For children, - Spiritual Stories for Children: Fox and StorkWhat Goes Around Comes Around

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A selfish fox once invited a stork to dinner at his home in a hollow tree. That evening, the stork flew to the fox's home and knocked on the door with her long beak. The fox opened the door and said, "Please come in and share my food."
The stork was invited to sit down at the table. She was very hungry and the food smelled delicious! The fox served soup in shallow bowls and he licked up all his soup very quickly. However, the stork could not have any of it as the bowl was too shallow for her long beak. The poor stork just smiled politely and stayed hungry.
The selfish fox asked, "Stork, why haven't you taken your soup? Don't you like it?"
The stork replied, "It was very kind of you to invite me for dinner. Tomorrow evening, please join me for dinner at my home."
The next day, when the fox arrived at the stork's home, he saw that they were also having soup for dinner. This time the soup was served in tall jugs. The stork drank the soup easily but the fox could not reach inside the tall jug. This time it was his turn to go hungry.
MORAL: A selfish act can backfire on you.

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Zakath, - Dought & clear, - If he bought some land then sold it because he needed money, does he have to pay zakaah?

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I read a fatwa which says that if a person buys land for the purpose of buying and selling, he has to pay zakaah on it. But what if someone bought some land and had no intention of selling it, but someone suddenly came along who wanted to buy it, so he sold it because he was pressured to do so. Does he have to pay zakaah on it? If so, how much is the zakaah? And is it based on the price he bought it for or the price he sold it for? For example, he bought it for two hundred thousand and sold it for two hundred and fifty thousand. What is the zakaah on it?
Praise be to Allah.
If a person buys land with the intention of trading in it, then he has to pay zakaah when one (hijri) year has passed since he acquired the wealth with which he bought it.
The way in which zakaah is worked out is: the value of the land should be worked out at the end of the year, and one quarter of one tenth (2.5%) should be given as zakaah. What matters is its value at the time of paying zakaah, not its value at the time of purchase.
But if he bought land and did not intend to trade in it, then he needed to sell it, or someone offered a good price so he sold it, in this case he does not have to pay the zakaah on trade goods. But if he sells it then one year passes since he acquired the money, then he has to pay zakaah as on the rest of his wealth.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If a person has some properties that he does not want to trade, but if he is given a good price he will sell them, then they are not regarded as trade goods, because he did not acquire them with the intention of trading. If a person is offered a good price for something that he owns, in most cases he will sell it, even his house or car, and so on.
And he said: If he has a car that he is using, then he decides to sell it, it is not regarded as being for trade, because in this case he is not selling it for the purpose of trade but because he no longer wants it. Another example is if he has a piece of land that he bought to build on it, then he decided to sell it and buy another piece of land, so he offered it for sale, that is not regarded as trade because the intention behind selling it in this case is not to make a profit; rather it is because he no longer wants it.
End quote fromash-Sharh al-Mumti‘, 6/142
If a person has some land and is not sure whether he wants to keep it or sell it, he does not have to pay zakaah until he definitely intends to trade in it.
And Allah knows best.

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Zakath, - Dought & clear, - He owes zakaah for trade goods but he doesn’t have any cash

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A person owns a piece of land and one year has passed since he acquired it. Zakaah is due because it comes under the heading of trade goods (i.e., he bought it in order to sell it). How should he pay zakaah on it? Please note that he only has a little cash, very little.
Praise be to Allaah.
Zakaah is due on trade goods according to the Qur’aan and Sunnah.
In the Qur’aan this is indicated by the general meaning of the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“O you who believe! Spend of the good things which you have (legally) earned, and of that which We have produced from the earth for you”
[al-Baqarah 2:267]
Mujaahid said: “Spend of the good things which you have (legally) earned” means trade.
With regard to evidence form the Sunnah, Abu Dawood narrated (1562) that Samurah ibn Jundub said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to command us to give zakaah from that which we had prepared for sale.
The isnaad of this hadeeth is subject to some discussion, but some of the scholars classed it as hasan, such as Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (may Allaah have mercy on him), and it is the view that the scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas adopted.
SeeFataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 9/331.
Zakaah is due on things that have been prepared for trade if they reach the nisaab (minimum threshold) and one year has passed (since they were acquired).
Based on this, zakaah must be paid on the land which has been in your possession for a year; you have to determine the value of the land at the end of the year, and pay one-quarter of ten percent. So if its value is one hundred thousand (100,000) dinars, for example, you have to pay zakaah of 2.5% or two and a half thousand (2,500), and so on.,
If you have cash, then you must pay it and it is not permissible to delay paying zakaah until the land is sold. But if you do not have cash with which to pay the zakaah, then it becomes a debt that you owe and must be paid when it becomes possible to do so. If you cannot do it until you sell the land, then you have to pay zakaah from the price you receive for the land for each year in which zakaah was due.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Zakaah is due on land that is prepared for trade. The evidence for that is the well known hadeeth of Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to command us to give zakaah from that which we had prepared for sale.
He also said:
If land and other similar things such as houses and cars etc are prepared for sale, then you must pay zakaah on them each year according to their value, when one full year has passed. It is not permissible to delay that, except in the case of one who is unable to pay the zakaah on them because he does not have any other wealth. Then he may be given a respite until he sells it and pays the zakaah for all the years, each year according to its value at the end of that year, regardless of whether the value is more than the price he gets for it or is less that the price for which he bought the land, car or house.
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 14/160-161.

