstroke, and may even pose serious risks, according to an international team of scientists.
Combining aspirin and clopidogrel (known commercially as Plavix) was thought to hold promise in preventing recurring of lacunar strokes by reducing the formation of clots in arteries supplying the brain.
Lacunar strokes, caused by narrowing of small blood vessels, are also known as small subcortical strokes, which account for about 25 percent of ischemic strokes.
However, in a study published at the end of last month, scientists found the two-drug combination did not significantly reduce the risk of recurrence of stroke, and evidently increased the risk of bleeding and death, compared to aspirin alone or aspirin combined with a placebo.
The study involved 3,020 patients from 82 sites in North America, Latin America, and Spain who were followed for several years, and the result waspublished in the New England Journal of Medicine.
"Previous randomized trials assessing the effect of clopidogrel alongside aspirin didnot show an overall increase in mortality, so our results are a bitsurprising," said Oscar Benavente, lead author of the study and professor of neurology from the University of British Columbia.
"The results of our research support the current guidelines for secondary stroke prevention: the use of either aspirin or clopidogrel, or the approved combination therapy of aspirin and dipyridamole (known commercially as Persantine)," Benavente said.

Bloodshed all by a film?

Sina English

The United States has tightened security of its embassies in Arab
countries following an attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, where a
team of the US Marine Corps has already been stationed.
Additionally, two US destroyers have been deployed off the coast of
Libya. Meanwhile, experts warn of thedeterioration of the situation in
the Middle East.
The Arab world is starting to 'boil' as mass protest rallies aretaking
place near the US embassies in Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia and Libya.
Protesters are angered about the Innocence of Muslims, an anti-Islam
film made in the United Sates to commemorate the 11th anniversary of
the 9/11 attacks.
Protests turned violent in the Libyan city of Benghazi, where the US
Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens was killed on Tuesday night in an
attack thatwas apparently orchestrated byal-Qaeda, according to some
experts. Others say that the attack might be the work of one of the
groups struggling for power in Libya. The finger of blame is
specifically laid on Benghazi rebels who were irked with the results
of the Libyan revolution.
Libya is seeing the ongoing process of redistribution of the flows of
oil money. Rebels would like to capitalize on their own efforts
because they are based on the territory of oiltransit supplies, where
plants and terminals are located.
As for Egypt, the situation there remains tense and street protests
show no signs of abating, something that was, however, tackled by the
Muslim Brotherhood.
Representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood decided to authorize protest
rallies that were earlier staged near the US embassy in Egypt. They
have repeatedly warned against violence during these rallies,
something that they said could even prompt the enemies of Islam crack
down on Egypt andIslam on the whole.
Experts fear that Americans may well respond in kind given the ongoing
election campaign in the United States. President Barack Obama knows
full well that his sitting on his hands may quickly add up to approval
ratings of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, let alone
Republicans' criticism of Obama.
Yemeni president apologizes to U.S. for embassy attack, death toll rises to 3
Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi apologized to U.S. President
Barack Obama on Thursday for the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Yemen's
capital Sanaa, as the death toll of the conflict rose to three.
The attack in Yemen came as part of the widespread anger across the
Muslim world over anU.S. movie insulting Islam's Prophet Mohammed.
Full story
224 injured in clashes in front of U.S. embassy in Cairo
At least 224 people were injuredThursday in clashes in front of the
U.S. embassy in the Egyptiancapital of Cairo, official news agency
MENA reported, quoting the health ministry.
Clashes continue Thursday evening between protesters against a U.S.
anti-Islam movie and the security forces in front of the embassy. Full
story
Iran's leader blames U.S., Israel for anti-Islam movie
The Supreme Leader of the Islamic republic Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has
blamed the UnitedStates and Israel on the production of an anti-Islam
movie that insults Muslim's Prophet Mohammed.
In a message issued on Thursday, Khamenei said that"behind this evil
move lie the antagonistic policies of the Zionists and the U.S. and
other heads of the global arrogance," Press TV reported. Full story
Libya arrests suspects in consulate attack
Arrests have been made in connection with Tuesday's attack that killed
four Americans at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi,including US
ambassador Christopher Stevens, Libyan Deputy Interior Minister Wanis
Sharif said, according to Reuters.
"Some people have been arrested and are under investigation," Reuters
quoted Sharif as saying.
Related news:
Facts leading up to and surrounding Benghazi Killing
U.S. issues travel warning on Algeria
US Ambassador killed in Libya. Who to blame?
Anti-Islam Film Protesters storm U.S. Embassy in Yemen
Egyptian ministers demand U.S. act upon anti-Islam filmmaker
Obama strongly condemns killing of U.S. ambassador in Libya
Clinton condemns killing of U.S. officer in Libya
Anti-Islam filmmaker in hidingafter protests
Protesters attack US consulate in Libya, 1 killed
Protesters surrounding U.S. embassy in Cairo over movie insulting Prophet/

