For children, - Quran Stories for Children: Who will take the Noble Qur'an?

Share

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso (Spanish artist who lived in France) to Raphael (Italian painter). They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.
When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
About a month later, just before Eid ul-Fitr, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.
He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art."
The young man held out this package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."
The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.
The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.
On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"
There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings! Skip this one."
But the auctioneer persisted. "Will somebody bid for this painting. Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"
Another voice angrily, "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs (Dutch painter), the Rembrandts (Dutch artist). Get on with the real bids!"
But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?" Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting.' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.
We have $10, who will bid $20? Give it to him for $10. "Let's see the masters...." $10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?
The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"
A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the collection!"
The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over."
"What about the great paintings?"
I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!
Allah (SWT) gave His Noble Qur'an hundreds of years ago to guide us. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: "The Noble Qur'an, the Noble Qur'an, who'll take the Noble Qur'an? Because whoever takes the Noble Qur'an gets everything."

Share

Family Issues, - Daughters - A Blessing

Share

Allaah Almighty says (what means): “To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth; He creates what He wills. 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 is Knowing and Competent.” [Quran 49:50] Allah 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 of daughters preceded that of sons, and the scholars commented on this saying: “This is to hearten daughters 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 receiving daughters, to the extent that they would bury them alive; therefore, it is as if Allah 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 of them 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 with her husband, and she preferred to stay with her husband. At that point, Qays took a pledge upon 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 those who 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 she was 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 reached a 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 who would forbid such acts, such as Sa’sa’ah ibn Naajiyah At-Tameemi, who would go to those attempting to kill their daughter offering money to 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 Allah, they become angry, discontent and grieved.
With the advent of Islam, the darkness of that era vanished and Allah enjoined kindness, love and compassion towards girls. Taking good care of girls was encouraged, as was giving them special attention in the process of their upbringing. In fact, Islam has designated a special reward for raising them that is not granted for raising sons. Anas reported that the Prophet said: "He who raises two daughters until their puberty will be with me in Paradise like this", and he symbolized the proximity by showing two of his fingers with a slight gap between them." (Muslim)
`Aa’ishah(ra) 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 I gave her. She divided it between her two daughters and ate nothing herself; then, she got up and left. After this, the Messenger of Allah 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-Bukhari & Muslim).
In another narration of this incident, `Aa’ishah (ra) 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) freed her from Hell.'"(Muslim)
Pay close attention to wording of the following narration: 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 further clarified in other narrations, such as: “If he patiently feeds them and endows them with clothing …" (Ibn Majah)., and: “…Provides for them and marries them off…” (At-Tabarani)., and: “…Properly raises them and fears Allah 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(saw) said: “Whoever Allah has given two daughters and is kind towards them, will have them as a reason for him to be admitted into Paradise.” And: “Whoever Allah has given three daughters and he perseveres through raising them, will have them as a shield for him from the Hellfire on the Day of Resurrection.”
A daughter is a great bounty and an honour granted by Allah, Hasan (ra) said: “Girls are a source of reward and sons are a blessing; rewards are in one's favour (on the Day of Judgement) whereas one will 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 to him. 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 the Muslims under the pretext of defending 'women’s rights' which is in reality an evil attempt to play on the emotions of women so that they will become rebellious towards their fathers and husbands, and to encourage them to leave their homes and demand their 'freedom'. This is a gate towards evil and immorality which gradually attracts women and 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 honour for girls that the Prophets may Allah exalt their mention, had daughters and that most of the children of our beloved Prophet(saw) were daughters, namely: Zaynab(ra), Ruqayyah(ra), Umm Kalthoom(ra) and Fatimah (ra) .

