Not staying overnight inMina during the days of Tashreeq

I hope that you can explain the ruling on notstaying overnight in Mina
during the Days of Tashreeq. If the answer is that (the one who does
not stay in Mina) is obliged to offer a sacrifice, then should he
offer a sheep for each night or is one sufficient?
Praise be to Allaah.
Staying overnight in Mina during the Days of Tashreeq is obligatory
according to the majority of fuqahaa'; theone who fails to do that
with no excuse is obliged to offer a sacrifice. According to the
majority of scholars one should stay there formost of the night.
(al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah, part 17, p. 58).
Not staying overnight in Mina during the Days of Tashreeq may be one
of the following cases:
The first case: when a person does not stay overnight in Mina because
he has an excuse.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz was asked about the ruling on a person who does not
stay overnight in Mina during the Days of Tashreeq. He said: "He is
not obliged to offer any sacrifice because Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning): 'So keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him as much as
you can' [al-Taghaabun 64:16] – whether he did not stay overnight at
Mina because of sicknessor because there was no room, of for some
similar legitimate excusesuch as those who bring water to the pilgrims
and those who tend sheep, and whatever else comes under the same
rulings.
The second case: when aperson does not stay overnight (in Mina) during
the days of Tahsreeq with no excuse.
The Shaykh (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Whoever does not stay overnight in Mina during the Days of Tashreeq
with no excusehas failed to do something which was prescribed by the
Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
in both word and deed, and by the fact that he made a concession for
some of those who have excuses such as shepherds and those who bring
water to the pilgrims. Concessions can only be made when there is
something which has to be done. Hence staying overnight in Mina during
the Days of Tashreeq is considered to be one of the obligatory duties
of Hajj,according to the more correct of the two scholarly views, and
whoever does not do that and has no legitimate excuse has to offer a
sacrifice, becauseit was reported that Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be
pleased with them both)said: "Whoever fails to do one of the rituals
[of Hajj] or forgets it, let himoffer a sacrifice." It is sufficient
to offer one sacrifice for not staying overnight in Mina during the
days of Tashreeq."
(Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz – may Allaah have mercy on him –
vol. 5, p. 182)
He should offer the sacrifice and share out its meat among the poorin
the Haram, and he should not eat any of it. And Allaah knows best.

Udhiyah for the deceased

Is it permissible to offer a sacrifice for the dead?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The Muslims are agreed that it is prescribed to offer a sacrifice
(udhiyah), and it is permissible to offer a sacrifice on behalf of one
who has died, because of the general meaning of the hadeeth of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), "When the son of
Adam dies, all his good deeds come to an end except three: ongoing
charity, beneficial knowledge, ora righteous son who willpray for
him." Narrated by Muslim. Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi and al-Nasaa'i, and
by al-Bukhaari in al-Adab al-Mufrad from Abu Hurayrah. Slaughtering
asacrifice on his behalf is a kind of ongoing charity, because it
benefits the person offering the sacrifice, the deceased person, and
others.
And Allaah is the Source of strength.
Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas.

Ruling on fasting the days of al-Tashreeq

I have the habit of fasting every Thursday and it so happened that I
fasted on Thursday 12th Dhu'l-Hijjah. On the Friday I heard that it is
not permissible to fast on the Days of al-Tashreeq and that Thursday
was the third of the days of al-Tashreeq. Is there any sin on me if I
fasted that day? Is it true that it is not permissible to fast on the
days of al-Tashreeq or should we avoid fasting only onthe first days
of Eid?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Fasting on the two days of Eid is haraam, as indicated by the hadeeth
of Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The
Prophet (peaceand blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade fasting on
the day of al-Fitr and al-Nahr." Narrated by al-Bukhaari,1992; Muslim,
827. The scholars are unanimously agreed that fasting on these two
days is haraam.
It is also haraam to fast on the days of al-Tashreeq which are the
three days after Eid al-Adha (the 11th, 12th and 13th of Dhu'l-Hijjah)
because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"The days of al-Tashreeq are days of eating, drinking and remembering
Allaah." Narrated by Muslim, 1141.
Abu Dawood (2418) narrated from Abu Murrah the freed slave of Umm
Haani that he entered with 'Abd-Allaahibn 'Amr upon his father 'Amr
ibn al-'Aas. He offered them food and said, "Eat." He said, "I
amfasting." 'Amr said: "Eat, for these are the days onwhich the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would
tell us not to fast and forbade us to fast, and these are the days of
al-Tashreeq."Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
But it is permissible to fast on the days of al-Tashreeq for a
pilgrimwho does not have a hadiy (sacrificial animal).It was narrated
that 'Aa'ishah and Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them) said:
No one was allowed to fast on the days of al-Tashreeq except one who
could not find a hadiy. Narrated by al-Bukhaari,1998.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said: It is permissible for those who are doing
Hajj qiraan or tamattu', if they cannot find a hadiy, to fast these
threedays so that the Hajj season will not end before they fast. But
apart from that it is not permissible to fast on these days, even if a
person is obliged to fast for two consecutive months; he should not
fast on the day of Eid and the three days following it, but then he
should continue his fast.
Fataawa Ramadaan, p. 727.

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SOCIAL CONDUCT AND MUTUAL RIGHTS