Preserve Allaah and He will preserve you

Aboo Tayyib At-Tabaree (an early scholar), was an old man – about a hundred years old. He was remarkable in that he was 100 years old and his vision and his hearing were sharp. He was physically capable of running and performing actions just like the young man. He once came back from a trip by sea – and you could imagine, during that time period, traveling by sea would exhaust people. Rather even today, by the time you landfrom an 8-houred flight, you are exhausted. This is with an air-conditioned seat and being served food, yet you are still exhausted. What about weeks and months at sea?
So when the boat landed and everyone was exhausted, Aboo Tayyib At-Tabaree jumps off the boat and hops down to the land. People were amazed. How could you be a hundred years old and jump around like this?
He said:
♥ ❝ When I was a young man, I preserved these bodily limbs from the disobedience of Allaah and Allaah preserved them for me in my old age.❞ ♥ :')
<You can find this story mentioned by Ibn Rajab in his explanation to 'Preserve Allaah and He will preserve you,' of 40 Ahaadeeth of An-Nawaawee.

Doing ghusl for Jumu’ahis prescribed as Sunnah when getting ready to go to the prayer

Key word - {*Friday Prayers:-}
- - -

Does the obligatory ghusl done before Fajr exempt one from also having
to do ghusl for Jumu'ah, or not?
Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh
al-'Allaamah 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn 'Abd-Allaahibn Baaz (may Allaah have
mercy on him), part 12, p. 404

There is no regular Sunnah prayer before Jumu’ah

Key word - {*Friday Prayers:-}
- - -

Is there any Sunnah prayer before or after Jumu'ah?
Praise be to Allaah. There is no regular Sunnah prayer before Jumu'ah
according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions, but it
prescribed for the Muslim, when he comes to the mosque, to pray
whateverAllaah enables him to pray, saying salaam after each two
rak'ahs, becausethe Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "The prayers of the night and the day [i.e., other than the
obligatory prayers] are two by two." (Narrated by Imaam Ahmad and the
authors ofSunan with a hasan isnaad; the original is to be found in
al-Saheeh without any mention of the day.)
And many saheeh reports indicate that what is prescribed for the
Muslim when he comes to the mosque on Friday is to pray whatever
Allaah wills he should pray before the imaam comes out. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not specify whether it
should be two or four or more. All of thatis good, but the minimumis
two rak'ahs to "greet the mosque."
With regard to after Jumu'ah, there is a regularSunnah prayer, the
minimum of which is two rak'ahs and the maximumis four, because the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,
"Whoeveramong you prays after Jumu'ah, let him pray four(rak'ahs)"
(narrated by Muslim, al-Jumu'ah, 8881).And he (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) used to pray two rak'ahs after Jumu'ah in his
house. May Allaah help us all to do that which pleases Him.
Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh
al-'Allaamah 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn 'Abd-Allaahibn Baaz (may Allaah have
mercy on him), part 12, vol. 386

