For children, - Spiritual Stories for Children: Don't be SelfishWhat Goes Around Comes Around

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A couple, whom we shall call John and Mary, had a nice home and two lovely children, a boy and a girl. John had a good job and had just been asked to go on a business trip to another city and would be gone for several days. It was decided that Mary needed an outing and would go along too. They hired a reliable woman to care for the children and made the trip, returning home a little earlier than they had planned.
As they drove into their home town feeling glad to be back, they noticed smoke, and they went off their usual route to see what it was. They found a home in flames. Mary said, "Oh well it isn't our fire, let's go home."
But John drove closer and exclaimed, "That home belongs to Fred Jones who works at the plant. He wouldn't be off work yet, maybe there is something we could do." "It has nothing to do with us." Protested Mary. "You have your good clothes on lets not get any closer."
But John drove up and stopped and they were both horror stricken to see the whole house in flames. A woman on the lawn was in hysterics screaming, "The children! Get the children!" John grabbed her by the shoulder saying, "Get a hold of yourself and tell us where the children are!" "In the basement," sobbed the woman, "down the hall and to the left."
In spite of Mary's protests John grabbed the water hose and soaked his clothes, put his wet handkerchief on his head and bolted for the basement which was full of smoke and scorching hot. He found the door and grabbed two children, holding one under each arm like the football player he was. As he left he could hear some more whimpering. He delivered the two badly frightened and nearly suffocated children into waiting arms and filled his lungs with fresh air and started back asking how many more children were down there. They told him two more and Mary grabbed his arm and screamed, "John! Don't go back! It's suicide! That house will cave in any second!"
But he shook her off and went back by feeling his way down the smoke filled hallway and into the room. It seemed an eternity before he found both children and started back. They were all three coughing and he stooped low to get what available air he could. As he stumbled up the endless steps the thought went through his mind that there was something strangely familiar about the little bodies clinging to him, and at last when they came out into the sunlight and fresh air, he found that he had just rescued his own children.
The baby-sitter had left them at this home while she did some shopping.

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Taraaweeh prayers, - Dought&clear, - How should we observe Laylat al-Qadr and when is it?

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How should we observe Laylat al-Qadr? Is it by praying, or by reading Qur’aan and the Prophet’s Seerah, listening to lectures and lessons and by celebrating it in the mosque?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to strive hard in worship during the last ten days of Ramadaan as he never did at any other time, praying, reading Qur’aan and making du’aa’. Al-Bukhaari and Muslim narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that when the last ten days of Ramadaan came, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would stay up at night and would wake his family up, and would abstain from marital relations. Ahmad and Muslim narrated that he used to used to strive hard in worship during the last ten days of Ramadaan as he never did at any other time.
Secondly:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined staying up and praying on Laylat al-Qadr out of faith and in the hope of reward. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever stays up and prays on Laylat al-Qadr out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” Agreed upon. This hadeeth indicates that it is prescribed to observe Laylat al-Qadr by spending the night in prayer.
Thirdly:
One of the best du’aa’s that may be recited on Laylat al-Qadr is that which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught to ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her). Al-Tirmidhi narrated, and classed the report as saheeh, that ‘Aa’ishah said: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, if I know which night is Laylat al-Qadr, what should I say on that night?’ He said, ‘Say:Allaahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibb al-‘afwa fa’affu ‘anni(O Allaah, You are forgiving and You love forgiveness, so forgive me).”
Fourthly:
With regard to specifying which night of Ramadaan is Laylat al-Qadr, this needs specific evidence, but the odd-numbered nights during the last ten nights are more likely than others, and the night of the twenty-seventh is the most likely to be Laylat al-Qadr, because that is mentioned in the ahaadeeth.
Fifthly:
With regard to innovations, they are not permissible during Ramadaan or at other times. It was proven that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected.” According to another report, “Whoever does any action that is not part of this matter of ours will have it rejected.”
We know of no basis for the celebrations that are held during some nights of Ramadaan. The best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the worst of matters are those which are innovated (bid’ah).
And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

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Taraaweeh prayers, - Dought&clear, - Dividing Qiyaam al-layl into two parts during the last ten days of Ramadan