Social conduct, good manners and respect for the rights of each other,
again, form an importantpart of Islamic teachings. One can become a
good and true Muslim only when one also observes faithfully the social
code of Islam by which we mean the rules and regulations governing the
modes and manner of behaviour between man and man and between man and
society as laid down by it. For instance, what should the attitude of
parents be towards their children and of children towards their
parents? What sort of conduct should prevail between brothers and
between brothers and sisters? How should husband andwife live
together? How to treat those who are older than ourselves and those
who are younger? What are the rights of our neighbuors on us? How
should the rich behave towards the poorand the poor towards the rich?
What mode of relationship should be maintained between master and
servant? And, so forth. Islam has provided us with a most
comprehensive and complete guidance of law to fulfil our social
responsibilities and act inour dealings and relationships with all
those individuals and groups with whom we come into contact, one way
or the other, in different walks of our daily life, and this is whatwe
are going to discuss in this chapter.
Rights of Parents:
The most primary relationship in this worldexists between man and his
parents. In Islam the rights of parents have been described as next
only to the rights of Allah(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa). To quote from the
Holy Quraan:
The Lord has ordained that ye worship none butHim; and to show
kindness to your parents whether one or both of them attain to old age
with Thee; and say not tothem "Fie!" neither reproach them; but speak
to them both with respectful speech; and defer humbly to them out of
tenderness; and say, "Lord! have compassion on them both, as they
reared me when I was little." [XVII: 23-24]
Another verse of the HolyBook goes on to tell that should the parents
of a person be polytheists and want him also to follow their faith, he
ought to decline to obey them, but even then he should continue to
treat them well and to behave towards them with respect. The exact
words of the verse are:
But if they strive to make thee join in worship withMe things of which
thou hast no knowledge, obeythem not; yet bear them company in this
life with justice (and consideration) [XXXI: 15]
Beside the Holy Quraan, in the Traditions also great stress has been
laidon rendering full devotion and obedience to one's parents. To
disobey one's parents, to ignore their feelings, or to disregard their
comfort or happiness in any other way has been characterised by the
Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam) as a grievous sin. Take these
Traditions, for example:
"In the pleasure of parents lies the pleasure of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) and in their displeasure the displeasure of Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)."
Once a person enquired from the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam),
"What are therights of parents?" The Prophet (Sallallahu
AlaiheWasallam) replied,"Parents are the heaven and hell of their
children (meaning that salvation and paradise could be gained by
serving one's parents well while disobedience to and ill treatment of
them could lead one to hell)."
The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) once observed, "Every time a
dutiful son or daughter looks with affection and respect towards his
or her father or mother Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) writes against
his or her name the reward of an, accepted Hajj." Upon this,some of
the Companions enquired, "Our Master! Suppose a person does so a
hundred times each day; will he, even then, be given the reward of an
accepted Hajj for every glance he casts?""Yes", the Prophet
(Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) replied, "Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)
is the Most Great, the Most Holy (meaning that the bounty of the Lord
is boundless)."
In one Tradition, it is told, "Heaven lies under the feet of the parents."
The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) once said to the Companions
that the most mortal sins in the world were three:
"To associate anyone with Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa), to disobey
parents, and to give falseevidence."
Again, "Their are three types of men towards whom Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) will not look with mercy on the Day of Judgement one of
them are those who disobey their parents."
Rights of Children:
Islam has laid an equal stress on the rights of children on parents
also. We will leave out here the responsibility of parents to feed and
clothe their children since an instinctive awareness of these are
found in them and they carry it out normally and in the natural way.
The rights of our childrenabout which we are generally careless and
neglectful, are those concerning their moral and religious training
and up-bringing. Islam has made it binding on us, as a matter of duty
that we brought up our wards and children in such a way that they did
not have to make their way to hell after death. We are required to be
extremely careful in this respect. Says the Holy Quraan:
O ye who believe! save yourselves and your families from the Fire of
Hell. [LXVI:6]
The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) has, in a Tradition, stressed
the need of giving proper training to children in these words:
"No better gift can there be from a father to his children then that
he brought them up properly."
Some parents are more fond of their sons than daughters. They take a
great interest in the upbringing of their male issues while the
welfare and training of the female ones are generally neglected by
them. Daughters are, sometimes, considered tobe a burden. For this
reason, Islam has devoted particular attention to the proper
upbringing of girls and extolled it as an act of great virtue. The
Holy Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam) has said:
"Anyone who has a daughter or a sister and he treats her well and
looks after her welfare and training carefully and marries her at the
right place, Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) will reward him with
paradise."
Mutual Rights betweenHusband and Wife:
Conjugal relationship occupies a place of outstanding importance in
the economy of human affairs. It is most strong and intimate tie that
binds husband and wife into a life-long partnership. Islam, therefore,
has furnished a complete guidance in respect of it as well. In
nutshell, Islam demands from wives to be scrupulously faithful to
their husbands and to remain their best friends and true well-wishers
and never to betray theirtrusts. The Holy Quraan declares:
Therefore, the righteous women are obedient, and guard (in the
husband's) absence. [IV:34]
And from husbands it requires that they shouldgive their love
ungrudgingly to their wives, maintain them as best as they can within
their means and leave nothing to be desired by way of their emotional
contentment. Says, again,the Holy Quraan:
Live with your wives on afooting of kindness and equity. [IV:19]
In keeping with these teachings of the Holy Quraan, the Prophet
(Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) used to attach profound importance to the
harmony of married life among Muslims. He used to urge upon Muslim
husbands and wives to keep each otherhappy and to attend to each
other's needs and interests with loving care. Some of his Traditions
in this connection read:
"If a man calls his wife to him and the wife refuses and he stays
annoyed with her during the night, the angels will not cease to curse
her name till day-break."
"The woman who dies in such a state that her husband is pleased with
her shall go to Heaven."
"By the Lord in whose power lies the life of Muhammad (Sallallahu
Alaihe Wasallarn), no woman can fulfil the rights of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) who does not fulfil the rights of herhusband."
"Charge you to be kind toyour wives. Remember this advice of mine.
See, they are subordinate to you and in your power."
"Good among you are those who are good to their wives."
"He is the most perfect believer (in the sight of Allah Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) who is perfect in his manners and most affectionate
towards his wife and children."
Rights of Relatives:
Besides our parents and children and husbands orwives there also
exists a special tie of kinship between us and our other relatives.
Islam has paid due attention to thisaspect of our social existence,
too, and evolved certain rights and duties in respect of it. Thus, in
the Holy Quraan we are told to be kind to our kinsmen and one who
disregards and pays no heed to the bonds of kinship has been condemned
as a transgressor and a sinnerof the worst order.
The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) once said, "He who violates
the rights of kinsmen and shows no respect forthe bonds of kinship in
his conduct shall not go to heaven."
In this connection a special advice of the Prophet (Sallallahu
AlaiheWasallam) is that if a relative violates the ties of
relationship with regard to us even then we should continue to fulfil,
on our part, the obligations we have towards him. The words of the
Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) are, "If a near relative
treats you indifferently and ignores the bond of relationship, do not
turn your back on him but keep on discharging, on your part, the
obligations of relationship towards him."
Rights of the Old on the Young and of the Young on the Old:
It is a general principle ofIslamic social behaviour that everyone
should respect his elders and carry himself with due deference in
their presence. In the same way, those who are olderare required to,
treat those who are younger to them with kindness and affection, even
if there be no relationship between them.
Said the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam): "He is not of us who is
not affectionate to those who are younger than himself and respectful
to those who are older.
"For the young man who will honour an old man because of his years,
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) will appoint men who will honour him in
his old age."
Rights of Neighbours:
Apart from relatives, there obtains a permanent association also
between a man and his neighbours. In Islam full attention has
accordingly, been paid toit and definite instructions have been
provided for our guidance in this behalf aswell. The Holy Quraan calls
upon us to be good-and courteous in our behaviour towards our
neighbors in the same way as it has commanded us to maintain the best
of conduct towards our parents, brothers and sisters and towards our
other near relatives:
And then Neighbours who are near, and the neighbours who are strangers
and the companions by your side.[IV:36]
Three categories of neighbours have been spoken of in this verse and
it is expected of us tomaintain cordial relations with all of them.
The phrase "neighbours who are near" denotes neighbours who may also
happen to be our relatives; "neighbours who are strangers" denotes
those with whom we have no familyties, and non-muslim neighbours are
included in this category. Whereas"companions by your side" means
persons withwhom we come into contact temporarily in the course of our
daily activities like a casual acquaintance, a fellow- traveller, a
classmate anda colleague whatever their religious denomination is,
Islam reminds us that we have an obligation to be friendly and
sympathetic towards all the three categories of neighbours.
Says the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam):
"He who believes in Allah(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and the Day of
Recompense should never harm his neighbour."
"He is not a Muslim who eats his fill and lets his neighbour go hungry."
It is narrated that the Apostle of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) once
emphatically exclaimed,"He is not a believer in Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa)." The question was asked, "O Apostle of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa)! Who is not abeliever in Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)?"
The Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam) observed,"Whose neighbour does
not feel secure on his account."
Yet another Tradition reads:
"He shall not go to Heaven from whose mischief his neighbours do not
feel secure."
It is reported that once a Companion said to the Prophet (Sallallahu
AlaiheWasallam), "O Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) there is a
woman about whom it is said that she offers a great deal of prayers,
observes a great deal of fasts and does a great deal of charity, but
she also causes a great deal of trouble to her neighbours owing to the
sharpness of her tongue." The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam)
observed,"She will go to Hell." The Companion then said, "O Apostle of
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)! There is another woman about, whom it
is said that she engages herself little in prayers, fasting and
charity (that is, she observes the prayers, fasts and charity less
thanthe first woman) but never offends her neighbours by her tongue.
The Holy Prophet(Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam) observed,"She will be in
Heaven."
Brothers! Such are the rights of neighbours in Islam. Alas, how
heedless have we now grown to them!

