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Saturday, February 2, 2013

Muslim women in married life

Relationships based on worldly values can degenerate into baseness, as
often happens in marriage. When people's love and respect is based on
thesevalues, they can lose these feelings quickly when circumstances
change. This is almost inevitable when love, respect, and loyalty
depend on one's beauty,wealth, health, job, or status, for when these
temporary and superficial characteristics disappear, so will the other
person's love. Someone who follows such criteria will find no reason
to continue to love and honor his or her spouse when the basis for
those values is lost.
Belief, fear and respect of Allah, and decency of character are what
makelove, respect, and loyaltyendure. Someone who loves his or her
spouse for their belief and character will, in married life, be
respectful, loyal, and decent. Losing one's youth, health, or beauty
will not affect the love and consideration among spouses for each
other, and neither will losing one's wealth or social status. They
will not cause trouble or discontent to the other person because of
their firm belief and fear and respect of Allah, whatever the
circumstances. Believers will always be gentle and compassionate, as
well as fair and tolerant, for they will consider this to be a
responsibility entrusted to them by Allah. Islamic morality has a very
high opinion of women and seeks to prevent them from suffering any
difficulties or hardships. Thus, believing men safeguard the rights of
women and are most considerate toward them.
So close is the marital relationship that the Qur'an says of the
spouses: "They are clothing for you, and you for them" (Surat
al-Baqara: 187). In this verse, Allah reminds people that each spouse
has equal responsibilities. The word "clothing" stands for the
responsibility of guarding and protectingone another and also suggests
that men and women have complementary qualities.
Another verse states the importance of love and compassion in
marriage: "Among His Signs is that He created spouses for you of your
own kind, sothat you might find tranquillity in them. And He has
placed affection and compassion between you. There are certainly Signs
in that for people who reflect" (Surat ar-Rum: 21). Believers consider
their spouses to be gifts that Allah has given into theircare, and
therefore value one another greatly. They show affection and
compassion when their spouse makes a mistake or falls short in some
way, and know that behaving according to the Qur'an will help them
overcome all difficulties and solve their problems. As a result,
marriage helps both spouses find contentment and peace.
With the phrase "you have been intimate withone another" (Surat
an-Nisa': 21), Allah proclaims the closeness and intimacy of married
life. The secret of this closeness, intimacy, and valuing of each
other is their intention to create an everlasting togetherness that
will extend into the Hereafter. True loyalty and love requires this
attitude. Since their love is neither selfish nor temporary, but
intendedto be everlasting, they are completely loyal, close, honest,
and intimate with one another.
Qur'an's morality forms the basis for a marital relationship based on
togetherness, one in which both parties fear and respect Allah and
follow His morality. In such a relationship, eachperson's loyalty,
faithfulness, love, sincerity, tolerance, and modesty complement and
support the other person. Such a marriage is stable and long-lasting.
The marriages of people without these qualities, on the other hand,
are short-lived.
Islam considers marriageto be a comfort for women, for in it she
experiences love, respect, loyalty, and faithfulness in the best
possible way. She is always respected, valued, and honored. The
absence of any pride, superiority complex, and lies enables her to
find peace and contentment.
Being Protective of Women
By proclaiming "We senddown in the Qur'an that which is a healing and
a mercy to the believers," (Surat al-Isra': 82) Allah states that
Islamic morality will always direct people toward thegood and that the
Qur'an's verses are a mercy for them. These verses, revealed to create
contentment and justice among people, guarantee the rights of women in
both their social and family lives. And, the verse "We bringyou the
truth and the best of explanations" (Surat al-Furqan: 33) makes clear
the fact that the Qur'an contains all ofthe knowledge needed to find
the value, love, and respect that they deserve in every aspect of
their lives.
This is a great mercy, comfort, and gift from Allah for women as well.
When people behave according to the Qur'an'smorals, all disputes over
the role and place of women in society, as well as the controversy
surrounding them in unbelieving societies, will certainly come to an
end.
We will now explore some of the verses that guard women's social
rights and reveal their importance and value in Islam's moral system.
All true and lasting solutions to women's problems are found in the
Qur'an. Islam, which was revealed to guide humanity to salvation,
genuinely values women. Many verses protect women and their rights,
for the Qur'an eliminated the prevalent misguided stereotypes of women
and gave them a respectable position in society. Our Lord teachesthat
superiority in His presence is based not ongender, but rather on one's
fear and respect ofAllah, faith, good character, devotion, and
dedication to Him.
Allah has revealed the steps that women need to take to ensure their
protection and respect within society, and for them to find the love
and dignity that they deserve. All of these measures benefit women and
seek to prevent damage to their interests or any form of oppression
and unnecessary stress.
Divorcing Women with Their Consent
The believers' fear and respect of Allah, as well as their belief,
cause them to obey their conscience and the Qur'an's values at every
moment. But for unbelievers, their base instincts and Satan are their
guiding influences.Thus, they seek to satisfytheir self-interest and
their ego instead of acting fairly and nicely. This scenario is often
seen when relationships end, such as a marriage based upon financial
self-interest.
For these people, divorce means the end of all bonds based on mutual
interest, for when these interests no longer exist, there is no longer
any reason for them to value or respect the other party. As a result,
they see no reason to do anything good for that person, and so move to
protect their own interests regardless of the other person's
situation.
Believers display a totally different type of behavior in such
circumstances, for their only goal in life is to winAllah's good
pleasure. Fully aware that following the whims of their self-interest
or ego displeases Him, they adhere to the Qur'an's morality and their
conscience. Therefore, even in the case of divorce, they treat each
other well and with justice.
Allah commands men to divorce their wives in the best possible way:
"When you divorce women and they are near the end of their waiting
period, then either retain them with correctness and courtesyor
release them with correctness and courtesy" (Surat al-Baqara: 231).
Pursuing only Allah's good pleasure, they treat their ex-wives
withtolerance, compassion, politeness, respect, and thoughtfulness,
thereby continuing their former loving and respectful manner toward
each other. Allah reveals the male believers' correct behavior in such
circumstances:
O you who believe! When you marry believing women and then divorce
them before you have touched them, there is no waiting period for you
to calculate for them, so give them a giftand let them go with
kindness. (Surat al-Ahzab: 49)