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Zakath, - Dought & clear, - Zakaah on usurped wealth

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I have some land that I own with official papers, but another person used deceitful methods to prove that he has ownership of it, and our case is still before the courts. One full hijri year has passed; do I have to give zakaah on this land?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
If your intention was to develop the land in order to live there or to rent it out, then there is no zakaah on this land because it does not come under the heading of trade goods. Please see the answer to question no. 129787
But if your intention was to deal in it, then the basic principle is that trade goods are subject to zakaah. So the value of this land should be worked out every time one hijri year has passed, then you should pay zakaah on it according to its market value.
But because this land has been usurped and you are not able to dispose of it, there is no zakaah on it according to the more correct scholarly opinion.
Ibn Qudaamah said inal-Kaafi: With regard to usurped property, lost property and debt owed to one who cannot get it off because the debtor is in difficulty or because he denies he owes anything or he keeps deferring the payment, there are two view on this issue… etc.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: There are two opinions in our madhhab. One view is that zakaah is due on it and it is obligatory, but he does not have to give it until he takes possession of it, whereupon he should give zakaah for the past period, even if it has gone on for ten years.
The second opinion is that there is no zakaah due on that, because the wealth is not in his possession and he is not able to ask for it, and if he asks for it he will not be able to get it. This view is the correct one.
End quote fromash-Sharh al-Kaafi.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Zakaah is not due on a debt for which repayment has been deferred, or the debtor is in difficulty or is unemployed or is denying that he owes anything, or on usurped or stolen property. This is the view of Abu Haneefah.
End quote fromal-Ikhtiyaaraat, p. 146
But to be on the safe side, if you regain possession of this land, you should pay zakaah for one year, even if it remained in the possession of the usurper for several years.
And Allah knows best.

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Dought & clear, - (fasting), - He cannot do without nose drops in Ramadan

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I use nose drops, which I have been using for more than twenty years when fasting, because I suffer from difficulty in breathing. Now I have found out that they break the fast; what do I have to do now?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
If the nose drops do not reach the throat, they do not break the fast. But if they do reach the throat, then they do break the fast. We have discussed this previously in the answer to question no. 93531
Secondly:
If these drops reach the throat, in the sense that the sick person can detect their taste in his throat, and he is not able to do without them during the day in Ramadan, and he does not have any suitable alternative, and his sickness is one from which there is no hope of recovery, then in that case he comes under the same ruling as an old man (who is unable to fast), and he has to feed the poor only, because Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“And as for those who can fast with difficulty, (e.g. an old man), they have (a choice either to fast or) to feed a Miskeen (poor person) (for every day)” [al-Baqarah 2:184].
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: In the case of the sick person who has no hope of recovery, he may not fast and should feed one poor person for each day, because he comes under the same ruling as an old man.
End quote fromal-Mughni, 4/396
With regard to the days you have fasted in the past, then we hope that by the grace of Allah that will be accepted from you, and you do not have to do anything, especially since you used those nose drops when you were unaware that they break the fast; moreover this ruling is one concerning which there is a difference of opinion among the scholars.
The correct scholarly view is that if a person does one of the things that break the fast not knowing that it breaks the fast, he does not have to do anything.
That has been discussed previously .
We ask Allah to grant you a speedy recovery.
And Allah knows best.

