Story - , Moons Peak [FINISHED]- A Date with a Werewolf (chapter 22)

I SPENT ALMOST an hour or possibly two hours in Aretha Heins room
fussing over my hair. I didn't want to step out ofthat room until I
looked perfect.
Of course, Satchel wasn't one to judge my appearance, but I just
didn't feel comfortable going out there just yet. So, pulling Derryn
back into the room, I urged her to stay and sit as she offered her
seven year old advice about my different hairstyles I was going
through.
She sat perched on the edge of the bed watching in curiosity, while I
pulled out a braidI'd been working on for the last twenty minutes. I
sighed.
"It's just not going to work. My hair is stubbornand refuses to stay
in a braid." Derryn shrugged innocently, tugging on the corner of a
throw pillow.
"Wear it out." She said simply, as if she was stating the sun was out.
I looked at my reflection, still not used to my hair being dark. I'd
had my hair light blonde for four years, always in and out of salons
for touch ups. Now looking at the dark russet brown, I almost looked
unrecognizable, and my honey eyes stoodout in stark contrast next to
my skin. I turned to Derryn in earnest.
"What if he doesn't recognize me? Hell, I don't even recognize me…what
if he…doesn't like this?" I tugged on myhair. Derryn rolled her eyes.
"My brother's stupid to not notice you, plus he knows your scent.
He'll smell you from a mile a way." I gave her a half smile.
"You're right." I nodded finally getting the courage to get out of the
mirror and facing Satchel. I patted the dressdown, and stood up,
trying to ignore the nerves rattling inside me.I don't know why I was
so nervous to see him, I'dspent the whole night sleeping in his arms,
you'd think I'd be excitedto see him. And I was, justwishing these
nerves would subside for the sake of my sanity.
"Okay, let's do this." I said, half convincing my body to walk toward
the door. Derryn jumped up and scurried toward the wardrobe, fishing
out a pair of boots.
"You might want to wearthese…" She pointed toward some brown ankle
cowgirl boots. I raised my eyebrows in question.
"They belonged to your mother." I whipped my head around to the husky
woman's voice of Aretha Heins. She sat in the middle of the doorway,
and then slowly wheeled herself closer. Her eyes on the pair of boots
Derryn held in her hands. She nodded.
"They were here favorite shoes. Before she found out you were a
carrier, she asked me to promise her two things: Take careof her
daughter, and her favorite shoes." She smiled sadly as if she were
lost in her own memories. "Your Grams refused to let you stay so I
couldn't carry out the former request, however,I made sure to keep
those in a safe place hoping for the right person to fulfill them."
She urged me to put them on. I did, and they fit perfectly.
"They're pretty, and surprisingly comfortable." I said, pacing back
and forth to get a feel of them. She smiled, and ushered us out of the
room.
"Now go have fun, lord knows you deserve it." I squeezed her hand as
Derryn led me out of the house. I noticed Satchel was long gone from
the couch as we passed through the sitting area. Even the throw
blanket we'd slept in was neatly folded on the armchair, and the
plates and bowls we'd eaten from, were no longer on the coffee table.
I followed Derryn outside, and the warm early morning sun bathed down
on my skin.Not a nip in sight. I frowned as we trudged through the
estate.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked confusedly. Derryn just beamed a
smile, and shook her head.
"You'll see." She tugged harder, hurrying me along the yard, in the
direction of my late fathers estate. My abdomen had completelyhealed
by now, save for the little pink scar it left behind, so it was much
easier to walk.
I frowned, wondering what the time was. It hadto be around nine o
clockin the AM by now, and the frost on the grass evaporated before my
eyes.
"What is the time, anyway?" I asked as we climbed over a fence. Shewas
taking me through a short cut I noticed. Derryn gave me a questioning
look.
"I'm seven; I don't know how to tell the time." Shesaid in that sing
song voice of hers. She carried on, just humming a long to a tune I
knew all too well. Satchel's song. I chuckled.
"Well, at least tell me whyyou're in a giddy mood?"She shook her head,
making her curls sway from side to side.
"I'm always in a good mood." I beamed a smile.
"Fair enough. So where isthis…secret place you are taking me?
Is it a cave?" She just smiled and shook her head again.
"Not telling." The red flagwas visible in the distance, and I knew
instantly where she was taking me.
"The willow tree." I whispered, eyeing the loose-knotted tree trunk,
as the leaves kissed the ground. Point Lake streaming by in the
background. Derryn stopped and looked up atme with a smile. Steeringme
toward a picnic blanket with a basket of food splayed out on top.
"Have fun." She exclaimed, twisting around to run away.
"Wait! Where's Satchel?" Ishouted. She left me there, waving behind
heras she ran across the fieldback toward her estate. I bit my lips,
looking the picnic blanket over and grinned. Satchel was such a
romantic, I had to remind myself to thank him…when he gets here.
I sighed swinging my arms, looking in this direction and that. Okay,
leave me here and expectme to have a picnic by myself? Not the kind of
romance I was looking for, Satchel. I silently thought.
I bit the insides of my cheeks, waiting patiently for Satchel to show
his face. It got to the point where I was getting anxious, because I
knew for sure I had probably been standing there for at least a half
an hour.
I started fidgeting, tapping my leg on the gravel, and even kicking
the tree trunk absently while I waited impatiently for Satchel toshow
his face. I sighed, folding my arms to lean my shoulder on the trunk.
Maybe he didn't get the memo, and he wasn't coming.
"Eek!"
I squealed when a slick wet sensation crawled upthe back of my leg,
and I nearly went crawling up on the tree trunk to get away from
whatever it was. I heard the panting a second too late, and the smell
of wet dog flitted up my nose. I whipped my head around to see a large
black wolf sitting on his haunches, with big greeneyes blinking back
at me.
"Ohmigod!" I threw my hands to my mouth, eyeing the beast with bugged
out eyes. Black Wolf tilted his head to the left, looking back at me
with glowing eyes. "You scared me to death!" I held my chest, forcing
my heart to jump back into my chest. He just huffed out of his nose,
and stared.
"God! At least warn a girl before you sneak up on them." As soon as I
got over my bouts of surprise, I turned so I could get a better look
athim. He was beautiful, as the sun sliced up his coat,making it look
as shiny assilk.
I gnawed on my lip, wondering what to do infront of him. Of course, I
thought he'd stood me up, and if he was in his human form, I would
have given him a fair piece of my mind for his tardiness. However,
staring at him just made me want to cuddle him close to me, and ruffle
hisfur. I smirked.
