For children, - Children are blessings not burden:(Muslim Parenting, Rights of Children in Islam)

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Allah (SWT) says in Noble Qur'an: "Kill not your children for fear of want. We shall provide sustenance for them as well as for you. Verily the killing of them is great sin." Noble Qur'an (17: 31)
Once a Companion, Sahabi (Allah be pleased with him) submitted to the Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "O Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) which is the greatest sin?"
Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) observed: "Polytheism"
The Companion, Sahabi (Allah be pleased with him) again submitted: "And what next?"
Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) observed: "Disobedience to parents"
The Companion, Sahabi (Allah be pleased with him) submitted for the third time: "And which sin is the greatest next to it?"
Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) observed: "To kill your children fearing that they will share your sustenance."

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Night Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * If he finishes praying Taraweeh withthe first imam, will the rewardof praying qiyaam all night be recorded for him?

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In some of the mosques in our country, there are two or three imams who take turns in leading ‘Isha’ prayer and Taraweeh. If a person prays with the first of them until the second imam takes his place, and thus he will have finished ‘Isha’ only or ‘Isha’ and some of Taraweeh, in this case will he be regarded as having prayed with the imam until he finished, and will he have the reward of spending that night in prayer, even though he did not pray 11 rak’ahs?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The reward for having prayed qiyaam all night will not be recorded for him unless he offered all the prayers with all of them. If he leaves after the first or second imam finishes, and he does not complete the prayer with the third imam, then nothing will be recorded for him except what he prayed only.
The words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Whoever prays with the imam until he finishes, Allaah will record for him as if he spent the whole night in prayer” were narrated by al-Tirmidhi (806) and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheehal-Tirmidhi. What is meant is encouragement not to leave before the prayers are completed, even if there is more than one imam.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: Some people in al-Masjid al-Haraam pray qiyaam and not Taraweeh on the grounds that they are following the Sunnah and not doing more than eleven rak’ahs. What is your opinion?
He replied:
What I think is that a person should do both Taraweeh and qiyaam, so he should pray with the first imam until he finishes, and pray with the second imam until he finishes, because having a number of imams in one place means that it is as if the two imams are one imam, as if the second imam is representing the first imam in the later prayers. What I think in this case is that one should stay and pray with both the first and second imams so that he will be included in the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Whoever stands (and prays) with the imam until he finishes, Allaah will record for him (a reward) as if he spent the whole night in prayer.” End quote.
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen(14/190).
He also said:
If there are two imams in one mosque, should they be regarded as separate or is one the deputy of the other?
It seems that the second option is correct, that one of them is the deputy of the other and completes (the prayer) on his behalf. Based on this, if two imams pray in the mosque, then these two imams are to be regarded as if there was one imam, so a person should stay until the second imam finishes, because we know that the second one is completing the prayer of the first one. End quote.
Majma’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen(14/207).
And Allaah knows best.

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Night Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Carryinga Mus-haf with a Tafseer whilst praying qiyaam al-layl

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Is it permissible for a person to carry a Mus-haf which has footnotes (Tafseer or commentary) whilst praying qiyaam al-layl, and if he comes across a word he does not understand, he looks at what it means whilst he is praying?
Praise be to Allaah.
I put this question to my shaykh, Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), and he answered as follows:
That’s OK.

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Night Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Goingaround to different mosques in order to have more focus (khushoo’) in prayer

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I want to know how sound this hadeeth is: “Let each one of you pray in the mosque that is closest to him and not go around to different mosques.” What should we say to the one who goes around to different mosque in order to have more focus and presence of mind in prayer, without missing ‘Isha’ prayer?.
Praise be to Allaah.
As far as I know, there is a difference of opinion concerning the authenticity of this hadeeth. If we assume that it is sound, it may be interpreted as meaning that this applies if doing that may lead to the people abandoning the mosque that is closest to them. Otherwise it is well known that the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them) used to come to the Prophet's Mosque in order to pray behind the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). In fact, Mu’aadh (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray ‘Isha’ with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), then he would go back to his people and lead them in prayer, even though it was later.
If a person frequents the mosque because of good recitation, and because that good recitation of the imam helps him to focus in prayer, there is nothing wrong with that. Otherwise, if there is the fear of any problem resulting from that, or there is the fear that this may be regarded as disrespect to the imam of the local mosque, if he (the person who goes to another mosque) is a prominent figure and his going away from the local mosque to another mosque may be regarded as undermining the position of the imam, then in this case we say that he should pay attention to the potential bad consequences of this action and avoid doing it.
And Allah knows best.

