THE PRAYER THAT WAS GRANTED

He was lame in one foot and like other multi-theists, he worshipped
idols. He had also once been the custodian of one of the idol temples
ofthe city of Medina.
With the spread of Islam, people gave up idolatry and came to believe
in the Oneness of God. However, he continued to believe in idols. With
complete sincerity, he worshipped the idol he himself hadmade. He
prayed to it for his needs.
The young children of hiscity stole his idol many times and threw it
among the rubbish so that he would stop worshipping idols. However he
continued toworship the idols. He would take a great deal of trouble
finding it and then he would take it home, clean and scent it and
start worshipping the idol again.
He used to say to the idol:"If I only knew who takesyou, I would make
him pay for it. But believe me,I do not know who he is!"
He continued in this way worshipping idols until one day he was faced
with a strange scene - he saw that someone had tied his idol to the
corpseof an animal and had thrown it in the middle of a pit!
Upon seeing this, he was taken aback. In fact, he could not believe
such aninsult had been made to his idol. He decided to take the idol
to his home again and apologize when suddenly an idea occurred to him.
He asked himself, "Really, what sort of a god is this idol? Why is it
so helpless and miserable? Why is it unable to defend itself? How can
such a weak thing be my protector?"..and thus he came to realize the
truth and to hate such a weak god who was unable to do anything. He
then reproached himself for having been an idolater. It was then that
the sparkof faith lit up his heart so that while shedding tearsof
remorse, he started repenting. In this way he came to believe in the
unique God and he became one of the most devoted Muslim.
A few years later, when the multi-theists attempted to fight and
destroy Islam, he hurried to help God's religion and thereby left a
splendid reminiscence.
The city of Medina was over-excited. People were getting themselves
ready for a great war with the infidels and multi-theists of the
Quraish in order to give them the punishment they deserved and to
prevent their further oppression.
Each of the Muslim hurriedly tried to be the first to announce his
readiness to help the Holy Prophet of Islam in fighting against the
enemies of Islam.
Amr bin Jamuh, the lame man whom we have already mentioned was, like
other Muslims, desirous of defending Islam alongside the Holy Leader
of Islam. But each time he remembered thathe was lame in one leg, he
became rather annoyed and worried lest the Holy Prophet should not
allow him to go to war.
Amr had three sons who were all ready to go to the battlefield.
However, he himself was sad and said, "Today I must stay at home and
not go to the jihad (religious and spiritual struggle in the way of
God) on account of my lame leg! It will be a dishonor if I die in bed
while I know my jihad is necessary and useful for the cause of Islam.
Why should I not fight for the cause of God and achievethe sublime
honor of martyrdom?"
As Amr was thus talking to himself, a thought occurred to him, which
made his heart tremble with joy and his eyes flash with eagerness. He
seemed to have found the solution to his problem. Limping, he
rantowards his house and called his wife, Hind, in a loud voice.
Hind went to her husband rather amazed and asked, "Amr what is the matter?"
"Hurry up. Hurry up. Bring me whatever is left over from my son's war
equipment. I want to take part in this battle. Hurry up..."
"What are you saying, Amr. God has exempted people like you from fighting..."
"Stop saying that. Do you want your husband to stay at home while your
sons acquire the glorious blessing of martyrdom? I swear by God that
I, too, am longing for martyrdom and wish to defend Islam as my sons
do. Of course, I love you, but I cannot prefer my love for you to my
love for meeting my God. Moreover, though God has exempted me from
fighting, He has not prohibited me from doing so. Now please prepare
my things quickly."
Think over it that by simply granting you the privilege of praying for
His favors and mercy, He has handed over the keysof His treasures to
you. Whenever you are in need, pray, and He gives His favors and
blessings. Imam Ali [A.S.] Seeing that her husband was so determined
to take part in the battle and would by no means change his mind, Hind
did not say anything more and hurriedly got his things together.
However, as she was worried about her husband, she quickly went to the
chief of the tribe and her family to see if they might be able to
convince him from going to the battlefront. She then returned to her
home with them.
Amr was quite ready. He had put on his chain, put his helmet on his
head, drawn his sword out of its sheath and was looking at them.
When Amr observed that his wife had gathered the chief of the tribe to
prevent his going to war,he turned to him with a determined face and
said, "Do not insist. It is useless. I will not change my decision!"
But the chief of the tribe went on insisting that he should not go to
the battlefront. Their reasoning was that it wasimpossible for a lame
man to fight.
The old man was not ableto make them understand that his love for God
and for martyrdom could not easily be driven out of the heart of a
Muslim. Finally, he had no choice but to go to the Holy Prophet with
his family and with the chief of the tribe and to obey whatever
command he would give him.
When they were in the presence of the Prophet, Amr said, "Oh Prophet
of God, my relatives want toprevent me from going to the jihad. They
want to imprison me at home while I am so eagerly desirous of jihad
and fighting for God's sake with this very lame leg."
The Holy Prophet answered, "Oh Amr! God has exempted you from jihad.
Fighting is not a duty of yours."
"I know oh Messenger of God, but I ask that you allow me to fight
against the enemies of Islam alongside you. I beg of you not to
disappoint me..."
When the great Prophet saw that the fire of faith was so enflaming in
Amr's pure heart, he gavehim an affectionate look and then addressing
his relatives and the chief of his tribe, said, "Do not disturb him.
Let him go to the battlefield. Martyrdom is his heart's desire.
Perhaps God will grant him this blessing." And thus Amr went to
thewarfront.
As the battle broke out, all saw Amr attacking the core of the enemy's
army like a powerful, angry lion and shouting,"Where are you, enemies
of God? I challenge you all because I desire to meet my God."
His sons, too, were busy fighting and creating memorable legends on
the battlefield. God witnessed the combat of the brave fighters who
were defending their divine faith. Amr and oneof his sons fought and
fought and were so severely wounded that they finally fell to the
ground while their bodies were covered with blood. Thus they
sacrificed their lives for their truthful faith. Like afaded tulip,
Amr was resting in the middle of the battlefield.
And after a while, the battle ended. The womenof Medina hurried to the
battlefield to see what had happened to their combatant men.
Some had spread the rumor that the Prophet had been martyred. They
were all anxious to knowwhether that heart-rending news was true.
Ayesha, the Holy Prophet's wife, was among these women. As she, was
going towards the battlefield, she saw that Hind, Amr's wife, hadput
the corpses of her martyred husband and son on a camel and was holding
its halter in her hands, but the camel refused to move on!
Ayesha asked her, "What news can you give me?"
Hind answered, "Many thanks to the Gracious God for the Holy Prophet
is safe and sound. I feel no sorrow as long as God's Prophet is
healthy and safe."
Ayesha asked her,"Whose corpses are these?"
"These are the corpses of my husband, my son and my brother and I want
to bury them in Medina. ButI wonder why the camel does not go ahead
and seems to be inclined to return to the battlefield."
No matter how hard Hindtried to make the camel go to Medina, she
failed and instead she observedthat the camel started going towards
Uhud in which place the battle had taken place.
Hind had no choice but to follow the camel and when she reached Uhud
she went straight to the Holy Prophet and told him the whole matter.
The Holy Prophet of Islamasked, "Did Amr not say anything when he was
leaving Medina for the battlefield?"
"Yes, he did, oh Prophet of God. He begged God not to return him to Medina."
"Then his prayers have been heard by Almighty God. Now we will bury
the three of them in Uhud."
After the three bloody bodies had been buried, the Holy Prophet said
to Hind, "In the next world, too, they will be together. How blessed
they are!"
While shedding tears of love for God and for the believers, Hind asked
the Holy Prophet, "Oh Prophet of God, please pray for me so I too
might join them and share in their blessings." And the Holy Prophet
prayed for all of them.

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Story |- A TRUE LIFE STORY SHARED BY PASTOR EA ADEBOYE AND WRITTEN BY INSPIRATIONAL TOUCH ADMIN.

There was a woman, his son was epileptic,anywhere she goes with his
son, people chase her away, because they believe if the son falls down
due to the epilepsy, and get up, anybody that sees him get up will
contact the epilepsy [ Superstitous believe]
There came a time, when the woman was going to the market with his
son, his son fell down dueto the epilepsy, everybody in the market ran
away, leaving the woman and his son alone, the woman carried his son
and cried out to God saying, " God do something now since the people
ran away leaving only me and my son here, you are the only one i have
now" Miraculously his son got up and was totally healed from epilepsy
starting from that day.
...
Beloved There is nothing difficult that God cannot do, have people
mock and laught at you? Have your family given up on you? Have people
rejected you? Have people layed false allegation on you? Have people
call you barren woman?
I have a goodnews for you the Lord is going to wipe your tears
tonight, he's the God of Impossibility, there's no problem our God
cannot handle.
Now by the name that is above all other names, receive solutions to
your problems now, you shall never be frustrated by the devil, that
devil is a liar, you shall sing a new song of Joy before the end of
this month in Jesus name.
Say an Amen to claimthis prayer and see miracles happening for you.