The Qur'an addresses men and women in the same manner

Every society knows all of the traditional arguments about women's
ideal role and place. Their social status and importance in the
family, whether or not they should work, and other social issues have
been discussed seemingly forever. For Muslims, these issues were
settled by the Qur'an: Men and women are equal. The facts that men and
women have different physical builds and that women are generally
weaker than men are irrelevant and cannot be used to reduce women's
value.
What truly matters in Islamic morality is not whether someone is male
or female, but whether or not he or sheis a believer who fears and
respects Allah. Each believer is expected to strive to live by the
Qur'an's morality, for theresults of this struggle are what Allah
values and will measure in the Hereafter. Allah reveals the qualities
that all Muslims, male or female, should have:
The men and women of the believers are friends of one another. They
command what is right and forbid what is wrong, keep up prayer and
give the alms [ zakat ], and obey Allah and His Messenger. They are
the people on whom Allah will have mercy. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.
(Suratat-Tawba: 71)
As Allah reveals, all Muslims, regardless of their gender, have the
same responsibilities: to worship Allah, live according to the
Qur'an'smorality, command good and prevent evil, and abide by the
Qur'an's rules. Allah promises everyone who fears and respects the
limits that He has established for humanitythat He will give them the
ability to distinguish right from wrong:
O you who believe! If you have fear of [and respect] Allah, He will
give you discrimination, erase your bad actions, and forgive you.
Allah's favor is indeed immense.(Surat al-Anfal: 29)
Any man or woman who acts on the impulses of the intellect derived
from belief can achieve success in many areas. This depends on their
will, motivation, and persistence. Believers never rest on their
laurels, for it is part of Islamic morality to always strive to be
more intelligent, talented, responsible, and virtuous, as well as to
seek to always improve upon their character. Allah reveals that
believers pray to Him fora character that will make them role models
for those around them:
Those who say: "Our Lord, give us joy in our wives and children, and
make us a good examplefor those who guard against evil. " (Surat
al-Furqan: 74)
Islam states that men and women are totally equal. For both of them,
it all depends on their ability to exceed what is expected of them by
realizing the full potential of their character and personality, and
by fulfilling their responsibilities. For this reason, believing women
do not struggle for equality with men, but exert themselves in the
race to do good, defined in the Qur'an as the effort to win Allah's
good pleasure. For this end, they race to become the person mostloved
by Allah so that they may win His good pleasure and be the nearest to
Him. Allah reveals that these effortsdetermine the Muslim's
superiority over others in this life as well as in the Hereafter:
Such people are truly racing toward good things, and they are the
first to reach them. (Surat al-Mu'minun: 61)
Then We made Our chosen servants inherit the Book. But some of them
wrong themselves, some are ambivalent, and some outdo each other in
good by Allah's permission. That is the great favor. (Surah Fatir: 32)
The equality between men and women is also seen in the fact that Allah
gives them equal rights in this world:
We made everything on Earth adornment for it so that We could test
them to see whose actions are the best. (Surat al-Kahf: 7)
Every soul will taste death. We test you with both good and evil as a
trial. And you will be returned to Us. (Surat al-Anbiya': 35)
In the above verses, Allah reveals that He tests men and women sothat
they can show who is better. In another verse, He says that He will
test men and women with various trials until the day they die, and
that those who show patience will be rewarded with His mercy:
We will test you with a certain amount of fear and hunger, as well as
loss of wealth, life, and fruits. But give good news to the steadfast.
(Surat al-Baqara: 155)
Allah gave each man andwoman a fixed number of years, holds them both
responsible for their choices, gave them a sense of right and wrong,
and made their base instincts and Satan their enemies. And whoever
shows strengthof character and works for good in the face of these
realities here on Earth will receive the best rewards from Allah in
both worlds:
I will not let the deeds ofany doer among you go to waste, male or
female—you are both the samein that respect. Those who have left their
homes and were driven from their homes, and [who] suffered harm in My
Way and fought and were killed, I will erase their bad actions and
admit them into Gardenswith rivers flowing under them, as a rewardfrom
Allah. The best of all rewards is with Allah. (Surah Al 'Imran: 195)
He also reminds men andwomen that no one will be treated unjustly as
regards the rewards they are to receive on Earth as well as in the
Hereafter: "Anyone who acts rightly, male or female, being a
believer,We will give them a good life and will recompense them
according to the best of what they did" (Surat an-Nahl: 97).
The Qur'an Addresses Men and Women in the Same Manner
Looking at the Qur'an in general, we see that men and women are
addressed in the same manner. This is yet another indication that
Allah is concerned only with a person's true and heart-felt belief and
not his or her age or gender.In this respect, the Qur'an addresses men
and women together and reminds them that they have the same
responsibilities. There are many such verses, among them: "Anyone,
male or female, who does right actions and believes, will enter the
Garden. They will not be wronged by so much as the tiniest speck"
(Surat an-Nisa: 124).
When revealing things about unbelievers, Allah also addresses them in
the same manner. He reveals that unbelievers and hypocrites of both
genders will be treated alike. For example:
The men and women of the hypocrites are as bad as one another. They
command what is wrong and forbid what is right, and they keep their
fists tightly closed. They have forgotten Allah, so He has forgotten
them. The hypocrites are deviators.(Surat at-Tawba: 67)
Allah has promised the men and women of the hypocrites and unbelievers
the Fire of Hell, remaining in it timelessly, forever. It willsuffice
them. Allah has cursed them. They will have an everlasting punishment.
(Surat at-Tawba: 68)
This was so that Allah might punish hypocritical men and women as well
as the associating men and women—those who think bad thoughts about
Allah, and turn toward the men and women of the believers. Allah is
Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat al-Ahzab: 73)
And so that He might punish hypocritical men and women as well as
associating men and women—those who think bad thoughts about Allah.
They will suffer an evil turn of fate. Allah is angry with them, has
cursed them, and prepared Hell for them. What an evil destination!
(Surat al-Fath: 6)
As these verses make clear, men and women are equal in their trial on
Earth as well as in thereward they receive in the Hereafter.

