The Islamic ruling on Valentine’s Day

Introduction
Many people celebrate Valentine'sDay, which falls on the fourteenthof
February every year; they do soby exchanging red rosesand gifts.They
also dress up in red clothingand congratulate one another on this
occasion. Certain bakeries and confectioners produce special sweets
for the occasion which are red in color and have heartsupon them.
Othershops advertise goods that are sold exclusively for this event.
The questions that therefore arise are: What are the Islamic rulings regarding:
1) Celebrating this day?
2) Buying from the shops that have these special items which are sold
for this event?
3) Shop owners who are not celebrating this event selling items that
can be used as gifts bythose who are celebrating it?
The ruling
The Standing Committee for Scholarly Research and Legal Rulings
studied this matter thoroughly and ruled as follows:
"The clear evidence from the Quran and Sunnah, and this is agreed upon
by consensus of the early Muslim generations, confirms that there are
only two 'Eeds(days of celebration) in Islam: 'Eed al-Fitr(after the
fast ofRamadhaan) and 'Eed al-Adh-haa(after the standing at 'Arafah
for pilgrimage).
Every other 'Eed, whether related to a person, group, incident or any
other occasion, is an innovated 'Eed . It is not permissible for
Muslims to participate in it, approve of it, make any show of
happiness on its occasion, or assist others to do so, in any way; to
do so wouldbe to transgress the bounds of Allaah Who Says what means:
"…And whoever transgresses the limits of Allaah has certainly wronged
himself… " [Quran: 65:1]
If we add to this that the fabricated 'Eedin question is in fact one
of the 'Eedsof the disbelievers, then it becomes a case of sin piled
upon sin. This is because its celebration entails imitation of the
disbelievers and thereby showing them a form of loyalty. In the Quran,
Allaah has emphatically prohibited the believers from imitating,
loving or being loyal to the disbelievers, in any way. It is also
confirmed from the Prophet that he said: "Whoever imitates a people is
one of them."
Valentine's Day comes under the category of what has been mentioned
here, since it is a pagan and polytheistic holiday. Hence it is not
permissible for anyMuslim who claims to believe in Allaah and the Last
Day to participate in it, approve of it, or congratulate anyone on its
occasion. Moreover, it is obligatory to abandon it and distance
oneself from it in response to the command of Allaah and His Messenger
so that one may thereby be distanced from the anger of Allaah and His
punishment.
Additionally, it is forbidden for a Muslim to assist or helpin this
'Eed , or any other forbidden or illicit celebration, in any way
whatsoever, whether by eating or drinking, selling or buying,
production, gift-giving, correspondence, announcements, or any other
means. All of these things are considered cooperating in sin and
transgression and disobedience to Allaah and His Messenger . Allaah
the Glorious and Most High Says whatmeans: "…And cooperate in
righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and
transgression. And fear Allaah; Indeed Allaah is severe in penalty."
[Quran: 5:2]
Also, it is obligatory for every Muslim to adhere strictly to the
Quran and Sunnah in every situation and at all times, especially in
times of temptation and corruption. It is incumbent that he or she
understand, be aware and be cautioned from falling into the deviations
of those whom Allaah is angry with (i.e., the Jews) and those who
areastray (i.e., the Christians) and other immoral people who have no
fear of punishment or hope ofreward from Allaah, and who give no
recognition at all to Islam.
It is necessary for the Muslim to flee to Allaah, the Most High,
seeking His firm guidance upon the true path. Indeed there is no Guide
except Allaah, and none can grant firmness except Him, and Success is
from Him.

The Muslim's attitude towards Valentine's Day

The Muslim's attitude towards this holiday should be clear:
1- He should not celebrate it, or join others in their celebrations of
it, or attend their celebrations because it is forbidden to celebrate
the festivals of non-Muslims.
Ath-Thahabi said: "If the Christians have a festival and the Jews have
a festival, which is peculiar to them, then the Muslim should not join
them in that, just as he does not join them in their religion or their
direction of prayer."
This is so because the basic principles of the pious predecessors
[As-Salaf As-Saalih] was Al-Walaa' wal-Baraa' (loyalty and friendship
vs. disavowal and enmity), therefore, it is obligatoryfor every Muslim
to follow this principle. He should love the Muslims and should not
follow the non-Muslims; rather, he mustbe different from them. By
doing so, he achieves immeasurable benefits, just as imitating them
causes greater harm.
In addition to this, when the Muslims imitate non-Muslims, this makes
the latter happy and fills their hearts with joy. If any Muslim girl
celebrates this holiday because she sees Margaret or Hilary or whoever
does so, then this undoubtedly reflects the fact that she is imitating
them and approves of their behavior. But Allaah Says (what means): "O
you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as
allies. They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an
ally to them among you - then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed,
Allaah guides not the wrongdoing people." [Quran 5:51]
One of the bad effects of imitating them is that this increases their
number, as this makes it look as if they have more supporters and
followers. How can it be appropriate for a Muslim who recites in every
Rak'ah (prayer unit) Allaah's words (which mean): "Guide us to the
Straight Way, The way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace,
not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went
astray" [ Quran 1:6-7], to ask Allaah for guidance to the Straight
Path of the believers and to keep him away from the path of those who
have earned His anger and of those who went astray, and then
deliberately follows their path and imitates them?
Statistics indicate that Valentine'sDay is second only to Christmas
inpopularity. So it is clear that the Feast of Love is one of the
festivals of non-Muslims and that it is second only to the festival of
Christmas. So it is not permissiblefor Muslims to participate in
suchcelebrations, because we are commanded to differ from them in
their religion, customs and other things that exclusively belong to
them, as is stated in the Quran, Sunnah (Prophet's tradition) and
scholarly consensus.
2- He should not help the non-Muslims in their celebrationsbecause it
is one of the rituals of disbelief. Helping them and approving of what
they do is helping them to manifest disbelief and make it prevail, and
approving of it. The Islamic religion does not allow a Muslim to
approve of disbelief or help others to manifest it and make it
prevail.
Hence, Ibn Taymiyyah said:"It is not permissible for the Muslims to
imitate them in anything that is specifically part of their festivals,
whether it is food, clothing, bathing, lighting fires, or changing a
custom of daily life or worship."
3- He should not help any Muslims who celebrate it. Rather,it is
obligatory to denounce them, because for the Muslims tocelebrate the
festivals of non-Muslims is an evil action which must be condemned.
Ibn Taymiyah said: "Just as we should not imitate them in their
festivals, we should not help a Muslim to do that as well; rather, he
should be told not to do that."
Based on this, it is not permissible for Muslim businessmen to deal in
gifts for Valentine's Day, whether they areparticular kinds of
clothes, red roses, or whatever. Similarly, it is not permissible for
the one who is given a gift on this occasion to accept it, because by
accepting it,he is showing approval of this holiday.
One Daa'iyah (caller to Islam) said: we went to a flower shop inone of
the Muslim countries and we were shocked to find it completely
prepared for this occasion, with red carpets at the entrance, red
placards and red decorations. We were met by oneof the people who
worked there, and we asked him why they had done so much to decorate
the place for this occasion.
He said that these preparations had begun early, and that there had
been so many orders… Then he told us that he had been amazed by that,
because he was a new Muslim who had left Christianity. He had known
about that before he became Muslim, sohow come his customers were
Muslims and not Christians?
Other shops ran out of red roses, which were being sold at high
prices. When one of the female Du'aat entered upon the female students
who were gathered in the lecture hall, she was dismayed to find them
all carrying something red. One had a red rose, another had a red
scarf, or a red handkerchief, or a red bag, or red socks…
Among the things that have beenseen among the Muslims on this holiday:
a- All the female students agreeing with their friends to tie a red
ribbon on the right wrist.
b- Wearing something red (a blouse, hair clip, shoes…). This reached
such an extent last year that when we entered the classroom we found
most of the students wearing it, as if it was a uniform.
c- Red balloons on which are written the words "I love you". They
usually bring these out at the end of the school day, in an area far
from where the teachers can see them.
d- Writing names and hearts on their hands, or just initials.
e- Red roses are widespread on this day.
Groups of girls entered their lecture rooms on February 14, each of
them wearing somethingred, with red heart-shaped stickers on their
faces, wearing red make-up. They started to exchange red-colored gifts
and kiss one another warmly. This happened in more than one university
in the Muslim world, even in an Islamic university. In other words,
they were celebrating Saint Valentine's Day.
On that day, secondary schools (high schools) were astonished by the
large numbers of female students who brought red roses of the finest
quality, colored theirfaces with red cosmetics, wore red earrings, and
started to exchange gifts and warm greetings, in celebration of this
day.
Valentine's Day has come to a number of Arab and Muslim countries, and
has even reached the heartland of Islam (the Arabian Peninsula). It
has reachedsocieties which we had thought far removed from this
insanity. InRiyadh, the price of roses has risen incredibly, to an
extent thata single rose costs 36 riyals (10 dollars), whereas before
this day it cost 5 riyals. Gift shops and card shops compete in
designing cards and gifts for this occasion, and some families hang up
red roses in the windows of their homes on this day.
In some of the Muslim countries, shopping centers and hotels
haveorganized special celebrations forValentine's Day. Most of the
stores and business places are covered in red. One of the finest Gulf
hotels was full of balloons and dolls. Following the customs of the
Feast of Love and the pagan myths, one restaurant owner put on a
dramatic production with "Cupid", the idol of love in the Roman myths,
nearly naked and carrying a bow and arrow. He and his cohorts were
looking to select "Mr. & Mrs.Valentine" from among the people present.
Less expensive restaurants also celebrated this day in their own way.
Some stores replaced their regular plates with heart-shaped plates,
used red tablecloths and linens, and put a red rose on eachtable for
the man to present to his beloved.
We must oppose these things by all possible means. The responsibility
rests with us all.
4- We should not accept congratulations on Valentine's Day, because it
is not a holiday or an 'Eed for the Muslims. If the Muslim is
congratulated on this occasion, he should not return the
congratulation. Ibn Al-Qayyim said: "With regard to congratulating
others with the congratulations used by the non-Muslims on such
occasions, it is prohibited by scholarly consensus, such as
congratulating them on the occasion of their festivals or fasts,
wishing them a blessed festival, etc.
Finally, we must explain the true nature of this holiday and other
festivals of the non-Muslims to those Muslims who have been deceived
by them, and explain to them that it is essential for the Muslim to be
distinguished by hisreligion and to protect his 'Aqeedah (belief) from
anything that may damage it. This should be done towards the Ummah
(Muslim nation) for the sake of Allaah and in fulfillment of the
command of enjoining good and forbidding evil.