Share

Family Issues, - Easy tips to a sound upbringing

Share

The best way to discipline your children is to teach and guide them, more than obliging them to be disciplined. The process of improving a child’s behavior is an educational, not a punitive process. In this case, you should prefer a smile to frowning, a calm voice to shouting and a reward to punishment.
In this article, we offer you thirteen tips that will significantly affect your methodology while you change your child’s behavior. These thirteen tips will form a new atmosphere for discipline making it an easy matter. However, you should listen to, respond and consider every tip.
First: Be a good example:
Your child is watching you continuously and he absorbs the way you face frustration, your behavior while you are angry, the extent of your truthfulness, honesty, generosity, morals, and so on. Hence, it would be easier to change your child’s behavior if you are his role-model in doing what you order him to do. It should be known that you cannot give what you do not have.
Second: Encourage efficiency:
According to experts,“Self-confidence is a good cornerstone for self-control.”When you praise your child’s good behavior, you build his self-confidence. Such self-confidence will help you a great deal in improving his bad behavior.
Third: Teach your child social skills:
Getting the child accustomed to good social manners at a young age will save a lot of effort when he gets older. So, from now teach him to seek permission before entering others’ rooms, to say“Jazaak Allaahu Khayran(May Allaah reward you)” to anyone who does him a favor, to kiss his parents’ hands, to visit his relatives, and to help his mother with the housework. Every effort that you exert with a young child will be a great asset helping you to change his bad behavior when he gets older.
Fourth: Give your child authority to an extent that is proportional to his age:
The more you find ways to encourage independence, the more you save a lot of time in the future. You should teach your child to make his own decisions, for example, to choose his own clothes and to buy his own things. The child who has some kind of authority will control himself more and will be more capable of changing his behavior.
Fifth: Charge with responsibilities:
Many parents do not entrust tasks to their children because they feel that it is easier to do them themselves or they do not want to overburden their children. However, this attitude should be changed and the child should be encouraged to participate in the housework and to help his father at work. This should take place after teaching and training the child to do so in order not to feel a failure. The child who shoulders responsibility at a young age will be more able to change his own bad behavior.
Sixth: First attract their attention:
Your children may notice that you talk, but if they do not pay attention to your words, they will not respond. Therefore, your first step is to be keen on attracting their attention.
-Go to the room to speak directly to your child.
-Be keen on visual communication which requires flexibility to be on the same level of the child.
-Your demands should be simple and your explanation should be easy and clear to understand.
Seventh: Look for other means of rejection:
The child usually turns a deaf ear to everything that he does not like to hear. This means that the more interesting your speech is, the greater your chance is to gain their attention.
-Instead of telling the child,“Stop shouting”,you should say,“Please, speak in your normal voice.”
-Instead of saying to the child,“Stop throwing the ball inside the house”, you should say,“Take the ball and play outside”.
Guiding the child in a positive way will save you from direct confrontation related to his behavior. It will also give the child a space to choose. You should not say to him,“Do not play football”;rather, you should say,“Do not play football here.”
Eighth: Set limits:
Some parents fear setting limits thinking doing so will weaken the child’s personality. However, when you spend some time with children who have no limits, you will immediately realize the importance and positive effect of this approach on the child.
Ninth: Anticipate the situation and deal with it before it takes place:
For instance, if your child insists on having everything he wants from the toy store, then, you need to go there without accompanying him until he gets older. It is wise to avoid the development of some bad attitudes in our children.
Tenth: Setting punishments:
The best way to indicate your dissatisfaction with any bad behavior is to set punishments. For example, you may say,“If you do not go on time, you will not be able to go to the picnic”,“If you beat your young sister, you will not get your pocket money”,and so on.
Eleventh: Be flexible and ready to negotiate if necessary:
Flexibility in upbringing means having sufficient wisdom that does not drive the parent to ask the child to immediately do his homework after returning from a hard day at school. In this situation, the parent should say,“I think you should have some rest now. I will wake you up after you have rested.”
Twelfth: Using the method of rewards:
Reward is different from bribes.
A bribe is to make a previous agreement with the child, for example, to have a certain amount of money in order not to raise his voice in the market.
A reward is to give the child a reward in return for his polite behavior all the day.
Giving rewards enhances good morals and creates a new atmosphere. So, you should not forget to use it as a successful means of upbringing.
Thirteenth: Be firm on principle:
You should mind what you say and adhere to it. In this way, the child will understand that you are serious. This will save a lot of your efforts. Firmness on principles is the basis according to which you can bring up your child. If you can set some rules and behavior to be followed inside the family, you will grant your child the starting point according to which he can make his own decisions.

Share

Family Issues, - Love Her...