Story,- The Boats of the Glen Carrig: Chapter 6

VI
THE WEED-CHOKED SEA
IT WAS some little while before midday that we grew conscious that the
sea had become very much less violent; and this despite the wind
roaring with scarce abated noise. And, presently, everything about the
boat, saving the wind, having grown indubitably calmer, and no great
water breaking over the canvas, the bo'sun beckoned me again to assist
him lift the after part of the cover. This we did, and put forth our
heads to inquire the reason of theunexpected quietness of the sea; not
knowing butthat we had come suddenly under the lee of some unknown
land. Yet, for a space, we couldsee nothing, beyond the surrounding
billows; for the sea was still very furious, though no matter to cause
us concern, after that through which we had come.
Presently, however, the bo'sun, raising himself, saw something, and,
bending cried in my ear that there was a low bank which broke the
force of the sea; but he was full of wonder to know how that we had
passed it without shipwreck. And whilst hewas still pondering the
matter I raised myself, and took a look on all sides of us, and so I
discovered that there layanother great bank upon our larboard side,
and this I pointed out to him. Immediately afterwards, we came upon a
great mass of seaweed swung up on the crest of a sea, and, presently,
another. And so we drifted on, and theseas grew less with astonishing
rapidily, so that, in a little, we stript off the cover so far as the
midship thwart; for the rest of the men were sorely in need of the
fresh air, after so long a time below the canvas covering.
It was after we had eaten, that one of them made out that there was
another low bank astern upon which we were drifting. At that, the
bo'sun stood up and made an examination of it, being much exercised in
his mind to know howwe might come clear of it with safety. Presently,
however, we had come so near to it that we discovered it to be
composed of seaweed, and so we let the boat drive upon it, making
nodoubt but that the other banks, which we had seen, were of a similar
nature.
In a little, we had driven in among the weed; yet, though our speed
was greatly slowed, we madesome progress, and so in time came out upon
the other side, and now we found the sea to be near quiet, so that we
hauled in our sea anchor--whichhad collected a great mass of weed
about it--and removed the whaleback and canvas coverings, after which
we stepped the mast, and set a tiny storm-foresail upon the boat; for
we wished to have her under control, and could set no more than this,
because of the violence of the breeze.
Thus we drove on beforethe wind, the bo'sun steering, and avoiding all
such banks as showedahead, and ever the sea grew calmer. Then, when it
was near on to evening, we discovered a huge stretch of the weed that
seemed to block all the sea ahead, and, at that, we hauled down the
foresail, and took to our oars, and began to pull, broadside on to it,
towards the West. Yet so strong was the breeze, that we werebeing
driven down rapidly upon it. And then, just before sunset, we opened
out the end of it, and drew in our oars, very thankful to set the
little foresail, and run off again before the wind.
And so, presently, the night came down upon us, and the bo'sun made us
take turn and turn about to keep a look-out; for the boat was going
some knots through the water, and we were among strange seas; but he
took no sleep all that night, keeping always to the steering oar.
I have memory, during my time of watching, of passing odd floating
masses, which I make no doubt were weed, and once we drove right atop
of one; but drew clear without much trouble. And all the while,
through the dark to starboard, I could make out the dim outline of
that enormousweed extent lying low upon the sea, and seeming without
end. And so, presently, my time to watch being at an end, I returned
to my slumber, and when next I waked it was morning.
Now the morning discovered to me that there was no end to the weed
upon our starboard side; for it stretched away into the distance ahead
of us so far as we could see; while all about us the sea was full of
floating masses of the stuff. And then, suddenly, one of the men cried
out that there was a vessel in among the weed. At that,as may be
imagined, we were very greatly excited, and stood upon the thwarts
that we might get better view of her. Thus I saw her a great way in
from the edge of the weed, and I noted that her foremast was gone near
to the deck, and she had no main topmast; though, strangely enough,
her mizzen stood unharmed. And beyond this, I could make out but
little, because of the distance; though the sun, which was upon our
larboard side, gave me some sightof her hull, but not much, because of
the weed in which she was deeply embedded; yet it seemed to me that
her sides were very weather-worn, and in one place some glistening
brown object, which may have been a fungus, caught the rays of the
sun, sending off a wet sheen.
There we stood, all of us,upon the thwarts, staring and exchanging
opinions, and were like to have overset the boat;but that the bo'sun
ordered us down. And after this we made our breakfast, and had
muchdiscussion regarding the stranger, as we ate.
Later, towards midday, we were able to set our mizzen; for the storm
had greatly modified, and so, presently, we hauled away to the West,to
escape a great bank of the weed which ran out from the main body. Upon
rounding this, we let the boat off again, and set the main lug, and
thus made very good speed before the wind. Yet though we ranall that
afternoon parallel with the weed tostarboard, we came not to its end.
And three separate times we saw the hulks of rotting vessels, some of
them having the appearance of a previous age, so ancient did they
seem.
Now, towards evening, the wind dropped to a very little breeze, so
that we made but slow way, and thus we had better chance to study the
weed. And now we saw that it was full of crabs; though for the most
partso very minute as to escape the casual glance;yet they were not
all small, for in a while I discovered a swaying among the weed, a
little way in from the edge, and immediately I saw the mandible of a
very great crab stir amid the weed. At that, hoping to obtain it for
food, I pointed it out to the bo'sun, suggesting that we should try
and capture it. And so, there being by now scarce any wind, he bade us
get outa couple of the oars, and back the boat up to the weed. This we
did, after which he made fast a piece of salt meat to a bitof spun
yarn, and bent this on to the boat-hook.Then he made a running
bowline, and slipped theloop on to the shaft of the boat-hook, after
which he held out the boat-hook, after the fashion of a fishing-rod,
over the place where I had seen the crab. Almost immediately, there
swept up an enormous claw, and grasped the meat, and atthat, the
bo'sun cried outto me to take an oar and slide the bowline along the
boat-hook, so that it should fall over the claw,and this I did, and
immediately some of us hauled upon the line, taughtening it about
thegreat claw. Then the bo'sun sung out to us to haul the crab aboard,
that we had it most securely; yet on the instant we had reason towish
that we had been less successful; for the creature, feeling the tug of
our pull upon it, tossed the weed in all directions, and thus we had
full sight of it, and discovered it to be so great a crab as is scarce
conceivable--a very monster. And further, it was apparent to us that
the brute had no fear of us, nor intention to escape; but rather made
to come at us; whereat the bo'sun, perceiving our danger, cut the
line, and bade us put weight upon the oars, and so in a moment we were
in safety, and very determined to have no more meddlings with such
creatures.
Presently, the night cameupon us, and, the wind remaining low, there
was everywhere about us a great stillness, most solemn after the
continuous roaring of the storm which had beset us in the previous
days. Yet now and again a little wind would rise and blow across the
sea, and where it met the weed, there would comea low, damp rustling,
so that I could hear the passage of it for no little time after the
calm had come once more all about us.
Now it is a strange thing that I, who had slept amid the noise of the
past days, should find sleeplessness amid so much calm; yet so it was,
and presently I took the steering oar, proposing that the rest should
sleep, and to this the bo'sun agreed, first warning me, however, most
particularly to havecare that I kept the boat off the weed (for we
hadstill a little way on us), and, further, to call him should
anything unforeseen occur. And after that, almost immediately he fell
asleep, as indeed did themost of the men.
From the time that relieved the bo'sun, untilmidnight, I sat upon the
gunnel of the boat, with the steering oar under my arm, and watched
and listened, most full of a sense of the strangeness of the seas into
which we had come.It is true that I had heardtell of seas choked up
with weed--seas that were full of stagnation, having no tides; but I
had not thought to comeupon such an one in my wanderings; having,
indeed, set down such tales as being bred of imagination, and without
reality in fact.
Then, a little before the dawn, and when the sea was yet full of
darkness, Iwas greatly startled to hear a prodigious splash amid the
weed, mayhapsat a distance of some hundred yards from the boat. Then,
as I stood fullof alertness, and knowing not what the next moment
might bring forth, there came to me across the immense waste of weed,a
long, mournful cry, andthen again the silence. Yet, though I kept very
quiet, there came no further sound, and I was about to re-seat myself,
when, afar off in that strange wilderness, there flashed out a sudden
flame of fire.
Now upon seeing fire in the midst of so much lonesomeness, I was as
one mazed, and could donaught but stare. Then, my judgement returning
to me, I stooped and waked the bo'sun; for it seemed to me that this
was a matter for his attention. He, after staring at it awhile,
declared that he could see the shape of a vessel's hull beyond the
flame; but, immediately, he was in doubt, as, indeed, I had been all
the while. And then, even as we peered, the light vanished, and though
we waited for the space of some minutes; watching steadfastly, there
came no further sight of that strange illumination.
From now until the dawn, the bo'sun remained awake with me, and we
talked much upon that which we had seen; yet could come to no
satisfactory conclusion; for it seemedimpossible to us that a place of
so much desolation could contain any living being. And then, just as
the dawn was upon us, there loomed up a fresh wonder--the hull of a
great vessel maybe a couple or three score fathoms in from the edge of
the weed. Now the wind was still very light, being no more than an
occasional breath, so that we went past her at a drift, thus the dawn
had strengthened sufficientlyto give to us a clear sightof the
stranger, before we had gone more than a little past her. And nowI
perceived that she lay full broadside on to us, and that her three
masts were gone close down to the deck. Her side wasstreaked in places
with rust, and in others a green scum overspread her; but it was no
more than a glance that I gave at any of those matters; for I had
spied something which drew all my attention--great leathery arms
splayed all across her side, some of them crooked inboard over the
rail, and then, low down, seen just above the weed, the huge, brown,
glistening bulk of so great a monster as ever I had conceived. The
bo'sun saw it in the same instant and cried out in ahoarse whisper
that it was a mighty devil-fish, and then, even as he spoke, two of
the arms flickered up into the coldlight of the dawn, as though the
creature had been asleep, and we hadwaked it. At that, the bo'sun
seized an oar, and I did likewise, and, so swiftly as we dared, for
fear of making any unneedful noise, we pulled the boat to a
saferdistance. From there anduntil the vessel had become indistinct by
reason of the space we put between us, we watched that great creature
clutched to the old hull, as it might be a limpet to a rock.
Presently, when it was broad day, some of the men began to rouse up,
and in a little we broke our fast, which was not displeasing to me,
who had spent the night watching. And so through the day we sailed
with a very light wind upon our larboard quarter. And all the while we
kept the great waste of weed upon our starboard side, and apartfrom
the mainland of theweed, as it were, there were scattered about an
uncountable number of weed islets and banks, and there were thin
patches of it that appeared scarce above the water, and through these
later we let the boat sail; for they had not sufficient density to
impede our progress more than a little.
And then, when the day was far spent, we came in sight of another
wreck amid the weeds. She lay in from the edge perhaps so much as the
half of a mile, and she had all three of her lower masts in, and her
lower yards squared. Butwhat took our eyes morethan aught else was a
great superstructure which had been built upward from her rails,
almost half-way to her main tops, and this, as we were able to
perceive, was supported by ropes let down from the yards; but of what
material the superstructure was composed, I have no knowledge; for it
was so over-grown with some form of green stuff--as was so much of the
hull as showed above the weed--as to defy our guesses. And because of
this growth, it was borneupon us that the ship must have been lost to
the world a very great age ago. At this suggestion, I grew full
ofsolemn thought; for it seemed to me that we had come upon the
cemetery of the oceans.
Now, in a little while after we had passed this ancient craft, the
night came down upon us, andwe prepared for sleep, and because the
boat was making some little way through the water, the bo'sun gave out
that each of us should stand our turn at the steering-oar, and that he
was to be called should any fresh matter transpire. And so we settled
down for the night, and owing to my previous sleeplessness, I was full
weary, so that I knew nothing until the one whom I was to relieve
shook me into wakefulness. So soon as Iwas fully waked, I perceived
that a low moon hung above the horizon, and shed a very ghostly light
across the great weed world to starboard. For the rest, the night was
exceeding quiet, so that no sound came to me in all that ocean, save
the rippling of the water upon our bends as the boat forgedslowly
along. And so I settled down to pass the time ere I should be allowed
to sleep; but first I asked the man whom I had relieved, how long a
time had passed since moon-rise; to which he replied that it was no
more than the half of an hour, and afterthat I questioned whether he
had seen aught strange amid the weed during his time at the oar; but
he had seen nothing, except that once he had fancied a light had shown
in the midst of the waste; yet it could have been naught save a humor
of the imagination; though apart from this, he had heard a strange
crying a little after midnight, and twice there had been great
splashes among the weed. And after that he fell asleep, being
impatient at my questioning.
Now it so chanced that my watch had come just before the dawn; for
which I was full of thankfulness, being in that frame of mind whenthe
dark breeds strange and unwholesome fancies. Yet, though I was so near
to the dawn,I was not to escape free of the eerie influence of that
place; for, as I sat, running my gaze to and fro over its grey
immensity, it came to methat there were strange movements among the
weed, and I seemed to see vaguely, as one may see things in dreams,
dim white faces peer outat me here and there; yetmy common sense
assured me that I was but deceived by the uncertain light and the
sleep in my eyes; yet for all that, it put my nerves on the quiver.
A little later, there came to my ears the noise of a very great splash
amid the weed; but though I stared with intentness, I could nowhere
discern aught as likely to be the cause thereof. And then, suddenly,
between me and the moon, there drove up from out of that great waste a
vast bulk, flinging huge masses of weed in all directions. It seemed
to be no more than a hundred fathoms distant, and, against the moon, I
saw the outline of it most clearly--a mighty devil-fish. Then ithad
fallen back once more with a prodigious splash, and so the quiet fell
again, finding me sore afraid, and no little bewildered that so
monstrous a creature could leap with such agility. And then (in my
fright I had let the boat come near to the edge ofthe weed) there came
a subtle stir opposite to our starboard bow, and something slid down
into the water. I swayed upon the oar to turn the boat's head outward,
and with the same movement leant forwardand sideways to peer, bringing
my face near tothe boat's rail. In the same instant, I found myself
looking down into a white demoniac face, human save that the mouth and
nose had greatly the appearance of a beak. The thing was gripping at
the side of the boat with two flickering hands--gripping the bare,
smooth outer surface, in a way that woke in my mind a sudden memory of
the great devil-fish which had clung to the side of the wreck we
hadpassed in the previous dawn. I saw the face come up towards me, and
one misshapen handfluttered almost to my throat, and there came a
sudden, hateful reek in my nostrils--foul and abominable. Then, I came
into possession of my faculties, and drew back with great haste and a
wild cry of fear. And then I had the steering-oar by the middle, and
was smiting downward with the loom over the side of theboat; but the
thing was gone from my sight. I remember shouting out to the bo'sun
and to the men to awake, and then the bo'sun had me by the shoulder,
was callingin my ear to know what dire thing had come about. At that,
I cried outthat I did not know, and,presently, being somewhat calmer,
I told them of the thing that I had seen; but even as I told of it,
there seemed to be no truth in it, so that they were all at a loss to
know whether I had fallen asleep, or thatI had indeed seen a devil.
And presently the dawn was upon us.

