For children, - Learning from Infants and little Angels

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"He that seeks guidance, shall be guided to his own advantage, but he that goes astray does so to his own loss. No bearer shall bear the burden of another on the Day of Judgment. And during your worldly life, We do not inflict punishment until We send forth a Messenger to make truth distinct from falsehood." Noble Qur'an (17:15)
Prophet Muham mad (pbuh)said, "No babe is born but upon Fitra (as a Muslim). It is his parents who make him a Jew or a Christian or a Polytheist."
When a child is born; regardless of whether it is a female or a male, white or black or red, American or African or Chinese or Indian or Arab, regardless of whether he/she is rich or poor, son/daughter of a president or of a Shepherd, or whatever the case is; every child is born with such a high NOBLE characters!
Everyone of us has experienced the Noble characters, like the characters of the Saints! But what are some of those characters and what has turned us away from such a high profile?
When we study some main characteristics of the infants, we find their similarities in the Noble people (Saints). If we try to implement such qualities, we should be able to return to our original state. Some of those qualities, we find, are:
*.Closeness to their Nature - They like Milk, not alcohol!
*.Consciousness of Allah (SWT) - Being in the womb was perhaps among the best times we ever had. A child is so much in conscious of Allah that when he/she come into this world, child starts to cry! "...Beware! It is the remembrance of Allah which provides tranquility to the hearts." Noble Qur'an (13:28)
*.Pure hearts - Sinless hearts are pure hearts. When we repent and do good actions, Allah (SWT) erases our sins and makes our heart bright.
*.Seclusion (being alone) - Babies in the wombs are alone, away from this material world and its thoughts. A person who remembers Allah (SWT) in seclusion and his eyes get flooded with tears will be under the shade of Allah, on the day of Qayyamah. We should try to spend some time with our Lord, especially at nights when no one is near us, and remember and thank Him for His favours and ask forgiveness for our sins.
*.Meditation - I believe, babies do meditate, if they don't, how else would they learn this world? Let you observe how they meditate...
*.Observes Silence - They speak as much as it is necessary to speak (babies cry when they need to cry, perhaps not always :)
*.No Anger in them - I don't know if any infant child knows what ' anger' is like.
*.No Worries - "Be aware! The friend of Allah (SWT) has nothing to fear or to regret." Noble Qur'an (10:62) Food is predestined! If Allah is with the believers, why worry then? Smile
Above mentioned are some qualities (there could be more) that we can find in infants, as well as, in an actual Muslim (the Prophets are our role-model). If we implement these qualities, Insha Allah, we will be able to easily and fully follow our Deen: Al-Islam(with its requirements); since if the roots are getting enough nutrition's, the plant grows easily, quickly and properly!

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Menstruation and Post-Natal bleeding, - Dought& clear, - * If a menstrual period lasts longer than usual

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If the monthly period comes and lasts longer than usual like bleeding, is it permissible for a woman to pray and fast in this situation?
Praise be to Allaah.
If the period lasts longer than usual, the correct thing is to follow what is usual. If her period is usually five days, but this time it is six or seven or eight, the right thing to do is to refrain (from praying etc) so long as the blood is flowing, and regard it as menses, and not pray or fast, and it is not permissible for her husband to have intercourse with her in this case, because the period may be longer or shorter; this is normal among women. But if she bleeds for longer, she should not pray and fast, and if it is shorter and she sees that the period has ended, she should do ghusl and she becomes permissible for her husband, and she should pray and fast. This is the correct response in this case.
But if she becomes pure and does ghusl, then she sees yellowish or brownish discharge, this yellowish or brownish discharge is not regarded as anything (i.e., is not menses), so she should pray and fast, as Umm ‘Atiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: We used not to regard the brownish or yellowish discharge that comes after tuhr (becoming pure) as being of any significance.
If she does ghusl after her period, then sees yellowish or brownish discharge, this does not count as anything or prevent her from praying or fasting or having intercourse with her husband. But in the case of pure blood that is clearly blood, then she should stop praying etc., even is it was interrupted. Whether it is continuous or interrupted, she should stop praying etc. according to her regular cycle. End quote.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him)

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Menstruation and Post-Natal bleeding, - Dought& clear, - * She had a slight bleed and a brownish discharge, then it turned out that she was pregnant. Should she make up missed prayers?