Story |- WHOM TO BLAME

A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a
Loving couple and the boy was the gem of their eyes.
When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a
medicine bottle open. He was late for office so he asked his wife to
cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. His wife, preoccupied in
the kitchen totally forgot about the open medicinebottle.
The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to the bottle fascinated by
its color and drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine
Meant for adults in small dosages. When the child collapsed, mother
hurried him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was stunned.She
was terrified how to face her husband.
When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead
child, he looked at his wife and uttered just five words.
The husband just said "I am with you Darling." The husband's totally
unexpected reaction is a proactive behavior.
The Child is dead. He can never be brought back tolife.
There is no point in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if only
he had taken time to keep the bottle away, this would not have
happened.
No one is to be blamed. She had also lost her onlychild. What she
needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband.
That is what he gave her.
If everyone can look at life with this kind of perspective, there
would be much fewer problems in the world. "A journey of a thousand
miles Begins with a single step." Take off all your envies,
jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fears. Andyou will find
things are actually not as difficult asyou think.
Moral of the Story:
Sometimes we spend time in asking who is responsible or whom to blame,
whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know. By
this way we miss out some warmth in human relationship.

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Tawaf of Kaaba: in line with the Cosmic Law

Allah Almighty says: "And He it is Who created the night and the day,
and the sun and the moon, each in an orbit floating." (Al-Anbiya, 21:
33)
This glorious verse refers to a scientific fact concerning the system
of the universe. Scientific discoveries have proved that we live in a
huge universe that depends onrevolution. The earth revolves round the
sun once a year, the moon revolves around the earth once per lunar
month, and the other planets of the solar system also revolve round
the sun, each in itsown orbit. Besides, most of these planets have
moons that revolve around them, each, also in its own orbit.
Astronomers have discovered more than 60 of these moons so far.
The solar system, likewise, orbits a center of our galaxy, the Milky
Way. This galaxy consists of more than 130 billion stars. Galaxies, in
turn, revolve round a center that only Almighty Allah knows.
The law of revolution applies also to atoms, thesmallest units of
elementsthat cannot be seen even by microscopes. An atom is composed
of a nucleus whose diameter is less than a millionth of a millimeter.
An atom is surrounded by electrons that move round the atom in an
orbit. Since allmatter in the universe-whether solid, liquid, or
gaseous consists of atoms, this means that the law of revolution
applies to everything: stars, planets, moons, animals, plants, sand,
seas, air, and so on.
This includes cells as well.The cytoplasm in the cell moves around the nucleus.
There is a common factorbetween the orbital movements of all the
objects referred to above, this is, and their revolution is
anti-clockwise.
Contemplating the above lines, we come to realize that revolution is a
cosmic law.
With a believer's meditation upon such a scientific fact, another
image of revolution is brought to one s mind: the pilgrim's
circumambulation of the Kaaba, which is a basic ritual of Hajj in
Islam.
Circumambulating the Kaaba is a symbolic act ofworship, whose wisdom
may be hidden from some. It indicates the believer's utter submission
to Almighty Allah alone. The pilgrims go to Hajj in response to the
divine order that Prophet Ibrahim or Prophet Abraham (peace be upon
him) conveyed to people.
Allah Almighty says: "And (remember) when We showed Ibrahim the site
of the (Sacred) House (the Kaaba at Makkah), saying: Ascribe not
anything (in worship) with Me, and sanctify My House for those who
circumambulate it, and those who stand up (for prayer), and those who
bow (submit themselves with humility and obedience to Allah), and make
prostration (in prayer). And proclaim to mankind the Hajj
(pilgrimage). They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel,
theywill come from every deep and distant (wide) mountain highway (to
perform Hajj)." (Al-Hajj, 22:26-27).
This signifies that the Kaaba is the spiritual center of the
believers. It refers to the close bond that should be between
abeliever and his Lord. A believer turns toward theKaaba five times a
day during the prescribed ritual Prayers.
A pilgrim circumambulates the Kaaba as if he or she is a celestial
body orbiting another greater body. Circumambulation of the Kaaba is
to be performedanti-clockwise. This indicates that there is a joint
factor between a pilgrim's expressing his ultimate faith in
AlmightyAllah by circumambulating the Kaaba in that way and between
the cosmic laws of revolution discussed above. This indicates
thatthere is consistency between the obligations of worship in Islam
and the natural laws that govern the universe, which indicates that
theyall belong to only one source, that is, Almighty Allah.
This proves the truthfulness of the call of Islam that there is no
godbut Almighty Allah. Thus, Islam is the true religion that provides
humankindwith a comprehensive view in conformity with the divine truth
that is apparent in the natural laws of the universe.
Tawaf: Utmost degree of love
Circumambulation meansto go round something. This act shows the
utmostdegree of love to the extent that a lover wishesto sacrifice
himself for the beloved. A real pilgrim who has thirst formeeting his
Beloved has been detached from everything. By going round the House of
the Beloved, he wishes to prove that he desires nothing but God.
The planets circumambulate the sun, for they take everything from it.
Inside an atom, the electrons circumambulate the protons. The whole
universe ranging from the invisible particles to the planets and
galaxies circumambulate. Man, being a part of the universe, should
circumambulate, too, with the difference that the planets
circumambulate in a compulsory way according to the laws of nature,
but man, the rational being and possessor of free will,
circumambulates with hislogic and will a House God has appointed to
honor human beings. Hence, it is natural for Muslims to offer their
prayers, to sit, to stand, to recite the Holy Quran, to sleep, to lie
down at the moment of death, to be put in grave, and finally to be in
that direction during their lifetimes and death.
"Say: Surely my prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death are
all for Allah, the Lord of the worlds." (Al-Anaam, 6:162)
Survival of the Kaaba, a wonder
It is a wonder that all the royal palaces built throughout history
have been demolished but the Kaaba, a house built of mud and stone
about four thousand years ago by Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and his son
Prophet Ismail (AS) in a parched land is still upright and will
continue to be loved by human beings until the Day of Judgment.
What is more wonderful is the attraction of this House. So many
glorious and majestic buildings in the world are found in areas of
good climate, but the Kaaba attracts people to itself without having
means of entertainment or being satisfying people's pleasure. The
reason however is natural. It is God Himself Who has created this
attraction in people's hearts through Prophet Ibrahim's supplication:
"And proclaim among men the pilgrimage: theywill come to you on foot
and on every lean camel, coming from every remote path." (The Holy
Quran, 22:27)
Kaaba Size and History
The small, cubed buildingknown as the kaaba may not rival skyscrapers
in height or mansions in width, but its impact on history and human
beings is unmatched. Thekaaba is the building towards which Muslims
face five times a day, everyday, in prayer. This has been the case
since the time of Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) over
1400 years ago.
The Size of Kaaba:
The current height of the kaaba is 39 feet, 6 inches and total size
comes to 627 square feet. The inside room of the kaaba is 13x9 meters.
The kaaba's walls are one meter wide. The floor inside is 2.2 meters
higher than the place where people perform Tawaf.
The ceiling and roof are two levels made out of wood. They were
reconstructed with teak which is capped with stainless steel. The
walls are all made of stone. Thestones inside are unpolished, while
the ones outside are polished.
This small building has been constructed and reconstructed by Prophets
Adam, Ibrahim, Ismail and Muhammad (peace be upon them all).No other
building has had this honor. Yet, not very much is known about the
details of this small but significant building.
Holy Kaaba: The House of Allah (SWT) in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The
Kaaba is covered by a black cloth known as 'Kiswa', which is produced
and changed every year. Special factory designed for the making of
Kiswa in Makkah. It costs approx. SR 17million.The cloth is made of
670kgs of Silver dyed black, about 120kgs of pure Gold and 50kgs of
Silver used in writing the Qur'anic verses over the cloth. The total
area of the cloth is 658sqr meter.
The Other Names of Kaaba:
Literally, kaaba in Arabic means a high place with respect and
prestige. The word kaaba may also be derivative of a word meaning a
cube. Some ofthese other names include:
1. Baitul Ateeq - which means, according to one meaning, the earliest
andancient. According to the second meaning, it means independent and
liberating. Both meanings could be taken.
2. Baitul Haram - the honorable house.
Scholars and historians say that kaaba has been reconstructed between
5 to 12 times. The very first construction of the kaabawas done by
Prophet Adam (peace be upon him). Allah says in Holy Quran that this
was the first house that was built for humanity to worship Allah.
After this, Prophet Ibrahim and Ismail (peace be upon them) rebuilt
kaaba.
The measurements of thekaaba's foundation by Prophet Ibrahim are as follows:
Eastern wall was 48 feet and 6 inches
Hateem side wall was 33 feet
Side between the black stone and the Yemeni corner was 30 feet
Western side was 46.5 feet
Following this, there were several constructions before the Prophet
Muhammad's (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) time.
Reconstruction of kaaba by Quraish:
Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) participated in one of
its reconstructions before he announced a Prophet.After a flash flood,
the kaaba was damaged and its walls cracked. It needed rebuilding.
This responsibility was divided among the Quraish's four tribes.
Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) helped with this
reconstruction.
Once the walls were erected, it was time to place the Black Stone,
(Hajar al-Aswad) on the eastern wall of the kaaba. Arguments erupted
about who would have the honor of putting the Black Stone in its
place. A fight was about to break out over the issue, when Abu
Umayyah, Makkah's oldest man, proposed that the first man to enter the
gate of the mosque the following morning would decide the matter. That
man wasthe Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam). The
Makkans were ecstatic. "This is the trustworthy one (Al-Ameen)" they
shoutedin a chorus. "This is Muhammad." He came to them and they asked
himto decide on the matter. He agreed.
Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) proposed a solution
that all agreed to - putting the Black Stone on a cloak, the elders of
each of the clans held on to one edgeof the cloak and carried the
stone to its place. TheProphet Muhammad (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam)
then picked up the stone and placed it on the wall of kaaba.
Since the tribe of Quraishdid not have sufficient funds, this
reconstructiondid not include the entirefoundation of kaaba as built
by Prophet Ibrahim. This is the first time kaaba acquired the cubical
shape it has now, unlike the rectangle shape which it had earlier. The
portion of the kaaba left out is called Hateem now.