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Story - An unintentional saviour and love story

There was a time when I didn't even know he existed, yet I
unintentionionally and unknowingly saved his life.
I can't say exactly when I began to notice him, except that it was
early 2010, but I can sat that for some reason when I did I knew it
would be my mission to make him my best friend.
I knew he didn't seem to like me but it didn't stop me one bit. I'm
still not sure why he meant so much to me before I evenknew him, but
it was the best decidion I have ever made to make my way into his
life. As our friendship began to develope and grow I began to trust
him very much, but for him it was difficult to trust me because of his
past and therefore he kept to himself a lot.
When he broke up with his girlfriend he fell into a deep depression
that he never spoke to anyone about. Today I learn how much of an
impact my little converstions were in my attempt to make him my
friend. He felt hopeless and iscolated in this world where he thought
no one cared. He had written a suicide letter and how was ready to go.
He found no reason to live because the pain was too much for him until
one day I came a long and gave him a sense of hope. But all I knew
about him was thathe was a shy boy in my class who for some reason I
wanted as my best friend. The fact that he was this close to hurting
himself I was completely ignorent of.
Today he tells me the story of his depression. I still don't
understand my involvment in bringing him out of it, or even believing
I saved his life because it's scary and hard for me to accept.ButI
trust him. He said I confused him, and his lonliness because I seemed
to bring a light into his darkness. The idea of a friend gave himthe
hope of a second chance. He felt like someone cared and so hechose to
give life a second chance.
He became my best friend, and the one person who I trusted with my
life, and eventually he even learntto trust me.
But with every story comes a twist. I can't say this was the most
perfect friendship because we often faught. But for some reason
neither of us wanted to lose the other. He often used to say "Please
don't leave me" and I don't think I really realised how much he meant
it. He never wanted to lose me because I was the one who 'saved' him
and he felt as if he owed me his life, and that without me he would be
nothing again.
I fell in love with him within the next year and he began to mean so
much to me but I could never tell him how I felt. Ididn't have the
guts. I was scared of rejection or ruining our friendship.
One of his best friends had a crush on me for a very long time. I
procastinated anything with him for a while, until I got to a stage
where I felt I could have feelings for him. But at the back of my mind
he wasn't my first choice. It took 11 months until anything happened
between us, but it was because of Dan that we ended up together one
night.
21-08-2010
As strange as it is we had the biggest fight that night. He pressured
me into going with his friend even though I told him I didn't want to.
I sent him a message whenI had left saying I didn't want to do it he
shouldn't have made me and I guess he realised he made a mistake. But
then I decided to go through with it and ignored him. He called me
many times and sent me over 10 messages, and after his friend and I
had hooked up I opened the messages and replied.I apologised but he
was very angry. He told me he was worried, and that I didn't care
andmany other things. But there was one message that confused me "I
was scared I would never see your beautiful face again". He had never
called me beautiful before. But I ignored it because I though it was
nothing. I went home in tears because of how badthe fight had been. He
didn't want to speak to me and that was hard forme to deal with. He
was my best friend, and I felt that I needed him.
22-08-2010
Today he told me he had feelings for me and I told him how I felt
about him.Turns out the only reasonhe pushed me to be with his friend
was because he though I would be happy and that's all he ever wanted.
Turns out he was wrong about who I wanted.
Totday, I am proud to saywe have been in a relationship for over 2
years and I am the happiest girl in the world.
I love him with all my heart and I want the world to know that.

A True Love Story

Many persons mix the other things with the true love, like, if they
are just attracted to anybody or if they hve a girlfrnd or boyfrnd. .
.with whom they go out for fun or a date. . .they think that"Arre yaar
! I love him/her a lot . . Truely. But dats not a true love.
I am a true lover. According to me a true love is like. .. U luv a
person n u can never spare him/her. U cant seeor even imagine that
gal/guy with anyone else. U care for ur luv truely, if ur family is
against ur luver, then also u dont leave him/her. If anybody says
sumthng wrong bout ur luv, u juss stand to take ur luvers side or
sumtimes to fight.
I m Muskaan, 18 years old, a cute n sweet gal who luvs his guy madly n truely.
I met him when i was juss10years old and he was 13. I was in std. 5th
and he was in 8th. He was living in his naani's homefrm his childhood.
One day, when i reached ma tution, i went inside, he was sitting
there. I didnt know him. Ma teacher introduced him to me. Hewas a new
student in ourschool.After the class, we used to play 2gether
everyday. We became gud frnds. He used to cum to ma home daily
forplaying with me.
One day, a group of frndscame to ma home, he was also there. We
started playing a game, the game was like.. Many names are written on
a paper and one persn has to answer that what he wil do with that
persn whos name is there. A frnd of mine started hiding the names, n
he was going on answering, he gave an answr dat i wil Kiss it, wat we
saw ? ma name was there. That was the first time when we felt somethng
for each other. We started luking to each other's eyes.
Everyday was going on very smothly. 1 year passed.
Now i was in std 6th and he was in std 9th. After he passed 9th, he
went. . I didnt know where n why ? He didnt gave evenhis numbr. Cozz
His behaviour was very childish, we were kids at that time, we didnt
knowwat is love . Bt he cud hve told me dat he is going.
After few days, i started missing him a lot. I used to cry daily. He
was juss liking me but he didnt know, i started luving him. I used to
cry n pray daily dat plz god, if i cud see him once. I wasnt having
his numbr or his adress. I told ma problm to one of ma frnd, she
brought me his numbr. I called in dat numbr, a lady told me dat he is
nt here.
One day, i went to search his home with ma sister. Igot it after
wandering 3hours. We met his maama's daughter, she told dat he is in
raipur with his parents, studying there n he wil nt cum here again(for
hisstudies). Its very shockingn unimaginative dat, a 12years gal is
searching the home of a persn to whom she luvs. We went,i was very
sad, i continued crying n praying for 6 months, if i cud see him once.
One day, in the evening, when i was standing out of ma home. Wat i saw
! I was surprised, i saw himmm. I started crying, god accepted my
prayer. He was with his frnds in his bicycle. He went again. Next day
i thoughtdat yesterday was the last day n he wil nt cum again. 1 year
passed. I was in std 7th. It took 1year to forget him.
When i reached std 9th, i changed ma school. One day, when i was in
the school bus, the bus when stopped at his stoppage, can u imagine !
I saw him, i.e. After 2 years he came back. I was surprised, totally
shocked. . I was thinking How can this b possible ? He came inside the
bus. I turnd back to see him, hewas also seeing me. I wasverry happpy.
He dint talk to me, i think he was afraid.
After few days, i started hating him cozz he told everybdy that he
luvs me.The boys started tauntingme with his name. He was a bad
influence on me. He started calling me,following me. Bt i wasnt ready
to talk to him. After6 mnths, i became his frnd. Bt i told dat u wont
tell anybdy that i talk to u. He agreed. After few mnths he proposed
me bti dint answr.
I reached std 10th. I wentto hostel. After passing std10th, when i
came back home, he calld me ntold dat he wasnt able to concentrate on
his studies. One day, we plannd to go out wid frnds as we were gud
frnds. We went out. We enjoyed. Dat was the firstday when we hugged n
kissed.
The very next day, when he calld me at night, i told him dat i luv u
too. He became very happy. I accepted him coz he doesnt drink or
smoke,hecared fr me, he never hurted me, he never complained, he
listened whenever i scolded him, he did everythng as per ma wish, he
waited 2years fr me.
Now , we are together, n i m verrrry lucky coz he luves me very much,
he didnt leave me at the time when his family toldhim to leave me,
when they bet him. He talks to me daily, his family doesnt know dat we
r together now also coz if they'll know dis than they'll take his cell
frm him n then how we'll talk. He is studying so he cant do anything
rite now. After studies, we r going to marry each other.
We r incomplete widout each othr. Isnt it a true love story. . .