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Dought & clear, - (fasting), - They start fasting one day after the people do so and break the fast one day after the people do so

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I have a question about parents’ rights and obeying them in some matters. Every year my parents start Ramadan on a different day from all the other people; they start one day after the rest of the people, then when the day of Eid comes, for them it is the last day of Ramadan! This matter has caused a lot of problems for me and my sisters every year. They get angry if we start to fast before they do and they get angry if we celebrate Eid before they do. They might cut us off for an entire month without speaking to us. Hence we decided to conceal our fasting from them at the beginning of Ramadan, then on the day of Eid we pretend that we are still fasting, but we celebrate Eid secretly with the rest of the family and friends. This year the situation got a little better, because my two brothers and their wives came to spend Ramadan with my father and mother, and they had decided to differ from them. But the rest of my question has to do with the coming years and how we should handle this problem in a way that will not be regarded as disobedience and will not involve differing from the rest of the people.
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
Undoubtedly obedience to parents or to one of them in that which does not involve disobedience towards Allah is one of the greatest righteous deeds and one of the best ways of drawing closer to Allah.
With regard to obeying them or one of them in that which involves disobedience towards Allah, that is not permissible.
Abu ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The scholars are unanimously agreed that one who is instructed to commit evil is not obliged to obey. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Help you one another in Al‑Birr and At‑Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression”
[al-Maa’idah 5:2].
End quote fromat-Tamheed, 23/277
The scholars of the Standing Committee said:
Obedience to parents is prescribed in that which involves obedience towards Allah and that which is permissible. As for obeying them in that which involves disobedience towards Allah, that is not permissible.
End quote fromFataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah, 22/187
See also the answers to questions no. 4270, 9155and 95575
Secondly:
It is not permissible to differ from the local people with regard to the (beginning of the) fast and Eid, because of the general meaning of the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): “Fast when you see it (the new moon) and break the fast when you see it.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1909; Muslim, 1081
And he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The fast (begins) on the day when you (i.e., the Muslim community) fast, the breaking of the fast is the day on which you break the fast, and (Eid) al-Adha is the day on which you offer your sacrifices.”
Narrated by at-Tirmidhi, 697; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh at-Tirmidhi
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This was the practice of all the imams (leading scholars) of the Muslims.
End quote fromMajmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 25/202
Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: He should fast with the ruler and the main body (jamaa‘ah) of the Muslims, whether (the sky) is clear or cloudy.
Ahmad said: The hand of Allah is with the jamaa‘ah (main body of the Muslims).
End quote fromMajmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 25/117
Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Differing (from the jamaa‘ah) is bad. What you should do is be with the people of your country. When the Muslims in your country break the fast, then break the fast with them, and when they fast, then fast with them.
End quote fromMajmoo‘ Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 15/100
See also the answer to question no. 12660
Moreover, their starting to fast one day after the people means that they will be breaking the fast on the first day of Ramadan, then they will be fasting on the day of the Muslims’ Eid. Both are haraam and are not permissible.
If we add to that the fact that they are going against the main body of the Muslims, it is even more haraam and the sin becomes greater. So it is not permissible to follow them in this reprehensible action.
What you must do is advise them in the best way and be gentle in guiding them. You can seek help in doing that by asking the scholars, so that they will realise that what they are doing is haraam according to the religion of Allah and is not permissible. It is also not permissible for you to follow them in that, even if they get angry and upset, because it is not permissible to obey them in that which involves disobedience towards Allah.
You should make the most of this good occasion, which is the presence of your brothers and their families, and their determination to differ from (your parents) in that regard, so that they may continue to do that, i.e., fast on the day when the people fast and break the fast when the people break the fast, and to differ from (your parents) in that regard and do so openly. This gathering of the family may serve as an opportunity to discuss this issue, whilst seeking the help of Allah and asking Him to guide them and open their hearts to the truth.
Then if they cut you off or shun you after that, there is no blame on you for their sin. Rather the sin is theirs, unless Allah guides them to the truth.
And Allah knows best.

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Dought & clear, - (fasting), - The reason why Ramadan changes every year in relation to the Gregorian calendar