Share

Love her .when she sips on your coffee or tea. She only wants to make Sure it tastes just right for you.
Love her when she "pushes" you to pray. She wants to be with you in Jannah (Paradise).
Love her when she asks you to play with the kids. She did not "make" them on her own.
Love her when she is jealous. Out of all the men she can have, she chose you
Love her when she has annoying little habits that drives you nuts. You Have them too.
Love her when her cooking is bad. She tries.
Love her when she looks disheveled in the morning. She always grooms herself up again.
Love her when she asks to help with the kids homework. She only wants you to be part of the home.
Love her when she asks if she looks fat. Your opinion counts, so
Tell her she's beautiful.
Love her when she looks beautiful. She's yours so appreciate her.
Love her when she spends hours to get ready. She only wants to look her best for you.
Love her when she buys you gifts you don't like. Smile and tell her it's what you've always wanted.
Love her.when she has developed a bad habit. You have many more and With wisdom and politeness you have all the time to help her change.
Love her when she cries for absolutely nothing. Don't ask, tell her
Its going to be okay.
Love her.when she suffers from PMS. Buy chocolate, rub her feet and back and just chat to her.
Love her.when whatever you do is not pleasing. It happens and will pass.
Love her.when she stains your clothes. You needed a new thobe (kurta) anyway
Love her when she tells you how to drive. She only wants you to be safe.
Love her when she argues. She only wants to make things right for both of you.
Love her she is yours. You don't need any other special reason!!!!
All this forms part of a Woman's Character. Women are part of your Life and should be treated as the Queen.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) advised concerning the Woman: treat the women well. The best of you are those who are the best in the treatment of their wives.
No one honours the woman except an honorable man. And no one Humiliates her or holds her in contempt except one who is evil, vile, Wicked and depraved. Don't wait for that special occasion, take time Now to make her feel Special in Every Way.