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Eid Al-Adha (the festival of sacrifice in Islam) Sermon or Eid Khutbah:

Once again we have all been blessed by Allah (SWT) to witness and
celebrate this great day of Eid Al-Adha. Eid Al-Adha basically means,
'the festival of sacrifice inIslam'.
On this day, Muslims are reminded about that great trial, which
Prophet Ibrahim (AS) or Prophet Abraham (PBUH) was put to, of
sacrificing his young son Prophet Ismail (AS) or Prophet Ishmael
(PBUH). Prophet Ibrahim (AS) complied to the command of Allah (SWT)
and fully succeeded in it.
Prophet Ibrahim (AS) is regarded as the champion of Monotheism.
Prophet Ibrahim (AS) is one of themost favorite prophets ofAllah (SWT)
who is held him in very high esteem.
The Holy Quran speaks extensively about Prophet Ibrahim (AS). Infact
the name of Ibrahim has appeared in the Holy Quran 69 times. He has
been given many beautiful names and titles such as:
Khaleelullah (Friend of Allah)
Siddiq (The Truthful)
Nabi (The Prophet)
Imam (The leader)
Muslim (One who submitsto One God)
Haneef (A non-deviant Monotheist)
Ummah (A Nation)
The Great Trial of Sacrifice:
The story about the greattrial of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) is an
interesting one and there are many lessons that can be derived from it
by those who believe in Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and claim to follow his
creed. To summarize what had transpired:
Prophet Ibrahim (AS) hadprayed to Allah (SWT) to grant him a son.
Allah (SWT) fulfilled his wish and gave him Prophet Ismail (AS) at
very old age.
"O God! Grant me with a righteous son. So We gave him the glad
tidingsof a forbearing son." (37:100-101)
When the child attained 13 years of age, Allah (SWT) commanded Prophet
Ibrahim (AS) in his dream to sacrifice himfor His sake.
"When he was old enough to assist in his endeavor, he said: 'My son! I
see in my dream that I am sacrificing you. See what you think?'"
(37:102)
Because it was the command from Allah (SWT), the righteous son
encouraged his old father to discharge his duty.
"He said: 'O Father! Do whatever you have been commanded. If Allah
wishes, you will find me to be patient." (37:102)
Prophet Ibrahim (AS) set out with his son Prophet Ismail (AS) to the
sacrificing spot. It was certainly not an easy task!
On the way, Shaytan or Satan appeared in a formof an old advising man.
He tried to stop Prophet Ibrahim (AS) from offering the sacrifice,
butbecause of the strong faith in Allah (SWT), Prophet Ibrahim (AS)'s
determination to comply with the command of his Creator could not be
shaken.
Shaytan then tried his luck with young Prophet Ismail (AS) and
persuade him to escape from his ill fate. As a result of his father's
invocation, Prophet Ismail (AS) was a righteous son and he too,could
therefore not be influenced.
Both, the father and the son chased Shaytan away. They then arrived at
the sacrificing spot at Mina.
Prophet Ibrahim (AS) tiedthe hands and the legs ofhis son so as not to
be perturbed by his pain and restlessness. He blindfolded himself and
carrying the knife enacted the command of Allah (SWT).
When Prophet Ibrahim (AS) removed his fold, he saw Prophet Ismail (AS)
by his side and in his place; a Ram lay slain before them. Prophet
Ibrahim (AS) trembled lest Allah (SWT) rejected his sacrifice.
Suddenly he heard a voice that was soothing:
"We called out to him: O Ibrahim! You have indeed fulfilled the
vision! Thus indeed We reward the virtuous. This indeed was a manifest
trial. Then We ransomed him with a great sacrifice, and We left
(thisblessing) for him among generations (to come) in later times:
Peace be to Ibrahim." (37:104-109)
Lesson from the Great Trial of Sacrifice:
One of the things that theHujjaj (the pilgrims to thehouse of God for
Hajj) do on the 10th of Dhul Hijjah, and so do many Muslims all over
the world is to:
Slaughter a lamb, or a sheep, or a goat or a camel in remembrance
ofthis great sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim (AS).
This act is not mere a ritual but it has a meaning and a significance.
Allah (SWT) has not commanded us tosacrifice animals because He (SWT)
is bloodthirsty or meat hungry.
In Suratul Hajj, verses 36 and 37, He (SWT) has made it clear:
"Thus we have disposed them (animals) for your benefit so that you may
give thanks." (22:36)
Then He (SWT) adds:
"It is not their flesh or their blood that reaches Allah. Rather it is
your piety that reaches Him. Thus has He disposed them for your
benefit so that you may magnify Allah for His guiding you. And give
good news to the virtuous." (22:37)
So what is the significance of offering sacrifice of animals on this
day of Eid Al-Adha?
The answer to this question is simple.
Allah (SWT) wants to trainus to follow the path of Prophet Ibrahim
(AS) who was willing to offer Allah (SWT) his dearest possession in
form of his son Prophet Ismail (AS).
Allah (SWT) did not want Prophet Ismail (AS) to be sacrificed, but
Allah (SWT)wanted Prophet Ibrahim (AS) to show his willingness to
sacrifice Prophet Ismail (AS), which he (AS) did bravely.
Dr. Ali Shari'ati in his book, 'Philosophy of Hajj'writes and I quote:
"This is a story of man's perfection and his freedom from selfishness
and animalistic desires. Itis man's ascension to a higher spirit and
loves, toa strong will that frees him from any thing that may hinder
his responsibility as a conscious man."
In other words, Allah (SWT) is telling us:
On this day of Eid Al-Adha, you should select your Ismail and bring
him to Mina! Who is your Ismail? Anything that is causing an
obstruction for you to reach your Lord and fulfill your duties towards
Him. Your Ismail could be:
Your wealth
Your job
Your rank
Your power
Your lust
Your greed
Your spouse
Your children
It could be anything and make sure that it is as dear to you as
Prophet Ismail (AS) was to Prophet Ibrahim (AS).
As you are sacrificing an animal on this day, bear in mind that you
are infact, sacrificing that dearest thing in your life and telling
Allah (SWT):
"O My Lord! Henceforth, this thing, which has been dearest to me in
life, will not hinder me from reaching You and acquiring Your
pleasure."
asked Shibli:
"As you slaughtered your sacrificial animal (during Hajj), did you
intend to cut off the throat of greed (that is hidden in you) by
clinging to the reality of Taqwa and to follow the exemplary tradition
of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) who intended to slaughter his dear son Prophet
Ismail (so as to discharge the command of Allah)?"
Shibli said, "No!"
"In that case" said the Imam Zainul Abideen (AS)"You have not
sacrificed your animal."
Similarly, whilst giving instructions to the Hujjaj (the pilgrims to
the house of God for Hajj) Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS) said to them: "Cut
the throat of carnal desires and greed by offering animal sacrifice."
We pray to Allah (SWT) onthis great day of Eid Al-Adha to grant us
with tawfeeq to follow in the path of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and forgive
all our past and future sins.

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Story | - Love or parents

I am a 17 years old girl, going through hell with my mother because of
myboyfriend, who is poor just like me, but he graduated High, going
tocollege in january, he's into an athletic career, heplays
Basketball, and he wants to study medical courses also. I haven't
finished yet because of her instability, moving from places back and
forth,but I'm getting my GED, I'm into modeling career and medical
too. Well, since he's 18 he don't have a so good job,he gets payed 200
dollarsa week, and that's pretty much to buy he's own little stuff.
I think back then my mom had a bad experience with love because she
doesn't believe in it. She tells me that I should be with a man that
can give me money and buy me everything I want. But I love my
boyfriend, and its normal for us not to have anything yet because
we're working to get everything. She even tells me that if I have sex
with a man, they should give me money, so I be like but mom that's
being a hoe fucking man for money, and she says I'm being a hoe for
fucking my bf and he's not giving me anything. I mean I alwayssaid
that I want a man to love and to take care of me, and sometimes I
think, maybe the main reason why she's a singlemother is because she
used to fuck guys for money, but I want to be different, I only want
to live with that one person and have my kids with him. But she
doesn't understand that.
A couple of days ago she told me I had to break upwith him, so it was
eitherher or him, and ofcourse I will have to break up with himbecause
after allshe is my mom, but I love him too much I haven't told him
what's going yet. I don't know what todo.