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I got my period and there was brownish discharge and slight bleeding, and I did not pray on the basis that it was a period, and it lasted for ten days. When I went to find out what caused it to last for so long, it turned out that I was one and a half months pregnant.
The question is: should I make up all the missed prayers or what?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The fuqaha’ differed as to whether a pregnant woman can menstruate or not. There are two opinions, the soundest of which is that she can menstruate, although this is rare among women. This is the view of the Maalikis and Shaafa‘is, and of Ahmad according to one report; it was also regarded as more correct by a number of scholars. But the scholars stipulated that in order for the blood that comes from a pregnant woman to be regarded as menstruation (hayd) it should be like menstrual blood and come at the time of menses. Please see the answer to question no. 23400.
Based on that, it seems that what happened in your case was not hayd (menses).
With regard to making up the prayers, you do not have to make them up, because you only refrained from praying because you thought that it was a period (menses).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This also includes the woman who experiences istihaadah (non-menstrual bleeding) if it continued for a while and she did not pray because she thought that prayer was not required of her [at that time]. There are two opinions as to whether she has to make it up, one of which is that she does not have to do so -- as was narrated from Maalik and others -- because when a women suffering from istihaadah said to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), “I have been bleeding heavily for some time and it prevents me from praying and fasting” he instructed her as to what was required of her in the future, and he did not instruct her to make up past prayers.
End quote fromMajmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 21/101.
And Allah knows best.

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Menstruation and Post-Natal bleeding, - Dought& clear, - * He committed zina with a woman when she was menstruating; does he have to offer the expiation for having intercourse during menses?

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Me and my wife both commited Zina before our marriage. One occasion, Im ashamed to say, occured during her menses. We gave up this evil act and got married. But I have never made expiation by giving charity. Is the marriage valid based on this?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We praise Allah for having enabled you both to repent and follow the way of righteousness and guidance.
With regard to expiation, if what is meant is the expiation for having intercourse during menses, some of the fuqaha’ are of the view that the one who has intercourse with his wife when she is menstruating has to offer expiation, which is one dinar or half a dinar.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If he has intercourse with his menstruating wife in the vagina, he is sinning and he should ask Allah for forgiveness. Concerning the expiation, there are two reports, one of which says that he has to offer expiation because of the report narrated by Abu Dawood and al-Nasaa’i with their isnaads from Ibn ‘Abbaas, that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said concerning the one who had intercourse with his wife when she was menstruating: “Let him give a dinar or half a dinar in charity.” And the second report says that he does not have to offer any expiation; this is the view of Maalik, Abu Haneefah and most of the scholars, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever goes to a soothsayer and believes what he says, or has intercourse with his wife in her back passage or when she is menstruating, has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad, blessings and peace of Allah be upon him.” (Narrated by Ibn Maajah.) And he did not mention any expiation. And because it is a kind of intercourse that is forbidden because of the harm caused, so it is like intercourse in the back passage.
And al-Shaafa‘i has two opinions like these two reports.
End quote fromal-Mughni, 1/203
And they differed concerning the case where that happens in the event of zina; some of them were of the view that expiation is also required in this case.
It says inMataalib Ooli al-Nuha(1/245): He has to offer expiation, whether he had intercourse with a woman in a halaal manner or by way of zina. So he has to offer expiation of one dinar or half a dinar. End quote.
In order to be on the safe side, you should offer the expiation. One dinar is equivalent to 4.25 grams of gold. And there is a choice with regard to the expiation: one dinar or half a dinar.
Secondly:
We have discussed previously the stipulation of repentance in order for the marriage contract after zina to be valid, how that repentance should be done and the ruling in the case where it is not known whether repentance has taken place.
And Allah knows best.

