Saturday, August 10, 2013

Even in situations one would think in his own mind that there is no way out, there is always a way out for real believers

One of the mistakes people generally fall in is their descending into
desperation whenever they face even the slightest difficulty. Most
people, under such circumstances, instead of thinking "There is
definitely a way out that would correct this situation", they are
prone to believe that all the solution ways are exhausted by acting
with logics such as: "that's it", "there is nothing more to be
done," "this is as far as it goes", "we came to a deadlock", "this
matter is in a deadlock now".
Yet, no matter how difficult the circumstances are; no matter how
limited the means he has are; and no matter if he has done
everything that could have been done; he should believe that there
can always be a new way out, and never lose hope.
Allah has revealed in the Qur'an that a person who believes in Allah
would never lose hope in any matter as follows:
"My sons! Seek news of Yusuf and his brother. Do not despair of
solace from Allah. No one despairs of solace from Allah except for
people who are unbelievers. '" (Surah Yusuf: 87)
They said, 'We bring you good news of the truth, so do not be among
those who despair .' (Surat Al-Hijr: 55)
Consequently, no matter what the situation a Muslim faces is, he
should never give way to hopelessness, despair or negative thoughts
even indirectly. This is a command of Allah on Muslims.
Lower self, when facing such a situation, -almost like a reflex-
would lead one to instantly think about the most negative
possibilities that might happen. Almost everyone, ever since their
childhood –until they learn the morality of the Qur'an- approach
every incident with such a point of view. Since they do not think
about the falsity and the harm of this, they do not feel the need
to resist and change this reflex. This is the reason why the first
words that come out of their mouths are words like "alas!" and
"unfortunately".
And the pain that desperation, thinking with negative possibilities
and believing that there is no way out, would make people feel is
really severe. The state of mind of people, who feel this way, is
the reward Allah had created for them in this world as a result of
their living by a morality Allah does not approve.
Yet, living by the morality which is opposite to this one is really
easy. A person's knowing Allah Who has infinite wisdom, Who has
infinite justice, Who has infinite compassion and infinite grace,
Who is forgiving and Who possesses infinite creation power is
really a great blessing for him. Allah is mighty of creating
whatever He wills, whenever He wants. And in the Qur'an Allah says:
"If My servants ask you about Me, I am near. I answer the call of the
caller when he calls on Me. They should therefore respond to Me and
believe in Me so that hopefully they will be rightly guided" (Surat
al-Baqara: 186) In the Qur'an Allah had informed us that people can
ask whatever they want from Allah. Since a person could ask for
anything from Allah Who has the power to create whatever He wants,
whenever He wills, it is totally unreal for him to be living among
the possibilities such as: having exhausted all the ways out or
having no way out. That is because –by the will and help of Allah-
a person's way is always open in every matter. His knowing Allah's
might and compassion would always enable him to be hopeful about
every matter.
This morality is the one Allah commanded in the Qur'an. And carrying
out this command of Allah turns into a great blessing for people.
It is much more beautiful, reassuring and comfortable for people
to live by a hopeful morality, instead of pessimism. While, in the
contrary, a person would be continuously living restless, in a state
of fear with his mind occupied in negative suggestions; someone
abiding by the morality Allah demands, would live in peace,
tranquility and joy of expecting the help, mercy and the closeness
of Allah even under most difficult conditions.
And another point that should be thought about here is; while living
among blessings, plenty and safety, a person trusts in Allah and
lives in the awareness of the truth that all those come about
because of the infinite might of Allah; but when there is something
missing about those, he forgets how limitless and endless the might
of Allah is. Allah has informed us about the morality that people
in this situation would show in the Qur'an, as follows:
When We give people a taste of mercy, they rejoice in it, but when
something bad happens to them because of what they themselves have
done, they immediately lose all hope. (Surat Ar-Rum : 36)
Man never tires of praying for the good and if evil touches him, he
despairs and loses hope. (Surat Fussilat : 49)
Such a person cannot appreciate the fact that Allah Who had given
him blessings before, also have the Power to give –again and again
whenever He wants as much as He wills. He fails to think that all
the beauties he has in his life exist not because he himself had
found a way to attain them but because Allah had willed them to be so
and granted him that means through His Grace. Everything that he
possesses has been created from nothing. When difficulty and
troubles arise the situation is no different than that: Allah, Who
created everything from nothing, even if there is a situation in
which there seems to be a no way out, would again create the way
from nothing and would show him the way out.
Allah says in the Quran: "… But your Lord is a sufficient guide and
helper." ( Surat Al-Furqan: 31). The guidance of Allah for a man
is – by the leave of Allah- a great blessing with which he can solve
every matter. And moreover man does not have the power to find a
way out on his own anyway. Humans are weak creatures who have no
power for anything unless Allah wills the contrary. Man is in need
of Allah showing him the ways out, the solutions and rights.
Consequently what one should do is to trust in Allah very much, by
being very sincere towards Allah; to ask full of hope for His help
and to show all the effort that he is capable of showing by using
his mind and conscience in the best possible manner. However the
secret here is in wanting everything from Allah in hope and believing
that they can definitely come true. It is Allah Who creates the
result. And Allah is the One Who always creates the best for
Muslims both in this world and in the Hereafter.
Their sides eschew their beds as they call on their Lord in fear and
ardent hope . And they give of what We have provided for them.
(Surat Al-Sajda:16)
And when the two hosts came into sight of one another Musa's
companions said, 'We will surely be overtaken!'
He said, 'Never! My Lord is with me and He will guide me. '
So We revealed to Musa, 'Strike the sea with your staff.' And it
split in two, each part like a towering cliff.
And We brought the others right up to it.
We rescued Musa and all those who were with him. (Surat Ash-Shu'ara': 62-65)

The Prophet 'Isa (as) will follow the Mahdi and the Mahdi will serve as imam in the prayer (salat) to the Prophet' Isa (as)

Naim Abu Said narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saas) said:
Isa 'Ibn Maryam, will descend, and recite the daily prayer behind
Mahdi. (Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi, p. 78)
In Musannaf of Ibn Abi Shayba, Ibn Shirin narrated. He said:
The Mahdi is one of this community and will serve as imam to the
Prophet 'Isa (as). (Jalaladdin as-Suyuti, Al-Burhan fi Alamat
al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, p. 79)
Naim ibn Hammad narrated from Abdullah ibn Amr. He said:
The Mahdi is the one whom 'Isa ibn Maryam (as) will perform the
daily prayer behind. (Jalaladdin as-Suyuti, Al-Burhan fi Alamat
al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, p. 79)
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of
Allah (saas) observed: "What will be your state when the son of
Maryam descends amongst you and there is an Imam amongst you?"
(Sahih Muslim, Book 001, Number 0290)
Jabir ibn 'Abdullah reported: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (saas)
say: 'One section of my people will not cease fighting for the Truth
and will prevail till the Day of Resurrection. 'Isa son of Maryam
will then descend, and their (the Muslims') commander will invite
him to come and lead them in prayer, but he will say: No, some
amongst you are commanders over others (amongst you). This is an
honor from Allah for this Ummah.'" (Sahih Muslim, Book 001, Number
0293)
While their Imam is going forward to lead the people in the Salat
al-Subh (the morning prayer), 'Isa son of Maryam will descend. The
Imam will step back, to let 'Isa lead the people in prayer, but 'Isa
will place his hand between the man's shoulders and say, "Go
forward and lead the prayer, for the Iqamah was made for you." So
the Imam will lead the people in prayer… (Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Fitan,
Tradition No. 4077, 2: 1363)