Share

Personal, - Your Role in Treating Enuresis

Share

Is it possible that I could have a role?
Yes, dear caregiver, you are the one who plays the greatest role in treating your child's enuresis )bed-wetting(, particularly if it goes back to psychological causes.
Below is an outline of your role as clarified by physicians:
- To habituate your child to depend on himself from an early age until he gets accustomed to facing problems and tries to solve them under the supervision of his parents. A child who is habituated to depending on himself from a very early age rarely suffers from this problem.
- Habituate the child, from a very early age, to use the toilet correctly. These days, thanks to easy-to-use diapers, mothers slacken in training their children to use the toilet at an early age.
- Do not rebuke or beat your child as this may lead to negative reactions on the child’s side, or, perhaps, his insistence on wetting his bed as an objection to the rebuke and hitting. So, it is important to stop punishing the child and showing anger to him because of his bed-wetting problem, since showing anger because of this leads to tension and trouble, with which the enuresis continues.
- To accept this behavior as being natural and explaining it to the child gives him a feeling of security. Parents should alleviate the negative feelings about that condition and convince him that he is not the only one and that many children do the same, and that soon he will get over it.
- To provide the child with warm feelings, compassion and support. The parents should tell the child that they love him and by no means should they be angry with him.
- To encourage and even praise the child whenever he is able to control his urination.
- To put a monthly table and mark with red stars the nights on which he could control his urination. This way motivates him and helps him evaluate the situation and endeavor to overcome the problem with eagerness to receive the reward in the event of success.
- Serve dinner to the child at an early time and do not give him drinks after six in the evening, i.e. 2 to 3 hours before he goes to bed -- especially drinks that contain caffeine because it is a diuretic; however, do not leave the child thirsty.
- Do not give him foods that contain large amounts of water; such as watermelon, cucumber, and so on, before going to bed.
- Help the child have enough sleep during the night, and have an hour of sleep during the day, as this will help overcome the problem of deep sleep.
- It is necessary for the child’s food to be healthy and free of excessive spices, salts and sugars.
- Get the child to go to the toilet to urinate directly before sleep and awaken him during the night to go to the toilet for the same purpose.
- To observe the times at which the child urinates in bed and awaken him from sleep some minutes before those times to urinate. In this respect, the parents have to make it easy for the child to go to the toilet to urinate by keeping the toilet light switched on and making the child’s room near to the toilet, if it is possible. At the same time, this procedure should not be made a burden on the child. An adult should accompany him to the toilet if he is afraid of going alone at night.
- Switch on a faint light in the child's room to help him go to the toilet or change his clothes at night.
- Do not talk about the child’s problem with others in the child’s presence and do not make a comparison between him and his peers who do not face the same problem.
- Do not attribute to the child characteristics which he does not like and tackle the problem in secret.
- Be keen on the child's cleanliness and urge him to take a bath and change his clothes.
- It is better if the child sleeps alone on a separate bed.
- It is better to put bedding to absorb liquids, so that the child would be more comfortable.
- See a doctor to be sure whether this problem goes back to physical causes, and abide by the guidelines of the physician with regard to taking the medicine regularly at its due time.
- Train the urinary bladder to increase its capacity by getting the child to drink great quantities of liquids during the day and asking him to defer urination for some time, with increasing the time for which he should hold urine throughout many weeks, during which he would become able to control urination in a better way.
- If the child wakes up wet and weeping, the parent should change his clothes quietly, calm him and embrace him and sit by his side until he goes back to sleep.
- Provide a good family atmosphere for the children, and good communication. Parents should not quarrel in their children’s presence, and the children should feel they live in a house full of happiness and love.
- Boost the child's self-confidence by saying that the problem will inevitably get better with time; and if we succeed in solving it, the results would be better.
- Do not let the child listen to disturbing news particularly directly before bedtime.
- Limit the time the child sits in front of the TV and choose the programs he watches.
- Read relaxing stories to children before sleep to calm them.
- Alert his older siblings not to ridicule him because of this habit since this harms him and complicates his situation.
- Give the child the freedom to discuss his status with his physician if he is capable of doing so.
- Provide coverings and underclothes near the child, and encourage him to change them by himself in case of involuntary urination so that he feels responsible for this problem.
- Make the child change his bedsheet every time he fails to control urination.
- The family should ensure a quiet atmosphere in the house, particularly before the child goes to bed.
If the involuntary urination is traced to a psychological cause, it should be identified. We have mentioned that the child's enuresis is an indicator of a problem from which he is suffering. So, it is of great importance to know the specific nature of that problem. Knowing the cause that lies beyond his feeling of annoyance, depression, terror, and so on, helps us treat the causes of our children's displeasure. In this way, we would obtain a radical solution for the problem.
A lot of parents are mistaken when they think that the treatment of the children's enuresis is only to habituate the child to control urination. Whoever thinks, or does so, will not solve the root of the problem. Bed-wetting, as we have previously clarified, indicates a problem, and its disappearance does not mean that the problem itself has disappeared; in so much as it means that only its outward symptoms have disappeared. Some specialists say that it is true that the child may stop bed-wetting, but unless the problem underlying his annoyance is principally solved, he will express it through other abnormal behaviors. In this way, he only replaces one means of expression with another.
For example, he may become more introverted, more secluded, achieving less at school, to the end of this chain of undesirable behavior. Hence, the parents should look for the causes lying behind their children's suffering and try to improve the psychological atmosphere in which they live. It is of no use to order them to stop bed-wetting, while the family quarrels or their persecution remain the same, given that if these problems are solved, the bed-wetting would automatically diminish and it will be easy for us to try to stop it completely.

Share

Personal, - The Impact of Fasting on Blood Pressure

Share

Question:
I have a question regarding a drop in blood pressure: does it affect fasting? Please give me some details on the issue, and what are the cases of high blood pressure that could prevent a person from fasting?
Answer:
Assalaamu ‘Alaykum,
Perhaps you meant to ask about the impact fasting has on blood pressure. Blood pressure should not prevent a person from fasting unless it is high enough to require medication to maintain its level and one cannot wait until he breaks his fast to take such medication. Normally, such high blood pressure )diastolic 140( is accompanied by the failure of vital organs, like the kidneys, the retina, the heart or the lungs, and thus one cannot wait until she breaks his fast to consume the medication. This is also the case when the blood pressure is very low. However, normal blood pressure does not prevent one from fasting.
Does being a person with an abnormal blood pressure necessarily mean that he cannot fast? The answer to this is no, because he can schedule his medicine to be consumed after she breaks the fast. She can take all the needed doses from sunset to dawn, before she starts to fast. However, she must only do so after consulting her physician, because circumstances differ from one patient to another, and it also depends on the type of medication one must take. All these matters are usually stated on the prescription.