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I hope that you could tell me about the opinions of the scholars with regard to the ruling on dividing Taraweeh prayers in the last ten days of Ramadan into two parts: at the beginning of the night and at the end, as is done in many mosques. Please also mention the evidence if possible.
Praise be to Allaah.
What is mustahabb during the nights of Ramadan is to spend them in qiyaam, prayer and worship, and to single out the last ten nights for extra worship and striving, seeking forgiveness and mercy and seeking Laylat al-Qadr which is better than a thousand months.
Moreover, Taraaweeh prayer is regarded as a kind of Qiyaam al-layl and they call it Taraweeh because people take brief breaks between rak’ahs. Hence the matter is broad in scope, and it is permissible for a person to pray whatever he wants of rak’ahs, at whatever time of the night he wants.
It says inal-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah(34/123):
There is no difference of opinion among the fuqaha’ with regard to it being Sunnah to pray during the nights of Ramadan (Qiyaam al-layl), because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever spends the nights of Ramadan in prayer, out of faith and seeking the reward of Allah, his previous sins will be forgiven.”
The fuqaha’ said: Taraweeh is the qiyaam (Qiyaam al-layl) of Ramadan. Hence it is best to spend most of the night in it, because it is Qiyaam al-layl. End quote.
What many imams do nowadays -- especially in the last ten days of Ramadan -- leading the people in Taraweeh prayer immediately after ‘Isha’, then going back to the mosque in the last part of the night to pray qiyaam, is something that is prescribed and it is not forbidden. There is no reason to suggest it is not allowed. What is required is to strive hard in the last ten days according to one's ability. If a person breaks up his night between prayer, resting, sleeping, and reading Qur'aan, then he has done well.
Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah Abaabateen said, as is narrated inal-Durar al-Saniyyah(4/364):
In response to what some people do of objecting to the one who prays more during the last ten days of Ramadan than he usually did in the first twenty days, on the grounds that this is more than is usual and is ignorance of the Sunnah and the practice of the Sahaabah, Taabi’een and imams of Islam,
We say: There are hadeeths from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) which encourage praying Qiyaam al-layl during Ramadan, and particularly emphasise it during the last ten days.
Once it becomes clear that there is no specific number of rak’ahs for Taraweeh, and that the time for it according to all scholars is from after the Sunnah of ‘Isha’ until the break of dawn, and that spending the night in worship is a confirmed Sunnah, and that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) prayed taraweeh for many nights in congregation, then how can anyone object to the one who prays more during the last ten nights than he did at the beginning of the month? So during the last ten days, he prays at the beginning of the night, as he did at the beginning of the month, or a little, or a lot, without praying Witr, for the sake of those who are weak and want to limit themselves to that; then after that he does more prayers in congregation and calls all of it qiyaam or taraweeh.
Perhaps the one who objects to that is confused by what many of the fuqaha’ say, that it is mustahabb for the imam not to pray more than one includes than one khatmah (reading of the entire Qur’aan), unless the people behind him prefer to do more than that. The reason they gave for not doing more than one khatmah is the hardship that may be caused for the people behind him, not because doing more than that is not prescribed in sharee’ah. So from their wording we may conclude that if people behind him want to do more than one khatmah, that is good, as was clearly stated in the words of the scholars.
As for what many of the common people say, calling what is done at the beginning of the night Taraweeh and the prayers offered after that qiyaam, this is what the uneducated people say. Rather all of it is qiyaam and taraweeh. The qiyaam of Ramadaan is called Taraweeh because they used to have a rest (yastareehoona) after every four rak’ahs because they used to make the prayers lengthy. The reason why some people object to that is that it is contrary to what is customary among the people of their countries and most of the people nowadays; and because of ignorance of the Sunnah and reports and of the practice of the Sahaabah, Taabi’oon and the imams of Islam; and because of what some people think, that our prayer during the last ten days is a kind of salat al-ta’qeeb which was regarded as makrooh by some scholars, but that is not in fact the case, because ta’qeeb is a voluntary prayer offered in congregation after finishing Taraweeh and Witr.
This is how all the fuqaha’ defined ta’qeeb, as a voluntary prayer offered in congregation after finishing Witr immediately after Taraweeh. From these words it is clear that prayer offered in congregation before Witr is not ta’qeeb. End quote.
Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan said inIthaaf Ahl al-Eemaan bi Majaalis Shahr Ramadaan:
In the last ten days of Ramadan, the Muslims increase their efforts in worship, following the example of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and seeking Laylat al-Qadr which is better than a thousand months. Those who pray twenty-three rak’ahs at the beginning of the month break it up during the last ten days, so they pray ten rak’ahs at the beginning of the night, calling it Taraweeh, and they pray ten at the end of the night, making them lengthy, and following it with three rak’ahs of Witr, which they call qiyaam. This is a variation in naming only. In fact all of it may be called Taraweeh or it may be called qiyaam. As for those who pray eleven or thirteen rak’ahs at the beginning of the month, they add ten rak’ahs to that during the last ten days, which they pray at the end of the night, making it lengthy, making the most of the virtue of the last ten days and increasing their efforts to do good. They have a precedent among the Sahaabah and others who prayed twenty-three rak’ahs, as stated above. Thus they combine the two opinions: the opinion which favours offering thirteen rak’ahs during the first twenty days and the opinion which favours offering twenty-three during the last ten days.
And Allah knows best.