Repentance is a blessing that gives relief to the heart

One of the most important characteristics that distinguishes
unbelievers from believers is that believers repent often as an act
of worship. As unbelievers consider themselves faultless and
sinless, they do not feel the need to repent. Believers, on the
other hand, do not want to commit any sins against Allah. However,
by their nature, people can sin temporarily by following their inner
selves. They can be lax in carrying out Allah's commands. But in
the end they regret and turn to Allah and ask for our Lord's
forgiveness.
Allah created people as very weak beings. People indulge in
negligence due to ignorance or unawareness; they can be mistaken
forgetting even the subjects they know best, they can think in a
wrong or mistaken way, take the wrong decisions, or act in an
unsound manner knowingly or unknowingly. This is because people
have a vicious enemy like satan who is trying to drag them into
rebellion and divert them from the true path by giving them
suggestions. The inner self also commands evil all the time. People
can earn the good pleasure of Allah to the extent that they can
protect themselves from these two negative Powers. His Highness
Master Bediuzzaman says, "In these times of distortion and misery
where this world has many captivating attributes, our basic action
point must be to dismiss evil and abandon sins". However no matter
what happens, Allah always guides people to make up for their
mistakes; this guidance is repentance.
It Is a Great Blessing That Our Lord is All-Merciful,
All-Compassionate and Kind and Protective to His Servants
Allah always gives people the opportunity to ask for forgiveness
and repent for their mistakes and sins. A person who sincerely
abandons his mistakes and repents to Allah can hope that Allah will
forgive him. Allah reveals in many verses of the Qur'an that He is
"Forgiving", "Merciful", the "Protector" and "Compassionate".
Allah's names of "At-Tawwab" meaning "The One Who Accepts
Repentance" and "Al-Gaffar" meaning "All-Forgiving" and "Ar-Rahman"
meaning "All-Merciful" manifest on all those who regret and repent.
In one verse Allah heralds His servants by saying, " Tell My
servants that I am the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful." (Surat
al-Hijr, 49).
It is impossible to claim that a person has not made any mistakes
and been faultless and perfect throughout his entire life, because
people are created as beings capable of making mistakes. Our
Almighty Lord is the One Who is All-Forgiving and All-Merciful.
Therefore, believers have to take notice of their mistakes, which
they made knowingly or unknowingly by falling into negligence or
listening to their inner selves. They have to regret their mistakes
and direct themselves to the right path and turn to our Lord as soon
as possible and strive not to make that mistake again. Of course a
person has to be careful not to make mistakes and commit sins and
protect the boundaries of our Lord; but when he makes a mistake in
spite of this, it is a great characteristic of a believer to ask
forgiveness from Allah. Our Lord's names "The One Who Accepts
Repentance" (At-Tawwab), "All-Forgiving" (Al-Gaffar),
"All-Merciful" (Ar-Rahman) manifest on believers who regret their
mistakes, repent and turn to Allah.
Repenting Very Often Is an Important Believer Characteristic
Repenting frequently is a sign of the believer's humility and
awareness of his weakness in the face of Allah. It is a behavior
that pleases Allah. In return for this act of worship, Allah gives
relief to, lifts the burdens on and opens the minds of those who
repent often.
With Repentance Allah Wants People to Learn Lessons and Notice Their Mistakes
One of the wisdoms of repentance is that the believer experiences
real regret and turns to Allah without wasting any time and strives
not to repeat that mistake. Therefore, he repents in a true and
sincere manner. He repents and keeps his word that he will remain
on the right path until the end of his life. In the Qur'an, the
point of view of someone who sincerely repents is described in the
verse, " Allah only accepts the repentance of those who do evil in
ignorance and then quickly make repentance after doing it. Allah
turns towards such people. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise..." (Surat
an-Nisa', 17) In another verse, Allah reveals how a believer should
behave, " Those who, when they act indecently or wrong themselves,
remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their bad actions (and who
can forgive bad actions except Allah?) and do not knowingly persist
in what they were doing." (Surah Al ' Imran Suresi, 135) .
Submitting to Allah right after making mistakes and not delaying
repentance is an important point. This is because as Master
Bediuzzaman describes, "(If mistakes) are not erased with repentance,
they turn into a poisonous snake that bites the heart. Once the
heart is stained it becomes open to further stains. So man falls into
a (corrupt) circle. Every sin brings a new one; not only this but
also it destroys the feelings of repentance and regret (jealousy).
In the end the secret behind the verse "Their hearts have rusted"
(Surat al-Mutaffifin, 14) becomes visible."
Of course, even if a person who experiences true regret carefully
strives not to repeat that mistake or sin, he can still fall into the
same mistake. This situation should not lead to this person losing
his self-confidence. For every person there is an opportunity to
repent and sincerely submit to Allah until death.
However a person should not be mistaken for the time he has been
given. He should not behave in a ways to abuse Allah's mercy,
forgivingness, grace. He should use the time Allah grants him and
find guidance by repentance and asking for forgiveness while there
is still time. This is because faith and repentance at the moment
of death may not be accepted in the sight of Allah. Therefore he
needs to behave like he will die any moment and strive to edify.
It should not be forgotten that a person can make small or big
mistakes throughout his life, but as long as he repents and submits
to Allah Who forgives and accepts repentance and turns evil into
good with a sincere heart, he can hope that his mistakes will be
forgiven. Allah always answers for repentance. Allah forgives his
mistakes and turns them into good and rewards his good deeds with
the best.

Our Prophet (pbuh) Announced the Good News of Jesus' Return

The Good News of the Golden Age
In many of his sayings, our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him
peace) draws attention to a period when Islam's morality will prevail,
when Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and the Mahdi will be on Earth, and the
Qur'an's moral values willprevail: The Golden Age. This period will be
very similar to the time of our Prophet (may God bless him and grant
him peace) and, since he usedthe characteristics of Paradise to depict
this period, it is called the Golden Age.
In the previous sections, we dealt with the suffering and hardship
that people will experience during the first phase of the End Times.
Just after these events, which are also the signs of Prophet Jesus'
(pbuh) coming, theGolden Age will come. This is great news for
everyone, for this period will be characterized by the abundance of
every type of goods and crops; the establishment of security, justice,
peace, and happiness; and the use of advanced technology for
humanity's comfort, ease,joy, and peace. No one will be in need, for
all goods and services will be available to meet their needs. Many
hadiths say that"weapons will be silenced," and thus herald a world
filled withpeace. In the Golden Age,enemy nations will become brothers
and sisters and re-establish peace, friendship, and love among their
leaders and peoples.
Technology will reach its peak, and people will receive its fullest
benefits. Medicine, agriculture, communication, transportation, and
industry will undergo remarkable development, and peoplewill
continuously witnessnew discoveries leading to further advances.
Overall, the pace of discovery will accelerate.
The arts will flourish, andthe broad horizons and deep thinking
granted by faith in God will advance all branches of art. Such a
spirit will enable people to produce glamorous works of music,
theater, and painting. According to one hadith, people will be so
content that they will spend their dayswith no idea as to how time
passes and how oneday turns into the next. They will pray to God to
prolong their lives in order to receive more benefits from these
graces. Another Prophetic hadith states:
… the younger ones wish they were grown-ups, while the adults wish
they were younger… The good become even more good, and the wicked ones
are treated well. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi
Akhir az-Zaman,p. 17)
Our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) also gives the
following good news:
Unprecedented Abundance in the GoldenAge
There will be at the end of my people a khalifa who will apportion out
wealth, and he will not count it. (Olum-Kiyamet-Ahiret ve Ahirzaman
Alametleri [Death-Doomsday-Hereafter and the Signs of the End Times],
p. 433)
In the End Times there will be a khalifa [successor] who will
distribute wealth without even counting it.(Sahih Muslim)
The land will reveal the treasures within. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami,
Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 45)
The land will turn like thesilver tray growing vegetation... (Sunan Ibn Majah)
The son of Mary [Jesus (pbuh)] will return and make the Antichrist
ineffective. Then you willlive for 40 years in prosperity. (Al-Muttaqi
al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 90)
Everywhere food will cook in pots, unseen prosperity will dominate,and
material wealth will be disregarded. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl
al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 66)
The reason for Jesus [pbuh] to abandon charity is: There are no needy
poor people in want of charity left. (Sunan Ibn Majah, vol. 10,p. 339)
Even without the plough,the produce of wheat would multiply seven
hundred times, one mudd [a measure of wheat] becoming 700 mudd. (Jalal
ad-Din as-Suyuti)
Then the land will be toldto bring forth its fruit and restore its
blessing and, as a result thereof, there will grow [such a big]
pomegranate that a group of people [between 10 and 40 people] will be
able to eat it and seek shelter under its skin. Milk cows will give so
much milk that a whole party will be able to drink. And the milk given
by camels will be such [a large quantity]milk that the whole tribe
will be able to drink of it.And the sheep will give so much milk that
the whole family will be able to drink of that… (Sahih Muslim)
The High Cost of Living and Poverty Will End
... And wealth will be so abundant that no one will accept it. (Sahih Bukhari)
The Hour will not be established until wealth will be in abudance - so
abundant that a wealthy person will worry lest nobody accept his
Zakat, and whenever he will present it to someone, that person will
say, "I am not in need of it." (Sahih Bukhari)
Then will my Ummah be blessed, the number of animals will increase,
and the land will bear its fruits. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl
al-Mukhtasar, p. 26)
Definitely possessions will be in abundance then, flowing like water.
Yet no one will [condescend] to take any(Mukhtasar Tazkirah
al-Qurtubi, p. 464.)