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Menstruation and Post-Natal bleeding, - Dought& clear, - * Yellow discharge during menstrual period

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I am having a problem with my menses. Everytime I take a ghusl after having menses. I see this yellowish whitish stuff. Sometimes I get this stuff when I am not on my menses. Should I wait until I see the yellow stuff to take ghusl? Sometimes it is a lot and other times it is not. Sometimes I get the yellowish whitish stuff and sometimes I don\'t get it as much. I really need to know because it is hard for me to tell when I should start my salat.
Praise be to Allaah.
What usually happens with women is that the menstrual blood comes first, then it is followed by brownish discharge, then yellowish discharge, then comes the whitish discharge which is called al-qassah al-baydaa’, which is the sign of tahaarah (purity). Some women find that the yellowish discharge ceases and they do not experience the white discharge after that; the vagina becomes dry. If the dryness persists for a complete day, more or less, then this is tahaarah, even if there is no white discharge. But if a woman’s usual cycle is to have blood then brownish discharge then yellowish discharge within a certain time limit such as seven days, then she finds that she is dry, then she should do ghusl and start praying – she does not have to wait a whole day. If a woman sees that she is taahir (pure), whether by noting the whitish discharge or the dryness for more than one day, then she experiences a brownish or yellowish discharge, that doesn’t matter, and she should not pay any attention to it; she should remain taahir, unless blood is discharged – because Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “We used to pay no attention to a brownish or yellowish discharge after becoming taahir.” Based on the above, you have to figure out what your cycle is, whether it is irregular or regular. The woman with an irregular cycle has to wait until she becomes taahir, unless her bleeding etc. lasts for more than fifteen days; if it reaches this extent and she did not become taahir, then she should do ghusl and start praying, and there is no sin on her in sha Allah. The woman whose cycle is regular should follow the details described above.

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Welcome to Islam, - * Was Prophet Muhammad influenced by Jews or Christians? -II