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Taraaweeh prayers, - Dought&clear, - What can a woman who is menstruating do on Laylat al-Qadr?

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I was wondering what a woman can do on laylat al-qadr if she is menstruating at that time. can she earn extra rewards for engaging herself in worship? if so, what is permissible for her to do so that night?.
Praise be to Allaah.
A woman who is menstruating may do all acts of worship apart from praying, fasting, circumambulating the Ka’bah and doing i’tikaaf in the mosque.
It was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to stay up at night during the last ten nights of Ramadaan. Al-Bukhaari (2401) and Muslim (1174) narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “When the last ten nights of Ramadaan came, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would refrain from marital relations, stay up at night and wake his family up.”
Staying up at night is not only for prayer, rather it includes all kinds of acts of worship. This is how the scholars interpreted it.
Al-Haafiz said: “Staying up at night” means staying up to do acts of worship.
Al-Nawawi said: spending the night staying up to pray etc.
He said in‘Awn al-Ma’bood: i.e., in prayer, dhikr and reciting the Qur’aan.
Praying qiyaam is the best act of worship that a person can do on Laylat al-Qadr. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever spends the night of Laylat al-Qadr in prayer out of faith and in hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1901; Muslim, 760).
Because the woman who is menstruating is not allowed to pray, she can spend the night in doing other acts of worship apart from prayer, such as:
1- Reading or reciting Qur’aan. See question no. 2564.
2- Dhikr – such as sayingSubhaan-Allaah, La ilaaha illa-Allaah, al-Hamdu Lillaah, etc. She can repeat the words “Subhaan-Allaah wa’l-hamdu Lillaah, wa laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, wa Allaahu akbar(Glory be to Allaah, praise be to Allaah, there is no god but Allaah and Allaah is Most Great)” and “Subhaan Allaah wa bi hamdihi, subhaan Allaah il-‘Azeem(Glory and praise be to Allaah, glory be to Allaah the Almighty)” etc.
3- Istighfaar (praying for forgiveness), by repeating the phrase “Astaghfir-Allaah(I ask Allaah for forgiveness).”
4- Du’aa’ (supplication) – she can pray to Allaah and ask Him for what is good in this world and in the Hereafter, for du’aa’ is one of the best acts of worship. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Du’aa’ is ‘ibaadah (worship).” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2895; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2370).
The woman who is menstruating can do these acts of worship and others on Laylat al-Qadr.
We ask Allaah to help us to do that which He loves and which pleases Him. May Allaah accept our righteous deeds.

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Zakaath, - Dought&clear, - He has invested money in the investment fund; how should he pay zakaah?