It is not permissible to stay away from Jumu‘ahprayer without an excuse

Key word - {*Friday Prayers:-}
- - -

I graduated as a radiologytechnician in the Norton Hospital in
America. They offered me a job last week, but it seems that they will
not give me a day off on Fridays to perform Jumu'ah prayer. What is
the ruling?
Praise be to Allah.
It is obligatory on the onewho can hear the call to prayer on Friday
and is one of those for whom Jumu'ah is obligatory -- that is he is a
male, Muslim, accountable and free (not a slave) -- to respond to the
call. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
"O you who believe (Muslims)! When the call is proclaimed for the
Salat(prayer) on the day of Friday (Jumuah prayer), come to the
remembrance of Allah (Jumuah religious talk (Khutbah) and Salat
(prayer)) and leave off business (and every other thing), that is
better for you if you did but know!"
[al-Jumu 'ah 63:9].
And the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
"People must cease neglecting Jumu'ah, or Allaah will put a seal over
their hearts and they will truly be among the negligent." Narrated by
Muslim, 865.
Secondly:
There are some excuses that make it permissible for a Muslim to miss
Jumu'ah prayer, such as being sick or doing essential work that he
cannot leave in order to offer Jumu'ah prayer, as inthe case of one
who is treating the sick or dealing with emergency cases in the
hospital, or one who works as a security guard for a place of great
importance, and other such jobs.
This has been discussed previously in the answer to question no. 36530
Based on that, if your presence in the hospital atthe time of Jumu'ah
prayer is necessary for dealing with emergency and accident cases, and
there is no one else you can do this job apart fromyou, then there is
nothingwrong with your not attending Jumu'ah prayer in that case, and
you may pray it as Zuhr.
But if your staying in the hospital at that time is not necessary,
because there are others who could do the work besidesyou, then there
is no excuse for you to miss Jumu'ah prayer, and you have to do look
for another job which will not conflict with your Islamic duty. If a
person gives up something for the sake of Allah, Allah will compensate
him withsomething better than it.
We ask Allah to make what is good easy for youwherever it is.
And Allah knows best.

Raising the voice when saying Tasbeeh on Friday

Key word - {*Friday Prayers:-}
- - -

Is saying Tasbeeh in a loud voice on Friday for an hour or more before
Jumu'ah prayers Sunnah or bid'ah?
Praise be to Allaah.
Undoubtedly this action isbid'ah, because it has not been transmitted
to us that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or
his companions did that, and all goodness is to be found in following
them. But if a person says Tasbeeh to himself, there is nothing wrong
with that, indeed it brings much good and a great reward, because it
was narrated in a saheeh report that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "The most beloved of words to Allaah are
four: Subhaan Allaah (Glory be to Allaah), al-hamdu Lillaah (praise be
to Allaah). Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah (there is no god except Allaah) and
Allaahuakbar (Allaah is Most Great)." (Narrated by Muslim, al-Adaab,
2137)
And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Two words
which are light on the tongue but which are dear to the Most Merciful
and will weigh heavily in the balance: Subhaan Allaah wa bi hamdih,
subhaan Allaah il-'Azeem (Glory and praise be to Allaah; Glory be to
Allaah the Almighty)." (Narrated by al-Bukhaari,
al-Aymaanwa'l-Nudhoor, 6682; Muslim, al-Dhikr wa'l-Du'a'wa'l-Tawbah
(Remembering Allaah, supplication and repentance, 2694).

A Cure for Music

:-*Keyword - Posts under 'Quran'