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The tradition that the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,)may Allaah exalt his mention(, heard Qayss bin Saa`idah preach at the `Ukaath fair isforged and discarded, as one of its narrators, Muhammad bin Hallaaj Al-Laakhmi, is a confirmed liar. The suggestion that the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, learnt from Zayd bin Haarithah, may Allaah be pleased with him, is discarded on the ground that Zayd came to the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,as a little boy and as a result he could not have taught Christianity to his foster father. Moreover, Zayd, may Allaah be pleased with him, had genuine faith in the Prophet’s message and followed him,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,until his death.
The allegation that the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, received instructions from Waraqah bin Nawfal on Christianity is rejected on the ground that, if this information is true, then the Quraysh would have made a very big issue about it. The assertion that the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was instructed by a foreigner, is already properly addressed and rebutted by the Quran itself, and is not discussed here. If some of the Christians and Jews of Makkah had provided the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,with information about former religions, they would not have faith in the Prophet’s mission and leadership and would never have become Muslims themselves.
The Makkan tribes tortured a number of such converts in order to extort an admission that Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, had obtained help from them. Jaabir, may Allaah be pleased with him, one of the victims of oppression when persecuted and tortured to the extreme, gave a significant reply: "It is not I who teaches Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,rather it is he who teaches and guides me." ]Tafseer Al-Qurtubi[
Some of the points raised in this connection by Dr. Jamal Badawi, a renowned propagator of Islam in Canada are worth noting. He says: “It would be highly imaginary to say that through his occasional chats with Jews and Christians, while busy with his caravan, Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, learned enough about either or both religions to formulate a new powerful and viable religion, a task that defies the collective efforts of scholars for centuries.”
Furthermore, the above assertion raises a number of questions. Dr. Jamal Badawi puts forth the following six questions:
1. Why is it, that in spite of the abundance of historical material on the life of Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,and in spite of the extensive research on his life for centuries by his critics, why was it not possible to discover the mysterious teacher who allegedly taught Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, all that he learned?
2. It is known that Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was opposed, ridiculed and persecuted for nearly thirteen years by his own contemporaries. Was it not possible for his enemies to prove to the masses that Prophet Muhammad's,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,claim of revelation was sheer fabrication? Was it not possible for them to reveal and name whom they alleged to be the human sources of his teachings? Even some of his adversaries who made this assertion changed their minds later on, and accused him, instead, of magic or of being possessed by evil.
3. Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was raised among his people and every aspect of his life was exposed to them, especially by the openness that characterizes tribal life in the desert. How could his contemporaries, including many of his close relatives who knew him so well, believe in his truthfulness if they had any doubt that he was claiming credit for ideas taught to him by some other teachers, without bothering to give them credit?
4. What kind of teacher might have taught Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, a coherent and complete religion that changed the face of history? Why did he or they )if any( not speak against the alleged student who continued learning from them, while ignoring them and claiming some other Divine source for his teachings?
5. How could many Jews and Christians amongst his contemporaries become Muslims and believe in his truthfulness, if they knew that he was copying from their scriptures or learning from their priests or rabbis?