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I have investment funds in a bank. Do I have to pay Zakah on this amount? How much must I pay if yes? Should I calculate Zakah on the whole amount or only on the profit?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Zakaah on investments varies according to the intention of the owner.
If he invested in the company with the aim of benefiting from the annual profit on the shares, and not with the intention of dealing in them, then no zakaah is due on the shares themselves, rather he must pay zakaah on the yield, at a rate of one quarter of one tenth after one full hijri year has passed since he took possession of the yield.
But if the shareholder bought the shares with the intention of dealing in them, then the zakaah is the same as zakaah on trade goods. When the hijri year has passed since the shares came into his possession, he must pay zakaah on their market value, at a rate of 2.5% of that value and of the profit if the shares have made any profit.
End quote fromMajallat Majma’ al-Fiqh al-Islami(1/879).
Secondly:
If you bought shares with the aim of making profit only, and you paid 2.5% of the profits with the intention of paying zakaah, and you gave it to an organization to distribute it on your behalf, that is sufficient, but you should make sure that this organization has paid the zakaah. If you had taken the money and distributed your zakaah yourself, that would have been better.
But if you bought shares with the intention of trading in them, then you must work out their value at the end of the year and pay zakaah on it at a rate of 2.5% of their value.
And Allaah knows best.

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Zakaath, - Dought&clear, - He has a piece of land that is thesubject of a dispute with the municipality and he cannot sell it. Does he have to pay Zakaah on it?

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I have a number of pieces of land outside the city, with no lawful documents. All I have is just few papers of purchase I bought several years ago. Do I have to pay zakat on them? What shall I do now if I have to pay zakat? Bear in mind that these pieces of land were an issue of problems with the local municipality and we cannot valuate them now.
Praise be to Allaah.
If you bought this land with the intention of selling it, then you must pay the zakaah on trade goods, so you must work out its value every year and pay one quarter of one tenth (2.5%) of this value.
This is the basic principle concerning zakaah on trade goods. But if you cannot sell it and dispose of it because of the dispute with the municipality, then no zakaah is due on it for the period during which you are unable to dispose of it, because you are not in full possession of it. This is akin to a debt that is owed by a person who is delaying repayment or by one who is in difficulty.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about zakaah on land, i.e., a man bought a piece of land but did not pay zakaah on it for three or four years. After the purchase he submitted an application to the municipality to divide it into a number of lots. This process took three or four years and until now it is not complete. Is zakaah due on it for the previous period, or should zakaah be paid just once at the time of purchase?
Shaykh: Did he buy it to trade in it?
Questioner: He bought it to trade in it, but he thought, based on the fatwa of a scholar, that no zakaah is due on land, then it took too long to complete the application, and he cannot sell it in lots until it is completed.
Shaykh: And he cannot sell as one piece either?
Questioner: He cannot sell it as one piece, but the partners bought the land to divide it into a number of lots.
Shaykh: Meaning that it is no longer in his possession?
Questioner: No, it is still in his possession.
Shaykh: Are they partners?
Questioner: Partners means that they recorded the name of one person, one of the partners.
Shaykh: Firstly, may Allaah bless you, if he asked someone about whether there is no zakaah on it, and that person is reliable in his knowledge and religious commitment, then he does not have to pay zakaah, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):“So ask of those who know the Scripture, if you know not” [al-Nahl 16:43]. But if he believed that zakaah is obligatory then he must pay zakaah, except for the years when he was unable to dispose of it, as there is no zakaah for those years, because this is like a debt owed by one who is in difficulty. But the correct view as far as I know is that trade goods are subject to zakaah.
End quote fromLiqa’ al-Baab al-Maftooh(11/148).
And Allaah knows best.

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Zakaath, - Dought&clear, - He put his building upfor sale and sold it a year later. Does he have to pay zakaah on it?

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He put his building upfor sale and sold it a year later. Does he have to pay zakaah on it?
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A man has a building which was put up for sale a year ago. Is there any zakaah due on whatever is left after paying off debts?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
If this building which was sold after one year was bought to be sold (for profit), then zakaah is due on it, on the price for which it was sold. Zakaah should be paid if one full hijri year has passed between the time when its owner decided to sell it and the sale took place. But if he did not buy it in order to sell it (for a profit), rather he no longer had any need of the house or property, and he wanted to sell it, but it took so long because he could not find anyone to buy it, then there is no zakaah due on its price, but whatever he keeps of its price after paying off his debts, once one full hijri year has passed he should pay zakaah on it, but if he spends it before the year has passed then there is no zakaah due.
In conclusion: If this property is bought for trade, then he has to pay zakaah on it when one full hijri year has passed from the time when he decided to sell it, even if it has not yet been one year since he sold it. If he did not intend to trade it, rather he no longer had any need of it but he could not find a purchaser until after a year had passed, then he does not have to pay zakaah on its price, rather he has to pay zakaah on the money he receives, when a full year has passed. And Allaah is the Source of strength.