Share

Personal, - An Urgent Message to My Muslim Sisters in Ramadan

Share

Women andTaraaweehPrayer:
Ramadanis distinguished over other months by theTaraaweehprayer. Praise be to Allaah The Almighty, many women and girls are keen to performTaraaweehprayer in the mosques. However, dear sister, if you want to have your full reward, you should observe the following points and advise your daughters and sisters to observe them:
1-Girls and women should abide by theSharee‘ah-approvedHijaaband Islamic dress code when they go out to pray. They should not wear trousers, tight or short dresses, or fashionable apparel. They should wear a wide and clean dress for prayers.
2-The cloak should be thick, not transparent, not brocaded, not colored and not likely to attract attention.
3-The head cover should be large, long, not transparent and free from all forms of embroidery that attracts attention.
4-They should not wear any perfume or incense. Unfortunately, this action is widespread among women who perform prayers in mosques to the extent that their fragrance can be smelt from a long distance. In an authenticHadeeth, the Prophet,sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:"Any woman who wears perfume and passes by men so that they smell her perfume, she is an adulteress and every eye that looks at her is an adulterous eye."The Prophet,sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, also said:“Any woman who applies incense should not witness the ‘Ishaa' prayer with us.”]Abu Daawood[ Ibn Nufayl, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said that this refers to the late ‘Ishaa'. This does not mean, however, that women should not care about their personal hygiene or change their clothes everyday to avoid having a foul odor which may cause offense.
5-They should not move a lot from one place to another, or pass in front of those who are praying or make a fuss. They should not laugh in the mosque like some girls do, stirring and disturbing the women who are praying. They should not discuss worldly matters or things pertaining to the market while theImaamis talking or in the intervals between the prayers.
6-They should not carry pagers or mobile phones during the prayer, for angels hate music, and it distracts people and preventsKhushoo‘)submission( in prayer, especially with those strange mobile ring tones. Knowing that it is prohibited to listen to musical instruments in people's houses, what would the ruling be on listening to them in the House of Allaah?
7-They should not crowd around the mosque door when they are leaving to avoid intermixing with men. They should wait a little until the place is quiet and temptation no longer exists. They should not speak loudly with one another when they leave the mosque; rather, they should remain calm.
8-Some mothers go out to perform prayers and leave their young children in the house alone. These children might do dangerous things. We advise our sisters and mothers not to leave children alone in the house, so that the mother would not be shocked when she returns. We address every woman who seeks the reward of Allaah The Almighty that, in principle, it is preferable for women to perform prayer in their houses and that the reward for praying in the house is greater than the reward of praying in the mosque. It was narrated that the wife of Abu Humayd As-Saa‘idi, may Allaah be pleased with her, came to the Prophet,sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and said, “O Messenger of Allaah! I love to perform prayer with you.”He,sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam,replied:“I know that you love performing prayer with me, but performing prayer in your bedroom is better than performing it in your room; performing prayer in your room is better than performing it in ]any other part of[ your house; performing prayer in your house is better than performing it in the mosque of your people; performing prayer in the mosque of your people is better than performing it in my mosque.”Thereupon, she ordered for a prayer area to be made in the remotest and darkest place in her house where she remained performing prayer until she died. ]Saheeh Ibn Khuzaymah[
9-Some of our girls, may Allaah guide them, go out for the purpose of performingTaraaweehprayer in the mosque, but after the prayer is over they go off with some of their friends to the markets or other evil place where their parents do not expect them to go. The mother should take care of her adolescent girls and be sure that they are actually leaving to perform prayer and nothing else.
Finally, I would like to say that devils from mankind - while the devils from the Jinn are chained - will not leave you to enjoy the month ofRamadan. Rather, they will try to fill the gap that their brothers have left to ruin that month with television series, movies, video clips, quizzes, cheap songs and worthless programs. Thus, watch out for yourself and your house and do not let that month pass without benefiting from it, and be careful not to squander its reward. InRamadan, there is no time for such nonsense because it is too precious to be wasted. We ask Allaah The Almighty to makeRamadana good and blessed month for us and for all the Muslims. I wish for you all that is good inRamadan.