Our Prophet (pbuh) Announced the Good News of Jesus' Return

Our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace)
Announced the Good News of Jesus' Return
By the One in Whose hand is my self, definitelythe son of Mary will
soon descend among you as a just judge. He will break the cross,
[annul the worship of the cross], kill the pig, [inform that eating
pork is forbidden], and abolish the jizya (a head tax on free
non-Muslims living under Muslim rule). (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih
Muslim)
No Prophet shall come during the period between me and Jesus. And
Jesus shall descend. Recognize him when yousee him. He is a man of
medium height and of a ruddy, fair complexion. He will be dressed in
two pieces of a yellow garment. The hair on his head will appear as if
water is trickling out of it, although his hair would not be wet. He
willstruggle for the cause of Islam. And Jesus will make Dajjal (the
Antichrist) ineffective. He will live on this Earth for a period of
forty years, and at the end of this period he will pass away.The
Muslims will offer thefuneral prayers of Jesus. (Abu Dawud)
Certainly, the time of prayer will come and then Jesus (peace be upon
him), son of Mary, descend and will lead them in prayer. When theenemy
of God see him, he will (disappear) just assalt dissolves in water.
(Sahih Muslim)
The world will be placed beneath his feet … His eyes will see the
distancetoo … He will see the unbelievers' castles and villages…
(Muhammad ibn'Abd al-Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li Ashrat as-Sa`ah, p.
244)
When their [believers'] Imam would come forward to lead them in
congregation in the morning, Prophet Jesus, son of Mary, (peace be
upon him) would descend upon them in the morning. Upon this, that Imam
would retreat walking backward, so that Prophet Jesus (peacebe upon
him) should come forward to lead people in prayer in congregation. But
he would place his hand in between his shoulders and say: "Come
forward and lead the prayer, for it has been established for you."
(Sunan Ibn Majah)
When the Dajjal faces him [Jesus], he [the Dajjal] will begin to
dissolve like salt in water.He [Jesus] will say to him:"I have to step
in; you cannot escape." So Jesus will make him ineffectivewith his
spear at the gateof Ludd. (Sunan Ibn Majah)
Then Prophet Jesus will come to a people whom God would protect from
Dajjal (anti-Christ). He would then wipe [the traces of hardship from]
their faces and tell them their ranks in Paradise. (Sunan Ibn Majah)

Evidence from the Hadith for Jesus' Second Coming

EVIDENCE FROM THE HADITH
The Prophet Mohammed (may God bless him and grant him peace) has
revealed many importantmatters about Jesus' return, as well as some
ofthe things that will happen before and after this event, in his
hadiths. All of this information is from the "Unseen," and was given
to him by God,as related in the following verse:
He [God] is the Knower of the Unseen, and does not divulge His Unseen
to anyone - except a Messenger with whom He is well pleased, and then
He posts sentinels before him and behind him. (Surat al-Jinn ,
72:26-27)
Our Lord also reveals thatHe sent knowledge to Prophet Mohammed (may
God bless him and grant him peace) in his dreams:
God has confirmed His Messenger's vision with truth: "You will enter
theSacred Mosque [Masjid al-Haram] in safety, God willing, shaving
your heads and cutting your hair without any fear." He knew what you
did not know and ordained, in place of this, an imminent victory.
(Surat al-Fath , 48:27)
God gives such knowledge to our Prophet (may God bless him and grant
him peace) in order to help and support both him as well as all of the
faithful believers who were with him.
Some of this revealed information deals with the signs of the End
Times. The most significant of these revelations concerns Jesus'
second coming. The hadiths about the End Times can be found in sahih
(accredited) hadith collections such asImam Nawawi'sRiyadh as-Salihin,
Imam Malik'sAl-Muwatta', Ibn Khuzayma'sSahih, Ibn Hibban'sSahih, Ibn
Ahmad Hanbal'sMusnad, and Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi's Musnad. From these
sources, we learn that the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him
peace) made many important revelations about Jesus, all of which are
consideredtawatur(reliable).
The Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) reveals in his
hadiths that religious morality will dominate the world; that peace,
justice, and prosperity will prevail; and that this will be achieved
by Jesus,who will unite the Christian and Islamic worlds. At present,
many societies are under the influence of anti-religious philosophies,
and the resulting models are obvious. Such problems as immorality,
drugs, terrorism, and famine demand that Christians and Muslims join
together to fight these problems on an intellectual level. The world's
current social structure makes an alliance between Islam and
Christianity inevitable. Considering Christianity's influence over the
West and its leaders, the influence that an alliance between Islam and
Christianity would have is clear enough for all to see.