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Fasting, - Doupht&clear, - Time forImsaak (Starting the Fast) when the Calendar Timesare Different

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There are apparent discrepancies in the times of Salaat-ul Fajr stated on the different timetables distributed by the various mosques of the same town or city. Would it be a ‘safer’ practice if one was to follow the earliest of those times for the purpose of Imsaak (abstaining from eating, drinking, etc.)?
It is permissible to eat, drink, etc. until one is certain of the time of Fajr (interpretation of the meaning): “…eat and drink until the time where the ‘white’ and ‘black’ thresholds of Al-Fajr is evident to you…” [Soorat-ul Baqarah]
So, this means it is permissible to continue eating and drinking unless it is evident for one that it is time for Fajr. Fajr can be defined as the ‘white’ light spreading across the horizon from the eastern side. If one was unable to sight Al-Fajr and there was no one else who could tell him about it through means such as raising the Azaan (The call to prayers), then one should follow the timetable that, according to the best of his knowledge, is the most accurate. This accuracy is usually established through experience or by asking experts or the earlier Muslim residents of the area.

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Fasting, - Doupht&clear, - He Completed Fasting 30 DaysThen Arrived ina Country Still on their 30th day

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If I were to travel on the 30th day of Ramadaan from London just after Magrib time, after having broken my fast and I were to arrive at my destination in the USA but to find that they are still in the day time of their 30th day of Ramadaan, what should I do?
The reply to your question in brief is: your state should be similar to that of the [Muslim] inhabitants of where you are. So, if they were still observing fasting then you should observe fasting with them even if that means you would be fasting for more than 30 days [the max. number of days, normally observed in the month of Ramadaan]. This is the opinion of Shaikh Abdul-Azeez Ibn Baaz.

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Fasting, - Doupht&clear, - When toStart Ordering the Young to Fast

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The young is told to start praying when they are seven year old and they are to be punished for not performing prayer when they ten, according to Sunnah. Does the same rule apply for fasting?
The young boy is ordered to fast when he reaches the age of 7 is if he is physically capable of bearing it. (Some Muslim scholars that he should be physically reprimanded if he does not fast by the age of 10, which is the same rule that is applied to prayer; refer to Al Mughni 3/90). The boy will get a reward for fasting and his parents will get a reward for teaching him well and guiding him to that which is good. Al Rubayyi’ bint Mu’awwadh (may Allaah be pleased with her) said about fasting ‘Aashouraa’ at the time when it was mandatory to fast it and not voluntary: we used to make our young boys fast, and we made them a toy made out of wool. If one of the boys cried [wanting] food, we would give him [the toy to distract him] until it was time to break the fast." (Al Bukhari Fath # 1960). (Ashouraa is the tenth day of the month of Muharram. Although fasting this day is now voluntary the majority of Muslims usually fast.) Some people are quite lenient and lax when it comes to making their children fast. A situation may even arise where the young child feels enthusiastic and chooses to fast and is physically capable of doing so, then his father or mother order him to break his fast claiming that it is out of sympathy. Little do they know that real sympathy is in stressing the importance of fasting and teaching the child about it. Allaah said in Surat ul-Tahreem (interpretation of the meaning): "O you who believe! Ward yourselves and your families off from a fire (Hell) whose fuel is of men and stones, over which are appointed angels stern and severe, who do not disobey the commands they receive from Allaah, and execute that which they are commanded." We must pay extra attention to the young girl when she first starts fasting after she reaches puberty. There is a possibility that she will fast while she has her period (the first time) out of shame or shyness, and end up not making up the days later on.
Also see the Book "70 Matters Related to Fasting".

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