6. It is known that some of the Quranic revelations came to Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in the presence of people. The Quran was revealed during the span of 23 years. If the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, had a teacher, where was he? How could he,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, have hidden the teacher for so long? On the other hand, how could Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who was constantly surrounded by followers, be able to make frequent secret visits to that mysterious teacher or teachers for 23 years without being ‘caught’ even once?
Gradual Growth of Accuracy in the Quran
The teachings of Islam in the Quran such as the rules and duties are indeed spelt out gradually over a period of 23 years, and the arrangement of the revealed verses and chapters are according to the need of the society at the time. A good example is the warning regarding intoxicants in the Quran, and how they were finally prohibited. The prohibition did not come all of a sudden. The society was first spiritually prepared to accept such a prohibition, and when the prohibition came into effect, it was accepted openly and gladly. This may look as a gradual growth in accuracy for some of the Orientalists who may make an issue out of it, but it is not so. However, it is worth noticing that some of the Orientalists have started to discard this line of thinking.
The Quran is not a derivation from the Judeo-Christian scriptures as claimed by the Orientalists and as evidenced by the following:
Some Information Given in the Quran that is Not Mentioned in the Bible:
·Some of the Prophets mentioned in the Quran i.e. Saalih )for the Thamood( and Hood )for the `Aad(, may Allaah exalt their mention, are not even mentioned in the Bible.
·Information given in the Quran about Prophet Ibraaheem )Abraham(, may Allaah exalt his mention, specifically about his teachings on monotheism and the resulting struggle is not found in the Bible
·The incidents of ‘Eesaa )Jesus(, may Allaah exalt his mention, speaking in the cradle and confirming the chastity of his mother; giving life to the birds made by clay by God's permission, and the table of food descending from heaven
·Moosaa )Moses(, may Allaah exalt his mention, traveling to the "meeting place of two seas"
·The incident of Pharaoh's plan to kill Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, and that a "believer" in Pharaoh's court dissuaded him from carrying out his plan
·Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, striking the 12 springs for each Jewish tribe
·The magicians in Pharaoh’s court dying for their belief in God.
Instances where theQuran contradicts accounts given in the Bible
·The preaching of Nooh )Noah(, may Allaah exalt his mention, was specifically monotheism according to Quran
·The Quran categorically denies the concept of Trinity and confirms that ‘Eesaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, was no more than a Prophet -- not god, not the son-of-god and not part of a Trinity
·The Quran categorically states that ‘Eesaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, was not crucified or killed
·The Quran states that all the Prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention, were noble men sent by Allaah and clears all the Prophets from evil intention or evil actions, as against what can be found in the Bible
·TheQuran testifies that all the Prophets of God, may Allaah exalt their mention, were sincere in their mission for which they were sent by God, and never betrayed their mission as suggested in the Bible in the case of Moosaa )Moses( and Haaroon )Aaron(, may Allaah exalt their mention; or sinned as in the case of Loot )Lut(, Daawood )David(, Sulaymaan )Solomon(, may Allaah exalt their mention, and others.
More Details are given in the Quran as Compared to the Bible
1.Incidents relating to Prophet Nooh )Noah(, may Allaah exalt his mention.
2. Maryam )Mary(, may Allaah be pleased with her, being asked to pray to Allaah -- implying that she was a human being who required the mercy of God.
3. The whole story of Yoosuf )Joseph(, may Allaah exalt his mention, delivered in a spiritual atmosphere with more details of his life that are not found in the Bible.
It is true that some of the historical incidents are mentioned in both the Bible and the Quran, but this does not mean that the Quran selected them from these sources. Instead, it is a confirmation of the events of the past but looking at them with a clear vision. There was no library or museum in Makkah, and the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, could not read or write. There were no scholars and philologists in Makkah to unravel the secrets of ancient work to the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
While casually recognizing that there are new elements in the Quran, the Orientalists seem to have never paid attention to find the sources of these elements. If they had done so, the Orientalists would surely have found reason to see that the assumptions under which they have been laboring so diligently and impressively need revision.