"You know, it's kinda hard to be mad at you right now for almost
standing me up. Don't you know girls go crazy when their date is
late?"
He just tilted his head, blinking up in what looked like interest. I
chuckled, kneeling down on the checkered blanket, legs folded under
me. Black wolf justsat there, staring back at me, and I noticed my
reflection in his big piercing eyes.
"What? You're not going to eat me are you? Because that would just…suck."
He stuck his paw out instead and pushed my chest down lightly, taking
me to the ground.
"Satchel!" I squealed as he licked my face, sliding his sticky tongue
against my skin. I giggled louder as he lapped at my face
continuously, and I squirmed under the slick slimy sensation as it
tickled my cheeks, my nose and my forehead.
"Satchel! That tickles…" I squealed louder, urging him to stop. He
did, and I grimaced in mock disgust, still laughing.
"You know, that's kind ofgross when you think about it." I said trying
to calm my giggles, wiping slobber off my face with a napkin from the
basket.
He grunted and it sounded a lot like he waschuckling in that wolf like
rumble I'd heard himdo before.
I smirked.
"You're gonna pay for that, you just watch." His throat was still
rumbling as I went through napkinafter napkin. He went foranother
round, roaming his tongue on my face again, as I rolled around on the
ground laughing, trying to get him to stop. His rumble was
persistentand he was enjoying it.
"Satchel! You're ruining my clothes, not to mention slobbering my
face." I said, through a fitfull of laughter. It got to the point
where my eyes watered from laughing too much.
He let me up, by giving me some room, and sat back on his haunches, as
I tried wiping my face free of wet dog spit, and he just watched with
unblinking eyes. I still had a smile on my face, and if I didn't know
any better, then so did he. I sat there just enjoying his company, and
watched him stomp his paw on the food basket. Iraised my eyebrows.
"Are you hungry?" He shook his head, and nudged me toward the food
basket, and I realized he wanted me toeat.
"What about you?" He licked his muzzle, and kept prodding me to eat.
"Okay, okay, I'm eating." Isaid, digging in the basket to see what was
in there. There was a chicken sandwich, cut up apples, bottle of
water, and a large cookie. Nothing here for a werewolf, just mostly
stuff that I liked.
I broke off a piece of the sandwich to give to him, but he shook his
head and wanted me to eat. I wasn't one to eat in frontof people, let
alone an animal, but Satchel was relentless and wouldn't let me feed
him. I shrugged, nibbling at my sandwich and chuckled as a thought
came to mind.
"You know it's kind of ironic, I feel a little less nervous in front
of the wolf you, than I am with the human you. Does thatsound weird?"
I laughed again.
"Of course not, it's not like you could talk back, right?" I started
trailing off talking to myself, as I chewed away at my sandwich,
breaking off a piece of cookie and popping it in my mouth.
"So, what's it like dating a werewolf, Willow?" I asked myself. I
shrugged, throwing my hands about, doing my best to entertain myself,
and the wolf by answering my own questions. Yeah, crazy as it may
sound, butI was currently in unbelievable company. I went back to my
ranting.
"Oh you know; it's just like any other guy I've dated. Grunts a lot,
gives sloppy kisses, and the silence is always a bonus." That rumbling
sounded again from deep in his chest, and his eyes were glowing
brighter than the moon could ever be. I smiled throwing down the last
part of my sandwich and wiping the crumbs off myhands. I sighed
looking at him. Really looking him in the eyes. And he let me.
"You wanna know the upside of dating a werewolf?" He tilted his head,
and looked at me in earnest.
"There's no judgment. I can be myself around you, and still there's no
judgment. I treated you poorly when I arrived, and still there's no
judgment." I sighed a little wistfully.
"-I left you for another life, another home, and still you sit here
with me, and there's no judgment." I ran my fingers down his fur,
andhe leant into my hands for more.
"And you know what elseis funny?" He shook his head, and I raised my eyebrows.
"-Is that I spent almost two hours trying to fix upmy hair, only to
have it filled with slobber." He chuckled again making his mouth
distort into a weird smile, and licked me making me giggle along with
him.
"You're really beautiful…"I said, scratching my fingers under his
muzzle. I knew he liked it because his eyes turned to slits, and he
was purring, as a cat would do. I leant in and kissed him on the side
of his head.
"And you're probably the first person...err someone...that I've
kissedon my first date." I chuckled. "But that's between you and me."
I whispered, as he burrowed his head into my hands.
After a while, he opened his mouth and started huffing, letting his
tongue flop out, It was surprisingly hot for a fall morning, and the
sun was beaming down on us. I grabbed for the bottle of water, and
took a swig and I noticed Black wolf followed my every movement.
"You thirsty?" He nodded,and so I poured a few drops into my cupped
hand and offered it to him to drink. He lapped at it, flicking
droplets outof the sides of his mouth as he drank. I tipped more until
he was done, and offered him the rest of the food in the basket.
There wasn't any red meat in here, but he ate what I gave him, and
then rested his head on my lap. We sat there for awhile, as
I absently petted him on the head, thinking about how I'd never see
myself feeling so comfortable and secure as I was, with black wolf
here with me. I smiled down at Satchel'swolf form.
"You know I have to say, this is the best date I've had…ever! Who
would'vethought it was with an animal." He huffed in annoyance.
"Excuse my language. I mean a werewolf." I teased. He settled in my
lap and let me pet him for a while, as I leaned back against the
willow tree. I hummed the song that was stuck in my head from
Derryn...and I mentally substituting the names to that of Black Wolf.
Under the willow tree, my Black wolf is waiting for me. Eyes that
sparkle tenderly. Sleepy hollow mystery, my heart goes wild when he
looks at me, because I finally found my Black wolf, sitting under the
willow tree…
I frowned when I noticedhis ears spiked, as his head abruptly popped
upand whipped around toward the edge of the forest and the pine trees.
"What is it?" His ears were swiveling in all directions, and that's
when I heard it.
I jolted in my skin when I heard a loud scream coming from the yard
toward the logwood house and as soon as the scream registered. I
witnessed Black Wolf taking off into the pine trees in one big blur.
My mind reeling in what was happening as Derryn's scream only got louder.
"Derynn!" I tried to jump up, and forced myself to run toward the screams.
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A/N: Only a few chapters left, before I finish it off. Don't worry
I'll warn you when it's the last chapter.Thanks for reading thus far,
it's a pleasure to haveyour guys continued support. :)