Story | - Since we were kids

His name is John, tall, brown eyes, brown hair. He's native, so am I.
When we were about 12 years old or so.. I got dared to kiss him, so I
did. I didn't really think anything of it until the winter of 2010. He
was with his pregnant girlfriend, I was with his cousin at the time.
We were teengagers: he was 17, I was 16. His cousin (my boyfriend at
the time) fell asleep on the other side of my queen mattress, John
layed next to me. Me and John began to talk about everything we ever
could.. knowing we had that time alone. He held me, he looked into my
eyes with his beautiful brown eyes and told me he wanted me. I wanted
him so badly. But, I knew it in my heart that it wouldn't work. He had
a girlfriend that was pregnant, and I was with his cousin. I told him
this,he said he also knew it wasn't the right thing to do. So, we
never talked about it ever again.
Although he could never be mine, he continued to act like he was. He
wouldlook at me differently, like, iloveyou looks. Then,this spring of
2012, I tookhim for a honda ride. We parked at the beach, he began to
tell me everything. He told me loved me and that he always did, always
will. We kissed, well, it turned into more than a kiss. Wehad an
intense makeout. Today, we're both over the ages of 18. We can't be
together. He has a girlfriend and a child with her. It's like a tragic
love story, from what I think. I can never have him and he can never
have me. Instead, we look at eachother and think about what could've
been. I'm not asking for advice, I just felt like this was a story I
needed to tell.

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"Love your friend moderately

"Love your friend moderately lest he becomes your enemy oneday, and
hate your enemy moderately lest hebecomes your friend one day!"
Tirmidhi
When we get extremely close to people and lower our guard by letting
them know every detail of our life, trusting them with everything, a
day can come when we regret because they can hold us ransom with what
they know about usif the friendship is broken for some reason.
At times we cannot correct people because we have allowed them toget
so close to us that they would use against us some of what they know
of us.
Similarly when we dislikesomeone, we should never oppress them or
dosomething unbecoming of a true believer as a day may come when a
strong friendship is developed between us and we are embarrassed by
past actions.
Amazing piece of advice which is worth pondering over and making good
use of in our lives. An enemy can become a very great friend or
relative and a friend can become a fierce enemy.
"The Almighty is all able to create between you and your enemies a
strong bond of friendship for indeed Allah is All Able, Allah is Most
Forgiving Most Merciful"

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Islamic Article | - Conditions of udhiyah

I intend to offer a sacrifice on behalf of myself and my children. Are
there any specific characteristics that the animal should have, or
isit correct to sacrifice anysheep?.
Praise be to Allaah.
There are six conditions for the udhiyah:
-1-
It should be one of the an'aam class of animals, which are: camels,
cattle,sheep and goats, because Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"And for every nation We have appointed religious ceremonies, that
they may mention the Name of Allaah over the beast of cattle that He
has given them for food"
[al-Hajj 22:34]
Baheemat al-an'aam (translated here as "beast of cattle") includes
camels, cattle and sheep. This is what is well known among the Arabs,
and this was the view of al-Hasan, Qataadah and others.
-2-
It should have reached the age stipulated in sharee'ah, which is six
months for a sheep and the age at which the animal is considered to
be an adult for any otheranimal, because the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Do not sacrifice anything but
anadult animal, unless it is difficult for you, in which case you may
slaughter a six-month old lamb (jadh'ah)." Narrated by Muslim.
A mature animal means one that is considered tobe an adult.
In the case of camels it means one that is five years old.
For cattle, it means one that is two years old.
For sheep it means one that is a year old.
The jadh'ah is that which is half a year old. So it is not correct to
sacrifice a camel, cow or goat that has not yet reached maturity, or a
sheep that is less than sixmonths old.
-3-
It should be free of any faults that would render it unsuitable for
sacrifice, of which there are four:
1 – An obvious defect in one eye, such as when the eye is sunken in
its socket, or when it sticks out like a button, or is white and
obviously defective.
2 – Obvious sickness, whose symptoms are clearly apparent in the
animal, such as fever that prevents it from grazing and causes loss of
appetite; mange that obviously affects its fleshor its health; deep
wounds that affect its health, and so on.
3 – Obvious lameness, which prevents the animal from walking normally.
4 – Emaciation that leaves no marrow in the bones, when the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about what
should be avoided in udhiyah, he gestured with his hand and said:
"Four: a lame animal which is obviously lame, a one-eyed animal whose
defect is obvious, a sick animal whose sickness isobvious, and an
emaciated animal that no one would choose." Narrated by Maalik in
al-Muwatta' from the hadeeth of al-Bara' ibn 'Aazib. According to a
hadeeth narrated from him in al-Sunan, he said: "The Messenger of
Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood up among us
and said: 'There are four which are not permissible for sacrifice,'"
and he mentioned something similar. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
Irwa' al-Ghaleel, 1148.
These four faults render an animal unsuitable for sacrifice, and they
include similar faults or more severe faults. So the following animals
are also unsuitable for sacrifice:
1- One that is blind in both eyes.
2- One that has eaten more than it can stand, until the danger has passed.
3- One that has encountered difficulty ingiving birth, until all
danger has passed.
4- One that has suffered something that could kill it, such as
strangulation or a fall from a high place, until the danger has
passed.
5- One that is unable to walk because of a defect.
6- One that has had one of its forelegs or hind legs cut off.
If these are added to thefour defects mentioned in the text, the
number of those that cannot be offered as sacrifices reaches ten –
these six and the four mentioned above.
-4-
The animal should belong to the person who is offering the sacrifice,
or he should have permission for that either on the grounds
ofsharee'ah or from the owner. The sacrifice is not valid if the
animal slaughtered does not belong to the person who is sacrificing
it, suchas one that has been taken by force, stolen, ortaken on the
basis of a false claim, etc, because it is not permissible to draw
closer to Allaah by means of sin. A sacrifice offered by the guardian
of an orphan from the orphan's property is valid if that is customary
and if he feels sad about not offering a sacrifice.
A sacrifice offered by a guardian from the property of the person
under his care is valid, if done with permission.
-5-
No one else should have any rights to the sacrificial animal; the
sacrifice of an animal that is held in pledge is not valid.
-6-
It should be slaughtered at the time specified in sharee'ah, which is
from after the Eid prayer on the Day of Sacrifice until sunset on the
last of the days of al-Tashreeq, which is the 13th of Dhu'l-Hijjah. So
the days when the sacrificed may be offered are four: the day of Eid
after the prayer, and the three days after that. Whoeverslaughters it
before the Eid prayer is over, or after sun sets on the 13th of
Dhu'l-Hijjah, his sacrifice is not valid, because of the hadeeth
narrated by al-Bukhaari from al-Bara' ibn 'Aazib (may Allaah be
pleased with him), according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever slaughters (his sacrifice)
before the prayer, it is meat that he has brought to his family, but
that is not the sacrifice." And he narrated that Jundub ibn Sufyaan
al-Bajali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "I heard the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
saying, 'Whoever slaughters the sacrifice before he prays, let him
replace it with another.'" And it was narrated that
Nubayshahal-Hadhali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
'The days of al-Tashreeq are the days of eating, drinking and
remembering Allaah.'" Narrated by Muslim.
But if he has an excuse for delaying it beyond the days of Tashreeq,
such as if the animal ran away, without there being any negligence
onhis part, and he could not find it until after the time was over, or
he appointed someone else to slaughter it and that person forgot until
the time was over, then there is nothing wrong with slaughtering it
after the appointed time. This is by analogy with the one who sleeps
and misses a prayer, or forgets it – he should pray it as soon as he
wakes up or remember it.
It is permissible to slaughter the udhiyah atany time, night or day,
but it is better to slaughter it during the day, and it is better to
slaughter on the day of Eid after the two khutbahs. Each day is better
than the day that follows it, because that means that one is hastening
to do good.