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Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (Radi Allah Unho)

EARLY LIFE Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radiAllahu anhu's) real name was
Abdullah, and he was given the title of "As Siddique" or "Testifier to
the Truth." His father, 'Uthman, was known as Abu Quhafah and his
mother, Salma, was known as Ummul Khair. He was two and a half years
younger than Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam).
He was the first among the Sahaba to accept Islam. He accompanied
Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) during the Hijrah
to Madinatul Munawwarah. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radiAllahu anhu) was a
merchant. He freed many slaves, including Sayyiduna Bilal (radi Allahu
anhu) and Sayyiduna Umayyah bin Qahaf (radi Allahu anhu) . He
participated in all the battles in which Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal
laahu alaihi wasallam) had to fight the Kuffar.
Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radiAllahu anhu) loved his faith more than
anything else. At the Battle of Badr, his son, Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman
(radi Allahu anhu) , was fighting on the side of the Kuffar. After
accepting Islam, Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman (radi Allahu anhu) said to his
father, "O Father, at Badr, you were twice under my sword, but my love
for you held my hand back." To this, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radi Allahu
anhu) replied, "Son, if I had you only once under my sword, you would
have been no more." He was so uncompromising in his faith.
At the time of the Battle of Tabuk, he donated all his wealth to the
war effort, and when Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi
wasallam) asked him, "What have you left for your family,?" he
replied, "Allah and His Rasool (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam)."
AS A CALIPH After his election as the Caliph, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radi
Allahu anhu) addressed the Muslims with these words:
"O People! I have been chosen by you as your leader, although I am
nobetter than any of you. IfI do any wrong, set me right. Listen,
truth is honesty and untruth is dishonesty. The weak among you are the
powerful in my eyes, as long as I do not give them their dues. The
powerful among you areweak in my eyes, as longas I do not take away
from them what is due to others.
"Listen carefully, if people give up striving for the Cause of
AlmightyAllah, He will send down disgrace upon them. If people become
evil-doers, Almighty Allah will send down calamities upon them.
"Obey me as long as I obey Allah and His Rasul (sallal laahu alaihi
wasallam). If I disobey Allah and His Rasul (sallallaahu alaihi
wasallam), you are free to disobey me."
Such was the first Caliph of Islam. Indeed, the world would be a
better place to live in, if we hadleaders like Sayyiduna Abu Bakr
(radi Allahu anhu).
Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radiAllahu anhu) now sent Sayyiduna Usamah (radi
Allahu anhu) on the expedition to Syria to fight the Romans, even
though he had to attendto all the internal problems of the Islamic
State.
The news that SayyidunaRasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) had
passed away, made some new Muslims think that the Islamic State would
crumble and they refused to pay the Zakaah. These new Muslims could
not yet get used to their faith and its requirements until then.
Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radi Allahu anhu) declared, "By Allah! Even if a
single thread is due from a man, he must give it. If he refuses, I
will declare war against him."
RENEGADES AND IMPOSTERS Some others became imposters and renegades.
Tulaiha, Musailimah, Maalik bin Nuwairah, Aswad Ansi and a woman named
Sajah claimed that they were prophets and caused a great deal of
confusion. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radi Allahu anhu) was quick to take
action against these imposters.
Sayyiduna Khalid bin Walid (radi Allahu anhu) was sent to deal with
Tulaiha who fled to Syriaand later became a Muslim. Maalik bin Nuwarah
was killed. Sayyiduna Ikramah (radi Allahu anhu) and Sayyiduna
Surahbil (radi Allahu anhu) were sent to take action against
Musailimah, but they were defeated. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radiAllahu
anhu) sent Sayyiduna Khalid bin Walid (radi Allahu anhu) to tackle the
notorious Musailamah who married Sajah. In the fight that followed,
Sayyiduna Wahshi (radi Allahu anhu) killed Musailamah. Musailamahand
Aswad Ansi also claimed to be prophets while Sayyiduna Rasulullah
(sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) was alive. Aswad was killed by the
Muslims of Yemen.
Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radiAllahu anhu's) swift and bold steps saved the
Islamic State from the serious danger of chaos and confusion. He could
now attend to other urgent problems.
ERA OF CONQUESTS During his Khilaafat, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radiAllahu
anhu) had to take action against the Iranian Empire. The Emperor of
Iran, KhusrouParvez, was killed by his son, Shirooya, and the whole
empire fell into chaos and disorder. Hurmuz, the Persian governor of
Iraq, was very hostile to the Arabs and he was also cruel to the
Muslims living in thatarea.
Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radiAllahu anhu) sent Sayyiduna Muthamia (radi
Allahu anhu) to take action against the Iranians in Iraq. His forces
were not enough and Sayyiduna Khalid bin Walid (radi Allahu anhu) was
then sent with reinforcements. The Muslim army captured vast areas of
the Iranian Empire in several battles.
Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radiAllahu anhu) then turnedhis attention to the
Romans who were causing trouble in the North-West frontier. Sayyiduna
Abu Bakr (radiAllahu anhu) sent 4 separate armies under Sayyiduna
Ubaidah bin Jarrah, Sayyiduna Amr Ibnul As, Sayyiduna Yazidbin Abu
Sufyaan and Sayyiduna Surahbil bin Hasnal ( radi Allahu anhumul
ajma'in) to dealwith the Roman power.
The four armies joined into one unit to face the Romans more
effectively.The Romans had amassed 150 000 soldiers, but the total
Muslim army was only 24000. Reinforcements were requested. Sayyiduna
Abu Bakr (radiAllahu anhu) asked Sayyiduna Khalid bin Walid (radi
Allahu anhu) to take charge of the Iraqi front and Sayyiduna Muthanna
(radi Allahu anhu) to rush to the Syrian front to help fight the huge
Roman army. The armies met in Yarmuk after Sayyiduna Abu Bakr
(radiAllahu anhu) passed away. In this battle, the Romans were totally
defeated.