The essential pillars of marital life

Marital happiness is a dream that all husbands and wives have had
sincethe beginning of time and many spouses are still trying to
fulfill this dream through all possible means. Nevertheless, being
awayfrom the true teachings of Islam and sound prophetic guidance has
led them to confusion between the different means: Western and
Eastern. However, when one returns to the Sunnah of the Prophet he
will inevitably reach his goal. Allaah The Almighty has granted
success to one of the callers to Allaah to compile the pillars of the
marital life, which are:
First: good intention:
This means that the spouses should begin their marital life with a
sincere intention to obtain the pleasure of Allaah The Almighty. This
would be displayed in the following matters:
1 – Maintaining ones' chastity, guarding the private parts against
committing sin, lowering the gaze and fulfilling each spouse's
responsibility towards the other.
2 – Establishing the Muslim home in concordance with the methodology
of Allaah The Almighty.
3 – Producing righteous offspring who affirm thatthere is nothing
worthy of worship except Allaah and who worship Him as He should be
worshipped.
Second: Cooperation withone another in obeying Allaah The Almighty.
Third: Establishing a Muslim home and family.
Fourth: Building the marital relationship on love, mercy and kind association.
Before talking about marital happiness, there is a set of rules that a
wife should comprehend and be fully aware of:
First: a human being has three levels:
This is specific to mental and cognitive aspects.
Second: a woman must distinguish between two things:
This is specific to instinctsand desires (the abdomen and sexual organs).
2 - Good association (affection and mercy), and this also has its components.
Satisfying the husband's needs according to his age as well as his
economic status are components of stability. The woman should knowthe
man's needs and the manner in which he thinks.
A righteous woman can achieve her husband's essential needs in terms
of security and efficiency,as stated in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
This includes the basic needs:
Through maintaining his wealth and honor, in addition to patience,
chastity, and so on.
Through satisfying basic needs, sexual desires etc.
He is looking for a lovingwife and a friend. Add-ons:
Third, a pious woman never asks until she gives:
Such a woman gives first and then asks. A Bedouin woman offered her
daughter the following advice on her wedding day, "Be an earth for him
and he will be your sky; be a bondmaid for him and he will be your
slave."
This is an indispensable introduction that should be known before
discussing marital happiness and its components in detail.
Sufficiency:
Security:
3 - The lower level:
1 – The stability of the home, and this has its components.
2 – The middle level:
1 - The highest level:
This is specific to feelings and emotions (heart and sentiment).
Fifth: Forgiveness and pardoning.
Sixth: Calmness at times of anger.