Fathwa - Sex with slaves and women's rights

Question:
Sex with slaves and women's rights
Answer:
Wa `alaykum as-Salam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh:
The following is a response on the issues offemale slaves in Islam in
reply to two sets of questions.
THE FIRST SET OF QUESTIONS
I came across tafseer of the beginning verses of Surat-Al-Mu'minoon
(Al-Mawdudi), [The Yusuf Ali translation reads,"who abstain from sex,
except with those joined in the marriage bond [spouses], or (the
captives) whom their right hands possess,-for (in their case) they are
free of blame."] and I was kind of shocked and surprised that he
states itis permissible for a man to have sexual intercourse with
female slaves in his possession, in addition to his legal wives
(v.5-6).
Was. Slavery is unlawful (1) in the absence of the Caliph of the
Muslims AND(2) unless it results from captives following a lawful war.
Even so, there was always the alternative to {let the captives go
free, either with or without any ransom} (47:4). Furthermore, the
Ottoman Caliphate had declared - long before the US Abolition - that
it prohibited slavery in its realm.
Further preliminary remarks before addressing the questions:
It should be clear that Islam raised the status of slaves higher than
that offree men in un-Islamic societies even by modernstandards. The
author of _The House of Saud_, an American journalist, recounts how
the staff and management of the New York Waldorf-Astoria hotel were
horrified that King Faysalin an early US visit had not only allowed
his black servant into the state dining room but had seated him at his
very table - a "white-only" table in a "white-only" room! They had no
idea that even slaves in Islam had to be FED and CLOTHED with the same
food and clothing as their owner as the Prophet, upon him peace, had
stipulated in his "last pilgrimage" speech:
"And your slaves! see thatyou feed them such food as you eat
yourselves anddress them with what you yourself wear. And if they
commit a mistake which you are not inclined to forgive then sell them,
for they are the servants of Allah and are not to be tormented!"
In another hadith he said, upon him blessings and peace:
"Be kind to slaves as to your own children...and those that say their
prayers are your brethren."
A contemporary commentator said:
"The masters were obliged not to put slaves under hardship; slaves
were not to be tortured, abused or treated unjustly. They could marry
among themselves- with their master's permission - or with free men or
women! They could appear as witnesses and participate with free men in
all affairs. Many of them were appointed as governors, commanders of
army andadministrators. In the eyes of Islam, a pious slave has
precedence over an impious free man." Al-Tabataba'i, Tafsir
(16:338-358).
What ignorant times we live in, in which a nation that used a legally
- enforceable concept of"white-only" since its inception and then went
on to use it for two centuries, now crusades against Islam and the
rest of the world over self-proclaimed civilizational values.
Islam restored dignity to slaves and enhanced their social status both
by ancient and modern standards.
Islam made no distinction between a slave or a free man, all were
treated with equality. It was this fact that attracted non-Muslim
slaves to Islam in droves.
As someone said, it is sad to see that those who never cease to be
vociferous in their unjustcriticism of Islam remain blind to this
principle of equality when even in this age there are countries where
laws aremade that discriminate against the vast majority of population
to keep them in practical servitude.
As for the allegations of slavery made by the US and UK against
Islamic Sudan they are part of a joint missionary and government rogue
propaganda campaign against an Islamic government which has always
condemned and actively repressed instances of abuse in inter-tribal
warfare, while there has never been anything remotely near a
full-fledged slave trade, cf. the Sudan Foundation papers by David
Hoile posted in full: http://www.sufo.demon. co.uk/politics.htm
What follows concerns the Fiqhi rulings pertaining to the slave period
even if the present tense is used.
I'm far too ignorant to make judgments about the verse and that hukum
taken from it, so Iwanted to ask if you could explain the verse, if
that opinion is generally accepted and why. Do these verses refer
solely to men, or women Believers also?
These verses refer to the permissibility of a man for intercourse with
his unmarried female slaves without having to marry them. Such an
option was not available to women owners of male slaves nor to men
ownersof married female slaves.
Is it in order to fulfill his desires and avoid any unlawful fitna?
(this is hard for me to understand, seeing as how taqwa,
self-restraint, and other things are so emphasizedin Islam)
His and her desires, yes, but within certain parameters including
rights. This will be detailed insha Allah.
However, it seems that intercourse with slaves was probably
considereda method of contraceptive sexual enjoyment through coitus
interruptus (`azl), since the slave owner could practice `azl without
prior permissionfrom his slave mate whilehe could not do so with his
free wife without prior permission from her. And if the contraception
intended by this `azl failed and theslave woman still bore a child
from her master, her child was automatically freed and obtained a son
or daughter's rights including inheritance. In addition, the mother
herself could no longer be sold and was freed upon the owner's death.
From the slave's perspective, the above scenario could have formed an
accepted kindof lawful gamble from which she stood to gain much more
than to lose. This could be problematized with the claim that "the
cost of freedom is therefore rape" but such is just an inflammatory
rephrasingof the truism that the cost of a war captive's life is her
imprisonment; emancipation from which is a dramatically enhanced
possibility in the above scenario.
Consider some more the dynamic of manumission in Islam. It took the
French until the 1780's and 1790's through their"Revolution" and
"Terror"to finally decide that any slave that steps into French
territory automatically becomes free; but Islam had already said, 11
centuriesearlier: a free parent's newborn from a slave is free and
that newborn inherits from his or her free parent.
In addition, Islam gave all slaves the inalienable right to buy
themselves out, either on payment of an agreed sum or on completion of
service for an agreed period. The legal term for this is mukataba and
the slave party to such a written contract was called a mukatab or
mukataba.
{And those of your slaves that seek a writing (of emancipation), write
it for them if you are aware of any goodness in them, and bestow upon
them of the wealth of Allah that He has bestowed upon you} (24:33).
{Alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them,
and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to *free the captives
and the debtors,* and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarers;
a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is knower, Wise} (9:60).
{Righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the angels
and the Scripture and the Prophets; and gives his wealth, for love of
Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to
those who ask, and to setslaves free} (2:177).
Note that the above verses stipulate that when a slave wants
emancipation the masternot only has to agree to it but is also
directed to help the slave from his own wealth and from alms, which
includes the public treasury (bayt al-mal), the only provision being
the satisfaction that the slavewould live a respectable life after
earning his or her freedom!
In addition, if a non-Muslim slave accepted Islam before their
masters, they wouldbecome free automatically. If the slavebecame blind
or handicapped he would also become free.
In addition to these compulsory ways of emancipation, voluntary
emancipation of slaves was declared as the purest form of charity and
included providing the freedmen with sufficient means to earn their
livelihood respectably. Thus, Islam isthe first and only religionthat
has prescribed liberation of slaves as a virtue and a condition of
genuine faith.
How is intercourse permissible without a marriage contract binding them?
Because the contract in place is that of property which includes the
right to sexual enjoyment but excludes the abuses usedunder all other
historical forms of slavery such as mutilation, inhumane labor, or
killing as was the rule in Egyptian, Greek, and Roman times, and the
cruelest of all forms, unparalleled in human history, the United
States Transatlantic slave trade.(*)
(*) Incidentally, many scholars estimate that over 20 percent of
Africans brought in bondage to both American continents and the
Caribbean were Muslim.
If the man then later frees the slave-woman, and perhaps she has a
child, would the man need to marry her? Is he still liable for
child-support? Does he still raise his children as a father? Is the
man allowed to do this with slaves that are not Muslim? (if so, under
what conditions?) and isthis woman entitled to any inheritance from
him? I was under the impression that a person can only inherit by
eithermarriage or blood-ties. wouldn't she be considered
a"concubine"?
Yes, the word concubine literally means bed-mate and applies to any
female slave that shares the bed of her master. The man is liable to
support any child of his and whatever need of itsmother that is
related to that liability. He is not obliged to marry her but is
definitely held to the responsibilities of a father including
inheritability whether the mother is a Muslim ornot, her child being
Muslim. Nor is she entitled to any inheritance unless he decides to
marry her ANDshe is Muslim. Allah knows best.
THE SECOND SET OF QUESTIONS
1- Is slavery allowed in Islam?
See the very first answer in this reply.
If not then what is the concept about female slaves that the right
handpossesses? This phrase has been said in the quraan a few times.
Captives in a legitimate defensive war.
2- Why was sex with female slaves allowed?
There was no concept that it could or should not be.
If a man is married and he has a slave then why is he having sex with her?
Sex was part of the benefits to which the slave owner was entitled
within the framework of rights already described.
I read that the prophet (pbuh) had a male child from his slave
(Mariah). why should a married man have sex with a salve woman? Aren't
their limitations to sexualdesire?
Precisely, these limitations are those mentioned by the Qur'an.
Doesn't the slave have any rights?
Of course the slave has rights as we have alreadymentioned. In
addition, in Islam, the slave even has rights to bring his or her
owner before a law-court.
What happened to human rights in this whole scenario?
As we mentioned already, slavery and ransom were the alternatives to
killing in war, but the slaves had to be fed and clothed with the same
food and clothing as their owner, they could not be burdened with
inhumane tasks, they could buy their freedoms, sue for their rights,
and had other human rights that place Islamic ethics in the context of
slavery above anything comparable in the ancient and modern worlds.
And when the slave gets pregnant there why doesn't the man have to marry her?
She and her child do obtain other rights as already mentioned but this
is not one of them.
3- Why did the prophet (pbuh) have 11 wives when only 4 at one time
was allowed? [...] the rules set by Allah are equal for everyone,
right? So how was this possible?
Allah Most High set some rules only for the Prophet, upon him peace.
These are known as the Khasa'is al-Nabawiyya or"Exclusive Prophetic
characteristics."
Some of those fall in the category of wajib; othersin the mustahabb;
othersin the mubah; others in the makruh; and others in the haram.
An example of the Prophetic wajib is tahajjud or late night praying
for most of the night. This was obligatory for him but is Sunna for
the Umma.
An example of the Prophetic haram is the eating of onion and garlic
due to his intimatecommunication with the angel, while it is
mubah/makruh for the Umma.
Another example of the Prophetic haram is the acceptance of sadaqa,
while it is permitted for the Umma except true descendents of his.
Another example is that Prophets are forbidden to leave any
inheritance other than sadaqa while anything any Muslim leaves is
obligatorily inheritance.
An example of the Prophetic mubah is his having more than 4 wives
while it is haram for the Umma. Another example is that he could marry
any man's widow while it is haram for the entire Umma to marry any of
his widows after him because they are literally like our mothers,and
some said, because his life in the Barzakh is literal.
An example of the Prophetic mustahabb is to show that certain
inappropriate acts are permissible by being seen doing them at least
one in his life, such as urinating or drinking while standing up, both
of which are makruh for the Umma while they were acts of obedience for
him. Another examplewas to leave certain meritorious acts such as
congregational tarawih and i`tikaf to show they were not obligatory,
while they are Sunna for us.
Another example of the Prophetic mustahabb was fasting without
breaking fast for longer than one day and night while such is haram or
makruh for the Umma.
An example of the Prophetic makruh is to exert himself in learning the
Qur'an while it is wajib for the Umma, or to avail himself of the
niceties of this world while it is mubah for the Umma, or to eat types
of food exotic to his native Hijaz which is also mubah for us.
There are other things that only the Prophet, upon him peace, did such
as going into battle on a mule when no one had the courage to use a
mule but used either a horse or a camel. Or naming the objects in
hisproperty including his mirror and comb. Or his superlatively
eloquent speech and knowledge of all the Arab dialects. And many, many
other attributes.
Among the most famous books on the Prophetic Khasa'is are al-Suyuti's
al-Khasa'is al-Kubra and Qadi `Iyad's glorious masterpiece al-Shifa'.
4- It is said in the koran that when a man dies he can have up to 70
wives if he goes to heaven.
Where does it say this??
It says that he will have the wives in this life and HOORIAN. But for
women they are only allowed one husband. Why is this so?
We do not know with certainty that there will be such a restriction on
women even if the reverse would hardly be mentionable to a decent
woman. A woman in the traditional world would and does consider it a
horrible thing to say to her that "You can have all the men you want"!
The Qur'an would never use inappropriate language. However, the Qur'an
does mention thatfor the inhabitants of Paradise - male and female -
{There wait on them immortal youths} (56:17), {There serve them youths
of everlasting youth, whom,when you see them, you would take for
scattered pearls} (76:19).
If this does not make a believing woman happy then, as Imam al-Shafi`i
said to the one who is not moved by erotic poetry, "You have no
feelings." As for the believing men, as one of the Awliya said, some
of them will need ghusl justfor hearing the verse {Same-age
young-bosomed girls} (78:33). Asfor us hard-hearted analphabets we may
read it and read it without effect.
In this life we know that if a woman were allowed more than one
husband, then there would be problems with the identity of the father
if she should have a child. So this will create problems, and the
father of the child will not be known. But in the after life, there
will not be new births.
Correct.
So then why cant womenhave men in the after lifeeither?
It is not clear they cannot, short of an all-but-explicit orgiastic
promise if that is what one wants.
Aren't women supposed to have the same rights as men?
No. They have some rights men have, some rights men do not have, and
men have some rights women do not have.
In the koraan it says that men have a degree of power over women, ok
fine, but even in the after life its like this? Wont women ever have
the same freedom that men enjoy???? Wont theyever be able to have the
same privileges that menhave?? Are women the lower cast? Is this the
way it is? And women should just accept it????
The so-called "degree of power" verse you mentioned is not about power
but responsibility and accountability placed squarely on the shoulders
of men. The rest of the relevant questions have been answered insha
Allah, and
Allah knows best.

Fathwa - More Women than Men in Hell?