Is Insurance Haram?

Is Insurance Haram?
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be
upon HisMessenger.
Dear questioner, we would like to thank you for the great confidence
you place in us, and we implore Allah Almighty to help us serve His
cause and render our work for His Sake.
Responding to the question, Dr. Monzer Kahf, Scholar in Islamic
Economics & Financial Expert, states the following:
"In the circles of contemporary Shari'ah scholars, there are three
opinions about life insurance. They all recognize that it is a
newcontract not known in the history of Fiqh. A minority consider it
haram and with all kinds of argument against it including Riba,
gambling, gharar and speculation on the will of Allah. This view does
not carry muchweight.
The second view is that itcontains gharar because no one knows whether
the liability of the insurer(the company) will ever materialize nor
when it will , if ever. This is a serious gharar that leads to a major
defect in the contract. It is therefore forbidden.
The third opinion is presented by the late Sheikh Mustafa al Zarka. He
argued that the gharar in the contract is remedied by the fact thatit
is a contract based on overwhelming statistical knowledge and the
application of the theory of probability. With this in mind, there is
no gharar on the part of the insurer and the contract is permissible
with two conditions: that it contains no Riba clause and that its
subject (insured thing) be legitimate. These two conditions rule out
regular fixed return life insurance because the value of the policy is
the outcome of investment premiums at a compounded rate of interest,
(while variable - return life is permissible if the funds are invested
in the Shari'ah approved stocks or mutual funds). They also rule out
insuring a prohibited activity such as casinos.
The advocators of the second opinion argue that the gharar problem
applies only in exchange contracts. If the contract is modified and
restructure on the basis of cooperation or mutuality, where there will
be an association of the insured instead of a profit motivated insurer
company, the gharar is then tolerated. This is so because the relation
between the association and its members become based on contribution
or tabarru' rather than exchange and a tabarru' can accommodate
certainconditions ( i.e., that the association compensate in case a
hazardous eventhappens). On the basis of this all the "Islamic
insurance companies" were established.
In this regards, al-Zarka adds, that if a mutual or cooperative
insurance exists he prefers it to profit motivated insurance out of
his respect to the opinion of opponents. There is an old argument
(from the 1950s), even by those who oppose insurance, that whenever
insurance is forced by law, one must do it and one is excused, from
the Shari'ah point of view. This include car insurance, social
security,workman compensation, and employer's imposed insurance if it
is not optional for the employee to this we add another element that
if the insurance provided by the employer is paid completely from the
employer, i.e., given as a fringe benefit without deducting any part
of thepremium from the pay checks, then it is a kind of grant from the
employer and if a hazard happens the paid policy amount is halal
because the it is an outcome of the grant.
Now think for yourself: if your life insurance is onlyterm life, you
may apply the opinion of Sheikh al-Zarka, and if it is imposed by
employer, you also have room to accommodate, and if it is a grant from
employer it is also tolerated. Otherwise you need to see the specifics
of the contract you have and determine, in the light of the above
briefing, whether you keep or seek to withdraw from it."

NAMES IN THE QURAN:

First Category: Those Names found not in annexation nor in plural form,
but in Singular Word or Noun :
1. ALLAH , la Ilaha illa Huwa, i.e, there is no god but He:
The most common Name found in the Quran and Sunnah.
First proof in the Quran (1:1) meaning Surah (i.e, chapter) 1, and
Ayah (i.e, verse) 1.
2. Ar-RAHMAAN : (1:3)
3. Ar-RAHEEM : (1:3)
4. Al-MALIK : (59:23)
5. Al-QUDDUUS : (59:23)
6. AS-SALAAM : (59:23)
7. Al-MU'MIN : (59:23)
8. Al-MUHAYMIN : (59:23)
9. Al-AZEEZ : (59:23)
10. Al-JABBAAR : (59:23)
11. Al-MUTAKABBIR : (59:23)
12. Al-KHAALIQ : (59:24)
13. Al-BAARI' : (59:24)
14. Al-MUSAWWIR : (59:24)
15. Al-HAKEEM : (59:24)
16. Al-AWWAL : (57:3)
17. Al-AAKHIR : (57:3)
18. At-THAAHIR : (57:3)
19. Al-BAATIN : (57:3)
20. Al-HAYY : (2:255)
21. Al-QAYYUM : (2:255)
22. Al-ALIYY : (2:255)
23. Al-ATHEEM : (2:255)
24. Al-AHAD : (112:1)
25. As-SAMAD : (112:2)
26. Al-ALEEM : (22:59)
27. Al-HALEEM : (22:59)
28. Al-AFUW : (22:60)
29. Al-GHAFUUR : (22:60)
30. As-SAMEE' : (22:61)
31. Al-BASEER : (22:61)
32. Al-HAQQ : (22:62)
33. Al-KABEER : (22:62)
34. Al-LATEEF : (22:63)
35. Al-KHABEER : (22:63)
36. Al-GHANIYY : (22:64)
37. Al-HAMEED : (22:64)
38. Ar-RA'UUF : (22:65)
39. Al-WAAHID : (39:4)
40. Al-QAHHAAR : (39:4)
41. Al-GHAFFAAR : (39:5)
42. Al-WAHHAAB : (3:8)
43. Ar-RAZZAAQ : (51:58)
44. Al-MATEEN : (51:58)
45. Al-FATTAAH : (34:26)
46. Al-KAAFI : (39:36)
47. Al-HAKAM : (6:114)
48. As-SHAAKIR : (2:158)
49. As-SHAKUUR : (35:30)
50. Al-HAFEEDH : (11:57)
51. Al-HASEEB : (4:6)
52. Al-MUQEET : (4:85)
53. Al-KAREEM : (82:6)
54. Al-AKRAM : (96:3)
55. Al-QAREEB : (11:61)
56. Al-MUJEEB : (11:61)
57. Al-WAASI' : (2:115)
58. As-SHAHEED : (85:9)
59. Al-WADUUD : (85:14)
60. Al-MAJEED : (85:15)
61. Al-KAFEEL : (16:91)
62. Al-QAAHIR : (6:18)
63. Al-WAKEEL : (6:102)
64. Al-GHAALIB : (12:21)
65. Al-QAWIYY : (42:19)
66. Al-WALIYY : (42:28)
67. Al-MAWLAA : (47:11)
68. Al-MUBEEN : (24:25)
69. Al-MUHEEDH : (2:19)
70. Al-QAADIR : (75:40)
71. Al-MALEEK : (54:55)
72. Al-MUQTADIR : (54:55)
73. Al-MUTA'AAL : (13:9)
74. Al-BARR : (52:28)
75. At-TAWWAAB : (49:12)
76. Al-MUSTA'AAN : (21:112)
77. Al-KHALLAAQ : (15:86)
78. Al-QADEER : (2:284)
79. Al-HAADI : (25:31)
80. An-NASEER : (25:31)
81. Ar-RAQEEB : (4:1)
82. Al-A'LAA : (87:1)
Second Category: Those Names that were derived as they happened
in plural form though the meaning is singular since Allah is One:
83. Al-WAARITH : (15:23)
Third Category: Those Names found in annexation with other Nouns:
84. Al-ALLAAM : (5:109)
85. Al-FAATIR : (35:1)
86. Al-MUHYI : (41:39)
87. Ar-RABB : (1:2)
88. Al-MAALIK : (3:26)
89. Al-AALIM : (59:22)
90. Al-GHAAFIR : (40:3)
91. Al-BADEE' : (2:117)
92. An-NUUR : (24:35)
93. Al-JAAMI' : (3:9)
Fourth Category: Those Names found with 'Dhu' or 'Dhi' or 'Dhal':
94. Dhul Fadhl : (2:105)
95. Dhul Arsh : (85:15)
96. Dhil Ma'aarij : (70:3)
97. Dhul Jalali wal Ikram : (55:27)
98. Dhul Tawl : (40:3)
NAMES FOUND IN THE SUNNAH:
99. SUBBUUH (i.e, The Exalted):
A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of
Allah (Peace be upon him) would say while in Salaah in Ruku' (i.e,
bowing) and in Sujuud (i.e, prostrating):
' Subbuuh , Qudduus , Rabbul Malaaikah wa Ruuh '
(i.e, Exalted is He, Holy is He, Lord of the angels and the Ruuh ,
i.e, Jibreel) ."
(Related by Muslim; See Husnil Muslim of Qahtaani, #35)
100,101,102. QAYYIM, MUQADDIM, MU'AKHKHIR
(i.e, The Keeper, The Expeditor, The Delayer):
Ibn Abbaas (may Allah be pleasedwith him) reported: When the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) got up at night (for Tahajjud , i.e, latenight
prayer), he would say in Du'aa Istiftah (i.e, opening his prayer):
'O Allah! All Praise belongs to You,You are Nuur (i.e, The Light) of
the heavens and the earth and allthat is within them. All Praise is
due to You, You are Qayyim (i.e, The Keeper) of the heavens and the
earth and all that is within them. To You belongs all Praise, You are
Rabb (i.e, The Lord) of theheavens and the earth and all that is
within them. Praise be to You, to You belong the kingdom of the
heavens and the earth and all that is within them. Praise to You, You
are Malik (i.e, The King) of the heavens and the earth. And'Lakal
Hamdu' (i.e, All Praise due to You), You are Al-Haqq (i.e, The Truth),
Your promise is true, YourWord is true, meeting You (in thehereafter)
is true, Al-Jannah (i.e, the Garden of Paradise) is true, An-Naar
(i.e, Hellfire) is true, the Prophets are true, Muhammad (PBUH) is
true, and the Final Hour (of the end this world) is true. O Allah!
unto You I submit, in You I believe, upon You I rely, to You I turn in
repentance, for you I havefought, and to you I seek arbitration. So
forgive me of my sins: for what I have done in the past, and what will
come to pass,and what I have hidden, and what I have confessed, and
what You know better than me (of what I did or will do). You are
Al-Muqaddim (i.e, The One who favours and puts forward whom He
pleases), and You are Al-Mu'akhkhir (i.e, The One who delays and holds
back whom He pleases), there is no god but You,and You are my Ilah
(i.e, God), none has the right to be worshipped except You. " (Related
by Bukhari and Muslim and others; See Husnil Muslim of Qahtaani, #32)
103, 104. HANNAAN, MANNAAN (i.e,The Compassionate, The Benefactor):
Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I was sitting
in a gathering with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), and a man was
standing for Salaah, after bowing and prostrating he sat. He said
Tashahhud and then supplicated saying, 'O Allah! Verily, I ask of You,
by the fact that to You belongs all Praise, there is no godexcept You,
You alone and You have no partners, Al-Mannaan (i.e,The Benefactor), O
Badee' (i.e, Originator) of the heavens and the earth, O Dhal Jalali
wal Ikram (i.e, Lord of Majesty, Bounty and Honour), O Hayy (i.e, The
Everliving) and O Qayyum (i.e, The Self-subsisting): Indeed I ask of
You Al-Jannah (i.e, The Garden of Paradise), and I seek refuge with
You from An-Naar (i.e, Hellfire)'. The Prophet (PBUH) said to his
companions, 'Do you know with what he had supplicated?' They said,
'Allah and His Messenger know best. He (PBUH) said, 'By Him in Whose
Hand is my soul! hehas supplicated Allah with His Greatest Name, The
One with Which if He is supplicated (in Duaa) He answers, and with
Which if He is asked He gives' ." (Related by Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi,
Nasaa'i, Ibn Maajah; Albaani declared it Sahih in 'Sifatu Salatu
Nabi'; See Husnil Muslim of Qahtaani, #64)
In a version of the same above hadith of Anas ibn Malik, related by
Imaam Ahmed in his Musnad: The Name of Allah Al-Hannaan (i.e,The
Compassionate), is there instead of Al-Mannaan (i.e, The Benefactor).
(Musnad, Vol. 3, p. 158; Albaani said it is Sahih in Mishkat Masaabih,
Kitab Da'wat,#2290; See Fath Rabbani by Ahmed Al-Banna, Vol. 14, p.
279)
105. AS-SHAAFI (i.e, The Curer or Healer):
A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: Whenever theProphet
(Peace and Blessings be upon him) paid a visit to a patient or a
patient was brought to him, he used to supplicate,
' O Allah! Rabbi Naas (i.e, Lord of Mankind)! Remove the trouble and
heal the patient, for You are As-Shaafi (i.e, The Healer). No healing
is of any avail but Yours, healing that will leave behind no trace'. "
(Related by Bukhari, Vol. 7, Kitab 'Dhib'; and Muslim in Kitab
'Salaam';
See Lu'lu wal Marjan, #1414)
106. HAYIYY (i.e, The Modest):
Salmaan Al-Faarisi (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The
Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Verily,
Allah (Most High) is Hayiyy (i.e, Modest), and Kareem (i.e, Generous),
and He is ashamed to turn away empty the hands of Hisslave when he
raises them to Him." (Related by Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Maajah, and
Ahmed;See Sahih Jaami Sagheer of Albaani, #1757)
107. SITTEER (i.e, The One Who covers faults):
Ya'ala ibn Umayyah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The
Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Verily,
Allah is Hayiyy (i.e, Modest), and Sitteer (i.e, Covers faults), and
He loves modesty and covering other's faults." (Related by Abu Dawud,
Nasaa'i, and Ahmed; See Sahih Jaami Sagheer of Albaani,#1756)
108. TAYYIB (i.e, The Good):
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger
of Allah (Peace and Blessings be upon him) said, " Verily, Allah (Most
High) is Tayyib (i.e, Good), and He accepts only that which is good."
(Related by Muslim in Kitab 'Zakaah'; See Arba'iin Nawawi, #10)
109. RAFEEQ (i.e, The Kind):
A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of
Allah (Peace and Blessings be upon him) said, " Verily, Allah is
Rafeeq (i.e, Kind), and likes kindness in all matters." (Related by
Bukhari and Muslim; See Riyadh Saleheen of Nawawi,#633)
110. JAMEEL (i.e, The Beautiful or Elegant):
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The
Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings be upon him) said," 'Anyone
who has an iota of 'Kibr' (i.e, Pride and Arrogance) will not
Paradise'. Someone said, 'What about a man who likes to have nice
clothes and nice shoes?He (PBUH) replied, 'Verily, Allah is Jameel
(i.e, Beautiful), and He loves beauty (and elegance). 'Kibr' (i.e,
Pride and Arrogance) means rejecting the truth and looking down on
other people.' " (Related by Muslim; See Riyadh Saleheen of Nawawi,
#612)
111. MUHSIN (i.e, Doer of that which is best)
Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet
(Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, " If you discharge
judgment between people be just, and if you kill do itwell, verily,
Allah is Muhsin (i.e, Doer of that which is best), and He loves those
who do the best (i.e, the appropriate, or be just, or be humane, or be
more efficient)." (Related by Ibn Abi Aasim and Abu Nu'aim; See
Silsilah Sahihah of Albaani, #469)