Obligatory and optional aspects of ablution

In Islam, ablution, or Wudhoo', is to wash one's face, hands, arms,
head and feet with water. Allaah, the Most High, Says (what means): "O
you who have believed! When you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your
faces and yourforearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash
your feet to the ankles..." [Quran 5:6]
Abu Hurayrah narrated that he Prophet said: "Allaah does not accept
the prayer of one who nullified his ablution until he performs it
again." [Al-Bukhaari, Muslim, AbuDaawood and At-Tirmithi]
There is a consensus among the Muslim scholars that ablution is part
of Islamic law. Therefore, it is a recognised fact of the religion.
There are many reports describing the manner inwhich the Prophet
performed ablution, and the following is one of them. Humraan, the
freedslave of 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan narrated that 'Uthmaan once asked
for a tumbler of water in order to perform ablution; when it was
brought to him, he poured water from it over his hands and washed them
thrice, and then put his right hand inthe water container and rinsed
his mouth and washed his nose by putting water in it and then blowing
it out. Then, he washed his face thrice and then his forearms up to
the elbows thrice; then, he passed his wet hands over his head and
then washed each foot thrice. After that, 'Uthmaan said: "I saw the
Prophet perform ablution like this of mine, and he then said: "If
anyone performs ablution like that of mineand offers a two-Rak'ah
(units) prayer during which he does not think of anything else (not
related to the present prayer) then his past sins will be forgiven."
[Al-Bukhaari]
There are matters scholars did not differ regarding their obligation,
and other matters which they agreeto the fact that they are
recommended matters if neglected, one's ablutionwould still be valid.
On the other hand there are matters over which the scholars have
different opinions. In this article we will highlight the three
categories.
Obligatory Acts of Ablution:
In light of the above-mentioned verse, ablution should have certain
components which, if not fulfilled, make one's ablution void. These
are:
(i) Washing the face: This involves using the hands to pour or run
water from the top of the forehead to the bottom of the jaws, and from
one ear to the other.
(ii) Washing the arms to the elbows: The elbows must be washed, for
the Prophet did so.
(iii) Wiping the head: This means to wipe one's head with wet hands.
The apparent meaning ofthe Quranic words (which mean): "… and wipe
over your heads…" [Quran 5:6] does not imply that all of the head
needs to be wiped yet the way of the prophet is what confirms this
fact. Three different wayswere recorded of how he would wipe his head:
(a) Wiping all of his head:'Abdullaah Ibn Zayd reported that the
Prophet would wipe his entire head with his hands. He would start with
the front of his head, then move to the back, and then return his
hands to the front. [Ibn Maajah, Abu Daawood and others']
(b) Wiping over the turban only: Bilaal reported that the Prophet
said: "Wipe over your shoes and head covering." [Ahmad].It should be
noted that the condition for wiping over the turban and socks is that
prior ablution was performed before putting them on. Many Prophetic
narrations have been related on this topic by Imaams Al-Bukhaari,
Muslim and others .
(c) Wiping over the front portion of the scalp and the turban:
Al-MugheerahIbn Shu'bah stated: "The Messenger of Allaah performed
ablution and wiped over the frontportion of his scalp, his turban and
his socks." [Muslim]
There is, however, no strong Prophetic narration that clearly states
that he wiped over part of his head, even though the verse [Quran:
5:6] apparently implies it. It is also not sufficient just to wipe
over locks of hair that proceed from the head or along the sides of
the head.
(iv) Washing the feet andthe heels: This has been confirmed in
narrations from the Prophet concerning his actions and statements. Ibn
'Umar said warning against not properly and entirely washing the feet:
"(Once), the Prophet lagged behind us on one of our journeys. He
caught up with us after we had delayed the afternoon prayer. We
started to make ablution and were (only) wiping over our feet (and not
washing them) when he said: "Woe to these heels! Save them from the
Hell-fire" repeating it twice or thrice." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
Optional Aspects:
The following acts are not obligatory, yet, once done, are rewarded
for since they constitute the way the Prophet used to perform
ablution:
1. Brushing the teeth with a tooth-stick (Miswaak).
2. Passing wet fingers through the beard.
3. Passing the fingers of both hands against each other, and also
passing them through the toes.
4. Washing each limb three times.
Controversial issues:
There are certain issues pertaining to ablution which are
controversial among Muslim scholars; some classify them as obligatory,
while others classify them as optional. Such issues are:
1. Intention: This is the desire to do the action and to please Allaah
by following His command. It is purely an act of the heart, for the
tongue (verbal pronouncement and so on) has nothing todo with it.
2. Reciting the 'Basmalah' (saying: 'Bismillaah, i.e. 'In the name
of Allaah).
3. Rinsing the mouth.
4. Sniffing water into the nose and blowing it out.
5. Following the prescribed sequence.
6. Washing each part without pause, to ensure that no part dries
up before the next step.
7. Wiping the two ears (inside and outside).