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Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah - Biographies of the Companions (Sahabah)

His appearance was striking. He was slim andtall. His face was bright
and he had a sparse beard. It was pleasing tolook at him and
refreshing to meet him. He was extremely courteous and humble and
quite shy. Yet in a tough situation he would become strikinglyserious
and alert, resembling the flashing blade of a sword in his severity
and sharpness.
He was described as the Amin or Custodian of Muhammad's community. His
full namewas Aamir ibn Abdullah ibn al-Jarrah. He was known as Abu
Ubaydah. Of him Abdullah ibn Umar, one of the companions of the
Prophet, said:
"Three persons in the tribe of Quraysh were most prominent, had
thebest character and were the most modest. If they spoke to you, they
would not deceive you and if you spoke to them, they would not accuse
you of Lying: Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, Uthman ibn Affan and Abu Ubaydah ibn
al-Jarrah."
Abu Ubaydah was one ofthe first persons to accept Islam. He became a
Muslim one day after Abu Bakr. In fact, it was through Abu Bakr that
he became a Muslim. AbuBakr took him, Abdur Rahman ibn Aut, Uthmanibn
Mazun and al-Arqam ibn Abu al Arqam to the Prophet, upon whom be
peace, and together they declared their acceptance of the Truth. They
were thus the first pillars on which the great edifice of Islam was
built.
Abu Ubaydah lived through the harsh experience, which the Muslims went
through inMakkah, from beginningto end. With the early Muslims, he
endured the insults and the violence, the pain and the sorrow of that
experience. In every trial and test he remained firm and constant in
his belief in God and His prophet. One of the most harrowing
experiences he had to go through however, was at the battle of Badr.
Abu Ubaydah was in the vanguard of the Muslim forces, fighting with
might and main and as someone who was not at all afraid of death. The
Quraysh cavalry were extremely wary of him and avoided comingface to
face with him. One man in particular, however, kept on pursuing Abu
Ubaydah wherever he turned and Abu Ubaydah tried his best to keep out
of his way and avoid an encounter with him.
The man plunged into the attack. Abu Ubaydah tried desperately to
avoid him. Eventually theman succeeded in blocking Abu Ubaydah's path
and stood as a barrier between him and the Quraysh. I hey were now
face to face with each other. Abu Ubaydah could not contain himself
any longer. He struck one blow to the man's head. The man fell to the
ground and died instantly.
Do not try to guess who this man was It was, as stated earlier, one of
themost harrowing experiences that Abu Ubaydah had to go through, how
harrowing, it is almost impossible to imagine. The man in Fact was
Abdullah ibn al-Jarrah, the father of Abu Ubaydah!
Abu Ubaydah obviously did not want to kill his father but in the
actual battle between faith in God and polytheism, the choice open to
him was profoundly disturbing but clear. In a way it could be said
that he didnot kill his father--he only killed the polytheism in the
personof his father.
It is concerning this event that God revealed the following verses of the Quran:
"You will not find a people believing in God and the Last Day making
friends with those who oppose God and His messenger even if these were
their fathers, their sons, their brothers or their clan. God has
placed faith in their hearts and strengthenedthem with a spirit from
Him. He will cause them to enter gardens beneath which streams flow
that they may dwelltherein. God is well pleased with them and they
well pleased with Him. They are the party of God. Is not the party of
God the successful ones?" (Surah al-Mujactilah 58:22)
The response of Abu Ubaydah at Badr when confronted by his father was
not unexpected. He had attained a strength of faith in God, devotion
to His religion and a level of concern for the ummah of Muhammad to
which many aspired.
It is related by Muhammad ibn Jafar, a Companion of the Prophet, that
a Christian delegation came to the Prophet and said, 'O Abu-l Qasim,
send one of your companions with us, one in whom you arewell pleased,
to judge between us on some questions of property about which we
disagree among ourselves. We have a high regard for you Muslim
people."
"Come back to me this evening," replied the Prophet, "and I will
sendwith you one who is strong and trustworthy."
Umar ibn al-Khattab heard the Prophet saying this and later said: "I
went to the Zuhr (midday) Prayer early hoping to be the one who would
fit the description of the Prophet. When the Prophet had finished
thePrayer, he began looking to his right and his left and I raised
myself so that he could see me. But he continued looking among us
until he spotted Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah. He called him and said,
'Go with them and judge among them with truth about that which they
are in disagreement." And so Abu Ubaydah got the appointment."
Abu Ubaydah was not only trustworthy. He displayed a great deal
ofstrength in the discharge of his trust. This strength was shownon
several occasions.
One day the Prophet dispatched a group of his Sahabah to meet a
Quraysh caravan. He appointed Abu Ubaydah as amir (leader) of the
group and gave them a bag of dates and nothing else as provisions. Abu
Ubaydahgave to each man under his command only one date every day. He
would suck this date justas a child would suck at the breast of its
mother. He would then drink some water and this would suffice him for
the whole day.
On the day of Uhud when the Muslims were being routed, one of
themushrikeen started to shout, "Show me Muhammad, show me Muhammad."
Abu Ubaydah was one of a group of ten Muslims who had encircled the
Prophet to protect him against the spears of theMushrikeen.
When the battle was over, it was found that one of the Prophet's molar
teeth was broken, his forehead was bashedin and two discs from
hisshield had penetrated into his cheeks. Abu Bakrwent forward with
the intention of extracting these discs but Abu Ubaydah said, "Please
leave that to me."
Abu Ubaydah was afraid that he would cause the Prophet pain if he took
out the discs with his hand. He bit hard into one of the discs. It was
extracted but one of his incisor teeth fell to the ground in the
process. With his other incisor, heextracted the other disc but lost
that tooth also. Abu Bakr remarked,"Abu Ubaydah is the bestof men at
breaking incisor teeth!"
Abu Ubaydah continued to be fully involved in all the momentous events
during the Prophet's lifetime. After the beloved Prophet had passed
away, the companions gathered tochoose a successor at theSaqifah or
meeting placeof Banu Saaadah. The day is known in history as the Day
of Saqifah. Onthis day, Umar ibn al-Khattab said to Abu Ubaydah,
"Stretch forth your hand and I will swear allegiance to you for I
heard the Prophet, peace be upon him say, 'Every ummah has an amin
(custodian) and you are the amin of this ummah.' "
"I would not," declared Abu Ubaydah, "put myself forward in the
presence of a man whom the Prophet, upon whom be peace, commanded to
lead us in Prayer and who led usright until the Prophet's death." He
then gave bayah (the oath of allegiance) to Abu Bakr as-Siddiq. He
continued to be a close adviser to Abu Bakr and his strong supporter
in the cause oftruth and goodness. Then came the caliphate of Umar and
Abu Ubaydah also gave him his support and obedience. He did not
disobey him in any matter, except one.
The incident happened when Abu Ubaydah was in Syria leading the Muslim
forces from one victory to another until the whole of Syria was under
Muslim control. The River Euphrates lay to his right and Asia Minor to
his left.
It was then that a plaguehit the land of Syria, the like of which
people hadnever experienced before. It devastated thepopulation. Umar
dispatched a messenger to Abu Ubaydah with a letter saying:
"I am in urgent need of you. If my letter reaches you at night I
strongly urge you to leave beforedawn. If this letter reaches you
during the day, I strongly urge you to leave before evening and hasten
to me.
When Abu Ubaydah received Umar's letter, he said, "I know why theAmir
al-Mumineen needsme. He wants to secure the survival of someone who,
however, is not eternal." So he wrote to Umar:
"I know that you need me. But I am in an army of Muslims and I have
nodesire to save myself from what is afflicting them. I do not want to
separate from them untilGod wills. So, when this letter reaches you,
release me from your command and permit me to stay on.''
When Umar read this letter tears filled his eyesand those who were
with him asked, "Has Abu Ubaydah died, O Amir al-Mumineen?"
"No," said he, "But deathis near to him."
Umar's intuition was not wrong. Before long, Abu Ubaydah became
afflicted with the plague. As death hung over him, he spoke to
hisarmy:
"Let me give you some advice which will cause you to be on the path of
goodness always."Establish Prayer. Fast the month of Ramadan. Give
Sadaqah. Perform the Hajj and Umrah. Remain united and support one
another. Be sincere to your commanders and do not conceal anything
from them. Don't let the worlddestroy you for even if man were to live
a thousand years he would still end up with this state that you see me
in.
Peace be upon you and the mercy of God."
Abu Ubaydah then turned to Muadh ibn Jabal and said, "O Muadh, perform
the prayer with the people (be their leader)." At this, his pure soul
departed. Muadh got up and said:
"O people, you are stricken by the death of a man. By God, I don't
know whether I have seen a man who had a more righteous heart, who was
further from allevil and who was more sincere to people than he. Ask
God to shower His mercy on him and God will be merciful to you. "