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Night Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Always recitingQunoot in Witr every night

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What is the ruling on reciting the du’aa’ of Qunoot every night after Witr?.
Praise be to Allaah.
There is nothing wrong with that. The du’aa’ of Qunoot is Sunnah and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to recite Qunoot. He taught Qunoot and the words of Qunoot in Witr to al-Hasan, so it is Sunnah. If you recite it every night, there is nothing wrong with that, and if you omit it on some occasions so that the people will know that it is not obligatory, there is nothing wrong with that either. If the imam omits Qunoot on some occasions so that the people will know that is not obligatory, there is nothing wrong with that. When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) taught al-Hasan Qunoot, he did not tell him to omit it on some days. This indicates that if he does it persistently, there is nothing wrong with that.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him)

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Zakaah , Dought & clear, - * Can he take from his father’s zakaahto pay off his debt?

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If a person is in debt, is it permissible for him to take from his father’s zakaah to pay off his debt or not?
Praise be to Allaah.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah was asked this question, and he replied:
If the son is in debt and cannot pay it off, then he can take from his father’s zakaah, according to the more correct of the two views narrated in the madhhab of Ahmad and others. But if he is need of maintenance and his father does not have any money to spend on him, in this case there is a difference of opinion (among the scholars), but the more correct view is that it is permissible for him to take from his father’s zakaah. But if he is of independent means and does not need his father to spend on him, then he has no need of his zakaah. And Allaah knows best.

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Zakaah , Dought & clear, - * He took zakaah todistribute it to the poor – can he take can any of it?

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One of my friends gave me some zakaah so that I could distribute it to those who are entitled to it. I distributed part of it, and I am still distributing what is left, but at the same time I need some money because I am about to get married and to finish building my house which is not yet completed. And I am also in debt. Am I entitled to take some of the zakaah or not?
Please note that I cannot tell this to my friend at present
Praise be to Allaah.
You do not have the right to take anything from this money, because your friend only gave it to you so that you could distribute it to others, not to take it. You are an agent of the person who gave you the money, and you are only allowed to dispose of it in the manner that he gave you permission to do.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen was asked inFataawa Arkaan al-Islam(p. 447) about a poor man taking zakaah from a wealthy man on the basis that he would distribute it for him, then taking it himself: what is the ruling on doing this?
He replied:
This is haraam and is a betrayal of trust, because the owner gave it to him on the basis that he would act as his agent and give it to others, but he is taking it for himself. The scholars stated that it is not permissible for an agent to use that which he has been appointed to dispose of for himself. Based on this, this person has to tell his companion that he took for himself what was given to him before. If he allows him that, all well and good, otherwise he has to pay it back, by giving back what he took so that it may be given in zakaah on behalf of its owner.
I would like to take this opportunity to speak about something that some ignorant people do, which is when a poor person takes zakaah, then Allaah makes him independent of means but people still give to him, thinking that he is still poor, and he takes it. Some of these people take it and consume it, then say, “I did not ask people for it, this is provision which Allaah has bestowed upon me.” This is haraam, because if Allaah makes a person independent of means, it is haraam for him to take any zakaah.
Some people take zakaah then give it to others without being appointed to do so by the owner of the zakaah. This is also haraam. It is not permissible for a person to dispose of it in this manner, even if it is less serious than the case described above, but it is still haraam for him to do this, and he has to pay back the zakaah to its owner if he did not give him permission and does not approve of his action.
The Standing Committee (9/436) was asked:
Some people have given me zakaah to dispose of it in the ways prescribed in sharee’ah. I took the money and distributed some of it, but I took some for myself, because I needed this money so that I could get married and fix up my house which was not suitable for getting married. I had the intention of paying it back, but my circumstances now do not allow me to pay it back. What is the solution? Was it halaal or haraam for me to take this money? Do I have to pay it back?
They replied:
It is not permissible for you to take this money that was given to you so that you could distribute it to those who are entitled to zakaah. You have to return the money that you took, or give it to those who are entitled to it, and also repent and seek forgiveness for what you did.

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Zakaah , Dought & clear, - * Renovating orphan’s property with zakaah money

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There are some orphans whose guardian I am, as their father died many years ago. They have a monthly income from their father’s retirement fund of 3500 riyaals. Over the years I have accumulated a large sum of money, of which approximately 150,000 comes from zakaah. Should I stop accepting zakaah on their behalf? What should I do with the zakaah money I have? They have a house that needs to be repaired, and there is still 240,000 owing to the real-estate company.
Can I pay off the deceased’s debts from this (zakaah) money? They have land from the city so can we pay for building a fence around it from this money?
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly, it is not permissible for you to take zakaah on their behalf, because they have enough money of their own. Zakaah is for the poor and needy, not for orphans. Whatever you have taken at the time when they had enough of their own has to be given back to the original donors, if you know who they are, otherwise you must give it away in charity with the intention of it being zakaah on their behalf, because you took it with the intention of it being zakaah from them.
As for the money that you have accumulated from the retirement fund, use it as you see fit, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):“And come not near to the orphan’s property, except to improve it…” [al-An’aam 6:152].
As for the debt to the real estate development company, you know that it is to be repaid in installments, not all at once, so pay it back in installments. The deceased has nothing to do with it, except with regard to the installments that were due before his death, if he did not pay them. As for the installments that were not due until after his death, they are nothing to do with him because they have to do with this property, the ownership of which has passed to his heirs. So they are responsible for these repayments, and they should not be paid from the zakaah money, because they have enough money of their own with which to pay them.