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Sacrifices - , Condition of saying Bismillaah in order for meat to be halaal.

What is the ruling on saying Bismillaah over the sacrifice, especially
ifthe slaughterman does not pray?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Meat slaughtered by onewho does not pray is nothalaal, whether he says
the name of Allaah over it or not. See question no. 70278 .
With regard to saying Bismillah when slaughtering meat, the fuqaha'
differed concerning that and there are three points ofview:
1 – That it is mustahabb only, which is the view of al-Shaafa'i.
2 – That it is a condition of the meat being halaal,but if a person
forgets it by mistake it is still permissible. This is the view of the
Hanafis, Maalikis and Hanbalis.
3 – That it is essential and cannot be waived under any circumstances,
whether it is omitted by mistake or deliberately or out of ignorance.
This is the view of the Zaahiris and was narrated from Maalik and
Ahmad, and it was the view of some of the salaf; it was also the view
favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah. Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said:It is the correct view.
He also said: They quoted as evidence the general meaning of the verse
in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Eat not (O believers) of that (meat) on which Allaah's Name has not
been pronounced (at thetime of the slaughtering of the animal)"
[al-An'aam 6:121]
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"If the blood flows and the name of Allaah is mentioned, then eat."
Soin order for the meat to be halaal, it is essential that the name of
Allaah be mentioned. It is well known that if the condition is not
met, the thing is invalid, so if the name of Allaah is not mentioned,
the meat is not halaal, as with any other condition. Hence ifa person
prays but he forgot to do wudoo', he has to repeat the
prayer.Similarly if he prays not realizing that he had broken his
wudoo' because he thought that breaking wind does not invalidate
wudoo', or that eating camel meat does not invalidate wudoo', for
example, then he must repeat it, because the thing is not valid
without the conditions being met. Soif he slaughtered it but the blood
did not flow, by mistake or out of ignorance, then it is not halaal,
and the same applies if he does not mention the name of Allaah,
because it is mentioned in the same hadeeth. End quote fromal-Sharh
al-Mumti' (6/358).
See also: al-'Inaayah Sharh al-Hidaayah (9/489); al-Fawaakih
al-Dawaani (1/382); and al-Majmoo' (8/387).
Based on this, he should not slaughter sacrifices or anything else
unless he is one of those who pray regularly, and it is essential that
he mentions the name of Allaah when slaughtering and says Bismillaah
(in the name of Allaah).
It is also mustahabb to say takbeer, so he should say: Bismillaah, wa
Allaahu akbar (In the name of Allaah and Allaah is Most Great).
Al-Bukhaari (5558) and Muslim (1966) narrated that Anas (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) sacrificed two horned black and white rams. I
saw him placing his foot on their sides, and he said the name of
Allaah and he said takbeer, then he slaughtered them with his own
hand.
And Allaah knows best.

Sacrifices - , Slaughtering the sacrifice is better than giving its price in charity.

My brother and I each have a house and on Eid in sha Allaah we want to
slaughter one ram and give the other in charity without actually
slaughtering it. Do we have to slaughter the two rams or not?.
Praise be to Allaah.
What is prescribed in your case is for you to slaughter the two
sacrifices. It is not acceptable for you to share in one sacrifice,
because you stated that you live separately from your brother. We have
listed the conditions for sharing sacrifices in the answer to question
no. 96741 .
There we mentioned thedifference of scholarly opinion concerning the
ruling on sacrifices, and stated that it is a confirmed Sunnah (Sunnah
mu'akkadah) according to the majority and it is obligatory according
to a few fuqaha'.
The scholars stated that slaughtering the sacrifice is better than
giving its price in charity. Based on that, you can offer the
sacrifice and give the meat in charity, or you can delegate someone to
sacrifice it on your behalf in countries or regions where there is a
great deal of need.
It says in Mataalib Ooli al-Nuha (2/473): Slaughtering the sacrifice
or the 'aqeeqahis better than giving its price in charity. This
wasstated by Imam Ahmad (may Allaah have mercy on him). The same
applies to the hadiy (sacrifice offered during Hajj). The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) slaughtered his sacrifice
and hadiy, as did the caliphs who came after him. If giving the price
in charity was better they would not have failed to do that. End
quote.
And Allaah knows best.

Sacrifices - , The age that the animal should have reached for hadiy and udhiyah.