Share

Dought & clear, - (Knowledge ), - . What is themadhhab followed whenanswering questions submitted to the site?

Share

To which madhahib do you adhere (Shafii,Hanbali,Hanafi,Maliki)?.
Praise be to Allaah.
This issue covers two things:
1 – Rulings on which there is scholarly consensus, in which case we accept that consensus and do not ignore it.
2 – Matters concerning which the scholars differed on the ruling. Here we look at the evidence quoted for the various opinions, and we follow that which is closest to the Qur’aan and Sunnah as it appears to us, following the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):
“(And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allaah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allaah and in the Last Day”
[al-Nisa’ 4:59]
Referring to Allaah means referring to His Book, and referring to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) means referring to his Sunnah.
In doing so, we seek the help of the work done by qualified, trustworthy scholars in differentiating between the various opinions and suggesting which are most likely to be correct, such as Imam al-Nawawi, Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, Ibn Katheer, Ibn Rajab al-‘Asqallaani, al-Shawkaani and others; and contemporary scholars such as Muhammad ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Mubaarakfoori, Muhammad al-Ameen al-Shanqeeti, ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Naasir al-Sa’di, ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz and Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, may Allaah have mercy on them all.
And Allaah knows best.

Share

Dought & clear, - (Knowledge ), - . He wants alist of books onal-raqaa’iq (heart softening reports)

Share

Could you please tell me the best books on al-raqaa’iq (heart softening reports)?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The best book of all for softening the heart is the Book of Allaah, hence Allaah calls it maw’izah (good advice) as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“O mankind! There has come to you a good advice from your Lord (i.e. the Qur’aan, enjoining all that is good and forbidding all that is evil), and a healing for that which is in your breasts, — a guidance and a mercy (explaining lawful and unlawful things) for the believers”
[Yoonus 10:57]
There is no book that reforms hearts and heals them of disease like the Qur’aan. Hence the Muslim should not turn away from it towards other books. The Muslim should read Qur’aan a great deal with proper focus and humility, pondering the meanings. He will see the effect of that on his heart. He can also refer to one of the brief tafseers in order to understand the meanings of any verses that he finds difficult, such as the Tafseer of al-Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him).
With regard to what the scholars have written on al-raqaa’iq (heart softening reports), their writings are many and varied. Some form parts of other books and some form separate books. In the books of hadeeth such asSaheeh al-BukahariandSaheeh Muslimetc there are chapters on al-raqaa’iq. With regard to separate books, we have chosen the following list for you, but it should be noted that these books are simply a help: there is nothing wrong with the Muslim reading them and benefiting from them, but that should not replace reading and studying the Qur’aan.
Al-Bahr al-Raa’iq fi al-Zuhd wa’l-Raqaa’iqby Ahmad Fareed
Al-Zuhd wa’l-Raqaa’iqby ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Mubaarak, edited by Habeeb al-Rahmaan al-A’zami.
Al-Fawaa’id wa’l-Zuhd wa’l-Raqaa’iq wa’l-Maraathiby Ja’far ibn Muhammad ibn Nusayr al-Khaldi, edited by Majdi Fathi al-Sayyid.
Maw’izah al-Mu’mineen min Ihya’ ‘Uloom al-Deenby Muhammad Jamaal al-Deen al-Qaasimi Madaarij al-Saalikeen
Al-Jawaab al-Kaafi Tareeq al-Hijratayn wa Baab al-Sa’aadatayn
These three books were all written by Ibn al-Qayyim.
Lataa’if al-Ma’aarifby Ibn Rajab.
Muqtatafaat min al-Mawaa’iz wa’l-Adabby ‘Ali Saalim Aal Haarith.
Al-Ta’leeq ‘ala Manzoomah fi’l-Sayr ila Allaah wa’l-Daar il-Aakhirahby Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Sa’di.
Tazkiyat al-Nafsby Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, edited by Dr. Muhammad Sa’eed al-Qahtaani.
Al-Sirr al-Maknoon fi Riqqah al-Quloobwa Dam’ al-‘Ayoonby ‘Abd al-Kareem al-Deewaan, Dar al-Muslim.
Mawaarid al-Zam’aan li Duroos al-Zamaanby ‘Abd al-‘Azeez al-Salmaan.
Al-Tadhkirah fi Ahwaal al-Mawta wa Umoor al-Aakhirahby Abu ‘Abd-Allaah al-Qurtubi al-Mufassir, edited by Mahmoud al-Bastawaysi
Ahwaal al-Qiyaamahby ‘Abd al-Malik Kulayb
Al-Qabr wa ‘Adhaabuhu wa Na’eemuhuby Husayn al-‘Awayishah [available in English under the title The Grave: Punishment and Blessings]
And Allaah is the Source of strength.