Question:
I recently received the following from someone who is earnestly
attempting to follow the deen, but did not know how to reply in this
regard. Your help would be greatly appreciated. May Allah shower you
all with his infinite graces for all your service to the ummah:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I came accross this Hadith and was very disheartened:
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: The Prophet said: "I was shown the Hell-fire and
that the majority of its dwellers were women who were ungrateful."It
was asked, "Do they disbelieve in Allah?" (or are they ungratefulto
Allah?) He replied,"They are ungrateful to their husbands and
areungrateful for the favors and the good (charitable deeds) done to
them. If you have always been good (benevolent) to one of them and
then she sees something in you (not of her liking), she will say, 'I
have never received any good from you." Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book
2, Number 28
Women tolerates injustices from their husbands during the entire
period of their lifetime. 99% of the wives are treated like servants.
However, Islam does not give women the right to complain, or to react
against the injustice oftheir husbands, or to show the same bad
attitude to the husband as he shows. If a woman does any ofthis, hell
fire is her destiny!!
Please comment."
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Dear Questioner,
I pray this message finds you in good health and iman.
Hadith literature is a rich and fascinating glimpse into the life of
the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace. One of the most
amazing aspects of this literature is the fact that many women shared
in the transmission and preservation of the Prophet's legacy.
After all, if it weren't for the Prophet's wives, may Allah be well
pleased with them, countless facets of the Prophet's life might have
been lost to future generations. For those who claim that women had no
stake in Islamic history, all I can say is look to the hadith and the
phenomenal contributions of women like Aisha, Hafsa, and Umm Salama,
may Allah be pleased with them.
You may wonder why I'msaying this. I'm saying this because you have to
approach the hadith with some understanding of its context. There is
an entire field of studies called Hadith Studies. Scholars, past and
present, have devoted their entire lives to memorizing, understanding,
classifying, authenticating, tracing, and commenting on the thousands
of traditions associated with the Prophet, Allah bless him and give
him peace.
Ordinary students like us have no business taking one hadith and
running to the races with it. If we're confused about a hadith, then
we should go to an expert and ask him or her what it means. We owe the
Messenger, who is the Beloved of Allah, something calledhusn al-dhann,
or the benefit of the doubt. If we see a hadith that looks strangeto
us, we put the best construction on the matter.
First, we should recognize that we may not have sufficient knowledge
of the Arabic language to come to any conclusion on the hadith.
Second, we need to understand that this is one hadith in
thousands.Look how many hadith there are thatspeak positively of
women, andremindmen to honor women. Foremost of these hadith are the
ones that deal with motherhood. For example:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
A man came to Allah's Apostle and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Who is
more entitled to be treated with the best companionship by me?" The
Prophet said, "Your mother." The man said."Who is next?" The Prophet
said, "Your mother." The man further said, "Who is next?" The Prophet
said,"Your mother." The man asked for the fourth time, "Who is next?"
The Prophet said, "Your father. "
[Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 73, Number 2]
Third, there are other hadith that indicate a plentitude of women in
Paradise. For example:
Muhammad reported that some (persons) stated with a sense of pride and
some discussed whether there would be more men in Paradise or more
women. It was upon thisthat Abu Huraira reported that Abu'l Qasim (the
Holy Prophet)(may peace be upon him) said: The (members) of the first
group to get into Paradise would have their faces as bright as full
moon during the night, and the next to this group would have their
faces as bright as the shining stars in the sky, and every person
would have two wives and the marrow of their shanks would glimmer
beneath the flesh and there would be none without a wife in Paradise.
[Muslim, Book 040, Number 6793]
It looks like this was a topic of debate even in the early days of
Islam. It's important to also keep in mind that the Qur'an frequently
mentions the presence ofhoor al-ain, or beautiful virgins, in
Paradise. The Qur'an says, "But those who attain to faith and do
righteous deeds We shallbring into gardens through which running
waters flow, therein to abide beyond the count of time; there shall
they have spouses pure: and [thus] We shall bring them unto happiness
abounding." [Al-Nisa, 4:57]
This verse is a very clear statement on the spiritual parity between
men and women. Both believing men and women are promised a peaceful
abode in Paradise with loving spouses.
Once again, there is no indication that women are excluded from
Paradise and its rewards.
Fourth, even if we take the hadith at its literal meaning, is it
really an issue? Since we're all supposed to be striving for Paradise
anyway, weshould welcome the hadith as advice on how not to act.
In other words, the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace,
mayhave seen certain behavior from the women of his community. Out of
love and concern, he warned them that these behaviors would lead to
Hell rather than Paradise. This hadith is telling us how serious
ingratitude is. And it's a warning to both sexes.
The scholars frequently explain that hadiths like these can apply to
both sexes. Of course, there are ungrateful husbands. That goes
without saying. And of course many women have suffered at their
husbands' hands.
However, this hadith is addressing situations where women are in
thewrong. We have to be honest. A lot of women do take their husbands
for granted. We should be grateful that the Prophet, Allah bless him
and give him peace, warned us of the consequences of such unbecoming
behavior.
Last but not least, this hadith is not saying that any woman who
complains is going to Hell. This hadith addresses a very specific
behavior. Women certainly have the right to voice their grievances.
Isn't there an entire chapter of the Qur'an called al-Mujadilah? This
surah is the 58th chapterin the Qur'an and it is devoted to the story
of awoman who came to theProphet, Allah bless him and give him peace,
and complained about her husband.
The Prophet did not tell this woman that she wasgoing to Hell.
Instead, helistened to her, and AllahMost High revealed verses
directly addressing this woman'ssituation and condemning the husband
for his unacceptable behavior.
I pray that Allah Most High helps your friend tofind peace in this
beautiful way of life thathas enriched and inspired the lives of
countless women.
And Allah knows best.

Fathwa - Black Magic, Bad Duas, and Marriage

Question:
i had a friend who wasinvolved in certain things i never believedlike
going to some lady for taweez and when she would come from that lady
she will burn them in a particular manner i was even hiding this from
my parents as she was staying at my home and did burnt some of them at
my home after my parentsgoing to sleep.she wasin love with some guy
who didn't had any relations with her once when i told her that she is
being stupid she got upset and yelled at me and said i was jealous
fromher boy friend whom i never even saw ever...we end up on these
basis ..well after six months when i got married i once chattedwith
her and told her about my supply in medicine which she answered that
"you deserved this and evenworst and its the start you will see you
will never be happy'i was like OK as i was least pushed and i believed
in my ALLAH i took it very easy ,but now after 3 years i again
received an e mail from her in which she had a bad dua may be its just
a coincidence but the moment i got my step 1 usmle result in which i
failed i recievd her 2 consecuctive mails that was kind of scary for
me ...after i got married so far i dont have child doc told me i have
severe endometriosis which is rare at my age ...and i am into bad
things like masturbation . i do pray quite regularlythough but soon
after it i feel the urge and meand my husband are sofar in financial
crisis whatever we want to do get ruined i still dont blame anything
but my luck but yesterday i was talkingto a friend and she toldme that
i can check about whats going on as there are educated scholars on
this site so am putting everything in front of you to tell me whats
this all about i am just worried about all the potentials she had
andshe was a really selfishgirl and she cursed me so i am scared she
used to bring some taweez for her mother which she was burning when
she wasat my home i am just scared and would like to know what she was
doing and what affectsit can cause and is my current situation related
to anything with her intentions what should i do...waiting for your
advice
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.
Dear Sister,
I pray this message finds you in better health and iman.
Unfortunately, black magic is very real and it sounds as if this
person may have tried to perform some type of magic against you.
Alhamdulillah, there are ways to deal with this sort of thing. The
best thing you can do is seek Allah's protection from shaitan.
Ask Allah's forgiveness for your sins. Recite the Qur'an often,
especially the powerful Refuging Verses in the last two surahs. And be
constant in your remembrance of Allah.
Please refer to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari's article,
"Protection from Black Magic."
If this person is still harassing you, why don'tyou block her email
address? Don't let her think that she has any control over your life,
because she really doesn't. She can make allthe bad duas she wants;
only Allah Most High is in control of your affairs. Ask Allah to give
you the best of this world and the best of the hereafter and to save
you from thepunishment of the fire.
It really sounds like you're dealing with some jealousy issues here.
If that's the case, seek refuge in Allah fromthis person's envy and
move on with your life.
Don't think for a momentthat your endometriosis is related to this
person'sactions. Many women suffer from endometriosis, but
alhamdulillah, there are ways to cope with this condition and lead a
fulfilling life.
For more information on endometriosis, please visit www.endometriosis.org.
Finally, you mentioned a problem with masturbation. Since you are
married, you definitely want to look into this issue. Masturbation is
harmful, especially in a marriage, because it is the husband's duty to
satisfy his wife, and vice versa. If you feel that you are not being
sexually satisfied, then you need to discuss this with your husband in
an open, loving manner. Resortingto masturbation will onlycause you
more frustration in the long run.
Last but not least, please try to consult a local scholar for more assistance.
And Allah knows best.

Story - I am really confused! Please, ...