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Zakaah , Dought & clear, - * Printing the Qur’aan is not one of the things that zakaah should be spent on

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There is a charitable organization that distributes and prints the Holy Qur’aan, and translates its meanings into many different languages. Is it permissible to give zakaah money for this project?
Praise be to Allaah.
The apparent meaning of the Qur’aan indicates that zakaah should not be spent on this project, because it is not one of the groups on which zakaah is to be spent, as mentioned in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
“As-Sadaqaat (here it means Zakaah) are only for the Fuqaraa’ (poor), and Al-Masaakeen (the poor)…”[al-Tawbah 9:60]
The Council of Senior Scholars issued a statement saying that zakaah money should not be given to this project, as stated above.
And Allaah knows best.

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Fasting, - Doupht&clear, - * Why was fasting singled out when Allaah said, “Fasting isfor Me and I shall reward for it?”

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What is special about fasting so that Allaah singled it out when He said, “Fasting is for Me and I shall reward for it?”.
Praise be to Allaah.
Al-Bukhaari (1761) and Muslim (1946) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah said: ‘Every deed of the son of Adam is for him except fasting; it is for Me and I shall reward for it…’”
Because all deeds are for the sake of Allaah and He is the One Who rewards for them, the scholars differed concerning this phrase, “Fasting is for Me and I shall reward for it” – why is fasting singled out in this manner?
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) quoted the views of ten scholars who sought to explain the meaning of this hadeeth and why fasting was singled out in this manner. The most important of these views are as follows:
1 – That there is no showing off in fasting as may happen in other acts of worship. Al-Qurtubi said: Because showing off may enter into all good deeds, but no one can see when a person is fasting except Allaah, so Allaah connected it to Himself. Hence He said in the hadeeth, “He gives up his desire for My sake.” Ibn al-Jawzi said: All acts of worship can be seen when done, and they may be contaminated with some element of showing off, unlike fasting.
2 – That what is meant by the words, “I shall reward for it” is: I am the only One Who knows the extent of his reward and how much his hasanaat (good deeds) will be multiplied. Al-Qurtubi said: What this means is that the amount of reward for good deeds may become known to people, and they will be rewarded between ten and seven hundred fold, and as much as Allaah wants, except fasting, for Allaah will reward it without measure. This is supported by a report narrated by Muslim (115) from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every deed of the son of Adam will be rewarded between ten and seven hundred fold. Allaah said: ‘Except fasting, for it is for Me and I shall reward for it’” – i.e., I shall reward it greatly, without specifying how much. This is like the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning”
[al-Zumar 39:10]
3 – That what is meant by “fasting is for Me” is that it is the dearest of acts of worship to Me. Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said: The words “Fasting is for Me” are sufficient to indicate the superiority of fasting over all other acts of worship. Al-Nasaa’i (2220) narrated that Abu Umaamah said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “You should fast, for there is nothing like it.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Nasaa’i.
4 – That fasting is mentioned in conjunction with Allaah by way of honouring, as we say, “the House of Allaah,” although all houses belong to Allaah. Al-Zayn ibn al-Muneer said: giving a specific meaning to something general in a context such as this can only be understood as being by way of honouring.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
This hadeeth points to the virtue of fasting in numerous ways:
1 – Allaah singled out fasting for Himself from all other good deeds, because of its honoured status before Him, because He loves it and because it is a demonstration of sincerity towards Him, as it is a secret between a person and his Lord, which no one can see except Allaah. The fasting person may be in a place with no other people around, and he could eat or drink that which Allaah has forbidden to the fasting person, but he does not do that, because he knows that he has a Lord Who can see him even though he is alone and Who has forbidden that to him. So he forsakes it for the sake of Allaah and fearing His punishment, seeking His reward. Because of that, Allaah appreciates his sincerity and singled out fasting for Himself from among all other good deeds. Hence He said: “He gives up his desires and his food for My sake.”
The benefit of this singling out will be seen on the Day of Resurrection, as Sufyaan ibn ‘Uyaynah said: When the Day of Resurrection comes, Allaah will bring His slave to account and will settle any scores outstanding from the rest of his deeds, until when there is nothing left but fasting, Allaah will settle the matter and will admit him to Paradise by virtue of his fasting.
2 – Allaah said concerning fasting: “I shall reward him for it.” So he connected the reward for fasting to Himself, because the reward for righteous deeds is mentioned by number, and a good deed will be rewarded between ten and seven hundred fold, many times. But with regard to fasting, Allaah connected the reward to Himself without specifying any number. Allaah is the most generous of those who are generous, and the gift reflects the generosity of the giver. So the reward of the one who fasts will be very great, without reckoning. Fasting is patience in obeying Allaah, patience in keeping away from the things forbidden by Allaah, and patience in bearing the decree of Allaah, hunger, thirst, physical and mental weakness. So it combines all three types of patience, thus the fasting person deserves to be counted as one of the patient, and Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning”
[al-Zumar 39:10]
Majaalis Shahr Ramadaan, p. 13
And Allaah knows best.