Share

Dought & clear, - (Knowledge ), - . Are there any weak points in Islam that enable thekaafirs to attack it?

Share

As you know Muslims are facing many challenges, pressures and criticisms from non-Muslims in the world. In light of this atmosphere, should we Muslim not be the most open and honest about our shortcomings and try to tackle them as opposed to being overly defensive and seeming to make excuses or cover our faults? The reason for this question is that if we seem to deny or gloss over obvious shortcomings it will not help us to overcome them. Perhaps some Muslims feel that to deal with our problems openly will assist the kufaar in their attacks on Islam. Please advise.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
There are no weak points in Islam – praise be to Allaah – that the Muslim needs to worry about. Islam is the perfect religion of Allaah, and Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice”
[al-An’aam 6:115]
One of the scholars said that this means, it tells the truth in its reports and is just in its rulings.
Allaah has blessed us by completing His religion and perfecting the blessing, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”
[al-Maa'idah 5:3]
If an Islamic ruling seems to a person to be a weak point, he should realize that the fault lies in his way of thinking, because some of the rulings of sharee’ah that are absolutely wise and just may appear otherwise to some people, either because of their whims and desires, or because it goes against what people are used to in their lives, that goes against sharee’ah. For example, some think that a man’s being the protector and maintainer of women is a weak point in Islam, because they are used to something which is contrary to that and which also goes against the fitrah (natural inclination of man).
Secondly:
An important matter which should be pointed out here is that it is not permissible for anyone to speak about the rulings of Islam or the tafseer of Qur’aan or the meanings of hadeeth, rather that should be referred to the scholars who are well-versed in knowledge.
What happens is that a question is put to an ordinary Muslim, and he cannot find an answer for it or he gives a wrong answer, or it leaves some doubt in his heart that he cannot rid himself of.
“if only they had referred it to the Messenger or to those charged with authority among them, the proper investigators would have understood it from them (directly). Had it not been for the Grace and Mercy of Allaah upon you, you would have followed Shaytaan (Satan), save a few of you”
[al-Nisa’ 4:83 – interpretation of the meaning]
Hence we say that Allaah has protected the religion for us through the scholars and has enabled them to understand it correctly so as to refute hostile ideas and explain its wisdom to people. That is not for the ordinary people, rather it is only for the elite, namely the scholars.
Some of scholars used to challenge people to bring them a verse that contradicts another verse or a hadeeth, or a hadeeth that contradicts another hadeeth or a verse of Qur’aan, and they would explain to them anything that appeared to be a contradiction, and they used to openly challenge everyone on this matter.
Al-Daaraqutni – who was one of the imams of hadeeth – stood in Baghdad as a khateeb and said: “O people of Baghdad! No one can tell lies against the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) whilst I am alive.” These words indicate the depth of their knowledge and understanding of Islam, which was so great that the people of falsehood could not attack Islam or introduce into it things that were not part of it.
Hence our advice to this questioner and other Muslims, especially those who mix with kuffaar because of their work or because they live in their countries, is to strive to seek knowledge and to learn the correct rulings of Islam that are derived from the Qur’aan and Sunnah, whilst paying attention to learning the reasons behind these rulings, so that they will have knowledge with which to refute the specious arguments of those who seek to attack Islam, and this will enable them to call people to Allaah with proper insight and understanding.
And Allaah knows best.

Share