The sublime creation of marine life forms

Marine mammals possess special bodily systems to allow themto survive
entirely in water.
Whales and dolphins represent the living group known as, "marine
mammals." These creatures are part of the mammal class because, just
likemammals on dry land, they give birth to and suckle their young,
use lungs for breathing, and heat their own bodies. However, since
they are mammals that livein the sea, their physical structures
arerather different to those of other mammals. They have special
bodily systemsdesigned for living entirely in water, thanks to which
they are able to swim for many kilometres without tiring and to see
everything in the water and on land with the same clarity. (Harun
Yahya, The Design in Nature)
The Ability to See Clearly in Different Environments
The eyes of whales and dolphins permit them to see in very different
surroundings. Their vision is equally perfect beneath and above the
water. A dolphin, for example, can leap 6 metres above the water and
easily seize a piece of food held up for it in the air. Yet, most
living creatures, human beings included, are unable to see very well
outside their own habitats, due to differences in the refraction of
light. Thedifference between the eyes of marine mammals and
terrestrial mammals are astonishingly detailed. On land, the potential
dangers facing the eye are physical impacts and dust. That is why
terrestrial mammals have eyelids. In a water environment, however, the
greatest dangers are salt levels,the pressure arising when diving down
to great depths, and damage due to marine currents. In order to avoid
direct contact with the current, the eyes are located on the sides
ofthe head. There is alsoa hard layer that protects the eye during
deep diving. Since the bottom of the sea is in darkness beneath a
depth of 9 metres, the eyes of marine mammals have been equipped with
various features allowing them to adapt to the darkness. For example,
the lens is perfectly spherical. Light-sensitive rod cells are more
numerous than cone cells, which are sensitive to colour anddetail. In
addition, there is a special phosphorus containing layer inside the
eye. That is why marine animals can see so well in the dark.
The Miracle of Life in Salt Water
Mammals, such as whales and dolphins, that live in the sea require
fresh water in order to survive. Unlike fish, however, they do not
meet that need using salt water. These mammals meet the greater part
of their water requirements by eating other living things that contain
only a third as much salt as the level in the oceans.
For marine mammals, with such restricted water resources, it is of the
greatest importance that as much water as possible be stored
andpreserved inside their bodies. The well-known scientific journal,
Scientific American, examined this important subjectunder the heading,
"How marine mammals drink salt water." In a statementin the magazine,
the marine biologist, Robert Kennedy, described how marinemammals
obtain the water they need from the food they consume. Kennedy noted
that marine mammals reduce the levels of salt in their bodies and
regulate the water in their blood by avoiding salty food particles
(Scientific American, July, 2001).
Research has shown that marine mammalsare able to preserve the fresh
water in their bodies, thanks tosolutions that are unique to them. In
order to avoid water loss, these creatures do not sweat since they
have no sweat glands in their skin. Their kidneys also reduce the
amount of water expelled in urine by maintaining a high level of urea
in the blood. Water loss is thereby reduced to a minimum.
Complex Mechanisms
These vital functions are obviously essential to marine mammals'
survival. However, it is impossible for them to have thought of
anddiscovered all these finely-tuned details of their own will. These
creatures possess no intelligence with which to choose what they will
eat or to maintain the water in their bodies. Even if they did possess
such intelligence, it would still be impossible for them to construct
the complex mechanisms in question inside their own bodies. All these
solutions, the product of intelligence, are signs of creation revealed
tous by science that we encounter in a great many living things. There
is no doubt that it is Almighty Allah, Lord of the Worlds, who creates
marine mammals and inspires them with how to maintain the levels of
water in theirbodies.
The Interesting Way That Marine Mammals Sleep
How do marine mammals, that spend their entire lives in the water,
manage to sleep without drowning?
A team led by Bruce Hecker, director of the South Carolina Aquarium,
investigated the answer to this question and revealedtwo basic methods
of sleeping.
Marine mammals either rest silently in ahorizontal or vertical
position in the water, or else sleep while slowly swimming alongside
another animal. Dolphins, which live alone, tend to sleep more deeply
and at night. This is known as "logging," because, in this state, the
dolphin resemblesa log floating on the surface of the water. When
marine mammals sleep and swim at the same time, this is known as
"napping." Young whales and dolphins rest and sleep by being drawn
into the slipstreams created bytheir mothers, known as "echelon
swimming." At these times, the mother is also able to sleep while
moving. Adult male dolphins, on the other hand, usually travel in
pairs and swim side by side when sleeping. Females and youngsters
travel in larger groups, or pods.They are able to rest in the same
general area or else pair up with companionable animals to sleep
whileswimming.
When sleeping, these animals shut down half of their brains, together
with the opposite eye. The other half of the brain remains awake at a
low level of alertness. This attentive side is employed to watch out
for predators, obstacles, and other animals. At the same time, it also
emits a signal telling the animal when to rise tothe surface for fresh
air. After some two hours or so, the animal reverses the situation,
resting the attentive half of the brain and activating the other. This
model is generally referred to as "cat-napping." Dolphins generally
sleep at night, once, and for a period of only a few hours. Theyare
generally active during the later hours of the night, probably
matching this period of wakefulness to catch fish and squid.
There can be no doubtthat it is Almighty Allah who bestows these
systems on marine mammals. Allah has created these life forms with the
ideal characteristics to permit them to survive. Our responsibility is
to have sure and certain faith in our Lord and to be able to see the
manifest evidence of His existence on Earth:
"And in your creation and all the creatures He has spread about there
are Signs for people with certainty."(Surat Al-Jathiyya,4)

Ashab al-Suffa who spent their wealth andthemselves in the wayof Allah are exemplaryfor all Muslims

All the companions of our Prophet (saas) are examplary in their
superior morality and self-sacrifice. However especially those who
were called Ashab al-Suffa devoted 24 hours of their lives to Allah,
never got married,never pursued passions like family, children,
possessions or position; remained within the company of our Prophet
(saas) all the time and were educated by our Prophet (saas)
personally.
The companions of our Prophet (saas) who stayed in the antechamber
later annexed to the north part of Masjid al-Nabawi (the Mosque of our
Prophet (saas)) were referred as Ashab al-Suffa. They were those
blessed people who never married, had no relatives or attachment to a
tribe. They were not involved in trade and devoted all their time to
earn Allah's good pleasure and learn knowledge from our Prophet
(saas). Away from their families, they paid no attention to the
worldly deeds and continuously learned theQur'an and listened to our
Prophet's (saas) lectures and were sent to Muslim tribes to teach them
the Qur'an and the Sunnah. They were around 400-500 people and were
also known as the army of Wisdom.
Our Prophet (saas) was closely interested in their education.
These distinguished people who devoted themselves to Allah's way in
the true sense of the word, never missed the teachings of our Prophet
(saas). They were always ready there, memorized the teachings and
narrated them to other companions. It is told that the following verse
was revealed about Ashab al-Suffa (M.Hamdi Yazir, Hak Dini Kur'an
Dili, The Language of theQur'an, the Righteous Religion , 2/940)
It is for the poor who are held back in the Wayof Allah, unable to
travel in the land. The ignorantconsider them rich because of their
reticence. You will know them by their mark. Theydo not ask from
people insistently. Whatever good you give away, Allah knows it.
(Surat al-Baqara, 273)
The followers of Hazrat Mahdi (as) will, Insha'Allah, also spend
every moment of their lives in the way of Allah, they will never leave
Hazrat Mahdi (as ) and never dread from oppression and hardship.
Indeed, Insha'Allah together with Hazrat Mahdi (as), they will work
very hard to cause the morality of the Qur'an dominate the world.