Names and Attributes of Allah,- There is no contradictionbetween the fact that Allaah descends to the lowest heaven and His having risen above the Throne (istiwaa’) .

I reply "Above the seven Heavens and the Arsh"
But taking the Hadith regarding that Allah descends to the lowest
heaven in the latter part of the night.
If someone asks where isAllah and they state it is the latter 3rd of
the night now. What reply should you give. Anotherpoint is that some
people say it is the latter part of the night all the time (somewhere
on theearth at a paticular pointin time) From this they conclude that
Allah is notabove His Arsh.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly, we have to know the 'aqeedah (belief) of Ahl al-Sunnah
wa'l-Jamaa'ah concerning the names and attributes of Allaah. The
belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ahis to affirm the names and
attributes which Allaah has affirmed for Himself, without distorting
or denying them, discussing how they are or likening them to anything
else. They believe that which Allaah has commanded them to believe,
for Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"There is nothing like Him, and He is the All Hearer, the All Seer"
[al-Shooraa 42:11]
Allaah has told us about Himself. He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Indeed, your Lord is Allaah, Who created the heavens and the earth
inSix Days, and then He rose over (Istawaa) the Throne (really in a
manner that suits His Majesty).
[al-A'raaf 7:54]
"The Most Gracious (Allaah) rose over (Istawaa) the (Mighty) Throne
(in a manner that suits His Majesty).
[Ta-Ha 20:5]
and there are other aayahs which mention that Allaah rose over His Throne.
The rising of Allaah over His Throne, which meansthat He Himself is
High and above the Throne, isof a special nature which befits His
Majesty and Might. No one knows how it is except Him.
This was proven in the saheeh Sunnah, where itis narrated from the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that Allaah
descends during the last third of the night. It was narrated from Abu
Hurayrah that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Our Lord descends every night to the lowest heaven when
the last third of the night remains, and He says, 'Who will call Me
that I might answer him, who will ask of Me that I might give him, who
willask My forgiveness, that Imight forgive him?'" (narrated by
al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-Tawheed, 6940; Muslim, Salaat al-Musaafireen,
1262)
According to Ahl al-Sunnah, the meaning of this descent is that Allaah
Himself comes down to the lowest heaven in a real sense, as befits His
Majesty, andno one knows how that is except Him.
But does the fact that Allaah comes down mean that He vacates
theThrone or not? Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said concerning a similar
question: we say that this question is based onunnecessary and
excessive questioning, and that the one who asked this is not to be
thanked for his question. We ask, are you more keen than the Sahaabah
to understandthe attributes of Allaah? If he says yes, we tell him,
you are lying. And ifhe says no, we tell him, then be content with
what they were content with. They did not ask the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), 'O Messenger of Allaah,
when He comes down, does He vacate the Throne?' Why do you need to ask
this question? Just say, He comes down. Whether or not the Throne is
vacated is not your business. You are commanded to believe the
reports, especially concerning the essence of Allaah and His
attributes, for this matter is above rational thought.
Majmoo' Fataawa Shaykh Muhammad al-'Uthaymeen, 1/204-205
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said
concerning this matter:
"The correct view is that He descends and that He does not vacate the
Throne. A person's soul remains attached to his body night and day
untilhe dies, but when he is asleep it ascends… It wassaid, night
varies, and the last third of the night comes sooner in the east than
in the west, so the descent of Allaah to the lowest heaven, of which
His Messenger spoke, happens in the east first and then in the
west..."
See Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn Taymiyah, 5/132
Rising over (istiwaa') and descending are two of the practical
attributes which have to do with the will of Allaah. Ahl al-Sunnah
wa'l-Jamaa'ah believe inthat, but in this belief they avoid likening
Allaah to any of His creation or discussing how He is. It cannot occur
to them that Allaah's descending is like the descending of any of His
creatures or that His rising over the Throne is like the rising over
of any of His creatures, because they believe that there is nothing
like unto Allaah and He is the All-Hearer, All-Seer. They know on
rational grounds that there is a great difference between the Creator
and His creatures, in their essence, attributes and actions. It cannot
occur to them to ask how He descends, or how He rose over His Throne.
The point is that they do not ask how His attributes are; they believe
that there is a 'how', but it is unknown,so we can never imaginehow it
is.
We know for certain that what is narrated in the Book of Allaah or
theSunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
is true and is not self-contradictory, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Do they not then consider the Qur'aan carefully? Had it been from
other than Allaah, they would surely, have found therein many a
contradiction"
[al-Nisaa' 4:82]
because contradictions in the reports would mean that some of them
were showing others to be false, and this is impossible in the case of
that which Allaah and His Messenger tell us.
Whoever imagines that there are any contradictions in the Book of
Allaah or the Sunnah of His Messenger(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), or between the two, it is either because of his lack of
knowledge or because he has failed to understand properly or to ponder
the matter correctly, so let him seek further knowledge and strive to
think harder until the truth becomes clear to him. Then if the matter
is still not clear tohim, let him leave it to the One Who is
All-Knowing and let him put a stop to his illusionsand say, as those
who are firmly grounded in knowledge say, "We believe in it; the whole
of it (clear and unclear Verses) are from our Lord" [Aal 'Imraan 3:7 –
interpretation of the meaning]. Let him know that there is no
contradiction in the Qur'aan and Sunnah andno conflict between them.
And Allaah knows best.
See Fataawa Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 3/237-238
Imagining that there is aconflict between Allaah'sdescending to the
lowest heaven and His having risen over the Throne and His being high
above the heavens stems from making a comparison between theCreator
and the created being. For man cannot imagine the unseen things of His
creation, such as the delights of Paradise, so how can he imagine the
Creator, may He be glorified and exalted, the Knower of the Unseen. So
we believe in what has beennarrated of His rising over (the Throne),
His descending and His being High and Exalted. We affirm that (and
statethat it is) in a manner that befits His Majesty and Might.