Is there a specific age forthe hadiy and it is not permissible to
slaughter an animal younger than that? What is the meaning of the
words ofAllah (interpretation of the meaning): "sacrifice a Hady
(animal, i.e. a sheep, a cow, or a camel) such as you can afford"
[al-Baqarah 2:196]?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The shar'i evidence indicates that what is acceptable in the case
ofsheep is that which has reached the age of six months; in the case
of goats it is that which hasreached the age of one year; in the case
of cattleit is that which has reached the age of two years; and in the
case of camels it is that which has reached the age of five years.
Anything younger than that is not acceptable as a hadiy or udhiyah.
This is what is meant by "a Hady such as you can afford," because the
texts from the Qur'aan and Sunnah explain one another.
And Allah is the source ofstrength; may Allah send blessings and peace
upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and Companions. End quote.
Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn 'Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz,Shaykh 'Abd al-Razzaaq
'Afeefi, Shaykh 'Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh 'Abd-Allaah ibn
Qa'ood
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 11/376

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70 MAJOR SINS IN ISLAM

01. Associating anything with ALLAH
02. Murder
03. Practising magic
04. Not Praying
05. Not paying Zakat
06. Not fasting on a Day of Ramadan without excuse
07. Not performing Hajj, while being able to do so
08. Disrespect to parents
09. Abandoning relatives
10. Fornication and Adultery
11. Homosexuality (sodomy)
12. Interest (Riba)
13. Wrongfully consuming the property of an orphan
14. Lying about Allah and His Messenger(sala allahualayhe wa salam)
15. Running away from the battlefield
16. A leader deceiving hispeople and being unjust to them
17. Pride and arrogance
18. Bearing false witness
19. Drinking Khamr (wine)
20. Gambling
21. Slandering chaste women
22. Stealing from the spoils of war
23. Stealing
24. Highway Robbery
25. Taking false oath
26. Oppression
27. Illegal gain
28. Consuming wealth acquired
unlawfully
29. Committing suicide
30. Frequent lying
31. Judging unjustly
32. Giving and Accepting bribes
33. Woman imitating man and man imitating woman
34. Being cuckold
35. Marrying a divorced woman in order to make her lawful for the husband
36. Not protecting oneself from urine
37. Showing-off
38. Learning knowledge of the religion for the sake of this world and
concealing that knowledge
39. Betrayal of trust
40. Recounting favours
41. Denying Allah's Decree
42. Listening to people's private conversations / eavesdropping
43. Carrying tales
44. Cursing
45. Breaking contracts
46. Believing in fortune-tellers and astrologers
47. A woman's bad conduct towards her husband
48. Making statues and pictures
49. Lamenting, wailing, tearing the clothing, and doing other things
of thissort when an affliction befalls
50. Treating others unjustly
51. Overbearing conduct toward the wife, the servant, the weak, and animals
52. Offending one's neighbour
53. Offending and abusing Muslims
54. Offending people andhaving an arrogant attitude toward them
55. Trailing one's garment in pride
56. Men wearing silk and gold
57. A slave running away from his master
58. Slaughtering an animal which has been dedicated to anyone other than ALLAH
59. To knowingly ascribe one's paternity to a father other than one's own
60. Arguing and disputing violently
61. Withholding excess water
62. Giving short weight or measure
63. Feeling insecure from ALLAH's Plan
64. Offending ALLAH's righteous friends
65. Not praying in congregation but praying alone without anexcuse
66. Persistently missing Friday Prayers without any excuse
67. Usurping the rights ofthe heir through bequests
68. Deceiving and plotting evil
69. Spying for the enemy of the Muslims
70. Cursing or insulting any of the Companions ofALLAH's Messenger
(Sala allahu alayhe wa salam)
May Allah (swt) Help us abstaining from falling into Major Sins —

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Should he respond to non-Muslims when they wish him a Happy New Year?.