The eminence Islam attaches to women

God's commandments about the status of women and the relations
between men and women, which havebeen revealed to us through the
Qur'an, consist of full justice. In this regard, Islam suggests
equality of rights, responsibilities and duties between the two
genders. Islam is based on sympathy, tolerance and respect for human
beings, and does not discriminate against women in this matter. On the
contrary, Islam gives women greatsocial value, freedom and comfort.
In the Qur'an God tells usthat the tasks and responsibilities of women
are the same as those of men. While performing these tasks and
responsibilities men and women must help and support each other:
The men and women of the believers are friends of one another. They
command what is right and forbid what is wrong, and establish prayer
and pay alms, and obey Allah and His Messenger. They are the people on
whom Allah will have mercy. Allah is Almighty, All Wise. (Qur'an,
9:71)
God emphasizes that believers will be rewarded in the same manner
according to their deeds, regardless of their gender:
Their Lord responds to them: 'I will not let the deeds of any doer
among you go to waste, male or female - you are both the same in that
respect... (Qur'an, 3:195)
Anyone who acts rightly,male or female, being a believer, We will give
them a good life and Wewill recompense them according to the best of
what they did. (Qur'an, 16:97)
In another verse, Muslimmen and women are considered together, and it
is stressed that both have the same responsibility and status in God's
sight:
Men and women who are Muslims, men and women who are believers, men
and women who are obedient, men and women who are truthful, men and
women who are steadfast, men and women who are humble, men and women
who give alms, men and women who fast, men and women who guard their
private parts, men and women who remember Allah much: Allah has
prepared forgiveness forthem and an immense reward. (Qur'an, 33:35)
In the Qur'an there are many more verses stating that men and women
are exactly equalin terms of their tasks and responsibilities and
their rewards or punishments in return. There are a few differences in
social issues, but these are for the comfort and protection of women.
The commands of the Qur'an regard the congenital differences between
the two genders resulting from their creation, and suggest a system
maintaining equal justice for men and women in this light.
Many rules and commandments exist in the Qur'an regarding
theprotection of women's rights on marriage. Marriage is based on
thefree will of both parties; the husband has to provide economic
support for his wife (4:4); the husband has tolook after his ex-wife
after divorce (65:6).
The Islamic Emancipation of Women
In fact, Islam brought with it a great emancipation for women, who
were severely persecuted in the pagan era. Prof. Bernard Lewis, known
asone of the greatest Western experts on the history of Islam and the
Middle East, makes the following comment:
In general, the advent ofIslam brought an enormous improvement in the
position of women in ancient Arabia, endowing them with property and
some other rights , and giving them a measure of protection against
ill treatment by their husbands or owners. Thekilling of female
infants, sanctioned by custom in Pagan Arabia, was outlawed by Islam.
But the position of women remained poor, and worsened when, in this as
in so many other respects, the original message of Islam lost its
impetus and was modified under the influence of pre-existingattitudes
and customs. [i]
Karen Armstrong, another Western expert on Islam, makes the following comment:
We must remember what life had been like for women in the pre-Islamic
period when female infanticide was the norm and when women had no
rights at all. Like slaves, women were treated as an inferior species,
who had no legal existence. In such a primitive world, what Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) achieved for women was extraordinary . The very idea
that a woman could be witness or could inherit anything atall in her
own right was astonishing. [ii]
In fact, during the manycenturies that followed Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh), women of the Islamic societies had a much higher social
position than the women of Christendom. Karen Armstrong emphasizes
that, during the Middle Ages;
... the Muslims were horrified to see the way Western Christians
treated their women in the Crusader states, and Christian scholars
denounced Islam for giving too much power to menials like slaves and
women. [iii]
Anna King, a modern Muslim woman and a convert - or, better to say, a
revert - to Islam, explains the Islamic emancipation of womenas
follows:
Islam gave women the right to buy and sell on their own, own
businesses and express her views politically, alsoencouraged women to
study and learn Islamic knowledge, breaking a ban which several
beliefs had stipulated, which forbid women to acquire any religious
knowledge or touch religious texts... It also abolished the practice
ofmarrying a woman without her consent.
The tendencies to see women as "an inferior species" who has no right
for education and that must be totally secluded from the society arose
much later in the Islamic world, as aresult of deviations fromthe
right Qur'anic path.
Thus, the mentality that despises women, excludes them from society
and regards them as second class citizens has no place in Islam.
In fact, devout women are depicted as good examples for mankind inthe
Qur'an. One is Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. Another is the wife
of the Egyptian Pharaoh who, despite her husband's wickedness, is also
described as an ideal Muslim. (see, 66:11-12) The Qur'an also
describes very gentle conversations between the Prophet Solomon and
the Queen of Sheba (27:42-44), and between Moses and two young ladies
(28:23-26), which symbolize the civilized social relationship between
the two genders.
Therefore, it is impossible for a Muslim to have a bigoted approach
to women. In a society where true Islamic morals are practiced,
immense respect and sympathy will be shown to women, and it will be
ensured that they can live in comfort.
The fundamental rule inQur'anic exegesis is ensuring that the derived
meaning is in conformity with the integrity of the Qur'an. When this
is considered, it is seen that all the rules mentioned to us byAllah
regarding women form a social structure allowing them to live in the
most comfortable and happiest way. In a society where all the moral
values mentioned by Islam are practiced comprehensively, the social
position of women becomes even more exalted than in societies that we
today regard as modern.

Knowledge and wisdom -provisions of the caller

From the greatest favors of Allaah and bounties upon a slave is to
facilitate means and reasonsby which he becomes one who carries out
the mission of the religion and to be among those who strive and
sacrifice all that isprecious to them, to establish the laws of Allaah
on earth and inorder for the Word of Allaah to be supreme and
uppermost and the word of the disbelievers the lower most. This high
rank and honorable one is the most dignified rank and the highest
levels. It is the rank of messengers and their way, may Allaah their
mention. This same task is to be shouldered by the scholars, who
inherited this fromthe Prophets and Messengers.
Calling people to Allaah is an obligation upon all Muslim at different
levels but it differs according to the level of knowledge, wisdom,
way, rank, profession and time. This obligation is evident from many
verses that are clear in the Quran,like the Saying of Allaah (which
means): "Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting toall
that is good, meaning Islam, enjoining virtue (meaning
Islamicmonotheism) and forbidding all evil (Polytheism and
disbelief)." [Quran 3:104].
And also like the Saying of Allaah (which means): " Say, meaning O!
Mohammad, this is my way, I invite on to Allaah with sure knowledge, I
and whosoever and I follow me and glorify, and exalted is Allaah"
[Quran 12:108].
And the Saying of Allaah (which means): "Invite to the way of your
Lord with wisdom and fair preaching and argue with them in a way that
is better" [Quran 16:125].
In order for the one who is propagating Islam to achieve positive
results in his mission, he should fulfil the following two matters:
1) Propagating based on sure knowledge: Allaah Says (what means):
"Say, this is my way , I invite on to Allaah with sure knowledge, me
and whosoever follows me and exalted is Allaah and I am not one of the
polytheist" [Quran 12:108]. It is necessary for all those who desire
to call to Allaah to have sure knowledge regarding the matter and
issue of propagation and inviting to Allaah. Some people indulge
themselves in the field of propagation without possessing any
knowledge.
Some scholars said that sure knowledge is divided into three parts:
a) Knowing what one is inviting to
b) Knowing the situation of the one invited.
c) Knowing how to invite
First: Knowing what one is inviting to; the propagator must know the
Islamic ruling on the issue he is calling to, because he might call to
something thinking that it is an obligation while it is not, and thus
obligates people with something that Allaah did not oblige them with.
Or he might warn against something thinking that it is prohibited
while it is not, and so on. Therefore, knowing what one is calling the
people to is a vital issue.
Second: Knowing the situation of the invited: the evidence for the
importance of this issue is the narration of Mu'aath when the Prophet
sent him to Yemen, he said to him: "You are approaching a group form
the people of the book , so let the first thing you call them to be
the testimony that none is worthy of beiong worshipped but Allaah".
Notice that he informed him about the situationof those whom he will
be calling, so Mu'aath, may Allaah be pleqased with him, would be
prepared and be acquainted withtheir situation and how he should
approach them. It is a mistake that a person invites or calls another
person not knowinghis situation, his arguments, the kind of falsehood
he is on or what he believes in, because he (i.e. the one being
called) might present an argument which the Muslim propagator does not
havean answer to, which results in the retreat of the truth.
Third: Knowing how to invite: This refers to the methods of
propagation, as Allaah did not leave the matter up to us, but he
guided us to the ideal way. The Prophet also guided us how to
priorities things which leads us to the second issue.
2) Adopting a wise method of calling people: One of the Names of
Allaah is Al-Hakeem, which implies wisdom, and it is mentioned many
times in the Quran in connection to knowledge. Allaah knows all
matters and decrees everything according to His knowledge, based on
what is best for the given situation and what will yield the greatest
benefit to His slaves. He is the Most Wise and Most Knowledgeable in
His words, actions, sayings and rulings.
A wise person is he who places the correct matter in the most suitable
place or situation, as defeined by Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim . This can be
attributed, in its perfect form, only to Allaah, asHe is the only One
who is All-Knowledgeable of everything and the Most Wise in His
decrees and rulings.
One of the things that reflect the wisdom of the caller to Islam is
his basing his call on knowledge, because wisdom is derived from
knowledge, as Allaah says (what means): "Invite to the way of your
Lord with wisdom…" [Quran 16:125]. What is the understanding and the
proper definition of wisdom.
Selecting the correct method along with the appropriate words is
another matter that reflects wisdom in the caller. He should address
people in a comprehensible manner, to facilitate understanding on the
part of those called.
For example, one should not talk to people about the virtue of
optionally fasting three days every month while they do not observe
the fast during the month of Ramadhaan, and so on.
Thus, a propagator of Islam should be mindful of these matters when
calling people to the pathof Allaah, lest he drives them away due to a
shortage in any of them.