Ch 9: Inside the House

Leaving the auspicious and glowing meeting at the house of Ziad b.
Umar, Isabella took the road straight to her home which ran through
the Palace of Martyrs to Suqul Asafir. Isabella's house was just a few
paces away. The meeting had filled her with such joy that, unmindful
of everything around, she walked quietly and soberly with downcast
eyes. Half an hour later she reached home whereher mother was waiting
impatiently for her. On enquiry about the cause of her delay Isabella
named a friend of her's, at whose house she was delayed. On her
mother's order the dining table was set and she immediately sat down
and began to eat. Soon her father (the head priest) also arrived and
the night passed peacefully.
Early next morning the Muezzins called for the Fajr prayer from all
mosques of Cordova. Howpleasant is the sound andhow, in the salubrious
hour of morning, people were being roused for bowing and prostrating
for the Fajr prayer with the name of Allah. How enchanting is the
sound of Allah-o-Akbar, Allah-o-Akbar, (Allah is great, Allah is
great). Now the gongs of churches also began to toll. How jarring and
meaningless is the sound. Truly the condition of each community is
known from its rites. From mosques devotees beganto emerge. Labourers,
traders and cultivators took their respective ways to places of work,
markets and fields. The chirping of birds had somewhat subsided.
Hearing the call of prayerIsabella got out of her bed and went to the
library room of her houseand sitting at a table began to study a book.
Inthe meantime Peter and Michael also came there and Isabella stood up
andreceived them with respect. A little later Isabella's father also
came and took his seat inthe room and Isabella's mother was also
called in. Isabella was frightened at this unexpected, uncalled
andstrange gathering and suspected that these people had assembled
onher account and probably her association with Islam had come to
their knowledge . Colour went out of her face and her heart began to
throb quickly and so, taking theexcuse of thirst, she wentfor water to
another room.
The head priest, addressing Isabella's mother, Peter and Michael said:
Do you know what is the state ofIsabella and how is she trying to
humiliate and degrade us? It is to think about this matter that I have
given you the trouble to come over here.
Peter: Oh ! What is the matter!
Head Priest: It is all very serious. I have been hearing for some time
that Isabella has given upChristian creed and has secretly embraced
Islam.
Helena (Isabella's mother): Fie, fie ! What are you talking? Jesus
Christ may never do it. What is the matter that you are so enraged
todaythat, without any reason,you have made my daughter a Muslim ?
Head Priest: What I am saying is quite true. If nottoday, you will
learn it a few days after.
Peter: Holy father, you have said something strange. Isabella is a
very good girl. She has studied theology. She is not ignorant as to
accept the bloody religion of Islam.
Helena: Well, I am just calling the girl. I do not know what caused
this suspicion in you.
So saying Helena went to the room where Isabella was sitting horrified
in a corner. Helena at once caught the hand of Isabella and said to
her: Listen, daughter, your father calls you. Isabella who had
realised the situation rose up and followed her mother to the large
room and presented herself to the head priest.
Isabella's father beckoned to Michael and asked him to talk to her.
Michael: Daughter, we have heard that you haverevolted from
Christianity. Is it true? If anyone has given wrong report about you,
you may refute it.
Isabella heard this and kept quiet and, lowering her eyes, began to
weep. Warm tears began to drop on her rosy cheeks.
Helena: Just see. Did not I tell you that someone hasfalsely accused
my daughter. What refutation could she give!Her tears speak that the
allegation of her revolt from Christianity is quite false.
Head Priest: You just keepquiet for a while and let Isabella herself
reply. Yes,daughter, tell me what is this report about you?
Isabella continued to remain silent with bowed head. But on persistent
questioning from Peter and Michael she was compelled to open her lips.
Isabella: I have not yet accepted Islam but continue to remain Christian.
Michael: If you have not yet accepted Islam, do you intend to accept
it in future?
Isabella: Why do you ask me about future? I can put the same question to you.
Michael: Then tell me what is your opinion about Islam?
Isabella: I do not abuse Islam like others for in the Muslim sacred
Books Christ is praised and Muslims speak well of him.
Michael: Then you love Islam and Muslims?
Isabella: You may call it love or anything else. Anyway I am not
ungrateful. If Muslims respect our Christ, then I also must respect
their Prophet and their Sacred Book.
Peter: So it is clear now that in your heart you have become a Muslim,
otherwise you would nothave so praised Islam andMuslims. But now tell
me what do you think about the religion you have been believing, that
is Christianity.
Isabella: I have faith in the Bible and all revealedbooks, but I do
not accept the flaws which later Christians have introduced in
religion.
Head Priest (addressing Michael, Peter and Isabella's mother): Now you
have known her ideas. There is no other remedy to it except the sword.
Peter: Please give me time. I will explain to her and she will surely
be reformed. I will remove her misunderstandings. Anyway, she has
studied books on theology.
Head Priest: Well, you may try and see, otherwise I will think of some
other remedy for her.
After this talk the meeting dispersed and the head priest, taking
Peter and Michael with him, left for the great church as there was a
large crowd of Christians of Spain to see the relics (bones, etc.) of
Prophets and the head priest. Theyhad come from long distances to
participate in the ceremony and the head priest had gone to bless
thousands of Christians.
The priests having left, Isabella went to her room and silently
thought about her future. She was now convinced that she was sure to
be put to torture and she will have to face severe trials. Yet she
found her mind at ease and heart strong and prepared to meet all
troubles.
She took out a paper from her table and wrotea letter to her friend
Mirano (daughter of Priest Michael) to the following effect:
"My dear sister!
"Last night at nine I attended the meeting of Muslim divines at which
my spiritual father Umar Lahmi and other divines were present. How can
I describe its atmosphere, my sister ! A wonderful spiritual assembly
it was. My participation in it greatly fortified my heart. I wish you
were also present there. I have made a promise with their spiritual
leader Ziadb. Umar to take you with me tomorrow or day after to them.
A strange thing happened today. It appears that I am going to be put
to trial. Pray that God may keep me ever on the right path. It so
happened that my father got some information about me that I have
embraced Islam and so he called your father [Michael] andPeter to his
house and many questions were asked from me. Now, justfancy with my
father on one side and Michael andPeter on the other, in what
difficult position I was placed. But I also gave them stunning
replies. Now, Peter has given promise to my father that he will make
me understand. If any such occasion comes you must also be present
along with other three friends . Other details I will give you
verbally.
"Your sister, Isabella."
After finishing the letter she called her maidservant and told herto
go to Mirano and bring from her a book. She also gave her the letter
which, she said, was lying with her for some time and asked her to
deliver it to Mirano. The maid-servant did as she was ordered and,
going to Michael's house,gave the letter to Mirano,who immediately
openedand read it and said to the maid-servant that shewill herself
bring the book in the evening.
Isabella and her other friends met together in the evening in the same
garden in which Isabella had first heard the talk ofUmar Lahmi. She
informed her friends all that had happened and consulted them. It was
also decided that next evening they should all go to attend the
meeting of Ziad b. Umar and also inform him of everything. After
enjoying the evening walk of the garden all the girls left for their
respective homes.
Isabella – A girl of Islamic Spain