Islamic Article | - Innovated way of finding out whether a person is afflicted with the evil eye and treating it

I have a question about the evil eye. In my culture (I am originally
from Morocco), the women treat the evil eyeby this ceremony:
The sick person sits down (on a chair e.g.) while an other person
holds a glass of water above his head.
An other person (this canbe the same one as the one holding the
glass), lights a match and goes around the face of the sick person
with it, meanwhile reciting soerat al Faatihah. Note that the match
doesnt touch the face of the sickperson. After a few seconds, the
match is thrown in the glass of water above the head ofthe sick person
and a second match gets lighten.
This is done seven times.
When done, the person who is doing this, takes the glass of water and
touches all the matches in the glass. When the matches go to the
bottom of the glass, it means that the sick person is afflicted by
theevil eye. They usually count the matches on the bottom to estimate
how sick the person is. The more matches on the bottom, the sicker
heis.
After this ceremony, people assume that the sick person is cured. I
think this is very untrustworthy, because Inever read something about
a glass and matches to treat the evil eye. Can you please tell me
whether this has a basic in islam or not?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The method mentioned of finding out whether aperson has been afflicted
with the evil eye and treating it is an innovated method (bid'ah) and
a reprehensible practice; itis not permissible to do it and it should
be forbidden and warned against. It is more like witchcraft and
devilish tricks than ruqyah as prescribed in Islam or regular medical
treatment.
Islam, praise be to Allah, did not omit anything that concerns people
butit has discussed it and explained it clearly. But the Shaytaan
still manages to mislead some people because of their ignorance of
Islam and the ways of bid'ah (innovation) that they are following.
Ruqya may be done by reciting al-Faatihah, and reciting al-Faatihah as
a remedy for sickness is something that has beenprescribed in
sharee'ah, but not in this innovatedfashion.
See the answer to question no. 21581 and 132386
Believing that something is a means when Allah has not made it a means
– eitheraccording to Islam or thelaws of nature that He has decreed –
is a kind of shirk. An example of that is regarding something as a
sign of healing or sickness, or ofsuccess or failure, when there is no
shar'i or physical connection between the two.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
So long as there is no proof that a thing is a means (to an end) –
either according to Islamor natural, physical laws – then it is a kind
of minor shirk. That includes, for example, charms and amulets that
are said to ward off the evil eye, and the like, because this is
deciding that something is a means to an end when Allah has not
created it to be such. Thus he is deciding about something being a
means to an end, which is something that is only for Allah to decide.
Hence this is like an act of shirk.
End quote from Majmoo'Fataawa Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 10/787
To sum up:
The method mentioned is an innovative and reprehensible method that is
more akin to the tricks of the practitioners of witchcraft and
charlatans.
For information on the symptoms of affliction with the evil eye please
see the answer to question no. 125543
For more information onways of protecting oneself from the evil eyeand
treating one who has been affected by it

Islamic Article | - She is asking about the ruling on drinking waterover which Soorah Ya-Seen has been recitedin order to treat doubts

I have certain doubts and in need of clarification. I am constantly
feeling loss, lack of clarity and anxiety. I am also experiencing
monthly migraine and I have seek medical blood test result etc to see
if I have any medical problems e.g Thyroid but I am freefrom any
problems alhamdullilah.
I was told that maybe drinking "Yasin Water" may help me from feeling
and experiencing this problem. I am really depressed by this
feelingcloudy in my head and have turned to doa and prayers.
Do you have any advice for me to get away from this feeling?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Before discussing the shar'i ruling, we advise you of that which will
help you to overcome the pain and get through the trial in the best
way that the believer can resort to, along with patience, andtrying to
forget it by focusing on something else, and taking steady and patient
steps towards a remedy and not giving up or getting tired of doing so,
and not feeling frustrated by failure or by the slowness of results.
Allah,may He be glorified and exalted, is wise in all that He does.
Everyone in this world should prepare himself to face calamities and
beexposed to all kinds of tests. This is the way of this transient
world which is full of trials and tribulations. Allah, may He be
glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss
of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As- Saabiroon
(the patient).
156. Who, when afflictedwith calamity, say: 'Truly,to Allaah we belong
and truly, to Him we shall return.'
157. They are those on whom are the Salawaat (i.e. who are blessed
andwill be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive
His Mercy, and it is they whoare the guided ones"
[al-Baqarah 2:155-157].
The believer always remembers the mercy of Allah, may He be glorified
and exalted, and he does not despair of attaining the generosity of
his Lord with healing and response to his supplication, even if it is
after a while. He looks atthe tragedies of people around him,
including the poor who cannot find a mouthful of food, the sick person
who is inagonising pain at every moment, those who have been driven
from their homes, prisoners who are being tortured, those who are
tested with their wives and children, those who are afraid in their
own homelands, and the longlist of various kinds of trials and
tribulations. The one who ponders allthat will realise that he cannot
escape the necessity of patience. So let it be the patience of
contentment, which is better than the patience of compulsion; this is
thepatience for which Allah decrees reward. Athough the Messengers and
Prophets - who were the dearest and most beloved of mankind to Allah,
may He be glorified and exalted - were faced with calamities and
trialsthat went on for a long time, that did not lead them to give up
and despair of the mercy of Allah. Nooh (peace be upon him) remained
among his people for a thousand years less fifty (i.e., 950 years)
during which they accused him and resisted him. Ya'qoob and Yoosuf
(peace be upon him) were tested with a lengthy separation until
Ya'qoob (peace be upon him) became blind. Moosa (peace be upon him)
was thrown out of his country and fled from it in fear. Zakariya and
Yahya (peace be upon them) were killed by the Children of Israel. The
people of 'Eesa (peace be upon him) wanted to crucify him and Allah
raised him to Himself. Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) was expelled by his people from his land; they reviled him and
insulted him and wanted to kill him. And the list is longer than that.
If you want to know more about that, look in the Book of Allah and
ponder the meanings of the verses that you read,and you will find the
best consolation in that.
So let us - weak slaves - not be hasty in seeking relief from harm;
let us do our duty of bearing itwith patience and contentment, and let
us put our trust in Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, for He is
the Most Wise Who disposes of all the affairs of this world as He
wills.
This does not mean that one cannot seek help by means of Islamically
acceptable ruqyah in which Allah may decree there is healing. Allah,
may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And We senddown of the Qur'ân that which is a healing and a mercy to
those who believe (in Islâmic Monotheism and act on it), and it
increases the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers) nothing but loss"
[al-Isra' 17:82].
Al-'Allaamah Muhammad al-Ameen al-Shanqeeti (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
The fact that it is a healing includes the heart and all its diseases
(i.e., spiritual diseases), such as doubt, hypocrisy and so on, as
well as healing for physical diseases if it is used in ruqya, as is
indicated by the story of the one whodid ruqya for the man who had
been stung by a scorpion by reciting al-Faatihah. The report issaheeh
and is well known.
End quote from Adwa' al-Bayaan, 3/253.
But singling out specific verses or a specific soorah such as Soorat
Ya-Seen, for specific diseases and specifying a particular number of
times it should be recited or certain times for reciting these verses
or soorahs - none of thisis the Sunnah of the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) and there is no shar'i evidence to support
it. Rather we areafraid that the one who does that will fall into
innovation (bid'ah). This has been discussed previously on our website
in the answer toquestion no. 123155
With regard to drinking water over which SooratYa-Seen has been
recitedseveral times when he does not believe that it has any
particular virtue,there is nothing wrong with that, although it would
have been better to perform ruqyah with that which is proven according
to shar'i evidence, such as reciting over the water Soorat
al-Faatihah, al-Mi'wadhatayn, Aayat al-Kursiy and other passages that
have been discussed on our website under the heading of Ruqya, such as
question no. 3476 .
There have also been a number of answers on our website which suggest
some means of dealing with doubts andwaswaas (whispers fromthe
Shaytaan) that may cross one's mind and be difficult to dispel.

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' Fear Prayer ' of Sahih Bukhari.

64
Narrated Shu'aib: I asked Az-Zuhri, "Did the Prophet ever offer the
Fear Prayer?" Az-Zuhri said, "I was told by Salim that 'Abdullah bin
Umar I had said, 'I took part in a holy battle with Allah's Apostle I
in Najd. We faced the enemy and arranged ourselves in rows. Then
Allah's Apostle(p.b.u.h) stood up to leadthe prayer and one party
stood to pray with him while the other faced theenemy. Allah's Apostle
(p.b.u.h) and the former party bowed and performed two prostrations.
Then that party left and took the place of those who had not prayed.
Allah's Apostle prayed one Raka (with the latter) and performed two
prostrations and finishedhis prayer with Taslim. Then everyone of them
bowed once and performed two prostrations individually.'"
65
Narrated Nafi': Ibn Umar said something similar to Mujahid's saying:
Whenever (Muslims and non-Muslims) stand face to face in battle, the
Muslims can pray while standing. Ibn Umar added, "The Prophet said,
'If the number of the enemy is greater than the Muslims, they can pray
while standing or riding (individually).' "
66
Narrated Ibn Abbas: Once the Prophet (p.b.u.h) led the fear prayer and
the people stood behind him. He said Takbir (Allahu-Akbar) and the
people said the same. He bowed and some of them bowed. Then he
prostrated and they also prostrated. Then he stood for the second Raka
and those who had prayed the first Raka left and guarded their
brothers. The second party joined him and performed bowing and
prostration with him. All the people were in prayer but they were
guarding one another during the prayer.
67
Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah: On the day of the Khandaq Umar came,
cursing the disbelievers of Quraish and said, "O Allah's Apostle! I
have notoffered the 'Asr prayer and the sun has set." The Prophet
replied, "By Allah! I too, have not offered the prayer yet."The
Prophet then went to Buthan, performed ablution and performed the 'Asr
prayer after the sun had set and then offered the Maghrib prayer after
it."
68
Narrated Anas bin Malik: Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) offered the Fajr
prayer when it was still dark, then he rode and said, 'Allah Akbar!
Khaibar is ruined. When we approach near to a nation, the most
unfortunate is the morning of those who have been warned." The people
came out into thestreets saying,"Muhammad and his army." Allah's
Apostle vanquished them by force and their warriors were killed; the
children and women were taken as captives. Safiya was taken by Dihya
Al-Kalbi and later she belonged to Allah's Apostle go who married her
and her Mahr was her manumission.