Everything started when Ileast expected and what happened was
something that I could never imagine happening to me!
I was at a company party!Dancing, laughing, alcohol and right now,
everything seems pretty fuzzy. I don't remember everything, but I
remember enough to have occasional images coming up in my ming that
are making me blush.
... Images full of passion and in which I strongly desire a certain
man. I am positive that if he were here and if it were to be the right
time, we wouldn't have possibly stopped by just with kissing or
touching!!!
I have been married for ayear and a half, but the man from that other
night was not my husband, but a colleague of mine. I can't stop
thinking about that! I am trying to figure out why it happened and I
keep getting to answers that are not giving me any peace!
I am assuming that everything is due to the fact that I have only
beenwith one man my entire life; my wonderful, lovingand serene
husband; the only man that I want to be the father of my children!
We have been together for 8 years and I am 25 years old. Maybe this is
the reason why; that I aminexperienced, I don't really know! All I
know is that I don't want to hurt him, but I can't be possibly be sure
that I would be able to refrain myself from doing anything...
I want to stop! But I can't!Everyday I spend a lot of time with my
colleague and I am getting more and more attracted to him! After what
happened, we "agreed" that what happened there the other night
willremain there. But every time I look at him, I get all those
passionate images in my head and I just can't stop myself...
I can see it in his eyes that he wants me too, I have no doubts about
that! I think it's a matter of time for what happened the other night
to happen again, but this time, without having the alcohol as the good
excuse that it is!
How do I make myself stop?
How do I make myself stop wanting him and how do I bring back the
passion in my relationship with my husband???
I don't want to continue falling asleep next to my husband and to keep
thinking about someone else!

Story - Dilemma. Heart broken

Heartbroken seems to be something common in my life. Hi dear readers,
I would like to share a story of mine which everything started when I
was in my school age. Had this sweet cute love for 5 years when
everything ended up because he cheated on me. An express love story to
start my life huh? I proceeded my life until I got into college. I
found someone who's really kind and sincere to me. He did really cared
bout me and helped almost everything when I just started my college
life. Hewas 4 years older than me and we really had great time. But my
life didn't get that easy whenI suddenly fell in love with this guy,A.
Yes, its my fault but I never felt such a deep love with anyone like
A. As for result, I left the guy who's older than me and I went with
A. Our life was like the most happiest couple ever had. We really know
eachother well, we even had the same family background which kinda
complicated. its like when I'm with him, its like I'm in the other
world which there's no one else but us. Happily ever after feeling. I
soon realised that life couldn't be more easier when I really had my
karma.
A told me that he wantedto take his time because of his studies and
wantedto enjoy his life cz he didn't want to regret it later on(which
I thought was bullshit). He just left me and without any news of him,
sooner I found that he did went out with some girls. My heart was
totally crushed and I was kinda insane for like a month. Come and go
is want the life is, a guy which I never met eventhough we were in the
same programmme for 3 years,suddenly wishes to be friend with me. We
became friends and he started to confess his feelings towards me.
Ifelt kinda guilty to give a straight no. So I did accept to be his gf
but forthe time being I told him that I didn't had those kinda feeling
towards him cz I was too afraid tolove someone again.
With no second guess, heaccepted and we proceed our relationship for
almost a year. After a chat and some memories,I started to had those
feelings towards my bf. The problem is now, my current bf did
something which really made me dissapointed. From what he did to me,
as if like I'msomeone with no dignity.Not just enough with those
problems, suddenlyguy A came back to me and asking me forgiveness. A
told me that he was too dumb and too ego to realize everything he did
was wrong.
Now I'm in dilemma. I do love my bf, but I really loved A so much.
Yeah forsure my bf has a totally different family background which I
was really comfort with their ways for accepting me and he do love me.
But with A was different, it was just love. I could onlygive love as
my reason for wanting him. I alwaysthought that if I really do love my
bf that much, I wouldn't be this hard to choose between both of them.
Means that my loveis not that much for my bf as my love for A??
Currently I couldn't choose either one of them. I'm afraid that I
would regret someday and I really don't wanna break any of their
hearts.I told both of them that I just want to be friends with them.
Just like me and my other friends. To ease this story, A is my ex
which he left me but I really do love him with all my heart. He is
kinda flirting type with other woman. My bf is kind andinnocent guy
who just made me dissapointed and make me feel like no dignity. Now
the point is I know that I should choose my bf rather than A. But my
love towards A is making me hard to decide. I really don't wanna
regret and love someonelse while I'm married with another guy. I just
couldn't decidewho I should give the second chance. One who left me,
one who made me felt like I'm such a cheap girl. I'm totally in
dilemma. Any advice would be really a help forme. For sure a divorce
after marriage is a no for me because my previous life from a divorced
family.
Please. Help.

'Replace capitalism with Islamic system’

Board members of the Al Quds)Jerusalem( International Institution
including Attallah)second from left(, Mishal )fourth from left( and
Qaradawi )third from right
Doha-based Islamic scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi has urged Muslim
countries to take advantage of the global financial crisis and build a
new fiscal system which is compatible with Islamic principles.
"We have our own economic philosophy and system which others do not
have. The collapse of the capitalist system, which is based on usury
and securities rather than commodities in markets, shows us that it is
undergoing a crisis and that our integrated Islamic philosophy, if
properly understood and applied,can replace the Western capitalism,"
he said.
"We have all the means of power.We have an abundance of economic and
human resources. If we know how to make the best use of the
opportunity, Muslim countries can build a newsystem among themselves,"
he said.
Qaradawi who was speaking at the opening of the sixth annual meeting
of the Al Quds)Jerusalem( International Institution which got under
way in Doha yesterday, also urged the Palestinian Hamas and Fatah
movement to be "united" for achieving the hope of wresting the control
of Jerusalem from theIsraelis.
"I call on both our brother Khalid Mishal )the head of Hamas( and our
friend Abu Mazin )the Palestinian president( to meet and seek
reconciliation so that they can achieve our hopes. It is not true that
Israel is invincible. We are able to conquer and we will do."
The scholar also warned against what he called "Israel's ongoing
excavations under the Al Aqsa Mosque."
Mishal, the Damascus-based chief of Hamas Political Bureau, raised
doubts about the possibility of reaching any settlement with Israel
via negotiation.
"What should be very clear is thatregaining control of Al Quds and the
any other usurped Palestinianrights would be impossible through
negotiation. Even for thePalestinians refugees' right to return,
Israel does not want evento admit the moral responsibility of
deporting them," he said.
Mishal also blamed both the US and Israel for the "division between
the Palestinian factions"saying that the US and Israel were putting
obstacles in the way of any possible settlement between the
Palestinians.
"It is America which undermined the Makkah peace deal. But now both
America and Israel are embroiled in their internal problems," he said,
while observing that the Hamas movement delegate, who is currently in
Cairo, has a reconciliation formula to form a government of national
unity.
The three-day meeting will seek to garner support for the protection
of Jerusalem and its holy sites against what they call "Israeli
attempts to Judaise the city and its holy cities."
The meeting brought together some 300 personalities from different
countries as well as NGOs which convened in Doha to discuss ways to
protect and conserve the heritage of Jerusalem.

High food costs 'a global burden'

Almost two-thirds of people - 60% - in 26 countries say higher food
and energy prices this year have affected them "a great deal", a BBC
report has found.
The BBC World Service global study said that while all nations had
felt the burden of the higher costs, the problem was most acute in
poorer countries.
The Philippines was one of the worst hit of those nations questioned.
Elsewhere, the aid agency Oxfam said more than 900 million people
faced starvation because of soaring prices.
A report by the UK-based charity also found that spiraling inflationin
the cost of basic foods like rice and cereals had pushed an extra 119
million people into hunger this year.
Since the BBC survey was conducted between 8 July and 15 September,
energy prices have fallen back from record highs.
Food costs are also now expectedto start to decline, as lower oil and
petrol prices mean cheaper fertilizer and reduced distributioncosts,
among other contributory factors.
Eating less
The study found that many people in the developing world have simply
been forced to eat less this year owing to the highercost of food.
This situation was most acute in the Philippines and Panama, where 63%
of respondents said they had cut back on what they eat.
Kenya was the next most affected, with 61% saying they were eating
less, followed by Nigeria, at 58%.
Across all 26 countries, 43% of people said they have had alteredtheir diet.
This was most apparent in Panama, with 71% switching to cheaper foods,
followed by Egypt,67%, Kenya, 64%, and again, the Philippines, 63%.
'Unhappy'
In the developing world, 27% of those questioned in Australia said
they were now cutting back on what they eat due to higher prices,
compared with 25% in theUK, and 10% in Germany.
The survey also showed that 70% of people across the world
were"unhappy with what their national government is doing to keep food
prices affordable".
Dissatisfaction at a perceived lackof government action to tackle food
prices was most apparent inEgypt, where 88% of those questioned said
they were unhappy with their leaders, followed by the Philippines, on
86%, and Lebanon, on 85%.
In the developed world, the French respondents were the most
dissatisfied with their government, with 79% saying they were unhappy.
Energy woes
Respondents were equally unhappy at higher energy costs, which
increased sharply in the first half of this year, but are nowfalling
back.
Some 60% of people across the 26 nations saying they were being
affected "a great deal", exactly the same percentage as for higher
food costs.
The Philippines was again the worst hit nation, with 96% sayingthey
were being hit a great deal, followed by Egypt on 93%, Indonesia on
84%, Kenya on 83%,and Mexico on 81%.
Majorities in several developed countries also said they were being
affected a great deal by higher energy costs - 61% in Italy,59% in
France, and 58% in the US.
Doug Miller, chairman of polling firm GlobeScan, which co-conducted
the survey for the BBC, said the problem of higher food and energy
bills was being overshadowed by the continuing crisis in the financial
sector.
"While governments around the world are now preoccupied with the
financial crisis, it is clear that many of their citizens feel they
aren't doing enough to relieve the burden of high food prices, which
is falling on those who canleast afford it," he said.
The Philippines has been particularly affected by higher food prices
this year, as with its rapidly growing population and shortage of
suitable land for crops, it is the world's largest importer of rice.
Rice prices soared to record highsin the first half of 2008 due to a
series of poor harvests that saw major exporters such as Vietnam and
India put limits on exports toensure sufficient supplies for their own
populations.
The BBC's economics correspondent, Andrew Walker, said that there were
reasons to suppose the food crisis may have eased somewhat.
But for many people it was still the case that food was painfully,
even dangerously expensive, said our correspondent.
The survey spoke to 27,319 adultsin the following countries -
Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, France, Germany,
India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan,
Panama, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, UAE,
US, and the UK.
It was co-conducted by the Program on International Policy Attitudes.