Meaning of Allaah’s words in the hadeeth qudsi, “I am his hearing with which he hears…”.,Names and Attributes of Allah,- Dought & clear,-

hadith for me ...
Allah Most High says: "He who is hostile to a friendof Mine I declare
war against. My slave approaches Me with nothing more beloved toMe
than what I have made obligatory upon him, and My slave keeps drawing
nearer to Me with voluntary works until I love him. And when I love
him, I am hishearing with which he hears, his sight with which he
sees, his hand with which he seizes, and his foot with which he walks.
If he asks me, I will surely give to him, and if he seeks refuge inMe,
I will surely protect him" (Fath al-Bari, 11.34041, hadith 6502); This
hadith was related by Imam Bukhari, Ahmadibn Hanbal, al-Bayhaqi, and
others with multiplecontiguous chains of transmission, and is sahih.
The part that I need explaining in, or rather getting confused in is,
"I am his hearing with which he hears, his sightwith which he sees,
his hand with which he seizes, and his foot with which he walks."
Praise be to Allaah.
The meaning of this partof the hadeeth is that when the believing
slavestrives to draw closer to Allaah by doing obligatory acts of
worship, then naafil acts, Allaah will bring him closer to Him, and
will raise him from the level of eemaan (faith, belief) to the level
of ihsaan, so he will start toworship Allaah as if he can see Him, and
his heart will be filled with knowledge of his Lord, love and awe for
Him, fear of Him, and glorification and veneration of Him. Whenhis
heart is filled in this manner, any attachment to anything other than
Allaah will disappear, and the person will not longer be attached to
any of his whims or desires, and he will haveno wish for anything
except that which his Lord and Master wants. At that point the person
will not speak except to remember Allaah, he willnot move except to
obeyHis command. So when he speaks, he speaks for the sake of Allaah;
when he hears he hears for thesake of Allaah; when he looks, he looks
for the sake of Allaah; i.e., he acts with the help and guidance of
Allaah and for the sake of Allaah in these matters. So he onlylistens
to that which Allaah loves; he only looks at that with which Allaah is
pleased; he onlystrikes with his hands and walks with his feet for
purposes with which his Lord and Master is pleased. It does not mean
that Allaah is his hearing and his sight, and Allaah is his hand and
his foot. Exalted be Allaah above that, for Allaah is above the Throne
and He is Exalted above all His creation. Rather what is meant is that
He guides him with regard to his hearing, seeing, walking and
striking. Hence it was narrated in another version that Allaah says:
"In Me he hears, in Me hesees, in Me he strikes and in Me he walks,"
meaning that Allaah guides him in his actions, words, hearing and
seeing. This is what it means according to Ahl al-Sunnah
wa'l-Jamaa'ah. At the same time Allaah answers his prayers, so ifhe
asks Him, He will give;if he seeks His help, He will help him; if he
seeks refuge with Him, He will grant him refuge.
Adapted from Jaami' al-'Uloom wa'l-Hukam, 2/347; Fataawa Noor
'ala'l-Darb, tape 10, by Shaykh Ibn Baaz, may Allaah have mercy on
him.
Whoever suggests a meaning other than this is wrong and is
transgressing the limits and showing disrespect towards Allaah, and he
isgoing against the Arabs' own understanding of their language and
whatthey understand by such words. Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said in
Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 1/145 9: You see that Allaah has mentioned one who
worships and One Who is worshipped, one who draws close and the One to
Whom hedraws close, one who loves and the One Who isloved, one who
asks andOne Who is asked, One Who gives and one to whom it is given,
one who seeks refuge and One Whose refuge is sought. The hadeeth
refers to two who are distinct from one another, one of whom isnot the
other. If that is the case, than the apparent meaning of the words "I
am his hearing, his sight, his hand and his foot" cannot be that the
Creator is a part or an attribute of the created being. Exalted be
Allaah far above that. Rather the apparent and true meaning is that
Allaah guides this slave with regard to his hearing, sight and
striking, so he hears purely for the sakeof Allaah, by the help of
Allaah, following the commands of Allaah. Thesame applies to his
seeing, his striking and his walking.

Names and Attributes of Allah,- "Questions about Allaah'sdescending" .

'No one asks more aboutmy servants thatn myself. Who is asking me, so
I can give to him? Who is calling uon me, so I can answer him? who is
seeking my forgiveness, so I can forgive him?'". I got two questions
about this hadith.
Does Allah descend to the lowest heavnes, or to the earth. There is
another hadith saying that Allah comes in the shadow of the clouds and
some animals know it except for jinn and mankind. I am confused, does
Allah descend to the lowest heavens and animals sense it or he
descends to earth?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly: The matters that you have asked about are matters of the
Unseen which man cannot know except via Revelation – i.e., the Qur'aan
and Sunnah. Undoubtedly the divine descent ends at the lowest heaven,
and Allaah does not descend to the earth, as the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated: "Our Lord descends to the
lowest heaven," he did not say: to the earth.
Secondly: With regard towhat you mentioned about Allaah coming in the
shade of the clouds, and that some animals recognize that, after
researching in the available books of hadeeth, and studying the words
of the scholars of deep knowledge who spoke of the issue of the
descent of the Lord – may He be exalted – to the lowest heaven, we did
not find anything to indicate that any such thing can be proven. What
we have to do is toaffirm that which was affirmed by the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which is that
Allaah descends to the lowest heaven, and that He descends in a manner
that befits Him, and we refer knowledge of anything other than thatto
the One Who knows it, may He be exalted and glorified, for He is the
All-Knowing, All-Wise.
But it states in the Holy Qur'aan that when Allaah comes on the Day of
Resurrection to pass judgement, He will comein the shade of the
clouds, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Do they then wait for anything other than thatAllaah should come to
them in the shadows of the clouds and the angels? (Then) the case
would be already judged. And to Allaah return all matters (for
decision)"
[al-Baqarah 2:210]
But this will happen on the Day of Resurrection.
And it should be noted that there is no contradiction at all between
our belief that Allaah is above all things and that He is the Exalted,
the Almighty, and our belief that He descends to the lowest heaven,
for the highnessof Allaah is one of His essential attributes which
cannot alter or change – i.e., it cannot be other than it is described
at any time – so there is no contradiction between them, firstly,
because thetexts refer to both of them (i.e., His descending and His
highness), and the texts cannot say anything thatis impossible as is
well known; and secondly, because there is nothinglike unto Allaah in
all His attributes, so His descending is not like the descening of any
of His creatures so that one could say that it contradicts the idea of
His being exalted.