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Welcome to Islam, - * Was Prophet Muhammad influenced by Jews or Christians? - I

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Allegations
The Orientalists allege that Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, )may Allaah exalt his mention( was subject to the Judeo-Christian influence of his time and that the Quran reflects this influence. It was suggested that Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, had faced two big problems if he were to embrace Judaism or Christianity. If he became a Christian, he would be bringing in the Christian Byzantine regime to Makkah, which would not be tolerated by the people of Makkah. The second problem was that he could not pretend that he knew more than the older members and priests of those two religions -- Judaism and Christianity. Thus, in both instances, he could not acquire leadership. Hence, Orientalists suggest that the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, decided to reproduce the role of Moosaa )Moses( or ‘Eesaa )Jesus(, may Allaah exalt their mention, because he saw that "they were men, and he could do what they had done."
Orientalists allege that the monotheistic influence on Islam was due to the presence of Christians and Jews in Makkah. They also suggested that there was a monotheist informant from one of those religions. However at a different stage, they also suggested that what the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, received from his informant "would be factual knowledge" but the "meaning and interpretation of the facts" came to him "by the usual process of revelation".
They suggested that the gradual growth in accuracy of the Quran’s narration pertinent to biblical stories is evidence that Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, got these stories from an informant.
They alleged that the Quran replicated contemporary errors that were originally found in the Judeo-Christian scriptures.
Refutations
The Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was only 12 years old when he met Baheera )a Christian monk( for a very short period of time on the way to Syria. Such a brief meeting would not have been sufficient to discuss religious doctrines. It is illogical to assume that a young boy could discuss religious doctrines and scriptural prophecy about the coming of the Messenger, etc, at this tender age.
The Orientalists acknowledged a part of this meeting, but they fail to acknowledge the other aspects, which speak about:
Baheera's knowledge concerning the prophecy in the Scriptures regarding the coming of the new prophet
Baheera’s recognition of the sign of prophethood in Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam
Baheera’s advice to Abu Talib to take the boy home.
When confronted with the above information, William Muir )a Scottish Orientalist, 1819 – 1905 CE( even tried to explain it as a mistake or as a forgery of a designing monk. In order to downplay the importance of Baheera’s recognition of the sign of prophethood, Muir wrote a footnote saying that the report is full of absurdities, but later realizing his recklessness, he omitted the footnote in subsequent editions without altering the main text.
It is common knowledge that a trade caravan traveling in the harsh desert would concentrate their trade in populated areas only, and avoid wandering into deserted habitations and ruined townships or empty church assemblies, just for the sight seeing pleasure of a young boy. Yet Muir suggests that the caravan passed near Petra, Jerash, Ammon and other ruined cities and that these sights influenced the young Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
In Makkah, there were only a few Christians of humble social and intellectual status, being either slaves or petty retailers and mostly immigrants. Only one or two original residents of Makkah such as `Uthmaan bin Al-Huwayrith and Waraqah bin Nawfal had become Christians, the former out of personal or political considerations, and the latter as a result of his search for better faith. The Makkan community had some second-hand knowledge of these two religions of Judaism and Christianity.
The question is, would a person of the stature, knowledge and intelligence of Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,proceed to propound a new religion and challenge the credibility of both the prevailing systems of Judaism and Christianity only on the basis of hearsay and superficial knowledge of them, as suggested by Orientalists?
The Orientalists are not consistent in their allegation that:
The Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was ambitious and therefore careful enough to avoid the political implications of embracing either Judaism or Christianity
He was careless enough to institute a new religion based on information picked up from bazaar gossips and Jewish storytellers at wine shops.
Monotheistic Judeo-ChristianInfluence
It is naïve to say that Islam is blend of second-hand information about Judaism and Christianity with an inkling of Arab elements in it. It is absurd to suggest that the Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was cognizant of the two religious systems.
The concept of prophethood, the memory of Ibraaheem )Abraham(, may Allaah exalt his mention, as a prophet and founder of the Ka`bah, which the Arabs universally cherished, as well as the rites of Hajj )pilgrimage to the Ka’bah( instituted by Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, were unquestionably from before the time of Jews and Christians. Pre-Islamic Arabs, independent of any Jewish or Christian influence, knew the concept of Allaah as the supreme God. The teachings of Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, found haven in Arabia long before the arrival of Judaism or Christianity and the Arabs were already acquainted with the word‘Haneef’as the worshipper of One God.
The Prophet,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, accused the contemporary Arabs, Jews and Christians of having deviated from the original teachings of their prophets and of having degenerated into polytheism. He also rejected what they claimed to be the teachings of their scriptures. So he cannot be misconstrued as having conceived the idea of monotheism from the Judeo-Christian influence.
The Quran does not maintain that it is teaching a new religion. Instead it upholds and revives the original teachings God has given through all Prophets of all nations. It claims that its teachings are the same as that of Ibraaheem )Abraham(, Moosaa )Moses( and ‘Eesaa )Jesus(, may Allaah exalt their mention, and speaks about all of them in glowing terms. Since every Orientalist agrees on the fact that Prophet Muhammad,sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, has not read any of the scriptures, therefore, his source of knowledge must be something else.
The rejection of Biblical teachings about the son or father of god was rejected even in the Makkan Soorahs )chapters of the Quran( long before the Prophet’s migration to Al-Madeenah. Hence, it is not correct to say that these renunciations came about, at the wake of the separation from the Jews and Christians in Al-Madeenah.
It was impossible to get even a glimpse of monotheism by observing Judaism and Christianity in those days. The practices of these two religious groups were steeped in the most debasing corruption and superstitions, which are vastly removed from monotheism.
The various reform movements in Christianity, particularly the Cluniac Movement, the Iconoclastic Movement and the Reformation started by Martin Luther bear testimony to the depth of degradation into which the Christians and Christianity of the day had descended. In a way, all these reform movements and the subsequent emphasis on monotheism, in spite of an adherence to the doctrines of Trinity and divinity of Christ are largely, results of the uncompromising monotheism enunciated and propagated by Islam. In other words, it was Islam that influenced the revival movements in Christianity and not the other way around.

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Dought & clear, - {Islamic history and biography}, - * The Jews have no right to enter the Arabian Peninsula

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It is said that the Jew Labeed ibn al-A’sam was able to able to obtain something from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) [for the purpose of witchcraft] by the help of a Jewish slave woman who used to enter the houses of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Does this mean that it is permissible to employ the services of Jews?
What is the meaning of the expulsion of the Jews as narrated in the ahaadeeth? I hope that you could explain the presence of the Jews in Madeenah, as it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) expelled them from the city?
Praise be to Allaah.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded that the Jews be expelled from the Arabian Peninsula, and said that no two religions should co-exist in the Arabian Peninsula. This is a shar’i ruling. It is not permissible for any mushrik to remain there. With regard to the presence of the Jews in Madeenah, Khaybar, etc., this was before the command to expel them, as is well known. The command to expel them came during the final illness of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) expelled them after that.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-Kareem al-Khudayr.