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Fasting, - Doupht&clear, - * Why do Muslims fast?

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I live in England, and I often get asked by many non-muslims, why do muslims fast? I know that I should know this answer, but I do not know what to say exactly. What should I give as an answer?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We Muslims fast the month of Ramadaan because Allaah has commanded us to do so. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“ O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (pious)”
[al-Baqarah 2:183]
So we worship Allaah by doing this act of worship which is beloved to Allaah and which He has enjoined upon us.
The believers hasten to obey the commands of Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), in obedience to His words (interpretation of the meaning):
“The only saying of the faithful believers, when they are called to Allaah (His Words, the Qur’aan) and His Messenger, to judge between them, is that they say: ‘We hear and we obey.’ And such are the successful (who will live forever in Paradise)”
[al-Noor 24:51]
“It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allaah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allaah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed into a plain error”
[al-Ahzaab 33:36]
Secondly:
It is by His wisdom that Allaah has prescribed a variety of acts of worship, so as to test people with regard to how they will obey all these commands. Will they only choose to do that which suits them, or will they do that which pleases Allaah? If we think about the five acts of worship: testimony of faith, prayer, zakaah, fasting and pilgrimage, we will see that some of them are purely physical, some are purely financial, some are both, so that the miser will become distinct from the generous. For some people it may be easy for them to pray one thousand rak’ahs but not to give a single dirham; for others it may be easy to give a thousand dirhams but not to pray a single rak’ahs. So Islam came to prescribe a variety of acts of worship so as to determine who will follow in obedience to the command of Allaah and who will follow only that which suits him.
Prayer, for example, is a purely physical action, but its prerequisites require some expenditure, such as the water for wudoo’, and clothes to cover the ‘awrah. These are not part of the prayer but they are its prerequisites.
Zakaah is purely financial, but physical actions are required to fulfil this duty such as calculating one's wealth and transferring the zakaah to the poor and needy. These are not part of zakaah but they are its prerequisites.
Hajj involves spending wealth and physical action, except for the people of Makkah who may not need money, but the yare very few compared with those who live in Makkah.
Jihad for the sake of Allaah may require both money and physical effort. A person may spend money for the sake of Allaah and not fight, or he may go and fight but not spend money.
Commands are of two types: commands to refrain from things that man is inclined towards, and commands to spend that are precious.
Refraining from things that are loved includes fasting, and expenditure of things that are loved includes zakaah. Wealth is something that is loved and no one spends the wealth that he loves except for something that is loved even more.
The same applies to refraining from things that are loved, for a person may like to spend a thousand dirhams, but not fast a single day, or vice versa.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen,al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 6/190.
Thirdly:
There is another great reason why fasting is prescribed, which has been discussed in part in the answer to question no. 26862.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen was asked about the reason why fasting was enjoined?
He replied:
If we read the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):
“ O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (pious)”
[al-Baqarah 2:183]
we will know the reason why fasting was prescribed, which is taqwa (piety) and submission to Allaah. Taqwa means giving up haraam things, and in general terms includes both doing what is commanded and abstaining from what is forbidden. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does not give up false speech and acting upon it and offensive speech and behaviour, Allaah has no need of his giving up his food and drink.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6057. See also questions no. 37658and 37989.
Based on this, it is important for the one who is fasting to carry out religious duties and avoid haraam things in word and deed. So he should not backbite about people, tell lies, or spread malicious gossip among them, or engage in haraam transactions, and he should avoid all haraam things. If a person does that for a whole month, the rest of the year will go well, but unfortunately in the case of many of those who fast, there is no difference between a day when they fast and a day when they do not; they behave as they usually do, neglecting obligatory duties and doing forbidden things. You do not see the dignity that is to be expected of the fasting person. These actions do not invalidate their fast but they do detract from its reward and may cancel out the reward altogether.
Fataawa Arkaan al-Islam, p. 451.

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Fasting, - Doupht&clear, - * The Muslim in Ramadaan

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