Do not kill your time

The Quran and Sunnah both emphasize the importance of time in the life
of a Muslim. Allaahswears in the beginning of many Soorahs (chapters)
by time or moments in time, for example Allaah Says (what means): " By
the dawn and the ten nights (i.e. the first ten days of the month
ofThul-Hijjah)..." [Quran 89: 1-2]
And also Says (what means): "By the night when it covers, and by the
day when it appears..." [Quran 92:1]
And also Says (what means): " By the morning brightness and by the
night when it covers with darkness..." [Quran 93:1]
And also Says (what means): "By the time..." [Quran 103:1]
When Allaah swears by something of His creation, it directs our
attention to the benefit of that thing. The Prophet further emphasized
the value of time in many authentic Hadeeths. For example, Mu'aath bin
Jabal related that the Prophet said: "The slave will not go forward on
the Day of Judgment until he is asked four questions: about his age
and how he spent it, about his youth and how he used it, about his
wealth and how he acquired it and spent it, and about his knowledge
and what he did with it."
Youth is considered the peak stage in human life, because young people
have the capacity and energy to accomplish many good deeds, but when
they get older, they cannot do as much. These are stages of
development as mentioned in the Quran, for example in Soorah Ar-Room
(The Romans), Allaah Says (what means): " Allaah is He Who created you
in (a state of) weakness, then gave you strength after weakness, then
after strength gave (you) weakness and grey hair ..." [Quran 30:54]
If we do not use our time effectively for something good, then we will
definitely use it for something bad, which destroys our rewards and
our lives. For example, if you do not make Thikr (mentioning Allaah
and praising Him), then you will be saying something else, perhaps
backbiting or perhaps talking about your children, your work, your
neighbors, your friends or your enemies. What counts for you is using
the time for something useful, doing good deeds and saying good
things.
Try to make a short revision at the end of each day about what you did
during that day. Ask yourself: What did I do today? What did I do that
was bad today? Make repentance for the bad things that you have done
and said, sincerely determining not to repeat such things. With the
good, determine to do it again, do it more often and do it in a better
way.
Our lives are judged according to what we did, not according to how
many years we lived. We know that life is very short, and at the end
of it comes death. We do not know when we are going to die, so we have
to make sure that we do many good deeds before we pass into the next
life and we are unable to return to repent from our bad deeds, or to
do more good deeds. Time passes very quickly as Allaah Says (what
means): "The Day they see it, (it will be) as if they had not tarried
(in this world) except an afternoon and a morning." [Quran 79:46]
And also Says (what means): " And on the Day when He shall gather
(resurrect) them together,(it will be) as if they had not stayed (in
the life of this world and graves, etc) but an hour of a day." [Quran
10:45]
Time is very precious and if it passes, you cannot make use of
itagain. If yesterday passed without the performance of gooddeeds,
then it is gone; you cannotreclaim any benefit from yesterday's time.
For example, if you came to travel from one city to another and you
found that the airplane that you were supposed to travel on has
alreadyleft, do you think that it will be back to pick you up? Or if
you were traveling by train and you missed the train, do you think
that the train will reverse to come back to get you?
When it is time for a person to die, he may ask for more time to do
good deeds, as Allaah Says (what means): "Therein they will cry: 'Our
Lord! Bring us out, we shall do righteous good deeds, not what we used
to do.' (Allaah will reply): 'Did We not give you long enough lives so
that whosoever would receive admonition could receive it, and the
warner came to you? So tasteyou (the evil of your deeds). For the
wrongdoers, etc, there is no helper." [Quran 35:37]
We say that we are so busy with our work and our children, but Allaah
warns us against this saying (what means): " O you who believe! Let
not your properties or your children divert you from the remembrance
of Allaah. And whoever does that, then they are the losers. And spend
(in charity) of that which We have provided for you before death comes
to one of you and he says: 'My Lord! If only you would give me respite
for a little while (i.e. return to the worldly life), then I should
give sadaqah (i.e. Zakaah) of my wealth, and beamong the righteous
(i.e. perform Hajj). And Allaah grants respite to none when his
appointed time (death) comes. And Allaah is All-Aware of what you do."
[Quran 63: 9-11]
Many people before us used their time effectively by performing good
deeds, teaching, doing something for the benefit of the Muslims, their
families and their relatives, or by advising others to be good, and
calling others to Allaah and Islam, etc. They considered every day
that passed which they did not use effectivelyfor the sake of Allaah
as denying the favors of Allaah.
Today we have those who "kill time." These people gather to talk about
things that are not related to Islam or the Muslims' affairs; they
play around or talk about others. These people are not killing time,
but they are committing slow suicide becausethey are killing their
time -- and their time is their lives! So they are slowly killing
themselves and after they die, what good deeds have they done?
The Prophet said: " There are two favors (or bounties) of Allaah's
bounties, and in them many people are cheated (or deceived): health
and free time."
People underestimate the value of these two favors, and thus, they are
cheated. This is like a person who has a house that he wants to sell.
Someone comes and offers him 50,000 dollars for it. He isn't sure of
its value, so he hesitates. Finally, he agrees and sells it for that
amount. Later he finds out that his house was actually worth a million
dollars. Imagine how cheated he feels; imagine that feeling that if he
had only known beforehand what it was really worth, he could have
gotten more!
It is the same with our time. We underestimate its great value, and
then when it is gone, we feelthat we have been cheated because we
didn't get everything out of it that we could have. But just as the
one who sold his house below its value cannot get it back and sell it
at its true value,we also cannot go back and do more with the time
that is already gone. At the end of our lives, we will not be able to
go back and live our lives over again and we will not be given more
time to do good deeds, to try to make up for the time we wasted.
So we must organize our time wisely, being very careful about what we
use it for. We must treat the free time that we have, in which we
could do good deedsas a precious resource, guarding it against waste
or misuse.

Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not from me

Anas reported that: "Three men came to the houses of the wives of the
Prophet and askedhow his worship was. When they were informed, they
considered their own worship to be insignificant and said: 'Where are
we in comparison to the Prophet when Allaah has forgiven his past and
future sins?' One of them said: 'As for me, I shall offer prayer all
night long.' Another said: 'I shall observe fasting perpetually, never
to break it.' Another said: 'I shall abstain from women and will never
marry.' The Prophet then came to them and said: "Are you the people
who said such things? I swear By Allaah that I fear Allaah more than
you do, and I am most obedient and dutiful among you to Him, but
still, I observe fasting (sometimes) and break it (at others); I
perform (optional) prayer (at night sometimes) and sleep at night (at
others); I also marry. So whoever turns away from my Sunnah (i.e., my
way) is not from me." [Al-Bukhaari &Muslim]
Anas also reported: "A few of the companions ofthe Prophet inquired
from his wives about his worship when he would be alone. When they
found out, one of them said: 'I shall abstain from women and will
never marry.' Another said: 'I shall never eat meat.' Another said: 'I
will always offer the night prayer and shall never sleep.' Later, the
Prophet ascended the pulpit, praised and thanked Allaah, and then
said: "Whyare some people saying such things? I perform (optional
night)prayers (sometimes) and sleep at night (at others); I observe
fasting (sometimes) and break it (at others); and I marry. So whoever
turns away from my Sunnah (i.e., way) is not from me."
'A few of the companions' in the narration means that there were
between three to nine of them, and their asking: 'Where are we in
comparison to the Prophet when Allaah has forgiven his past and future
sins?' means that since they didnot have this assurance that He had,
then it followed that they wouldhave to exert more effortin order to
try to attain it;however, he explainedto them that one may do the
things that these menwished to refrain from and still be fearful of
Allaah and obtain a greatreward.
The second narration of this story includes different things that the
companions stated that they will abstain from, which proves that they
were more than three in number.
Also, the speech of the Prophet in the first narration reflects that
he spoke to them directly, whereas the second one indicates thathe
spoke generally, without directing his speech to them in particular.
It may be that he first spoke to everybody in the congregation and
explained that such abstention is impermissible, and then spoke to the
men concerned in private, addressing them personally so as not to
expose their identity to others, which may have caused them
embarrassment.
The fact that the Prophet took an oath was in order to show these men
that despite him being forgiven by Allaah, he did not do what they
planned to do, which was to exaggerate in their worship, and that
reward from Allaah couldbe attained without such exaggeration; this is
because he who is moderate in his worship is more likely to
continuewhereas those who exaggerate will eventually become too weak
to continue and give up.
His saying: "…my Sunnah…" did not refer to the Islaamic categorization
which refers to recommended acts ratherthan obligatory ones. Rather,
it refers to his complete manner in life and his approach to every
matter. He instructed them that the one who worships in anyway other
than his is not from him, meaning, that he does not follow him; here,
he was alluding to the methods that monks have, who innovated extreme
ways of worship for which they have been dispraised by Allaah.
The one who worships ina way other than that of the Prophet has not
left the fold of Islam if he did it in ignorance or was mistaken in
his interpretation of the Sunnah, but if he does it due to wishing to
deliberately shun the way of the Prophet and thinks that his way and
method is better, then he has committed an act of disbelief.
The following are some of many benefits that we can extract from this narration:
· The recommendation of imitating the ways of one's seniors and
following in their footsteps, and that if one is unable to find out
about their way of doing things by means of inquiring from men, thenit
is permitted to inquire from women, provided that nobody will be
subjected to temptation.
· The virtue of marriage and an encouragement of it.
· One may do righteous deeds openly and inform others about them,
provided he feels secure from thereby becoming arrogant.
· Deeds that are Islamically permitted maybecome recommended, disliked
or prohibited, according to one's intention.
· Imaam At-Tabari said: "This narration refutes the claim of those who
forbid eating lawful foods and wearing permissible clothing, claiming
that it is better to use harsh clothing and refrain from eating good
food." But, Imaam Ibn Hajar added to this saying: "The fact of the
matter is that the one who gets himself accustomed to always consuming
fine things (i.e., food and clothing) may become too habituated to
them and therefore cannot live without them, and consequently, when he
is deprived from them, he maycommit prohibitions in order to attain
what he is accustomed to. On the other hand, refraining from them from
the perspective of prohibiting them for oneself contradicts the saying
of Allaah inthe thirty-second verse of Soorah Al-A'raaf (which means):
"Say: 'Who has forbidden the adornment of [i.e., from] Allaah which He
has produced for His servants and the good [lawful] things of
provision?..." [Quran 7: 32]
· The good deeds that arecontinuous are the dearest to Allaah, even if
they are few.
· The method of the Prophet is the very best one, whereby he would
sometimes eat in order to preserve his strength, and fast at other
times; he would also sleep at night sometimes in order to have the
strength to prayat night on other occasions; also, he would marry in
order to fulfil his desires, save himself from following his lusts,
maintain his chastity, andincreasing the number ofMuslims.
· A warning against exaggeration in the matters of the religion
because this leads to one stopping the deeds that he is performing.
Also, one who exaggerates in acts of worship will eventually become
apathetic, which may cause him to stop his obligatory acts of worship
and not only theoptional ones that he performs. Also, one who only
performs the obligatory deeds is also in great danger; if he loses
interest, he may abandon worship altogether; so the best way is to be
moderate.
· Finally, There is an indication in this narration that knowing
Allaah and His rights and commandments is of a higher rank than simply
worshipping Him without it, and that the deeds of the heart are
essential for practicing servitude to Allaah.

Abusing the environment: an Islamic perspective

Islam expresses great concern for the environment. A number of verses
in the Quran and the sayings of Prophet Muhammad have addressed this
issue. Islam's solution to environmental problems lies in man's
adaptation of its guidance. Allaah has stated that He made all the
material objects on earth for man's use, not for his abuse.
Allaah Almighty has not prevented humankind from enjoying a luxurious
standard of living, but this should notbe maintained by damaging and
abusing natural resources. This is clearly stated in a number of
verses in the Quran. Allaah says (what means): "But seek, through that
which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and (yet), do
not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good
to you. And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not
like corruptors." [Quran 28:77]
The Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad contains instructions for
Muslims to preserve the environment, which includes not cutting down
trees unnecessarily. In this respect, Prophet Muhammad pointed out
that there are benefits in planting trees,which will last until the
Day of Judgment. This is illustrated in the saying of the Noble
Prophet : "If the Hour is imminent and anyone of you has a palm shoot
(to plant) in his hand and is able to plant it before the Hour
strikes, then he should doso and he will be rewarded for that action."
Allaah has ordained severe punishments for those who damage and abuse
natural resources. He says (what means): "Eat and drink from the
provision of Allaah, and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading
corruption." [Quran 2:60]
"Corruption has appeared throughout theland and sea by (reason of)
what the hands of people have earned, so He (i.e. Allaah) may let them
taste part of (the consequences of) what they have done that perhaps
they will return (to righteousness)." [Quran 30:41]
Ibn Mas'ood reports,"While we were on a journey with Allaah's
Messenger he went a short distance from where we had encamped. There
we sawa small bird with two of its chicks and caught them. The bird
was fluttering when the Prophet came back, so he asked, 'Who has
distressed it by taking its chicks ?' Then he asked us to return the
chicks. There we also sawan anthill and burnt it out. When the Prophet
saw that, he asked, 'Who has burnt it?' When we informed him that we
had done it, he said, 'Onlythe Lord of fire has the right to punish
with fire.'
Allaah says in the Quran (what means): "And there is no creature on
(or within) the earth or a bird that flies with its wings except that
they are nations (communities) like you." [Quran 6:38]
We infer from the Prophet's statement and this Qur'anic verse that
allliving things are partnersto man in existence and they deserve our
respect. We must be merciful toward animals and strive to ensure the
preservation of different species.
Islam forbids wasting water and using it without benefit. The
preservation of water forthe nourishment of humankind, animal life,
bird life and vegetation is a practice that gains Allaah's pleasure.
In his article "Islam and the Environment," Arafat El Ashi, director
of the Muslim World League in Canada, [www.al-muslim.org]
writes,"Human life is sacred in the sight of Islam. No oneis permitted
to take the life of another person except as life-for-life."
Under Islam, El Ashi states, "It [is] incumbent on every Muslim to
contribute his/her share in improving greenery. Muslims should be
active in growing more trees for the benefit of all people." Even
during battle, Muslims are required to avoid cuttingdown trees that
are useful to people.
Humankind's stewardship of the earth entails a profound
responsibility. Other living species, as mentioned above, are also
considered by Allaah to be "communities". Creation itself, in its
boundless diversity and complexity, may be thought of as a vast
universe of "signs" of Allaah's Power, Wisdom, Beneficence and
Majesty. The responsibility of humankind is to keep Allaah's creation
undistorted. The environment is a trust presented by Allaah to
humankind and its abuseis a misuse of Allaah's trust.