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Dought & clear, - {Islamic history and biography}, - * To whom is the book Nahj al-Balaaghah attributed?

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I would like to ask how authentic the book Nahj al-Balaagha is and what your opinion of it is?
Praise be to Allaah.
The bookNahj al-Balaaghahis one of the books that are attributed to Ameer al-Mu’mineen ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him), but it contains many things concerning which those who claim to be Muslims have disputed. Following the great scientific principle which was followed by the imams of Islam in obedience to the shar’i command to verify reports, we have no choice but to refer to the scholars and specialists to check on the veracity of the things that are attributed to ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him), because what is narrated from the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) has an effect on sharee’ah, especially in the case of someone like Ameer al-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him), concerning whom some people have exaggerated or fallen short, but Allaah guided the Ahl al-Sunnah to follow a middle course.
By referring to the words of the scholars concerning this book and comparing its contents with what has been proven with saheeh isnaads from ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him), it becomes clear that there is material in this book that contradicts what was proven from him (may Allaah be pleased with him). So we should look at what some of these great scholars have said:
Imaam al-Dhahabi (may Allaah be pleased with him) said in his biography of al-Murtada ‘Ali ibn Husayn ibn Moosa al-Moosawi (d. 436 AH): I said, he was the compiler of the book Nahj al-Balaaghah which is attributed to Imam ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him), but the reports contained therein have are no isnaads. Some of it is false and some of it is true, but it contains some frabricated reports of things that the Imam would never have said. But who is the fair-minded man who would look at it in an objective manner?! It was said that it was compiled by his brother Shareef al-Radiy. It includes slander against the companions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him); we seek refuge with Allaah from knowledge that is of no benefit.
Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’, 17/589
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Most of the khutab (sermons) that the author ofNahj al-Balaaghahincludes in his book are lies against ‘Ali. ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) is too noble and too worthy to have uttered such words. But these people fabricated lies and thought that they were praise, but they are neither truth nor praise. Whoever says that the words of ‘Ali or any other human being are above the words of any other created being is mistaken, for the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) are above his words, and both of them are created beings. Moreover the correct meanings that are to be found in the words of ‘Ali are to be found in the words of others, but the author ofNahj al-Balaaghahand his ilk took many of the things that people say and made them the words of ‘Ali. There are some words narrated from ‘Ali that he did say, and some of them are true words that would have been befitting for him to say, but in fact they are the words of others. Hence inKalaam al-Bayaan wa’l-Tabyeenby al-Haafiz and in other books there are words narrated from people other than ‘Ali and the author ofNahj al-Balaaghahattributed them to ‘Ali. If these sermons which were transmitted inNahj al-Balaaghahwere really spoken by ‘Ali, they would have been found in other books that existed before this book was written, and they would have been narrated from ‘Ali with isnaads and otherwise. It is known from those who are well versed in the study of narrations that many of them (these sermons) – indeed most of them – were unknown before this, therefore it may be concluded that they are fabrications. So the narrator should state in which book they are mentioned, who narrated it from ‘Ali, and what its isnaad is. Otherwise, anybody could say something and claim that it was said by ‘Ali. Those who are well-versed in the knowledge of the hadeeth scholars and of reports and isnaads and are able to tell what is sound and what is not sound would know that these people who transmitted reports from ‘Ali are the least likely people to know about reports and be able to distinguish the sound from the unsound.
Manhaaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah, 8/55.
Other scholars who pointed out the lies in this book was al-Khateeb al-Baghdaadi, inal-Jaami’ li Akhlaaq al-Raawi wa Adaab al-Saami’, 2.161; al-Qaadi Ibn Khalkaan; al-Safadi, and others. The things that have been said against it may be summarized in the following points:
1. There are seven generations of narrators between ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) and the author of this book, and he did not mention any name whatsoever. Hence we cannot accept his words without an isnaad.
2. If these narrators are mentioned, it is essential to research about them and find out whether they are trustworthy.
3. The fact that most of these sermons did not exist before this book was written indicates that they were fabricated.
4. Al-Murtada – the author of the book – was not one of the scholars of reports, rather he was one of those whose religious commitment and competence were debatable.
5. The slander that it contains against the leading Sahaabah is sufficient to count it as false.
6. The insults and slander that it contains are not the characteristics of the believers, let alone their leaders such as ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him).
7. It contains contradictions and clumsy expressions from which it may be known for certain that it was not produced by one who was prominent in eloquence and fluency.
8. The fact that the Raafidah accept it and are certain that it is as true as the Qur’aan, despite all these objections, indicates that they do not pay attention to verifying sources and ensuring that they are sound with regard to the matters of their religion.
Based on the above, it is clear that this book cannot be attributed to ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him), therefore nothing in it can be used as evidence in matters of sharee’ah, no matter what the issue is. But whoever reads it in order to find out what it contains of eloquence, the ruling is the same as that on all other books on Arabic language, without attributing its contents to Ameer al-Mu’mineen ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him).
See Kutub hadhdhara minha al-‘Ulama’, 2/250