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I hope that you can explain with regard to the Hijri calendar: why does Ramadan come thirteen or fourteen days later than the Gregorian date?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
It is well-known that different nations and peoples use different calendars. There is the solar calendar, the beginning and end of which are based on the movements of the sun; it has 365 days.
And there is the lunar calendar, which is based on the appearance and disappearance of the moon at the beginning and end of the month; it has 354 days.
The solar calendar is similar to the lunar calendar with regard to the number of months, but it differs from it with regard to the number of days. So it is eleven days longer than the lunar calendar.
The Gregorian calendar is based on the solar year, whereas the Hijri calendar is based on the lunar year. It is for this reason that the beginning of Ramadan every year differs in relation to the Gregorian calendar, and as a result of that it moves through the four seasons.
Secondly:
The lunar calendar is the calendar that must be followed, because Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“It is He Who made the sun a shining thing and the moon as a light and measured out its (their) stages, that you might know the number of years and the reckoning” [Yoonus 10:5].
Ibn Katheer said: From the sun the days are known, and from the phases of the moon the months and years are known.
End quote fromTafseer Ibn Katheer(4/248).
The sun defines day and night only; as for the moon, Allah – may He be glorified and exalted – has made it a measure for the months and years, as He says: (interpretation of the meaning):“... and measured out its (their) stages, that you might know the number of years and the reckoning” [Yoonus 10:5].
And Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“Verily, the number of months with Allah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are Sacred, (i.e. the 1st, the 7th, the 11th and the 12th months of the Islamic calendar). That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein” [at-Tawbah 9:36].
The words “That is the right religion” indicate that this calendar is the correct way that Allah has approved for us, and that anything other than it, that is customarily used by other nations, is not correct, because it is subject to mistakes and confusion.
Al-Qurtubi said: This verse indicates that what is required is to connect the rulings on acts of worship and other matters to the months and years as known to the Arabs, and not the months that the Persians, Romans and Copts follow.
End quote fromal-Jaami‘ li Ahkaam al-Qur’an(8/133)
Ash-Shawkaani said: This verse states that no attention should be paid to the months used by the Persians, Romans and Copts, some of which they make thirty days long, and others they make more or less than that.
End quote fromFath al-Qadeer(2/521).
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“They ask you (O Muhammad SAW) about the new moons. Say: These are signs to mark fixed periods of time for mankind and for the pilgrimage” [al-Baqarah 2:189]; i.e., they are signs for the people with regard to entering and exiting ihram [for Hajj]; for beginning and ending the fast; for marriage, divorce and ‘iddah; for dealing, trade and debts; for both their religious and worldly affairs.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Here Allah tells us that they are signs to mark fixed periods of time for mankind. This is general in meaning and applies to all their affairs. Thus Allah has made the new moon signs to mark fixed periods of time with regard to the established rulings of Islam… That includes the fast, Hajj, ‘iddah, and expiatory fasts.
End quote fromMajmoo‘ al-Fataawa(25/133).
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: As for the Western calendar, there is no tangible, rational or religious basis for it. Hence you will find some of the months having twenty-eight days, some having thirty days, and some having thirty-one days, with no known reason for this difference. Moreover, these months have no tangible sign that people may refer to in order to work out times, unlike the lunar calendar which does have a physical sign that is known to everyone.
End quote fromTafseer al-Baqarah(2/371)
And Allah knows best.

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For children, - Spiritual Stories for Children: Tit for Tat!What Goes Around Comes Around, Backfire

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It is a law of nature that whatever action we take in this world, there is always a reaction. If we do well, we stand to gain a good reward. If we do badly, we should expect a bad outcome ultimately. "What you sow, so you reap," is a popular saying.
The Noble Qur'an has also guided us on this subject, it says: "If you do good, you do good to yourselves. Likewise, if you do evil, you do evil to yourselves." (17:7)
One of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)was very fond of this verse of the Noble Qur'an. He used to recite it loudly and repeatedly wherever he went.
A Jewish woman who had heard him once wanted to prove him wrong and thus make him unpopular among his people. She thought up a plot against him. She prepared some sweets mixed with poison and sent them to him as a present. When he received them, he went out of the city taking sweets with him. On the way, he met two men who were returning home from a long journey. They appeared tired and hungry, so he thought of doing them a good turn. He offered them the sweets. Of course, he was not aware that they were secretly mixed with poison. No sooner had the two travelers taken the sweets, they collapsed and died.
When the news of their death reached Medina, the city where the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)resided, the man was arrested. He was brought in front of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and he related what had actually happened. The Jewish woman, who had mixed poison with the sweets, was also brought to the court of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). She was stunned to see the two dead bodies of the travelers there. They in fact turned out to be her two sons who had gone away on a journey.
She admitted her evil intention before the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and all the people present. Alas, the poison she had mixed in the sweets to kill the companion of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) had instead killed her own two sons.
What a splendid example of a tragic reaction to a bad action; It shows how one reaps what he sows. "Do as you would be done by," are the words of wisdom from the learned and wise men of the past. They teach us to do well to others in the same way as we like others to do good to us.

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