Is it permissible for me to say to non-Muslims “And the same to you” when they wish me a Happy New Year or say Best Wishes?. Praise be to Allaah. It is not permissible to greet or congratulate the kuffaar on the occasion of Christmas, New Year or any of their other holidays, and it is not permissible to respond to them when they greet us on those occasions, because they are not festivals that are prescribed in our religion, and returning their greeting is an affirmation and approval of them. The Muslim should be proud of his religion and its rulings, and he should be keen to call others and convey to them the religion of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on greeting the kuffaar on the occasion of Christmas and how we should respond when they greet us on this occasion. Is it permissible to go to the parties that they hold onthis occasion? Is a person sinning if he does any of the things mentioned without intending to, and he only does it to be nice, or because of or shyness or embarrassment or other reasons? Is it permissible to imitate them in that? He replied: Greeting the kuffaar on the occasion of Christmas or any of their other religious holidays is haraam according to scholarly consensus, as was stated by Ibn al-Qayyim in his book Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah,where he says: "Congratulating the kuffaar on the rituals that belong only to themis haraam by consensus, as is congratulating them on their festivals and fasts by saying ‘A happy festival to you’ or ‘May you enjoy your festival,’ and so on. If theone who says this has been saved from kufr, it is still forbidden. It is likecongratulating someonefor prostrating to the cross, or even worse than that. It is as great a sin as congratulating someone for drinking wine, or murdering someone, or having illicit sexual relations, and so on. Many of thosewho have no respect for their religion fall into this error; they do not realize the offensivenessof their actions. Whoever congratulates aperson for his disobedience or bid’ah or kufr exposes himself to the wrath and anger of Allaah." End quote. Congratulating the kuffaar on their religious festivals is haraam to the extent described by Ibn al-Qayyim because it implies that one accepts or approves of their rituals of kufr, even if one would not accept those things for oneself. But the Muslim should not accept the rituals of kufr or congratulate anyone else for them, because Allaah does not accept any of that at all, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): "If you disbelieve, then verily, Allaah is not in need of you, He likes notdisbelief for His slaves. And if you are grateful (by being believers), He is pleased therewith for you. . [al-Zumar 39:7] ". . . This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islaam as your religion . . [al-Maa’idah 5:3] So congratulating them is forbidden, whether they are one’s colleagues at work or otherwise. If they greet us on the occasion of their festivals, we should not respond, because these are not our festivals, andbecause they are not festivals which are acceptable to Allaah. These festivals are innovations in their religions, and even those which may have been prescribed formerly have been abrogated by the religion of Islaam, with which Allaah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to the whole of mankind. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Whoever seeks a religion other than Islaam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers." [Aal ‘Imraan 3:85] It is haraam for a Muslim to accept invitations on such occasions, because this is worse than congratulating them as it implies taking part in their celebrations. Similarly, Muslims are forbidden to imitate the kuffaar by having parties on such occasions, or exchanging gifts, or giving out sweets or food, or taking time off work, etc., because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:"Whoever imitates a people is one of them." Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyah said in his book Iqtidaa’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem Mukhaalifat Ashaab al-Jaheem: "Imitating them in some of their festivals implies that oneis pleased with their false beliefs and practices, and gives them the hope that they may have the opportunity to humiliateand mislead the weak End quote from Majmoo’Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 3/44. And Allaah knows best.

Advice to a sister who is going to get married.

Please advise me. I am a girl who is going to get married, and I want some advice. How should I start my new life in a way that will please Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and so that Allah will bless this marriage?. Praise be to Allaah. We ask Allah to make you steadfast and to cause your marriage to go ahead in a manner that He loves and is pleased with. Our advice to you is to fear Allah in secret and openly, and strive to please Him, may He be exalted, avoid that which incurs His wrath, turn to Him, put your trust in Him, seek His help, and seek His pleasure by pleasing your husband. Imam Ahmad (18524) narrated from al-Husayn ibn Mihsan that a paternal aunt of his came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) concerning some need of hers, and when her need was met, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do you have a husband?” She said: Yes. He said: “How are you with him?” She said:I do not fall short in serving him and pleasing him, except that which is beyond me. He said: “Watch howyou are with him, for he is your paradise and your hell.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami‘, 1509 So start your life with your husband by hastening to obey him, and responding to his requests and needs so long as that does not involve any disobedience towards Allah, may He be exalted. Let cooperation in obeying Allah be one of the aims of your marriage. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “May Allah have mercy on a man who gets up atnight and prays, and he wakes up his wife, and ifshe refuses (to get up) he sprinkles water in herface. And may Allah havemercy on a woman who gets up at night and prays, and she wakes up her husband, and if he refuses (to get up) she sprinkles water in his face.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1308; classed assaheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood Pay attention to the way you dress and adorn yourself; always appear in front of him inthe best way he likes to see you, and you should not stop smiling when you are in his sight. Let cleanliness be your concern; do not let him see the house except in a tidy and clean state, and do not let him smell anything but pleasant fragrances. You should also pay attention to what kinds of food he likes. The man usually comes homefrom work exhausted and he likes to find joy and happiness in his home that will compensate him for his tiredness and exhaustion. That can only be achieved with good management on the part of a righteous woman, who welcomes him warmly and show that she is happy to see him. If he gets angry someday, then hasten to please him, even if you think that you were not in the wrong. Thus you will deserve to be one ofthe women of Paradise. See what he likes and doit, and see what he dislikes and avoid it, so long as that is in accordance with the laws and religion of Allah. Do not argue and debatewith him too much, because that is blameworthy and that does not lead to anything good. If you see him committing a sin, then object to it in a kind andgentle manner, with wise words and reminding him of Allah. If he annoys or harms you, bear it with patience and do not hasten to complain to any of your family members or relatives, because disclosing the secrets of the household and talking about problems to others are things that will upset thehusband and provoke conflict. Pay attention to his parents and sisters, for this comes under the heading of kindness thatbrings a woman closer to her husband. We will conclude with a reminder of the words of the Prophet (blessingsand peace of Allah be upon him): “If a woman prays her five (daily prayers), fasts her month(Ramadan), guards her chastity and obeys her husband, it will be said to her: Enter Paradise through whichever of the gates of Paradise you wish.” Narrated by Imam Ahmad, 1664, from‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf (may Allah be pleased with her); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami‘, 660. We ask Allah to bless youboth and bring you together in goodness.