Asian tsunami 'not the first'

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that devastated large parts of Asia was
not the first and will likely not be the last, two separate geological
studies have found.
Geologists analyzing rocks in coastal marshes in the region found that
a massive wave struckthe same area about 700 years ago, the British
science magazineNature reported in its latest edition.
The studies pointed to large deposits of sand washed inland by the
ancient waves and preserved under layers of coastal peat.
Scientists behind the study say the findings offer more reason
toeducate people living along vulnerable coastal regions about the
danger from tsunamis.
"Tsunamis are something we never experienced before and after 2004,
people thought it wassomething we would never experience again,"
Kruawun Jankaew of Thailand's Chulalongkorn University told Reuters.
"But from this, we are able to identify that the place has been hit by
a mega tsunami in the past. So even though it is infrequent for this
part of the world, it still happens and there is a need to promote
tsunami education for coastal peoples."
He said that two more layers of sand were found under the 1400 layer,
but more carbon dating studies would be needed before scientists could
tell when they were deposited.
Almost a quarter of a million people died in the 2004 tsunami, most of
them in the Indonesian province of Aceh, southern Thailand and Sri
Lanka.
Many hundreds of thousands more lost their homes and livelihoods.
The deadly wave was triggered by a massive undersea earthquake off the
island of Sumatra.
Some analysts blame the massiveloss of life of ignorance of the
region's tsunami history, becausefew people living along the affected
coasts recognized natural tsunami warning signs.
Such signs include the strong shaking felt in Aceh and the sudden,
rapid retreat of the sea that was observed in Thailand.
Many residents of one island off the coast of Aceh are believed to owe
their survival in 2004 to the local community's oral history
traditions, which have related stories through the generations of a
devastating tsunami which hit in 1907.

Dought & clear - Will there be pregnancy and childbirth in Paradise?

We know that there willbe wives in Paradise; will there be any
pregnancy and childbirth?
Praise be to Allah.
Some of the scholars are of the view that if a person wishes to have a
child in Paradise, Allah will fulfil that wish for him. They quoted as
evidence for that the report narrated by at-Tirmidhi (2563) in
hisSunanfrom Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) who
said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) said: "If the believer wishes for a child in Paradise, the
pregnancy, birth and growth will occur withinan hour, as he wishes."
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Jaami', 6649
What is meant is that thepregnancy will occur and the child will be
born and will grow to the age of perfection, which is thirty years, as
the person wishes, i.e., the child will be male or female and so on,
in accordance with the person's wishes.
This is the view of many of the scholars.
Some of the scholars said that in Paradise there will be
intercoursebut there will be no children. This view was narrated from
Tawoos, Muhaajid and Ibraaheem an-Nakha'i.
Imam al-Bukhaari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It was narrated
from Abu Razeen al-'Uqayli that the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) said: "The people of Paradise will not have
children there."
The hadeeth referred to by al-Bukhaari was narrated by Imam Ahmad
(15773) from AbuRazeen al-'Uqayli (may Allah be pleased with him) in a
lengthy hadeeth in which it says "The righteous women will be for the
righteous man, you will enjoy them as you enjoyed them in this world,
and they will enjoy you, but you will not produce children."
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:It has the dignity
and light of Prophethood which suggests that it is saheeh. However it
was classed as da'eef by al-Albaani inZalaal al-Jannah, and Shu'ayb
al-Arna'oot said: Its isnaad is da'eef and is a series of unknown
narrators.
The hadeeth clearly states that there will be no childbirth, but there
is a difference of opinion as to its soundness.
With regard to the hadeeth of Abu Sa'eed (may Allah be pleased with
him), "If the believer wishes for a child in Paradise, the pregnancy,
birth and growth will occur withinan hour, as he wishes", itwas noted
that its soundness is subject to further discussion. HenceIbn
al-Qayyim said concerning it: Its isnaad meets the conditions of
soundness, but it is ghareeb jiddan.Haadi al-Arwaah, p. 213
And he said: With regardto this hadeeth of Abu Saeed al-Khudri, the
bestof its isnaads is the isnaad of at-Tirmidhi, who determined that
it is ghareeb and that it is only known from the hadeeth of
Abu's-Siddeeq an-Naaji, and the wording of the hadeeth is not sound.
End quote.
Imam Ishaaq ibn Raahawayh (may Allah have mercy on him) said
concerning the hadeeth of the Prophet (blessingsand peace of Allah be
upon him), "If the believer wishes for a child in Paradise, the
pregnancy, birth and growth will occur withinan hour, as he wishes":
But he will not wish. What is meant by the words of Ishaaq is that the
words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), "If
the believer wishes …" are hypothetical )i.e., if the believer were to
wish, but in fact he will not wish).
Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned a number of reasons why it is most likely that
there will be no childbirth in Paradise, such as the following:
1.The hadeeth of Ibn Razeen
2.The words of Allah, may He be exalted (interpretation of the
meaning):"Therein they shall have Azwajun Mutahharatun (purified mates
or wives)" [an-Nisa'4:57]. They are the ones who have beenpurified
from menses, nifaas (postpartum bleeding) and so on.
It was narrated that Mujaahid said: Purified from menses, stools,
urine, sputum, spitting, maniy and childbirth.
3.Allah, may He be glorified, made pregnancy and childbirth along with
menses and maniy; if women were to become pregnant inParadise, menses
and other discharges would not cease for them.
4.It is proven inas-Saheehthat the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) said: "There will remain inParadise surplus space,
and Allah will create a creation forit and cause them to inhabit it
(the surplus space)." Narrated by Muslim, 5085. If there were to be
childbirth in Paradise, then this surplus space would be for those who
would be born there, and they would be more entitled to it than
others.
5.Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the
meaning):"And those who believe and whose offspring follow them in
Faith, to them shall We join their offspring" [at-Toor 52:21]. Here He
tells us that He will honour themby joining to them their offspring
that they had in this world. If they were to have offspring in
Paradise, Allah would have referred to them asHe referred to their
worldly offspring, because they would be delighted with them (the
hypothetical offspring in Paradise) as they were delighted with their
children in this world (i.e., the fact that He mentioned only the
worldly offspring indicates that there will be no offspring in
Paradise).
6.Either we say that there will ongoing procreation inParadise or that
it will continue until some point, then cease. But both ideas
areimpossible, because the former implies endless birth of new
individuals,whilst the latter implies the end of one of the pleasures
of the people of Paradise, and that is impossible. And we cannot say
that there will be procreation and people will die to be succeeded by
others, because there is no death there.
7.People will not grow inParadise as they did inthis world, so the
children of its people will not grow and become bigger, and the men
will not grow. Rather these children will remain small and will not
change, and the adults will be thirty-three years old and will not
change either. If there were any childbirth in Paradise, then the
child would have to grow until it became an adult. It is well known
that children who die will reach the age of thirty-three without
growing.
Then he said: Paradise is not the realm of procreation; rather it is
the place of eternal abode and those who are in it will never die and
be replaced by their offspring. End quote.
Haadi al-Arwaah, 1/173
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear - When should a Muslim start fasting six days of Shawwaal?