Rasulullah (s.a.w.) said: "Hewho does not read the Qur'aan in a
melodious voice is not from us." (Bukhari Vol. 2 Pg 1123. Abu Da'ud
Vol. 1 Pg 207)
To recite the Qu'raan in a melodious voice is mustahab and has been
encouraged in many ahaadith. Thus Rasulullah (s.a.w.) said: "Adorn the
Qur'aan with your voices." (Bukhari Vol. 2 Pg 1126)
The narration of Haakim's Mustadrak and Daarimi's Sunan have the
following addition: "… because a beautiful voice increases the beauty
of the Qur'aan."
Rasulullah (s.a.w.) said: " Allah does not listen as attentively to
anything as He listens to a Nabi reciting the Qur'aan in a melodious
voice." (Bukhari Vol. 2 Pg 1115)
Hadhrat Abu Moosa Ash'ari(r.a.) a famous Sahabi, used to recite the
Qur'aan in a very beautiful tone. Rasulullah (s.a.w.) praised him
saying that he had been blessed with "a flute from the flutes of
Dawood." (Bukhari Vol. 2 Pg 755)
Note: The word 'mizmar' (flute) has not been used in its literal
meaning. Hadhrat Dawood (a.s.) used to recite the Zabur in an
extremely beautiful voice. Thus his voice has been described as a
flute in the Hadith.
The question however is that the word used in the Hadith for 'reading
in a melodious voice' is that of 'taghanni'. The literal translation
of this word is 'to sing'. On the contrary we have been prohibited in
the Hadith to sing and read the Qur'aan. Althoughit is understandable
that the word 'taghanni' has been used figuratively, why has a simpler
or moreclearer word not been used?
A similar question was posed to the famous Muhaddith, Ibn al-Arabi
(r.a.) to which he replied: "The Arabs used to sing when they mounted
their camels, when they sat in their assemblies and in most of their
conditions. Thus when the Qur'aan was revealed, Rasulullah (s.a.w.)
desired that the Qur'aan should be their habit rather than singing."
(Sharh-us-Sunnah Vol. 4 Pg 486)
In other words, the Arabs were so infatuated with singing that singing
and music was found in basically every aspect of their lives. Thus
when the Qur'aan was revealed, Rasulullah (s.a.w.) desired that their
habit of singing be substituted by the recitation of the Qur'aan. This
explanation may be substantiated by the following Hadith narrated by
Hadhrat Zaid Ibn Arqam(r.a.): "While Nabi (s.a.w.) was walking through
an alley in Medina, he passed a youth that was singing. Nabi (s.a.w.)
said to him: 'Woe to you, O youth. Whydo you not recite the Qur'aan in
a melodious voice?" (Ahkaam-ul-Qur'aan of Mufti Muhammad Shafe).
Note: The word 'taghanni' has been used in this Hadith as well. Hafiz
Ibn Hajr (r.a.) quotes from Ibn-Ambari that it means to take pleasure
and delight just as the singers take pleasure in music. Thus the word
music (taghanni) has been used because the same pleasureis experienced
(i.e. when reciting the Qur'aan) as is experienced when listening to
music. (Fath-ul-Bari Vol. 9 Pg 62)
It is for this reason that Hafiz Ibn Qayyim (r.a.) and Allamah Anwar
Shah Kashmir (r.a.) have regarded excessive recitation of the Qur'aan
asan excellent cure for music.
Hadhrat Shah Saheb explains: "When a man forms a habit of music it
overpowers him until he isunable to refrain from it. That is why you
will see the singer always humming to himself. Thus Nabi (s.a.w.) has
taught him that the means for refraining from music is that he make
the Qur'aan his hum and music until the Qur'aan overpowers him just as
music had overpowered him." (Faiz-ul-Bari Vol. 4 Pg 269)
CONCLUSION
Let alone Muslims, even non-Muslims often marvel at the sweetness and
beauty of the Qur'aan, its rhythm, choice of words etc. This sweetness
is further enhanced by reciting the Qur'aan in a sweet voice as
mentioned in the Hadith. In the light of the above, it may be
concluded that excessive reading and listening to the Qur'aan is an
excellent cure for the ailment of music.

How the Qur’an was Compiled

:-*Keyword - Posts under 'Quran'

QUESTION:
I wanted to know was the entire Qur'an compiled before the Prophet's
death or after by the khalifas. What I mean by compiled is the
ordering of the surahs. Before the Prophet's death ( Allah bless him &
give him peace), did the sahabas know that the #1 surah is fatiha and
#2 is suratul baqara and so forth? Or was this order established by
the khalifas like during Uthman (Allah be pleased with him) time?
ANSWER:
Assalamu alaykum
In the name of Allah the inspirer of truth
The order of the verses in each chapter of the Qur'an was divinely
inspired, eventhough they were revealed portion by portion as the need
arose over a 23 year period.
The Messenger of Allah (upon him be peace) would instruct the scribes
to place each verse in its proper place as they were revealed.
It is related by Imam Ahmad and the authors of the Sunans on the
authority of Uthman radhiyallahu anhu, "When a chapter was revealed of
the Qur'an that had a number of verses, the Messenger of Allah would
call one of the scribes and say, "Place these verses in the chapter
which states such and such…" Hence, from this and other narrations it
is understoodthat not only was the arrangement of the verses divinely
inspired, so were the chapters according to many scholars. (Fath
al-Bari, Bab ta'lif al-Qur'an).
Although there is agreement concerning the arrangement of the verses
being divinely inspired, there is a difference of opinion concerning
the order of the chapters. The stronger opinion seems to be that the
arrangement of many chapters was alsodivinely inspired, althoughsome
chapters were placed through the ijtihad [inference] of the
Companions. For instance, it is reported that the Companions placed
Surat al-Tawba after Surat al-Anfal, through their own deliberation,
as they did not have any information concerning this from the
Messenger (upon him be peace).
A good English work on the sciences of the Qur'an is, Approach to the
Qur'anicSciences by Shaykh Mufti Taqi Uthmani . An abridgedversion of
it is found in thebeginning of the Ma`arif al-Qur'an [a Qur'anic
tafsir in Urdu, which is available in English translation as well].
Well worth reading.