Daughters in Islam -I

Allaah Almighty says (what means): "To Allaah belongs the dominion of
the heavens and the earth; He creates what Hewills. He gives to whom
He wills female [children], and He gives to whom He wills males. Or He
makes them [both] males and females, and He renders whom He wills
barren. Indeed, He isKnowing and Competent." [Quran 49:50] Allaah is
the One, based on His ultimate wisdom, who grants whomever He wills
sons and daughters; He grants sons only to whomever He wills, and
grants daughters only to whomever He wills, and if He so wills, He
makes whomever He wills infertile.
We notice in the above verse that the mention ofdaughters preceded
that of sons, and the scholars commented on this saying: "This is to
heartendaughters and encourage kindness towards them, because many
fathers feel burdened by receiving a daughter. The common practice of
the people during the pre-Islamic era was to hate receivingdaughters,
to the extent that they would bury them alive; therefore, it isas if
Allaah is saying to people: `This inferior child in your estimation
takes precedence in My scale.' He also mentions daughters first to
indicate their weakness, and that they are therefore more deserving of
care and attention."
Such honouring of daughters is the complete opposite of how people
were accustomed to dealing with females in the pre-Islamic era, when
they would degrade women and consider them a part of their wealth, and
if news of a baby girl would come to any of them, it would be as if he
was hit by a thunderstorm; Allaah says(what means): which means: "And
when one ofthem is informed of [the birth of] a female, his face
becomes dark, and he suppresses grief. He hides himself from the
people because of the ill of which he has been informed. Should he
keep it in humiliation or bury it in the ground? Unquestionably, evil
is what they decide." [Quran 58:59]
It is said that some enemies of Qays ibn 'Aasim At-Tameemi, who was a
pre-Islamic Arab, attacked his premises and captured his daughter.
Later, one of these enemies married her. After some time, the clan of
Qays and that of his enemies reconciled, so they gave this daughter of
his the freedom to go back to her father or remain withher husband,
and she preferred to stay with her husband. At that point, Qays took a
pledgeupon himself to bury alive any new daughter that he would
receive, and the Arabs imitated him after that. It was, therefore,
this man who introduced this evil practice, and thus he will shoulder
his own sin as well as the sin of all thosewho did it thereafter.
One of the companions who had killed his daughter in the era that
preceded Islam narrated his story: "We would worship idols in the
pre-Islamic era and kill our daughters. I had a daughter, who, when
shewas old enough to comprehend and talk, would rejoice whenever she
saw me and would immediately respond. One day, I called her and told
her to follow me, so she did, until we reacheda well that belonged to
my tribe. I then took her by her hand and threw her in the well, and
the last thing I heard her cry was: 'O father! O father!'"
(Ad-Daarimi)
During the era that preceded Islam, there were two methods that people
used to kill their daughters:
· At the time of the delivery of the child, a man would order his wife
to give birth next to a hole dug in the ground;if the newborn was a
male, she would return home with him, otherwise, she would throw her
into the pit and bury her alive, or:
· When the daughter reached six years of age, the man would tell his
wife to adorn and perfume her, then he would take her to a well in the
desert and tell her to look down into the well; when she would do
this, he would push her into it from behind.
There were some men among these people whowould forbid such acts, such
as Sa'sa'ah ibn Naajiyah At-Tameemi, who would go to those attempting
to kill their daughter offering moneyto ransom their lives.
There are people nowadays who share these same pre-Islamic beliefs; if
they are granted only girls, which is of course something decreed only
by Allaah, they become angry, discontent and grieved.
With the advent of Islam, the darkness of that era vanished and Allaah
enjoined kindness, love and compassion towards girls. Taking good care
ofgirls was encouraged, as was giving them special attention in the
process of their upbringing. In fact, Islam has designateda special
reward for raising them that is not granted for raising sons. Anas
reported that theProphet said: "He who raises two daughters until
their puberty will bewith me in Paradise like this" , and he
symbolized the proximity by showingtwo of his fingers with a slight
gap between them." (Muslim)
`Aa'ishah related: "A woman by the name of Jameelah came to me with
her two daughters. She asked me for charity but found nothing with me
except a date, which Igave her. She divided it between her two
daughters and ate nothing herself; then, shegot up and left. After
this,the Messenger of Allaah came, so I narrated this story to him; he
said: "He who is involved (in the responsibility) of (nurturing)
daughters and is generous to them, will have them as a fortification
for himself against the Hellfire." (Al-Bukhaari & Muslim) In another
narration of this incident, `Aa'ishah related: "A poor woman came to
me with her two daughters. I gave her three dates; she gave each of
them a date and was about to eat the third one when one of her
daughters asked her for it, so she divided it between her two
daughters and ate nothing herself, and I liked what she did. After
this, the Messenger of Allaah came, so I told him what she did, and he
said: 'Allaah obligated Paradise for her due to this date, and (also)
freedher from Hell.'" (Muslim)
Pay close attention to wording of the followingnarration: the Prophet
said: "He who is tested by(the guardianship) of daughters…." Why did
he use the word: "…tested…" ? He said it because raising them is a
responsibility and a test from Allaah to see how His slave would act:
Will he be kind to them? Will he raise them correctly?
The nature of this responsibility was furtherclarified in other
narrations, such as: "If he patiently feeds them and endows them with
clothing …" (Ibn Maajah).,and: "…Provides for them and marries them
off…" (At-Tabaraani)., and: "…Properly raises them and fears Allaah in
the manner in which he deals with them." (At-Tirmithi)
This is what is required when dealing with daughters: kindness, which
results in Paradise,as the Prophet said: "Whoever Allaah has given two
daughters andis kind towards them, will have them as a reason for him
to be admitted into Paradise ." And: "Whoever Allaah hasgiven three
daughters and he perseveres through raising them, will have them as a
shieldfor him from the Hellfire on the Day of Resurrection."
A daughter is a great bounty and an honour granted by Allaah,
ImaamAl-Hasan said: "Girls are a source of reward and sons are a
blessing; rewards are in one's favour (on the Day of Judgement)
whereas onewill be held accountable for blessings."
Thus, it is incorrect to believe that one has been humiliated by being
granted a girl; rather it is an honour, a bounty and a gate towards
Paradise . Daughters are a greate responsibility to rear, and entail
greater expenditure, and this is why the reward for raising them
correctly is greater than that for a son.
Once, one of the leaders of the believers was receiving people when a
small daughter of his entered the room, so he kissed her; a Bedouin
was also in attendance and saw this, so he mentioned daughters in a
very evil manner. A wise man who was also present witnessed all of
this and therefore said: "O leader of the believers! Do not listen
tohim. I swear by Allaah, that it is they (i.e., girls) who stay up to
care for the sick in the family, who show mercy towards the elders,
and who stand next to men during hardships."
A man was granted a baby girl, so he became angry and isolated himself
from his wife for a long time, and after few months, he overheard his
wife reciting the verse (which means): "…But perhaps you hate a thing
and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for
you…" [Quran 2:216]
How many girls have been far more merciful and beneficial to their
parents than their brothers? How many times has a son been a source of
grief for his parents, to the point that they wished he was never
born?
Why do we raise this topic now? It is due to the vicious attacks on
theMuslims under the pretext of defending 'women's rights' which isin
reality an evil attempt to play on the emotions of women so that they
will become rebellious towards their fathers andhusbands, and to
encourage them to leave their homes and demand their 'freedom'. This
is a gate towards evil and immorality which gradually attracts
womenand then traps them in prohibitions. One cause of girls falling
into this is people neglecting their daughters and undermining their
rights,which makes them easily fall into the traps of the hypocritical
writers and columnists, male and female, who wish to see corruption
prevail.
It is enough of an honourfor girls that the Prophetsmay Allaah exalt
their mention, had daughters and that most of the children of our
beloved Prophet were daughters, namely: Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kalthoom
and Faatimah