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The Benefit of the Worshipper's Standing Before His Lord

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The Prayer is a sanctified and holy moment (mauqif) for the worshipper
in the presence of his Lord and Deity in truth. He fulfils (by its
performance) his covenants, obligations and statements of confession
which are contained within and arerequired by the testimony that:
"There is nothing which has the right to be worshipped except Allah
and that Muhammed is His Messenger" and by whose attestation one
becomes a muslim.
These covenants, obligations and resolutions: among them are those of
belief, those of speech and those of action; and the explanation of
that is as follows:
Firstly: The Takbeer: This is a compulsory acknowledgement for the
worshipper, both in belief and speech, that Allah is the greatest,
greater than everything in His Essence, Attributes and in the rights
(owed to Him). Among His rights are the obeying of His commands and
refraining from His prohibitions in regard to beliefs, acts of
worship, characteristics and manners; in all moments and situations.
This acknowledgement penetrates into the various postures of the
worshipper during his prayer, from the qiyaam to the rukoo', to the
sujood, the verbal confessions he makes and after that into the
submissiveness in action; so there does not remain any moment of
heedlessness or inattentiveness and theredoes not remain in his heart
that which pushes out the (awareness of theresponsibility of
fulfilling) the rights of Allah upon His servant; whether it is
persons, property, money, family or progeny and among His rights are
(His) Magnification, Love (for Him greater than for all else), Fear
(of His displeasure and punishment), Hope (in HisMercy) and Obedience.
Secondly: The Rukoo': This is an obligation in action. The worshipper
bends his back and (bows) his head during itout of obedience,
lowliness and humility to his Deity. So by this he fulfils his
covenants of being constant in his obedience, carrying out the orders
of his Deity, refraining from His prohibitions, ruling by His
Sharee'ah in happiness, adversity and every other situation.
Theworshipper returns (to fulfill) these covenants and obligations
every time he performs the rukoo' both in the obligatory prayers or
the supererogatory. Whoeverbends his back in the prayer in obedience
to Allah and after that rebels from some of His commands or shows
boldness towards some of His prohibitions due tothe calling of his
desire or whim, then he has contradicted his fulfillment of this
obligation to the extent of the evil of his action.
Thirdly: The Tasbeeh: Thisis the statement which the worshipper makes
during his rukoo' "How free from every imperfection is my Lord, the
Mighty" (Subhaana-rabbiyal-adheem) and in his sujood "How free from
every imperfection is my Lord, the Highest"
(Subhaan-rabbiyal-a'laa).This is an obligation in speech by which the
worshipper declares his Deity free from every defect and shortcoming
in His attributes, actions and His rights (over the creation). Among
His rights are the declarationof His mightiness in everysituation, the
placing of obedience to Him before obedience to ones soul or parents,
leaders and others besides them. Whoever declares Allah to be free
from all imperfections during his rukoo' and sujood and then shows
boldness towards His disobediencewhen he departed from the prayer, he
has reduced/diminished his glorification of his Deity to the extent of
his disobedience to Him.
Fourthly: The Sujood: Thisis the extremity in, or the end result of
humility; when the worshipper places his noble limbs upon the dust or
the earth. The sujood is a covenant in action. It is an obligation due
to the absolute obedience owed to the Deity in truth in all
situations. There is no exception in this absolute obedience for
moments of desire or moments of the whims ofthe soul (this absolute
obedience incorporates all moments and situations). Whoever covers his
face with dust (due to the performance of sujood) out of
extremehumility, then departs from his prayer and returns to the
obedience of the soul in disobedience to Allah, obedience to the
creation in disobedience to Allah and the following of whims in
disobedience to Allah, then he has been false to himself to the extent
of his disobedience (or sin). But whoever does that, then he must
repent hastily as the Messenger of Allah has said: "All theprogeny of
Aadam (constantly) errs and the best of those who constantly err are
those who (constantly) repent" [1]
Fifthly: Folding of the hands during the Qiyaam: This is a
manifestation from among the manifestations of humility and defeat in
front of the Deity in Truth. Among its implications are subservience
to the divine commandments inthat one does not move except when
commanded and one is not at ease or quiescenceexcept when commanded.
Whoever sought this position of worship for a few moments and after
that lets loose the reigns of his soul then he wanders/trespasses
(while ignorant of Allah's rulings) into the greatest of matters (i.e.
sins) and he has fallen into a type of deception.
Sixthly: Khushoo': This is aposition of total and extreme
submissiveness and humility in front of the Deity in Truth and
thequiescence/tranquility of the heart and the limbs. One does not
move except where commanded and is not atease except where commanded.
It is an obligation in action due to the necessity of obedience and
the abandonment of disobedience to the Deityin Truth. Whoever
discharges this obligation during the prayer then contradicts
it(behaves otherwise) upon departing from the prayer he has caused
diminution/annulment of(his Khushoo') to the extent of his
disobedience.
Seventhly: Whatever is repeated in every raka' from among the
obligations and covenants in speech such as the repetition of his
praises, requesting of guidance to the straight path, the path of
those who have blessings bestowed upon them, not of those upon whom is
anger and they are the Jews and whoever is like them, nor of those who
are astray and they are the Christians and whoever resembles them,and
the likes of what is said in the tashahhud and the meanings of the
various verses and supplications that are repeated in the prayer:
insummary, every movement, every moment of ease, every statement and
every action during the prayer, be it an obligation, covenant,
resolution or confession from the worshipper in front of his Master
and Deity in Truth, which he repeats in every raka', whether itis in
the obligatory or supererogatory, makes free his heart, tongue, limbs
and feelings from associating partners withAllah. He is a muslim, in
submission to Him. He gives for His sake, takes for his sake, acts for
His sake, abandons for His sake. He loves for his sakeand hates for
His sake. The proof for this truth is the saying of Allah (Azzawajall)
{And establish the prayer.Verily the prayer prevents the obscene
andevil deeds}[2]
and the saying of the Messenger (sallallahu-alaihi-wasallam}:
"The example of the five prayers is as the example of an abundant
flowing river by the side of the door of one of you. He washes every
day from it five times." [3]
Therefore know - brother/sister reader - the position and importance
of your prayer and establish as it should be truly established and
gain happiness from it as Allahdesires for you. I ask Allah that he
assists us all and has mercy upon us, verily He is the All Hearer, the
Responder.
1. Reported by [At-Tirmidhi] no. 2501 and [Ibn Majah] no. 4251 and
[Ad- Daarimee] 2/303and [Ahmad] 3/198 with a hasan sanad from Anas bin
Malik.
2. Surah Ankabut 29:45
3. Reported by [Muslim] no. 667 from Jaabir.