How to return salaams to one who offers his hand in greeting during the khutbah

If the imaam is preaching and someone greets you and offers his hand,
what is the ruling?
Praise be to Allaah.
Gesture to him if it is the time of the khutbah, and put your hand in
his, without speaking, because the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded usto listen to the khutbah.
He said, "If you say to your companion on Friday, 'Listen!' when the
imaam is preaching, then you have engaged in idle speech." (Narrated
by al-Bukhaari, al-Jumu'ah, 882; Muslim, al-Jumu'ah, 1404. Agreed
upon).
He described his enjoiningsomething good as being "idle speech"
(laghw) at the time of the khutbah, so how about other kinds of
speech? And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, according to a saheeh hadeeth, "Whoever plays with the pebbles
(on the ground) has engaged in idle speech (laghw)." (Narrated by
Muslim, al-Jumu'ah, 1419)
At Jumu'ah prayers, the believer should listen to the khutbah and be
humble and solemn, he should beware of playing with pebbles on the
ground or anything else. If someone greets him he should gesture to
him without speaking. If he puts his hand in his when he offers his
hand, without speaking, that is OK, as stated above. He should tell
him after the khutbah that he should not have done that, and that
which is prescribed if one comes in when the imaam is preaching is to
pray two rak'ahs to "greetthe mosque" and not to say salaams to anyone
until after the khutbah has ended. If he sneezes he should praise
Allaah (say "al-hamdu Lillah") to himself without speaking out loud.

Employees whose work means that they have tocontinue working at thetime of Jumu’ah

Key word - {*Friday Prayers:-}
- - -

Some sensitive jobs require the constant presence of an employee,
including at the times of obligatory prayers and Jumu'ah (Friday)
prayers. Should these employees leave their work and go and pray, or
should they stay on the job?
Praise be to Allaah.
The basic principle is that Jumu'ah prayer is obligatory upon
individuals, because Allaah says (interpretationof the meaning):
"O you who believe (Muslims)! When the call is proclaimed for the
Salaah (prayer) on Friday (Jumu'ah prayer), come tothe remembrance of
Allaah [Jumu'ah religious talk (Khutbah) and Salaah (prayer)] and
leave off business (and every other thing). That is better for you if
you did but know!"
[al-Jumu'ah 62:9]
And Imam Ahmad narrated from Ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with
him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said
concerning some people who were failing to attend Jumu'ah prayers:
"Ihad thought to tell a man to lead the people in prayer, then I would
burn down the houses of men who fail to attend Jumu'ah prayers."
(Ahmad, 1/402; Muslim, 1/452). Muslim narrated from Abu Hurayrah and
Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them) that they heard the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say
from the minbar: "There are peoplewho should stop neglecting Jumu'ah,
or else Allaah will put a seal on their hearts, then they will surely
be among the negligent." And there is consensus among the scholars on
this point (that Jumu'ah is obligatory). But if a person for whom
Jumu'ahis obligatory has a legitimate shar'i excuse – such as one who
is directly responsible for a matter of national security and
protecting the interests of the ummah, and he is required to do that
job at the time of Jumu'ah, such as those who are in charge of
security, traffic, wireless and telephone communications, etc, those
whose shift happens to be at the timeof the second call to Jumu'ah
prayers or the time of a prayer in congregation – then such people are
excused for not praying Jumu'ah or prayers in congregation, because of
the general meaning of the verse (interpretation of the meaning):
"So keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him as much as you can"
[al-Taghaabun 64:16]
And the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Whatever I forbid you to do, avoid it, and whateverI
command you to do, do as much of it as you can." Moreover, such a
person has no less an excuse thanone who is excused because he fears
for his life or his wealth etc., whothe scholars have said is excused
for not praying Jumu'ah or prayers in congregation so long as the
reason is present. But the obligation to pray Zuhr still stands, and
he must pray it on time; whenever he can pray in congregation he is
obliged to do that, as is the case with all the five daily obligatory
prayers.