Hadees - - || Prayer at Night (Tahajjud) ' of Sahih Bukhari.

221
Narrated Ibn Abbas: When the Prophet got upat night to offer the
Tahajjud prayer, he used to say: Allahumma lakal-hamd. Anta
qaiyimus-samawati wal-ard wa man fihinna. Walakal-hamd, Laka
mulkus-samawati wal-ard wa man fihinna. Walakal-hamd, anta
nurus-samawati wal-ard. Walakalhamd, anta-l-haqwa wa'duka-l-haq, wa
liqa'uka Haq, wa qualukaHaq, wal-jannatu Han wan-naru Haq wannabiyuna
Haq. Wa Muhammadun, sallal-lahu'alaihi wasallam, Haq, was-sa'atu Haq.
Allahumma aslamtu Laka wabika amantu, wa 'Alaika tawakkaltu, wa ilaika
anabtu wa bika khasamtu, wa ilaika hakamtu faghfir li ma qaddamtu wama
akh-khartu wama as-rartu wama'a lantu, anta-l-muqaddim wa anta-l-mu
akh-khir, la ilaha illa anta (or la ilaha ghairuka). (O Allah! All the
praises are for you, You are the Holder of the Heavens and the Earth,
And whatever is in them. All the praises are for You; You have the
possession of the Heavens and the Earth And whatever is in them. All
the praises are for You; You are the Light of the Heavens and the
Earth And all the praises are for You; You are the King of the Heavens
and the Earth; And all the praises are for You; You are the Truth and
Your Promise is the truth, And to meet You is true, Your Word is the
truth And Paradise is true And Hell is true And all the Prophets
(Peace be upon them) are true; And Muhammad is true, And the Day of
Resurrection istrue. O Allah ! I surrender (my will) to You; I
believein You and depend on You. And repent to You, And with Your help
I argue (with my opponents, the non-believers) And I take You as a
judge (to judge between us). Please forgive me my previous And future
sins; And whatever I concealed or revealed And You are the One who
make (some people) forward And (some) backward. There is none to be
worshippedbut you . Sufyan said that'Abdul Karim Abu Umaiya added to
the above, 'Wala haula Wala quwatailla billah' (There is neither might
nor power except with Allah).
222
Narrated Salim's father: In the life-time of the Prophet whosoever saw
a dream would narrate it to Allah's Apostle. I had a wish of seeing a
dream to narrate it to Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) I was a grown up boy
and used to sleep in the Mosque in the life-time of the Prophet. I saw
in the dream that two angels caught hold of me and took me to the Fire
which was built all roundlike a built well and had two poles in it and
the people in it were known to me. I started saying, "I seek refuge
with Allah from the Fire." Then I metanother angel who told me not to
be afraid. I narrated the dream to Hafsa who told it to Allah's
Apostle. The Prophet said, "Abdullah isa good man. I wish he prayed
Tahajjud." After that 'Abdullah (i.e. Salim'sfather) used to sleep but
a little at night.
223
Narrated 'Aisha: Allah's Apostle used to offer eleven Rakat and that
was his prayer. He used to prolong the prostration to such an extent
that one could recite fifty verses (of the Quran) before he would lift
his head. He used to pray two Rakat (Sunna) before the Fajr prayer and
then used to lie down on his right side tillthe call-maker came and
informed him about the prayer.
224
Narrated Jundab: The Prophet became sick and did not get up (for
Tahajjud prayer) for a night or two.
225
Narrated Jundab bin'Abdullah : Gabriel did not come to the Prophet
(for some time) and so one of the Quraish women said, "His Satan has
deserted him." So came the Divine Revelation: "By the forenoon And by
the night When it is still! YourLord (O Muhammad) has neither Forsaken
you Norhated you." (93.1-3)
226
Narrated Um Salama:One night the Prophet got up and said,
"SubhanAllah! How many afflictions Allah has revealed tonight and how
many treasures have been sent down (disclosed). Go and wake the
sleeping lady occupants of these dwellings up (for prayers), perhaps a
well-dressed in this world may be naked in the Hereafter."
227
Narrated 'Ali bin Abi Talib One night Allah's Apostle came to me and
Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet and asked,"Won't you pray (at
night)?" I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Our souls are in the hands of
Allah and if He wants us to get up He will make us get up." When I
said that, he left us without saying anything and I heard that he was
hitting his thigh and saying, "But man is more quarrelsomethan
anything." (18.54)
228
Narrated 'Aisha: Allah's Apostle used to give up a good deed, although
he loved to do it, for fear that people might act on it and it might
be made compulsory for them. TheProphet never prayed the Duha prayer,
but I offer it.

Hadees - - || Virtues of Madinah ' of Sahih Bukhari.

91
Narrated Anas: The Prophet said, "Medina is a sanctuary from that
place to that. Its trees should not be cut and no heresy should be
innovated nor any sin should be committed in it, and whoever innovates
in it an heresy or commits sins (bad deeds), then he will incurthe
curse of Allah, the angels, and all the people." (See Hadith No. 409,
Vol 9).
92
Narrated Anas: The Prophet came to Medina and ordered a mosque tobe
built and said, "O BaniNajjar! Suggest to me theprice (of your land)."
They said, "We do not want its price except from Allah" (i.e. they
wished for a reward from Allah for giving up their land freely). So,
the Prophet ordered the graves of the pagans to be dug out and the
land to be levelled, and the date-palm trees to be cut down. The cut
date-palms were fixed in the direction of the Qibla of the mosque.
93
Narrated Abu Huraira:The Prophet said, "I have made Medina a
sanctuarybetween its two (Harrat) mountains." The Prophet went to the
tribe of Bani Haritha and said (to them), "I see that you have gone
out of the sanctuary," but looking around, he added, "No, you are
inside the sanctuary."
94
Narrated 'Ali: We havenothing except the Book of Allah and this
written paper from the Prophet (where-in is written:) Medina is a
sanctuary from the 'Air Mountain tosuch and such a place, and whoever
innovates in it an heresy or commits a sin, or gives shelter to such
an innovator in it will incur the curse of Allah, the angels, and all
the people, none of his compulsory or optional good deeds of worship
will be accepted. And the asylum (of protection) granted by any Muslim
is to be secured (respected)by all the other Muslims; and whoever
betrays a Muslim in this respect incurs the curse of Allah, the
angels, and all the people, and none of his compulsory or optional
good deeds of worship will be accepted, and whoever (freed slave)
befriends (take as masters) other than his manumitters without their
permission incurs the curse of Allah, the angels, and all the people,
and none of his compulsory or optional good deeds of worship will be
accepted.
95
Narrated Abu Huraira:Allah's Apostle said, "I was ordered to migrate
to a town which will swallow (conquer) other towns and is called
Yathrib and that is Medina, and it turns out (bad) persons as a
furnace removes the impurities of iron.
96
Narrated Abu Humaid:We came with the Prophet from Tabuk, and when we
reached near Medina, the Prophet said,"This is Tabah."
97
Narrated Abu Huraira:If I saw deers grazing in Medina, I would not
chase them, for Allah's Apostle said, "(Medina) is a sanctuary between
its two mountains."

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The Distorted Image of Muslim Women