Signs of Qiyamah - , A List of the Major Signs

Auf bin Malik (R.A.) says: Icame to Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi
Wasallam) while he was in his skin tent during the Tabuk expedition.
Hesaid to me, "Count six things before the adventof Qiyamah:
*. My death
*. The conquest of Jerusalem
*. Mass deaths amongst you people, just as when sheep die in large
numbers during an epidemic
*. Abundance of wealth to such an extent that if a person were to be
given a hundred Dinarshe will still not be satisfied
*. General anarchy and bloodshed, that no Arab household will bespared
from it
*. Then a life of peace as a result of a peace agreement between you
and the Banil Asfaar (Romans) which they will break and attack you
with a forceconsisting of eighty flags and under each flag will be an
army of twelve thousand men."
(Bukhari).

Signs of Qiyamah - , The Minor Signs of the Last Day

Qiyamah will come when...
Hadhrat Abu Musa Ash'ari (R.A.) narrates that Rasulallah (Sallallahu
Alayhii Wassallam) said,"Qiyamah will come...
*. When it will be regarded as a shame toact on Quranic injunctions.
*. When untrustworthy people will be regarded as trustworthy and the
trustworthy will be regarded as untrustworthy.
*. When it will be hot in winter.
*. When the length of days is stretched, i.e. a journey of a few days
is covered in a matter of hours.
*. When orators and lecturers lie openly.
*. When people dispute over petty issues.
*. When women with children come displeased on account of them bearing
offspring, and barren women remain happy on account of having no
responsibility of offspring.
*. When oppression, jealousy, and greed become the order of the day.
*. When people blatantly follow their passions and whims.
*. When lies prevail over the truth.
*. When violence, bloodshed and anarchy become common.
*. When immorality overtakes shamelessness and is perpetrated publicly.
*. When legislation matters pertaining to Deen is handed over tothe
worst elements of the Ummat, and if people accept them and are
satisfied with their findings, then such persons will not smell the
fragrance of Jannat.
*. When the offspring become a cause of grief and anger (for their parents).
The following is part of alengthy Hadith narrated by Hadhrat Abdullah
Ibn Mas'ood (R.A.) when he inquired from Rasulallah(Sallallahu Alayhi
Wassallam) about the Signs of Qiyamah.
*. Music and musical instruments will be found in every home.
*. People will indulge in homosexuality.
*. There will be an abundance of illegitimate children.
*. There will be an abundance of critics, tale-carriers, back- biters
and taunters in society.
*. People will establish ties with strangers andsever relations with
their near and dear ones.
*. Hypocrites will be in control of the affairs ofthe community and
evil, immoral people will be at the helm of business establishments.
*. The Masjid will be decorated, but the hearts of the people will be
devoid of guidance.
*. The courtyards of Masjids will be built beautifully and high
mimbars (pulpits) will be erected.
*. Gangsters and evil people will prevail.
*. Various wines will be consumed excessively.
Auf bin Malik (R.A.) says: Icame to Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi
Wasallam) while he was in his skin tent during the Tabuk expedition.
Hesaid to me, "Count six things before the adventof Qiyamah:
1 My death
2 The conquest of Jerusalem
3 Mass deaths amongst you people, just as whensheep die in large
numbers during an epidemic
4 Abundance of wealth to such an extent that if a person were to be
given a hundred Dinars he will still not be satisfied
5 General anarchy and bloodshed, that no Arab household will be spared from it
6 Then a life of peace as a result of a peace agreement between youand
the Banil Asfaar
(Romans) which they will break and attack you with a force consisting
of eighty flagsand under each flag will be an army of twelve thousand
men." (Hadith: Sahih Bukhari).
IRAQ and SYRIA
Abu Nadhrah says: "We were sitting in the company of Jabir bin
Abdullah (R.A.) when he said: 'Soon the people ofIRAQ will neither
receive any food (grain) nor anymoney.'" We asked,"Why would such a
thinghappen?" He replied,"Because of the non-Arabs." (i.e they
willprevent food from goinginto Iraq, in the form of"sanctions" to
this day.) He then said: "Soon the people of Shaam (SYRIA) will
neither receive any money nor grain." We asked as to why this would
happen. He replied: "Because of the Romans (christians)."
CONCEITED PEOPLE:
Hadhrat Abbas (R.A) narrates that Rasulallah (Sallallahu Alayhi
Wassallam) has said,"Islam will spread far and wide, across the seas.
Horses will cross the land and seas in the cause of Jihaad. Then a
time will come wherein a group of people will emerge which recites the
Quraan. They will claim,
'We have recited the Quraan and is there anyone who understands the
Quraan better than us? There is NO ONE more proficient than us in the
study of the Quraan.'
Then Rasulallah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) asked the Sahaba, "Do
you see any good in their claims?" The Sahaba replied,"No". Rasulallah
(Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam) said, "But these conceited claimants
will be from my Ummah and will be the fuel of the Fire."