Jumu’ah prayers in a room at work

Key word - {*Friday Prayers:-}
- - -

My Employer has providedus with a small prayer room at work. We have
about 4 or 5 brothers who pretty much regularly pray Zuhur and Asr in
this room. Is it permissible to make Friday prayers in this room?
Considering that every alternate Friday is off for us and nobody makes
a prayer in that room on such Fridays.
Praise be to Allaah.
If in the city where you live there is a mosque in which Jumu'ah
prayers are held, then you must pray with them, and it is not
permissible for you tointroduce another Jumu'ah prayer. But if there
is no Jumu'ah prayer in the city, then you must establish it and it is
not permissible for you to pray Zuhr instead, because "Establishing
Jumu'ah prayer in their towns and villages is obligatory upon the
Muslims and offering the Jumu'ah prayer in congregation is a condition
of it being valid.There is no shar'i evidencethat stipulates a certain
number being required for it to be valid. In order for it to be valid
it is sufficient for there to be three or more. It is not permissible
for one on whom Jumu'ah is obligatory to pray Zuhr instead on the
grounds that the number is less than forty, according to the most
correct scholarly opinion."
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, no. 1794 (8/178).
It says in the fatwa of thecommittee no. 957:
"With regard to the number required to hold Jumu'ah prayers, we do
not know of any text which stipulates a specific number. Because there
is no text which stipulates a specific number, the scholars differed
concerning the number required. Among the opinions which have
beenstated concerning that is the view that it may be done if there
are three men who are local residents. This was reported from Imam
Ahmad, and was the view favoured by al-Awzaa'i and Shaykh Taqiy
al-Deen Ibn Taymiyah, because Allaah says (interpretationof the
meaning): 'come to the remembrance of Allaah [Jumu'ah religious talk
(Khutbah) and Salaah (prayer)]' [al-Jumu'ah 62:9] – the verbal form
used is plural, which implies a minimum of three." (8/210).

In a season of consumerist madness,let’s be grateful, and give

At this time of year the stores are pushing their sales at us.
Advertising is everywhere. There if a frenzy to buy, buy, buy. Let's
realize that this is nota spiritual way of life. It's not an
appropriate lifestyle for someone who is dedicated to God. The
consumerist madness is a deception. There's no joy or peace attached
to it. It's a shallow illusion.
Look at what society has done to itself in the name of consumerism. A
day of thanks (Thanksgiving) has become the prelude to "Black Friday",
the biggest shopping day of the year. It used to be that Black Friday
did not begin until Friday morning, out of respect for Thanksgiving.
Then the starting gun was moved to midnight, and now it has crept into
Thursday evening. Nothingis sacred.
The Prophet 'Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus the son of Mary), peace be upon
him, has been turned into a marketing strategy. His purported birthday
has become a month of shopping insanity, presided over by a mythical
sub-deity named Santa. People go into debt,they fight over sale goods…
no mention is made of faith.
We Muslims fall prey to the same consumerist lifestyle. Sometimes the
holy month of Ramadan becomes a month of shopping, sleeping and binge
eating, astaghfirullah.
Let us – Christians, Muslims, Jews and all people of God – not
followthis path. Let's hew to a way of sacrifice, zakat
(purification), sadaqah (charity), zuhd (giving up material luxury).
We don't have to be monks, but we must focus on the things that
matter: faith and family.
There are movements thatadvocate a simple living, back-to-nature,
low-impact lifestyle. In Islam this is called zuhd , which could be
translated as detachment or asceticism. Zuhd is a choicethat a person
makes to give up the hunger for material possessions and transgressive
carnal experiences, and live a simple lifestyle dedicated to God.
That's what we need.
The faith in our hearts is more important than the brand name of the
clothes we wear. Where our feet carry us – to someplace good or bad –
is more important than the cost of our shoes. The sincerity in our
hearts is more important than any gift. May Allah help us to see what
is important in life.

If Allah brings you to it, He will bring you through it

If Allah brings you to it, He will bring you through it. Whatever
misfortune you have experienced, let Allahshow you the way out.
Has your heart been broken? Have you experienced disappointment and
loss? Trying to figure out how to be happy again? You need only three
things: faith, hope and time. Keep the faith alive in your heart, even
if it's just a spark. Hold on to your hope for the future, even by the
tips of your fingers. And let time pass… In timeyour faith will blaze
again, your hope will soar.
So be patient, trust Him, thank Him, and look for the light at the end
of the tunnel. Hang in there. He will bring you through.
"Attach your heart to God and you will never be let down." – Imam Zaid Shakir
"When I cry or lose or bruise, so long as I am still alive, nothing is
ultimate. So long as there is still a tomorrow, a next moment, there
is hope, there is change, there is redemption. What is lost, is not
lost forever."

A Western sky and a bell of brass

Shrugging off doubts.
Wistful for a house
I've only seen in dreams,
a green garden for my child,
a woman with kind eyes.
A Western sky
and a bell of brass.
A wall that evil cannot pass,
a patch of sunlight on the grass,
a place to live and laugh.