He did ghusl with the intention of doing it for Jumu‘ah and he forgot about doing it for janaabah; did it remove his impurity?.,Dought & clear,-

There is a person who was in a state of janaabah and he wanted to do
ghusl for janaabah, but he said: I shall wait until the time for
Jumu'ah comes, then I will do one ghusl for both Jumu'ah and janaabah.
That was afterFajr prayer. But when the time for Jumu'ah came, he did
ghusl for Jumu'ah and forgot to intend to do ghusl for janaabah. Then
he prayed for an entire day,until Zuhr on Saturday, and he led the
people in praying Zuhr. Then after Zuhr he remembered. Was his prayer
and the prayer of the people valid? Should he tell the people about
that?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
It is better for the one who is in a state of janaabah to hasten to do
ghusl lest he forget. This has been discussed previously in the
answerto question no. 20847
Secondly:
If a person does ghusl for Jumu'ah and forgets about being in a state
ofmajor impurity, his impurity is removed, according to the correct
scholarly opinion. Al-Bahooti (may Allah have mercy on him) said:If he
intends to do a Sunnah ghusl, such as ghusl for Jumu'ah or 'Eid, it
suffices for an obligatory ghusl such as in the case of janaabah and
so on, if he forgot about the impurity which made it obligatory.
End quote from Kashshaaf al-Qinaa', 1/89.
Al-Hajjaawi said in Zaad al-Mustaqni': If he intended to do a
Sunnahghusl, it suffices for an obligatory one. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: For example,
if he does ghusl after washing a deceased person or he does ghusl for
entering ihraam or for standing in 'Arafah, these are Sunnah ghusls.
The sameapplies to ghusl for Jumu'ah according to the majority of
scholars.
The apparent meaning of the author's words (al-Hajjaawi) – which is
our madhhab – is: If he remembers that he had to do an obligatory
ghusl, some of our companions limited it to the case where he forgot
that he was in a state of impurity, i.e., he forgot about being in a
state of janaabah. If he had not forgotten that then it does not
remove the impurity, because the Sunnah ghusl is not done to remove
impurity, and if it was not done to remove impurity, the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Actions are but by
intentions," and this man only intended to dothe Sunnah ghusl and
heknew that he was in a state of janaabah and was aware of that, so
how could it remove the impurity?
This opinion – which restricts it to cases where one forgot – is valid.
The basis for this view is that because the Sunnahghusl is an act of
purification that is prescribed in sharee'ah, it does remove the
impurity. But this explanation is somewhatflawed, because there is no
doubt that it is a ghusl that is prescribed in sharee'ah, but it is of
a lesser standing that obligatory ghusl for janaabah, so how can a
Sunnah action be strong enough to suffice for an obligatory action
that is of a higher standing?
But if he had forgotten, then he is excused.
For example, if he did ghusl for Jumu'ah – on the basis that it is
Sunnah – and he was in a state of janaabah but did not remember that,
or he did not realise thathe had been in a state ofjanaabah until
after the prayer, such as if he had a wet dream and did notrealise
until after the prayer, then his Jumu'ahprayer is valid because the
impurity was removed.
But if he was aware of it and he intended to do the Sunnah ghusl only,
then the view that it suffices is not quite certain.
End quote from ash-Sharh al-Mumti', 1/201
Based on that, your ghusl was valid and did remove the janaabah, and
your prayer was valid.
And Allah knows best.

If he has a wet dream in the wilderness, how can he do ghusl when his friends are present?.,Dought & clear,-

one who has a wet dream when he is in the wilderness, in fair climatic
conditions, and he does not do ghusl, because he feels embarrassed in
front of his friends? How should he do ghusl in the wilderness? Should
he take off all his clothes, because that is embarrassing and he is
afraid someone might see him?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
If a person becomes junub as a result of having a wet dream or
otherwise, then he must do ghusl. If he cannot find water, or he can
find it but he fears that he may be harmed by using it because it is
verycold and he cannot find any means of heating it, then he should do
tayammum and pray. As for failing to do ghusl and pray when one has
become junub, out of embarrassment or shyness, that is not
permissible, and it is a grave wrong action and is one of the causes
of punishment in the grave. That has been discussed previously in the
answer to question no. 65731 .
Secondly:
There is no need to be naked when doing ghusl; rather what is
mustahabb for the one who is doing ghusl is to cover his 'awrah with a
waist-wrapper and the like, even if he is doing ghusl on his own.
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:In the previous chapter
we stated that it is permissible to uncover the 'awrah in cases of
necessity when one is alone, such as when doing ghusl, when urinating
and when being intimate with one's spouse, and the like. In all these
cases it is permissible to uncoverwhen one is alone. But in the
presence of other people, it is haraam to uncover the 'awrah in
allcases.
The scholars said: Covering oneself with a waist wrapper or the like
when doing ghusl is preferable to uncovering oneself, although
uncovering oneself is permissible foras long as it is necessary,when
doing ghusl and otherwise; but doing that more than is necessary is
haraam according to the more correct opinion.
End quote from Sharh Muslim, 4/32
Ahmad (544) narrated from al-Hasan (may Allahbe pleased with him) that
he mentioned 'Uthmaan (may Allah be pleased with him) and his intense
modesty, andhe said: If he were in a room and the door was closed, he
would not take off his garment in order to pour water over himself;
modesty prevented him from standing up straight.
Based on that, if a person is in the wilderness and wants to do ghusl,
he should cover the lower part of his body with a waist wrapper or
garment, and hide beneath a tree or far away from where people can see
him, or he should do ghusl sitting, so that his 'awrah will not be
visible; the 'awrah of a man is the area betweenthe navel and the
knee.
Thirdly:
If a person does not do ghusl in this case and does tayammum
instead,his tayammum is not valid and he has to repeat the prayers
that he offered before doing ghusl.
And Allah knows best.

The Patient Old Man, Islamic Stories,-

When passing through amountain pass, a bedouin (villager) once came
across an old man who was blind and who seemed to be afflicted with
various ailments all over his body. It was clear that he was wasting
away. He was even paralyzed and was constantly forced to remain in a
seated position. The Bedouin could clearly hear him say, "All praise
is for Allah, Who has kept me safe from ailments with which He has
tested many among His creation; and He has indeed preferred me over
many among those that He created."
"My brother!" exclaimed the bedouin. "What haveyou been saved from?
ByAllah, I think that you have been afflicted with every single kind
of ailment!"
"Go away from me," saidthe old man, as he raisedhis head. "Do I not
still have a tongue with which I can pronounce His Oneness, and with
which I can remember Him every single moment? And do I not still have
a heart with which I can know Him?"
These words of the old man were enough for the bedouin to repent
toAllah for his sins and ask Him for forgiveness.
Remember, there is always someone else who is in more problem than you.

The Other Doors, Islamic Stories,-

Our 4 year old son has some fairly serious health problems, so we are
"frequent fliers" at the local children's hospital. Two weeks ago, our
son was there for several days having surgery.
As stressful as that was for us, my visits to that hospital almost
always leave me feeling grateful. Why? Because of "the other doors."
As I walk the corridors ofthat hospital, I pass doors leading to many
different departments. I pass the department where surgeons
reconstruct children's faces. I pass the department where specialists
treat children who have been tragically burned. I pass the department
where children with cancer spend their childhoods battling a disease
that terrifies most adults. Every day, people walk through those
doors. I keep walking.
Occasionally, I walk through a ward, past theroom of a dying child. I
look in at the child, unconscious amid a massof tubes and machines. I
see the family, staring blankly into space, grieving for what is to
come. I keep walking.
On the fourth floor, I pass the "catacombs" where parents with
children in ICU watch their days and nights stretch into weeks and
months, hoping against hope for good news. I keep walking.
It's late one evening, and I walk to the waiting room. Only one family
remains, and theirdoctor arrives from surgery. He begins to tellthem
about the patient'sinjuries....a shotgun blast,
self-inflicted....massive facial damage.... a dozen moreoperations to
come....a lifetime of disfigurement...a lifetime of asking"why?" I
sit, half-listening, considering the doors, this family will face in
the years ahead.
I stood up. I walk back tothe preschool ward, to the one door I seek.
Behind this door, our son is slowly recovering from surgery. And in a
strange way, I am grateful for the"situation" that we live with.
Because there are a hundred other doors in this place that are far
worse. And we could justas easily be in one of those rooms.
As you pray for strength to open the doors you face, be sure to thank
Allah Ta'ala for the doorshe has spared you.