Daughters in Islam -II

The fruit of raising daughters righteously is reward in this life
before reward in the Hereafter; this is proved by the fact that Allaah
rewarded the righteous man who raised his two daughters virtuously,
the result being Him facilitating themarriage of one of them to the
honourable Prophet Moosaa .
The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam would express his love for
his daughters by, for example, making statements like "(My daughter)
Faatimah is a part of me, so whoever angers her angers me."
(Al-Bukhaari & Muslim)
' Aa'ishah recounted that Faatimah once came walking in a manner
identical to that of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam; When
she arrived, he stood up and exclaimed: "Welcome, my daughter!"
Then,he seated her to his side and whispered into her ear, and what he
had said caused her to cry; then, he then whispered to her again, and
she laughed. ' Aa'ishah later asked her: "What made you weep and then
laugh?" She replied: "I will never expose a secret that the Prophet
entrusted me with." After the death of the Prophet 'Aa'ishah asked
herthe same questions again, so she answered: "First, he informed me
that his death was near, so I cried. After that, he told me that I
will be theleader of the ladies of Paradise , so I laughed."
(Al-Bukhaari &Muslim)
'Aa'ishah said: "I have not seen anyone closer in physical appearance
and character to the Prophet thanhis daughter Faatimah … Whenever she
would enter into his presence, he would stand up and seat her in his
place, and whenever he would enter into her presence, she would stand
up, kiss him, and seat him in her place."
This is how he cared for his daughters. Zaynab who was another
daughter of the Prophet sent for him due to her child being close to
death, but the Prophet sent the messenger back to her, telling him to
tell her: "Whatever Allaah takes away or gives, belongs to Him, and
everything with Him has a limited fixed term (in this world);and she
should therefore be patient and anticipate Allaah's reward.'' She sent
for him again, pleading with himfor the sake of Allaah to come.
Therefore, the Messenger of Allaah went, accompanied by Sa`d bin
`Ubaadah, Mu`aath bin Jabal, Ubayy bin Ka`b, Zayd bin Thaabit and
others . The child was lifted up to the Messenger of Allaah while
breathing heavily, in the last moments before his death. Upon seeing
this, the eyes of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam streamed
with tears as a result of compassion that Allaah had placed in his
heart. Due to this, Allaah causedthe boy to be cured, as Imaam Ibn
Hajar stated.
The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam would carry Umaamah during
prayer whilst standing, and place her on the ground before
prostrating. (Al-Bukhaari)
Once, Faatimah complained to him about suffering due to strenuous
housework, and that it was causing her hands to roughen and develop
marks; he therefore taught her to mention Allaah before going to bed
by uttering 'Subhaan-Allaah' (i.e., glory be to Allaah) and
'Al-Hamdulillaah' (i.e., all praise be to Allaah) thirty-three times
each, and thirty-four times 'Allaahu Akbar' (i.e., Allaah is the
Greatest); he told her that this would be better for her than the
assistance of a servant.
Also, when the family of Abu Jahl requested ' Ali to marry their
daughter, he refused and said: "Never will the daughter of the
messenger of Allaah and the daughter of the enemy of Allaah be under
(the guardianship of) one man. Faatimah is a part of me, and whoever
saddens her has harmedme." He later stood up and explained to the
people that he was not making unlawful what Allaah made lawful, nor
was he forbidding polygamy, but rather, he did what he did due to
Faatimah being the daughter of a messenger,which is a special case,
since no one is permittedto harm the Messenger .
Faatimah was courageous and proud ofIslam. In the incident when her
father was praying in front of the Ka'bah and the disbelievers placed
the guts of a camel on his head whilst he was prostrating and then
laughed and mocked him, it was she who came, by herself, and screamed
at the disbelievers and then removed the guts. (Muslim)
This is how the life of the Prophet was regarding dealing with his
daughters, so let us make it a guideline by which we live.
Some people are truly hardhearted, to the pointthat they do not
express any emotions toward their children. It is a disaster when a
daughteris raised in such an emotional vacuum, because it is easy for
any evil person to then affect her with his deceptive words and entice
her into his trap, and this is how the calamity of fornication occurs.
This iswhy we need to pay close attention to the issue of daughters
and grant them their due consideration, especially when we live in an
era where everything evil is available and within reach.
It is indeed a great responsibility to satiate the emotions of our
daughters with the love they need from the hearts of their merciful
fathers, lest evil men do this instead to achieve their vile
objectives.
We must also give the same level of attention toour sons in this
regard, because the problems wehear regarding our young men are due to
the negligence of their parents. What is our role?It is, as Allaah
says (what means): "O you who have believed! Protect yourselves and
your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which
are [appointed] angels, harsh and severe; they do not disobey Allaah
in what He commands them but do what they are commanded." [Quran 66:
6] We must soften their hearts with a warm smile whenever we see them,
and speak to them with merciful words.
If we do not pay attention to this issue, a day will come when our
communities will be just like the immoral and dissolute ones.
A British survey of two thousand fathers found that: "Forty-percent
(40%) of fathers feel lonely and depressed. They miss their sons, but
miss their daughters a lotmore."
Some contemporary hypocrites who write in newspapers and magazines
state that our daughters do not need guardians. They oppose to the Law
of Allaah in general, and specifically the ruling that prohibits
intermixing between men and women; they demand that women leave their
homes and 'prove their ability'. Why do these hypocrites wish to
eradicate our honour? This mandates even morecare and attention
towards our daughters; we must raise them uponobedience to Allaah and
His messenger and upon adherence to the Hijaab; we must not wait till
they reach the age of puberty to instruct them wear it, because it
might then be too late for them to accept it.
Some parents allow their daughters to wear dresses that are
revealingand which leave them naked, or almost naked, and this is a
far cry from correct cultivation. It is not a reflection of love
ormercy to our daughters to allow them to have their own mobile phone,
or to have a satellite receiver in their rooms. Itis not a sign of
love or mercy to allow them to go to places where immorality is
spread, or to parties, or salons where they pluck their eyebrows,
adorn themselves and then go out like that.
We must convince our daughters that these matters are prohibited and
that they must refrain from doing them, but in order to convince them,
they must experience our love and see it in our dealings with them.

HAPPY VALENTINE DAY

You are the summer in my life,U fill my life with warmth, love and
bliss.I cannot imagine a day without u. I love u! Happy Valentines
day.
This Valentines day, I hope that we have many more beautiful Valentine
Days to share together!Hpy Valentines Day my love.
Every second my heart beats for u and tells me how much it wants u.
Come stay in my heart forever, my love. Happy Valentine''s D
Even the most caring and loving partner cannot take the placeof a good
friend. Thanks for filling the gap in my life.Happy Valentines Day
Let's share the world a sea is for u,and waves are for me.The sun is
for u,and light is for me.The sky is for u,and stars are forme.
Love puts the fun in together, the sad in apart, and the joy in a
heart.Happy Valentines Day my love.
St. Valentine must be so proud of the two of us! I love you so much.
Happy Valentines Day.
They say God sends usinto this world in pairs. Im so happy to have
finally found mymatch.Happy Valentines Day.
My life couldnt be half as beautiful as it is, when Im with you. Happy
Valentines Day.
Love is all about sharing and I am herein front of u, all readyto
share the rest of my life with u. Be my Valentine.

Dought & clear,- Woman asking her husband to wear women’s clothes for the purpose of sexual provocation!.

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I am a Muslim girl, praisebe to Allah, and I am Turkish. I have been
married for 16 years, butI am facing a problem in my marriage which is
that I do not like to havesex with my husband and I am reluctant to
have intercourse with him. We have intercourse every two months, and
we have four children. This problem is because I do not like intimacy
with men; I love women and Ilove women's bodies. But despite that I do
not want to get divorced from my husband because he loves me very much
and we have four children. But this matter is beyond my control. In
order to overcome this problem my husband started to wear women's
clothing for me before going to bed, and in fact this approach has
been successful and I found myself attracted to him and we have
started engaging in sexual intimacy more than oncea week. But my
husband does not wear these clothes outside the house; rather he only
wears it at home. Praise be to Allah, we are now happy and we are
living a normal life and enjoying life. But we do not know what is the
ruling on my husband wearing women's clothes; is it halaal or haraam?
Please advise me, may Allah reward you.
Praise be to Allah.
Before we discuss the Islamic ruling on what your husband is doing,
itis essential to advise youto get treatment, because what you have
mentioned about liking other women and being provoked by them is a
psychological illness. Youshould not hesitate to seek treatment for it
andthere is nothing better than treating it by increasing your faith
and fear of Allah, and striving to overcome your nafs, whilst
constantly seeking refuge with Allah from the Shaytaan and his tricks,
traps, plots and whispers. There is nothing wrong with going to a
female psychologist who is trustworthy in terms of her religious
commitment and knowledge, to help you find a remedy for your illness.
With regard to what your husband is doing, itis undoubtedly haraam
because it is imitating women. This is like the one who says: Treat me
with that which was the cause of the disease.
It is narrated in saheeh reports that the Prophet (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) cursed men who imitate women, which includes
imitating them in their dress.
It was narrated that Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari,5435
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) cursed men who wear women's clothing and women who wear
men'sclothing.
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4098; classed assaheeh by an-Nawawi
inal-Majmoo', 4/469, and by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood
This sin is not excused bythe fact that this is done in privacy away
from where people can see it, because just by wearing women's clothing
he is incurring sin, even if he does that when he is alone.
The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked:
What does the shaykh say about one who wears women's clothing in private?
They replied:
It is narrated in a saheehreport that the Prophet (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) said: "May Allah curse women who imitate men and
men who imitate women." According to another version, "May Allah curse
effeminate men and masculinised women."
A man's wearing women's clothing is included in this prohibition. So
this action is forbidden even if it is done in privacy, because of the
general meaning of the text that prohibits it.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez Aal
ash-Shaykh,Shaykh 'Abdullah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh Saalihal-Fawzaan,
Shaykh BakrAbu Zayd
Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa'imah, 24/94, 95
What you have to do is hasten to seek treatmentfor the sickness that
you are suffering. What you are asking of your husband is contrary to
Islam and sound human nature, and it is not permissible for him to
respond to your request.He has to stop wearing women's clothing.