No choice but to regret

Once, a group of people were travelling on rocks at night. A voice
came from the sky that whosoever picks up the rocks will regret and
whosoever doesn't pick up the rocks will regret. Now, the people were
confused. How can this be? Whether you pick upthe rocks or not, you
willregret! Anyway, some people picked up the rocks and some didn't.
Inthe morning when they reached their homes, they saw that the rocks
turned into diamonds. Now, those people who didn't pick up the rocks
started regretting saying"If only we had picked up some rocks." Those
people who did pick some rocks also started regretting saying "Why
didn't we pick up more rocks?" Both sides endedup regretting. Dear
Muslims, this same incident will take place with us on the Day of
Judgement. Those people who spent their time in useless things will
start regretting by looking at those who achieved a great position in
Paradise by spending their time in the way of Allah. Now, those who
did achieve a position in Paradise will start regretting by looking at
those who did more than them and are higher in status."Alas! If we had
only done more to please Allah."

Become like flexible water

The following incident took place last year when I was travelling with
an elderly Muslim brother. We call him"Brother Wali". We met aMuslim
family and the family told brother Wali to give them some advice. Here
is what brother Wali told them: A Muslim is like water. Water is so
flexible that where ever you place it, it takes the shape of
thatobject. For example, if you put some water in a glass, it takes
the shape of the glass. If you run the water through a tangled hose,
it will takethe shape of that also. The same way, a Muslim should be
flexible to the orders of Allah. He should fit into whatever Allah
wants. If we put aniron into the glass, then either the glass will
break or the iron will break. The same way, if we are not flexible to
the orders of Allah and become hard like iron, then either we will
break or we will break the orders of Allah.
A hadith states: The believers are very obedient (to Allah), gentle,
and kind, like an obedient camel which when led follows and when made
to sit, even though on a rock, does so obediently. (Tirmidhi).

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82 hadith found in ' Knowledge ' of Sahih Bukhari.

56
Narrated Abu Huraira:While the Prophet was saying something in a
gathering, a Bedouin came and asked him,"When would the Hour
(Doomsday) take place?" Allah's Apostle continued his talk, so some
people said that Allah's Apostle had heard the question, but did not
like what that Bedouin had asked. Some of them said that Alllah's
Apostle had not heard it. When the Prophet finished his speech, he
said, "Where is the questioner, who enquired about the Hour
(Doomsday)?" The Bedouin said, "I am here,O Allah's Apostle ." Then
the Prophet said, "When honesty is lost, then wait for the Hour
(Doomsday)." The Bedouin said, "How will that be lost?" The Prophet
said, "When the power or authority comes in the hands of unfit
persons, then wait for the Hour (Doomsday.)"
57
Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr: Once the Prophet remained behind us in a
journey. He joined us while we were performing ablution for the prayer
which was over-due. We were just passing wet hands over our feet (and
not washing them properly) so the Prophet addressed us in a loud voice
and said twice or thrice: "Save your heels from the fire."
58
Narrated Ibn 'Umar: Allah's Apostle said,"Amongst the trees, thereis a
tree, the leaves of which do not fall and is like a Muslim. Tell me
the name of that tree." Everybody started thinking about the trees of
the desert areas. And I thought of the date-palmtree but felt shy to
answer the others then asked, "What is that tree, O Allah's Apostle ?"
He replied, "It is the date-palm tree."
59
Narrated Ibn 'Umar: The Prophet said,"Amongst the trees, thereis a
tree, the leaves of which do not fall and is like a Muslim. Tell me
the name of that tree." Everybody started thinking about the trees of
the desert areas. And I thought of the date-palmtree. The others then
asked, "Please inform us what is that tree, O Allah's Apostle?" He
replied, "It is the date-palm tree."
60
Narrated Ibn Umar: same as above Hadith 59.
61
Narrated Ibn Umar: same as above Hadith 59.
62
Narrated Ibn Umar: same as above Hadith 59.
63
Narrated Anas bin Malik: While we were sitting with the Prophet in the
mosque, a man came riding on a camel. He made his camel kneel down in
the mosque, tied its foreleg and then said: "Who amongst you is
Muhammad?" At that time the Prophet was sitting amongst us (his
companions) leaning on his arm. We replied, "Thiswhite man reclining
on his arm." The an then addressed him, "O Son of 'Abdul Muttalib."
The Prophet said, "I am here to answer your questions." The man said
to the Prophet, "I want toask you something and will be hard in
questioning. So do not get angry." The Prophet said, "Ask whatever you
want." The man said, "I ask you by your Lord, and the Lord of those
who were before you, has Allah sent you as an Apostle to all the
mankind?" The Prophet replied, "By Allah, yes." The man further said,
"I ask you by Allah. Has Allah ordered you to offer five prayers in a
day and night (24 hours).? He replied, "By Allah, Yes." The man
further said, "I ask you byAllah! Has Allah ordered you to observe
fasts during this month of the year (i.e. Ramadan)?" He replied, "By
Allah, Yes." The man further said, "I ask you by Allah. Has Allah
ordered you to takeZakat (obligatory charity)from our rich people
anddistribute it amongst our poor people?" The Prophet replied, "By
Allah, yes." Thereupon that man said, "I have believed in all that
with which you have been sent, and I have been sent by my people as a
messenger, and I am Dimam bin Tha'laba fromthe brothers of Bani Sa'd
bin Bakr."


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