Since the height of the feminist movement in thelate 70's there has
been amagnifying glass placed over the status of Muslim women.
Unfortunately, the magnifying glass thathas been used is an unusual
one. Unusual in the sense that it is very selective about which items
it will magnify; other items it will distort to such a degree that
they will no longer look familiar. I remember once reading in an "in
depth" article about the lives of Muslim women. This article
"explained" that at any time a man can divorce his wife by simply
stating "I divorce you, I divorce you, I divorce you". This article
can lead anyone ignorantof the Islamic ruling regarding divorce to
believe that in less than five seconds the woman is left with no
husband and is left to care for herself (and possibly children) by any
means necessary. The question that immediately poppedup in my mind
was, "Did the author innocently write that out of sincere ignorance or
was it another of the many attempts to degrade the religion of Islam
and its followers (muslims)?" It may be my own paranoia, but I tend to
believe it was the latter of the two.
The truth of the matter is that Islam has the most humane and most
just system of divorce that exists. Firstly, many options are taken
and tried before coming to the decision of the divorce. If the man and
woman decide that they can no longer live together successfully as a
husband and wife, the husband (in most cases, not always) pronounces
the divorce by saying "I divorce you". At this point the waiting
period begins. The waiting period lasts for three menstrual cycles to
assure the woman is not pregnant. This period allows the couple time
to think about what they are doing and if this is what they really
want to do. There are no lawyers involved to antagonise an already
delicate situation.
In the case that it is realised, that the woman is pregnant, the
waiting period lasts the entire time she is pregnant. During the
waiting period (whether the woman is pregnant or not) the man is
obligatedto provide food, clothing and shelter to the woman as he did
before the divorce pronouncement. If the couple carries the divorce
through to the birth of the child and the woman suckles the baby, the
man is obligated to feed and clothe both his ex-wife for the time the
woman suckles (the maximum being two years). After this weaning, the
child will be provided for by the father until he/she is no longer in
need of support.
It is quite ironic that in such an "advanced society" as America,
thereare divorce cases in which women are being forced to pay alimony
to their ex-husbands. Can this and many other things we know about the
American system of divorce compare to the Islamic system of divorce?
I have also read stories wherein it is stated that women are forced to
marry men without their consent. This in no way resembles the marriage
system in Islam. In Islaam the woman marries the man of her choice.
She may even marry someonethat her mother and/or father objects to.
The point is that it is the woman who makes the final decision as to
whomshe will marry. Once the man and the woman decide that they are
interested in one anotherfor marriage, a dowry is decided upon. A
dowry isnot a brides price but, it is a gift from the groom to the
bride. They agree upon a gift that is affordable by the groom. In the
time of the Prophet (sas), often things such as livestock and money
were given. This is a wise decision in the event that a woman becomes
divorced or widowed, she has some financial security to fall back on
even if it is for a limited amount of time. Once the man and woman are
married, the man is required to clothe,feed, shelter and educateher
(or allow her to be educated) in the same manner as he does himself.
The last distorted image that I will cover is that of the Muslim
women's dress. The western influenced media portrays our dress to be
outdated and oppressive.Needless to say however, I differ with these
adjectives. Our dress codedoes not hinder us from doing anything
productive in our lives. Muslim women maintain a variety of jobs, non
of which are devalued nor hampered due to their dress code. And as for
thetiming of muslims women's dress during these contemporary times, it
seems most appropriate due to decreasing morals in the world today.
For those who say that Islamic dress is outdated, they speak from
great ignorance. The decreasing morality and trials of this time makes
Hijaab even more in need. More than ever before sex crimes are
rampant. Although this society tells women they can wear what they
wantto wear, anytime a rape occurs the woman is the one put on trial
an one ofthe first questions is,"What were you wearing?" This concept
seems as though it is a set up directed against the so called
contemporary woman. Also there is a direct correlation between the
respect a man has for a woman and the amount of her body her body she
displays flauntingly.
In conclusion, I hope this article helped to clear up some
distorted/misunderstood aspects of Islam and women. Women in Islam are
respected and held inhigh regard. We will never find success
and/orsolutions to our problemsuntil we realise that Allaah knows best
and that this disbelieving society will ruin itself.

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Avoid Asking Me Until ITeach You