When can I start fasting six days of Shawwal, since we have annual
leave right now?
Praise be to Allaah.
You can start fasting six days of Shawwaal from the second day of
Shawwaal, because it is haraam to fast on the day of Eid. You can fast
the six days at any time during Shawwaal, although the best of good
deeds are those which are done soonest.
The standing committee received the following question:
Should fasting the six days be done immediately after Ramadaan,
following the day of Eid or is it permissible to do it a few days
after Eid in the month of Shawwaal or not?
They replied as follows:
These days do not have to be fasted immediatelyafter Eid al-Fitr; it
is permissible to start fasting them one or more days after Eid, and
they may be done consecutively or separately during the month of
Shawwaal, according to what is easier for a person. There is plenty of
room for maneuver in this matter, and this is not obligatory, it is
Sunnah.
And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah bless our Prophet
Muhammad and his family and companions and grant them peace.

Dought & clear - The virtue of fasting six days of Shawwaal

What is the ruling on fasting six days of Shawwaal? Is it waajib (obligatory)?
Praise be to Allaah.
Fasting six days of Shawwaal after the obligatory fast of Ramadaan
isSunnah Mustahabbah, not waajib. It is recommended for the Muslim to
fast six days ofShawwaal, and in this there is great virtue and an
immense reward. Whoever fasts these six days will have recorded for
him a reward as if hehad fasted a whole year,as was reported in a
saheeh hadeeth from the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him). Abu Ayyoob (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the
Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Whoever fasts Ramadaan and follows itwith six days of Shawwaal, it
will be as ifhe fasted for a lifetime."(Narrated by Muslim, Abu
Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nisaa'i and Ibn Maajah).
The Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained
thiswhen he said: "Whoever fasts for six days after (Eid) al-Fitr has
completed the year: (whoever does a good deed (hasanah) will have ten
hasanah like it)." According to another report: "Allaah has made for
each hasanah ten like it, so a month is like fasting ten months, and
fasting six days completes the year."(al-Nisaa'i and Ibn Maajah. See
alsoSaheeh al-Targheeb wa'l-Tarheeb, 1/421).It was also narrated by
IbnKhuzaymah with the wording: "Fasting for the month of Ramadaan
brings the reward of tenlike it, and fasting for sixdays brings the
reward of two months, and that is the fasting of the whole year."
The Hanbali and Shaafa'ifuqaha' explained that fasting six days of
Shawwaal after fasting Ramadaan makes it as if one has fasted for an
entire year of obligatoryfasts, because the multiplication of the
reward applies even to naafil fasts, because each hasanah brings the
reward of ten like it.
Another of the important benefits of fasting six days of Shawwaal is
that is makes up for any shortfall in a person's obligatory Ramadaan
fasts, because no one is free of shortcomings or sins that have a
negativeeffect on his fasting. On the Day of Resurrection, some of his
naafil deeds will be taken to make upthe shortcomings in his
obligatory deeds, as the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "The first thing for which people will be brought to
account on the Day of Resurrection will be their salaah (prayer).
OurLord, may He be glorified and exalted, will say to His angels –
although He knows best – 'Look at the salaah of My slave, whether it
is complete or incomplete.'If it is perfect, it will be recorded as
perfect, and if something is lacking, He will say, 'Look and see
whether My slave didany voluntary (naafil) prayers.' If he did some
voluntary prayers, [Allaah] will say, Complete the obligatory actions
of My slave from his voluntary actions.' Then all his actions will be
dealt with in a similarmanner."(Narrated by Abu Dawood).
And Allaah knows best.

Inspirational Stories for Teenagers: Most BeautifulHeart(Love and Islam, Love (Hubb) in Islam)

One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming
that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley.
A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect.
There was nota mark or a flaw in it.
Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen.
The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly about his beautifulheart.
Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said,
"Whyyour heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine."
The crowd and the youngman looked at the old man's heart. It was
beating strongly ... but full of scars. It had places where pieces had
been removed and other pieces put in ... but they didn't fit quite
right and there were several jagged edges.
In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing.
The people starred ... how could he say his heart is more beautiful,
they thought?
The young man looked atthe old man's heart and saw its state and
laughed. "You must be joking," he said."Compare your heart withmine
... mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears."
"Yes," said theold man,"Yours is perfect looking ... but I would never
trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have
given my love ..... I tear out a piece of my heart and give it tothem
... and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the
empty place in my heart... but because the pieces aren't exact, I have
some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love
weshared.
Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away... and the other person
hasn't returned a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges
... giving love is taking a chance. Although these gouges are painful,
they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too
... and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have
waiting. So now do you see what true beautyis?"
The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks. He
walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful
heart, and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man with
trembling hands.
The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a
piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the
young man's heart.
It fit .... but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges.
The young man looked athis heart, not perfect anymore but more
beautiful than ever, sincelove from the old man's heart flowed into
his.
They embraced and walked away side by side.

Inspirational Stories for Teenagers: Gift of Love(Love Story, Love and Islam, Love (Hubb) in Islam)

The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive
young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps.
She paid thedriver and, using her hands to feel the locationof the
seats, walked down the aisle and foundthe seat he had told her was
empty. Then she settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested
her cane against her leg.
It had been a year since Safiya, thirty-four, became blind. Due to a
medical misdiagnosis shehad been rendered sightless, and she was
suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and
self-pity.Once a fiercely independent woman, Safiya now felt condemned
by this terrible twist of fate to become a powerless, helpless burden
on everyone around her.
"How could this have happened to me?" she would plead, her heart
knotted with anger. But no matter how much she cried or ranted, she
knewthe painful truth her sight was never going to return. A cloud of
depression hung over Safiya's once optimistic spirit. Just getting
through each day was anexercise in frustration and exhaustion. And all
she had to cling to was her husband Meraj.
Meraj was an Air Force officer and he loved Safiya with all of his
heart. When she first lost her sight, he watched hersink into despair
and wasdetermined to help his wife gain the strength and confidence
she needed to become independent again. Meraj's military background
had trained him well to deal with sensitive situations, and yet he
knew this was the most difficult battle he would ever face.
Finally, Safiya felt ready to return to her job, but how would she get
there? She used to take the bus, but was now toofrightened to get
around the city by herself. Meraj volunteered to drive her to work
each day, even though they worked at opposite ends of the city.
At first, this comforted Safiya and fulfilled Meraj's need to protect
his sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the slightest
task. Soon, however, Meraj realized that this arrangement was not
working - it was hectic, and costly. Safiya is goingto have to start
taking the bus again, he admitted to himself. But just the thought of
mentioning it to her made him cringe. She was still so fragile, so
angry. How would she react?
Just as Meraj predicted, Safiya was horrified at the idea of taking
the bus again. "I am blind!" she responded bitterly."How am I supposed
to know where I am going? I feel like you are abandoning me."
Meraj's heart broke to hear these words, but he knew what had to be
done. Meraj promised Safiya that each morning and evening he would
ride the bus with her, for as long as it took, until she got the hang
of it. And that is exactly what happened. For two solid weeks, Meraj,
military uniform and all, accompanied Safiya to and from work each
day. Meraj taught her how to rely on her other senses, specifically
her hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt to her new
environment.
Meraj helped her befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for her
and save her a seat. Meraj made her laugh, even on those not-so-good
days when she would trip exiting the bus or drop her briefcase. Each
morning they made the journey together and Meraj would take a cab back
to his office. Although this routine was even more costly and
exhausting than the previous one, Meraj knew it was only a matter of
time before Safiya would be able to ride the bus on her own. Meraj
believed in her, in the Safiya he used to know before she would lost
her sight, who was not afraid of any challenge and who would never,
ever quit.
Finally, Safiya decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own.
Monday morning arrived,and before she left, she threw her arms around
Meraj, her temporary busriding companion, her husband, and her best
friend. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his
patience, his love. Safiya said good-bye, and for the first time, they
went their separate ways.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... Each day on her own went
perfectly and Safiyahad never felt better. Safiya was doing it! She
was going to work all by herself!
On Friday morning, Safiyatook the bus to work as usual. As she was
paying for her fare to exit the bus, the driver said,"Sister, I sure
envy you."
Safiya was not sure if the driver was speaking to her or not. After
all, who on earth would ever envya blind woman who had struggled just
to find the courage to live for the past year? Curious, she asked the
driver, "Why do you say that you envy me?"
The driver responded, "It must feel so good to be taken care of and
protected like you are."
Safiya had no idea what the driver was talking about, and asked
again,"What do you mean?"
The driver answered,"You know, every morning for the past week, a fine
looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the
corner watching you when you get off the bus.He makes sure you cross
the street safely and he watches you until you enter your office
building. Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and
walks away. You are one lucky woman."
Tears of happiness poured down Safiya's cheeks. For although she could
not physically see him, she had always felt Meraj's presence. Safiya
was lucky, so lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than
sight, a gift she did not need to see to believe - Gift of Lovethat
can bring light where there had been darkness ...
Surely Noble Qur'an says:"The Believers, men and women, are protectors
one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil:
they observe regular prayers, practice regular charity, and obey Allah
and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His mercy: for Allah is
Exalted in power, Wise." Tawba (9:71) Love (Hubb) in Islam