Dought & clear,- Ruling on learning recitation and tajweed of Qur’an by means of anelectronic pen.

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There is a Quran out which is called "Quran pen reader 9" which helps
you better your tajweed and you can listen to different reciters and
when you press the Quran with thepen they give it says it out loud the
verse you have pressed and you can pick different reciters so you can
remember it and correct your tajweed and the Quran it self has
interactive buttons on the side like e.g tafsir of the ayah ,which
qari youwant to chose ,change the level of volume and pick which
language you want etc
I wanted to know do I still read this Quran like a normal Quran and
will I get the same reward ofreading this then a normal one were this
one helps me correct my mistakes and makes me understand the Quran
more and it is the full Quran with just it being interactive and I was
thinking will this be a sort of bidah? But theresmore benefit in this
as I have mensioned everything this does for the improvement of
understand and correct my tajweed and knowledge in the Quran?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
There is no kind of bid'ah (innovation) in the program mentioned,in
sha Allah, because thisis a new educational means in which there is
nothing contrary to Islam, that helps one learn how to read Qur'an
correctly and helps one to memorise itand understand its meanings.
This is like using computers, modern recording devices, videos and so
on to record and broadcast lectures and the like. Such things do not
comeunder the heading of bid'ah.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Bid'ah means
worshipping Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, in ways other than
what Hehas prescribed. Based onthat, innovation does not include
anything other than acts of worship. Rather, newly developed or
introducedworldly matters may be examined to see whether they are
halaal or haraam, but it cannot be said that they are bid'ah. … Based
on that, what people have introduced nowadays of things that are used
to help in matters of worship cannot be said to be bid'ah even if they
did not exist (at the timeof the Prophet (blessingsand peace of Allah
be upon him)). That includes loudspeakers. Loudspeakers did not exist
at the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him);
rather they were introduced recently, but they serve a religious
purpose, as they convey to the people the prayer,recitation and
khutbah of the imam. The same applies to organising lectures, as they
achieve good and serve the interests of the people, so they are good.
Therefore buying loudspeakers for the mosque for this purpose is
something that is prescribed, for which a person will be rewarded.
End quote from Noor 'alaad-Darb, 2/426
Please see also the answer to question no. 3175 and 95430
Secondly:
In the answer to question no. 88728 and 112763 we have stated that
listening attentively to recitation of the Qur'an outside of
prayer,whether it is recitation from a reciter or via a recorder, is
not obligatory, although it ismustahabb and prescribed.
There is nothing wrong with repeating after the reciter in order to
perfect one's recitation or to review when memorising. Using this
electronic pen to help you to memorise, perfectyour recitation,
correct mistakes and learn about the commentary on the verses is
something praiseworthy; there is nothing wrong with it insha Allah.
Thirdly:
With regard to reward, listening to recitation from a machine is not
like listening directly to the reciter, as we have explained
previously in the answer to question no. 112763
Similarly, listening is not like reciting; rather reciting it is
better than listening. However, varying between prescribed acts of
worship is a good thing and is something required, and it is better
than not doing some of them all of the time.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
A person will be rewarded for his good intention and for listening to
recitation of the Qur'an, commentaries thereon and Prophetic hadeeths,
whether that is from the lips of a reciter or from arecorded voice on
the radio or otherwise, although the basic principle with regard to
listening to the recitation of the Qur'an, that was narrated from the
early generations, is that it should be listening to the voice of the
reciter himself, without any intermediary. And if a person recites
Qur'an himself, pondering the meaning and with humble focus of mind,
that is better and greater in reward.
End quote from Fataawa wa Rasaa'il Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem, 13/81
Reciting whilst listening to tajweed of the Qur'an and correcting
mistakes is better than mere recitation in which the reciter makes
mistakes, because correct recitation with tajweed is better than
recitation without tajweed and that in which there are mistakes.
That applies to the one who does not know howto recite properly with tajweed.
But if you do not know how to recite Qur'an well, then reciting Qur'an
with tajweed, following a reciter who recites with tajweed by means of
the electronic pen, is better than simply reading Qur'an and making
some mistakes and not reciting with tajweed. But for one who knows how
to recite well with tajweed, it is better for him to stick to reciting
from the Mushaf or reciting from memory, if he has memorised it,
because this is the basic principle – to recite Qur'an without
combining it with listening – because this is how it was done by the
early generations, the imams, and the people after them. And because
that helps the reciter to achieve properfocus and ponder the meanings.
But sometimes it is prescribed for him to focus on listening to
recitation from someoneelse, especially if that person recites well
and it will be of greater benefit to him.
However, there is no limit to the bounty of Allah and the blessings He
bestows upon His slaves. But the recitation of one who is skilled in
recitation is better than the recitation of someone else. If a person
strives hard to learn properly and memorise, although thatis difficult
for him, Allah that will reward him for that and will make up for his
shortcomings, as al-Bukhaari (4937) and Muslim (798) narrated that
'Aa'ishah said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) said: "The one who is skilled in reciting Qur'aan will be
with the noble, honourable scribes and the one who recites Qur'aan and
falters therein, and finds it difficult, will have a double reward."
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The one who is skilled is the one who has memorised it precisely, and
he does not falter orfind it difficult to recite because he has
memorised it properly. As for the one who falters therein, he is the
one who falters in his recitation because he does not have a good
memory. He will have a double reward: a reward for reciting and a
reward for faltering in his recitation and the difficulty he
encounters. Al-Qaadi and other scholars said: It does not mean that
the one who falters there in will have a greater reward than the one
who recites withskill; rather the one who recites skilfully will have
a better and greater reward, because he will be with the noble,
honourable scribes and he will have many rewards, and this status is
not mentioned for anyone else, so how can the one who did not make the
effort to learn the Book of Allah properly and memorise it, perfect
his knowledgeof it and recite it be like one who made that effort
until he became proficient in it. End quote.
To sum up:
As you do not recite well with tajweed and you sometimes make mistakes
in recitation, and this pen helps you to correct your mistakes and
recite well, whilst also learning the meaning, then your following
this program is something good and isIslamically prescribed; there is
no bid'ah in it, in sha Allah.
And Allah knows best.

Take protection with your shields

Abu Hurairah (RA) narrates: Rasulullah (SAW) came to us and said: Take
protection with your shields! Sahabah (Prophet's companions) asked: O
Rasulullah! is there a threat of some enemy coming? He said: Take
protection with your shields against the Fire (of Hell)! Say,
Subhanallah (Allah is flawless), Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah),
La ilaha illallah (None is worthy of worship but Allah), Allahu Akbar
(Allah is the Greatest). Onthe Day of Resurrection, these words will
come from the front, back, right and left (defence from all sides) of
the onewho had recited them, and ensure deliverence for him, and these
are those good deeds for which the reward will be given eternally.

Listen to this very carefully

Amr (RA) narrates that Prophet (SAW) one day delivered a sermon
saying: Listen carefully! The world and its things are temporary
commodity (and as such have no worth and value), shared and consumed
by both the good and the evil peoplealike! Indeed, the Hereafter is
truly a reality and will arrive at its appointed time in which
Judgement will bemade by a Powerful King. Listen carefully! Indeed all
good, in all its varieties, is in Paradise! Indeed all evil, in all
its varieties, is in the Fire. Understand it well; whatever you do, do
it being fearful of Allah; and understand that youwill be presented
(in front of Allah) with you actions. Whosoever doesan atom's worth of
good, he will see it, and whosoever does an atom's worth of evil, he
will see it! Source: Musnad Sha'fi.