Texts about Excessive Questioning
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that Allaah's
Messenger gave a speech in which he said:O people! Hajj is obligatory
for you, so perform hajj.
Someone asked, "Every year, O Messenger of Allaah?" He was silent
until asked a third time. Then he said:If I say "Yes," it would become
obligatory (every year); but you would not be capable of it.
Then he said:Avoid (asking) me as long as I leave you; surely those
before you were destroyed for their numerous questions and
disobedience to their prophets. When I command you with something, do
as much ofit as you are able; and when I forbid you from something,
stay away from it.(Al- Bukhaaree and Muslim)
Qataadah reported from Anas that Allaah's Messenger was being
questioned excessively about various matters, until he became very
angry one day, and ascended the minbar (steps) to say,No one asksme
about anything todaybut I will explain it for him.A man, who had doubt
as to whether the man to whom he was attributed was his true father,
said, "O Messenger of Allaah! Whois my father?" He replied,Huthaafah
is yourfather.'Umar, realizing the Prophet's anger for these
questions, stood and said: "We are satisfied with Allaah as our Lord,
with Islaam as our religion, and with Muhammad as our Messenger. We
seek refuge in Allaah from the fitnah!"
Upon mentioning this hadeeth, Qataadah would also mention the aayah:«O
you who believe! Do not ask aboutthings which, if made plain to you,
may cause you trouble. But if you ask about them while theQur'aan is
being revealed, they will be made plain to you. Allaahhas pardoned
that; and Allaah is pardoning, forbearing. Before you, acommunity
asked such questions; then on that account they became disbelievers .»
[ Al-Maa'idah 101-102]
Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, also mentioned that the man's
questioning about his father prompted the revelation of the above
aayah. [1]
The Prohibition of AskingQuestions Excessively
Thus the companions were forbidden from asking unnecessary questions,
as indicated inthe above aayah. This provides proof for the
prohibition of asking about that which the questioner has no real
need, like asking if someone is in Hell or Paradise, or if his true
father is the one to whom he is attributed. It is also prohibited to
ask questions in a harassing, joking or mocking manner, as the
hypocrites and deviants do. Related to this is asking about that which
Allaah has kept hidden from his servants, like theactual time of the
Final Hour, or the nature of thesoul.
Furthermore, this prohibited the Muslims (at the time of the Prophet)
from asking excessive questions about the lawful and unlawful, out of
fear thatsome restrictions would be revealed about it, like
questioning about hajj, whether it is obligatory every year or not.
Sa'd, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet
said:Surely the worst in crime among the Muslim is he who asks about a
thing that is not prohibited, but it becomes prohibited due to his
asking.(Al-Bukhaaree andMuslim)
Thus the Muhaajiroon (emigrants) and Ansaar (helpers) who lived in
al-Madeenah, and whose hearts were firm in faith, they were prohibited
from asking (unnecessarily).
Permissible Questions
The Prophet permitted the bedouins' delegations to ask questions (in
order to learn the basics of the Deen). An-Nawaas bin Sam'aan
reported: "I stayed with Allaah's Messenger in al-Madeenah for a year.
Nothing prevented me from (permanent) hijrah except the (permission
toask) questions. For when one of us would made hijrah, he would not
ask Allaah's Messenger about anything." (Muslim)
Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "We were prohibited from
asking Allaah's Messenger about things. So we were excited when an
intelligent man from among the bedouins came. He asked him questions,
and we listened." (Muslim)
Yet, the companions of the Prophet would ask about some issues of
importance, such as the ruling on a matter about to occur, so that
they would know what to do then. For example, they asked: "We will
meet our enemy tomorrow; and we have no knives with us. Should we
slaughter (our animals for food) with reeds [2] ?" (Al- Bukhaaree and
Muslim)
They also asked whether to obey or fight those deviant leaders that he
informed them would come after him; Huthayfah asked about the future
fitan (tribulations) and what to do during them [3]; and so on.
Reasons for the Prohibition
In this hadeeth, the Prophet said:Avoid asking me as long as I leave
you: surely those before you were destroyed for their numerous
questions and disobedience to their prophets.
This indicates that unnecessary questioning is disliked and censured.
Some people think that this applies specifically tothe Prophet's time.
They argue that, with the revelation continuing to descend upon the
Prophet, it would have been possible for something that was not
prohibited to become prohibited, or somethingdifficult to implement to
become obligatory. This is no longer the case after his passing.
However, there is another reason for the prohibition: They should not
be hasty, but should rather await the revelation of the Qur'aan,which
will provide a clarification for all things that they might ask about.
All that the Muslims need to know about their religion is clarified by
Allaah in His Great Book; and the Messenger has conveyed it. So there
is no need forquestioning beyond this; Allaah best knows which issues
are most helpful for His servants, which of them will give them
guidance, and which will give them benefit. Certainly Allaah would
give clarification for these, even if they do notask about it, as He,
Most High, said:«( Thus) Allaah clarifies for you, lest you go
astray.» [ An-Nisaa' 4:176]
Therefore, there is no need to ask about a thingbefore a real need for
it arises. In such situation, one is required to understand that of
whichAllaah and His Messenger have informed, and then follow that and
act upon it.
Questioning versus Obeying Allaah and His Messenger
The Prophet says in this hadeeth:When I command you with something, do
as much ofit as you are able; and when I forbid you from something,
stay away from it.
With this, Allaah's Messenger indicates that engaging oneself in
following his commands, and staying away from his prohibitions, will
keep one too busy to ask questions.
Muslims should concern themselves only with the issues discussed by
Allaahand His Messenger, struggle to understand them and realize their
meanings, believe deeplyin them, submit to them, struggle to fulfill
the commands as much as possible, and to struggle to avoid what is
prohibited. This was the practice of the Prophet's companions and
those who followed them with ihsaan (in a good way) inseeking
beneficial knowledge from the Book and the Sunnah.
When hearing a command or prohibition,the listener must not make
assumptions regarding matters which may or may not occur. If he did,
he would be liable to the prohibition in the hadeeth, and would
reflect an insincerity in following the command.
A man asked Ibn 'Umar about kissing the Black stone. He, may Allah be
pleased with him, replied, "I saw the Prophet kissing it and touching
it. The man said, "What if I am forcedaway from it? What if I am
overpowered (by the mass of people)?" Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased
with him, responded: "Leave 'What if' in Yemen. I saw Allaah's
Messenger kissing it and touching it." (Al- Bukhaaree )
Ibn 'Umar meant that your concern should onlybe to follow the Prophet;
there is no need to presume difficulty or incapability before an
event's occurrence, because it weakens the determination to reach the
goal. Surely, fiqh (understanding) of the Deen and questioning about
knowledge are only praised when done for the sake of acting upon them,
not for the sake of debates and arguments. Ibn Mas'ood, may Allah be
pleased with him, said: "What willyou do when a fitnah (tribulation)
prevails overyou, causing an adult to grow old, and a child to become
an adult? People will adopt it as sunnah; and if it is done
differently one day, it will be said, 'This is munkar (disgusting)'."
He was asked, "When willthis happen?" He replied: "When you have few
trustworthy people, but may leaders; you will have few fuqahaa '
(people of understanding) but manyreciters ; fiqh will be sought for
other than thereligion; and the world will be sought by deeds of the
Hereafter." [4]
Similarly, many of the companions and their followers disliked being
asked questions about events before they ever occur; and they would
not answer such questions. [5]
Whoever treads the path in search of knowledge in the manner that we
have mentioned, he will understand the answer to most new events,
because they are based on these basics. And treading on this path must
be done following the imaams (great scholars) whom the Ummah agrees as
to theirguidance and insight, like ash-Shaaf'ee, Ahmad,Ishaaq, Abu'
Ubayd, and whoever follows their path. Anyone who takes a path other
than this will suffer defeat and ruin, taking what is not permissible
for him, and avoiding what he is obliged to act upon.
The root of the matter is that, by questioning, one's intention be
Allaah's Face, drawing closer to Him by knowingwhat He revealed to
His Messenger, treading upon his path, acting in accordance with it,
and inviting the created beings to this. Whoever does this, Allaah
grants him fiqh, guides him, inspires his faith, and teaches him what
he did not otherwise know. He would then be one of those who have been
praised in the Book for their knowledge. He, Glorious is He, says:«It
is only the knowledgeable among His servants who fear Allaah .» [
Faatir 35:28]
Similar to this is the saying of some of the salaf: "Fear of Allaah is
sufficient proof of one's knowledge, and recklessness before Allaah is
sufficient proof of one's ignorance."
Summary Regarding Obeying Allaah and His Messenger
We conclude that one should direct his efforts to understanding
Allaah'swords and those of His Messenger, instead of occupying himself
with many issues that are not discussed in the Book of Allaah nor the
Sunnah of His Messenger. Whoever does this, seeking by it tocomply
with the commands and avoid the prohibitions, will be among those
fulfilling the Messenger's command in this hadeeth.
On the other hand, anyone who, instead of being concerned with
understanding what Allaah revealed to His Messenger, directs his
efforts to raising issues which may or may not occur, expecting
answersbased on mere opinion, is in danger of being opposed this
hadeeth, committing what it prohibits, and avoiding what it commands.
You should know that most new events, which have no foundation in the
Book and the Sunnah, only occur due to one's lack of compliance with
the commands of Allaah and His Messenger. If, in any situation, one
asks about what Allaah legislated concerning it and complies with it,
and what He forbade regarding it and avoids it, then this event occurs
within the limits of the Book and the Sunnah.
But, if one acts in accordance with his opinion and desires, thenmost
of the events that take place will contradict what Allaah has
legislated. It may even besometimes difficult for one to find the
ruling for these events in the Book or the Sunnah, because of their
being so far fromthem.
In summary, one must comply with what the Prophet has commanded in
this hadeeth, and avoids what he has prohibited. Anyone occupying
himself with this, instead of other things, will be saved in this life
and the Hereafter. And anyone who follows his whims instead of this is
liable to the warning of the Prophet: that he would be acting like the
people of the Book, who were destroyed because of their excessive
questioning and disobedience to their prophets.
Emphasis on Avoiding Prohibitions
In the above hadeeth, the Prophet said:When I command you with
something, do as much ofit as you are able; and when I forbid you from
something, stay away from it.
Some scholars conclude from this that the prohibition is more stern
than the command, because there is no concession left for the
prohibition, whereas the command is limited to capability. This is
reported from Imaam Ahmad. Others say similarly: "Righteous acts are
done by both the righteous and the sinful; but sin is not avoided
except by the siddeeq (most truthful)."
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet
said:Guard yourself against the prohibitions; you are then a most true
worshipper among the people.(Ahmad, At-Tirmidthee, Ibn Maajah and
others) [6]
It is apparent that what has been said about the virtue of avoiding
prohibitions over performing acts of obedience refers only to
voluntary acts of obedience. Performing an obligatory act of obedience
is more important than avoiding a prohibition; the earlier is a
positive action sought for itself, whereasthe latter is a negative
action that should be avoided and, therefore, does not need a niyyah
(intention) like the obligations. Furthermore,refraining from certain
actions can lead to kufr, such as refraining from saying the Shahaadah
or from performing the pillars of Islaam. The same is not true in the
case of committing a prohibition, for by itself it does not
necessitate kufr.
In conclusion, avoiding the prohibitions - even if they are small, is
better than doing voluntary actsof obedience in plenty, for the first
is obligatory, whereas the latter is voluntary.
Capability
In regard to the same part of the hadeeth (of Abu Hurayrah), some of
the later scholars indicatethat the Prophet said thisbecause complying
with a command cannot occur except with a (positive) action, which
depends upon conditions and certain causes without which one cannot
perform it. Thus it is limited to capability, in the same way as is
Allaah's commands for taqwaa:«So have taqwaa of Allaah as much as you
are capable .» [ At- Taghaabun 64:16]
And He, Glorious is He, said about hajj:«...And hajj to the House is a
duty that people owe to Allaah, for those who are able to bear the
journey...» [ Aal ' Imraan 3:97]
As for the prohibitions, what is expected is that they are not
performed, and that is their origin (that they are not done). So the
goal of non-performance remains the rule, and thisis possible, for it
does notdepend upon capability.
Yet there is some problem in this argument. If the call to an act of
disobedience is extremely strong for a person, and he does not have
the patience necessary to avoid committing it if he had the means, it
becomes necessary for him to struggle his utmost to avoid it. For some
people,this (avoiding the sin) is more difficult on oneself than doing
acts of obedience. For this reason there are many people who achieve
many acts of obedience, but they lack the strengthto avoid some of the
prohibitions.
The reality of all this is that Allaah does not hold a person
responsible for that of which he is not capable; and He has exempted
the people of many obligations only because of the hardship they would
present for them, granting them a concession out of mercy for them.
As for the prohibitions, one may not justify doingthem by the strength
of temptation or the desire for it. Rather, the one is required to
avoid them in all situations. And whatever He allowed of the
prohibited food is only in necessity conditions, in order to preserve
the life, and not for the sake of enjoyment or fulfilling the desires.
Here one becomes aware of the correctness of what Imaam Ahmad, may
Allah have mercy with him, said, that the prohibition is more severe
than the command.
When One Cannot Completely Fulfill a Command
This hadeeth further provides proof that whoever experiences
difficulty in doing all thathe has been commanded,but he is able to do
some of it, then he does of it what is possible for him. This is
consistent in various specific cases, like physical purification for
example. When one isable to do some of it but unable to the rest due
to lack of water or a problem with some of hislimbs, he does what he
is able, and performs tayammum for the rest. Itis the same whether the
case is for wudhoo ' or ghusl (according to the majority of scholars).
The same with prayer, for whoever finds it too difficult to perform
the obligatory elements of the prayer while standing, then he prays
sitting. If that is too difficult, then he prays lying down. In Saheeh
al-Bukhaaree 'Imraan bin Husayn, may Allah be pleased with him,
reported that the Prophet said:
Pray standing, if you are not able, then sitting, if you are not able,
then lying on your side.
If all of this is too difficultyet, or if one cannot use his limbs at
all, then he prays with his eyes and intention; he is not exempt from
praying .
Footnotes:
1. [7] This ishadeeth number nine from Ibn Rajab's work, translated
and adapted by Abu Khaliyl.
2. [1] All of the above wascompiled by both al- Bukhaaree and Muslim.
3. [2] This refers to using the sharp edge that results from splitting
large hollow reeds. The Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) allowed the
usage of any tool thatwould cut (see the remainder of
thehadeethinSaheeh al-Bukhaari), including shards of flint or other
types of sharp rocks. Ibn Hajar mentioned that the companions did not
like to use their knives or swords for slaughtering, fearing to damage
the blades, making them less effective for battle, etc. SeeFath ul
-Baari.
4. [3] Recorded by al- Bukhaaree and Muslim.
5. [4] It is ahasan report recorded by ad- Daarimee and others. SeeThe
Night Prayers:QiyamandTarawih where Shaykh al-Albaani says about a
similar version (pg.1 ) ; "This report, although it ismawquf (from a
companion), holds the status ofmarfu'(from the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه
وسلم )) because itmentions matters of theghayb that cannot be known
except through revelation."
6. [5] What follows, although omitted in our article, is a number of
sayings from thesalaf. Among them a report from Maalik about
theaayah;«And they ask you about the soul... » [Al- Israa ' 17:85]
that Allaah did not give an answer to that question.
7. [6] It ishasan accordingto al-Albaani. SeeSilsilat al- Ahaadeeth
as- Saheehah no. 930.

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