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Dought & clear, - {Islamic history and biography}, - * Where is al-Husayn buried, and how importantis it to know where the graves of the Sahaabah are?

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A questioner says that people talk a great deal and have different opinions about where the grave of al-Husayn is located. Can the Muslims benefit from knowing exactly where it is?.
Praise be to Allaah.
In fact people differed concerning that. It was said that he is buried in Syria, or in Iraq, and Allaah knows best what is true. With regard to his head, they also differed concerning that; it was said that it is buried in Syria, or in Iraq, or in Egypt. The correct view is that the site in Egypt is not his grave, rather that is a mistake and the head of al-Husayn is not there. A number of scholars have written essays on that and explained that there is no evidence for the head of al-Husayn being in Egypt. The most likely to be correct is the view that it is in Syria, because it was taken to Yazeed ibn Mu’aawiyah who was in Syria. There is no basis for the view that it was taken to Egypt. Either it was kept in Syria or it was returned to his body in Iraq.
Whatever the case, the people do not need to know where it is buried or where it is. Rather what is prescribed is to pray for forgiveness and mercy for him, may Allaah forgive him and be pleased with him, for he was killed unlawfully. So we should pray for forgiveness and mercy for him, and hope for much good for him. He and his brother al-Hasan will be the leaders of the youth of Paradise, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said. May Allaah be pleased with them.
If a person’s grave is known, there is nothing wrong with saying salaams to him and making du’aa’ for him, as other graves may be visited, without going to extremes in that or worshipping them. It is not permissible to ask the dead to intercede, because nothing can be asked of the dead; rather we should make du’aa’ for them and pray for mercy for them if they were Muslims, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Visit the graves, for they will remind you of the Hereafter.”
If a person visits the graves of al-Husayn or al-Hasan or any other Muslim to make du’aa’ for them and pray for mercy and forgiveness for them, as he would do at the grave of any other Muslim, this is Sunnah. But visiting graves to pray to their occupants or seek their help or ask them to intercede – this is a reprehensible action, and indeed it is major shirk. It is not permissible to build mosques or domes etc over graves, because the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “May Allaah curse the Jews and Christians, for they took the graves of their Prophets as places of worship.” (Saheeh – agreed upon). And because it was narrated from Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) inal-Saheehthat the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade plastering over graves, sitting on them and erecting structures over them.” So t is not permissible to plaster over graves, perfume them, place screens around them or erect structures over them; all of that is forbidden and these are means that lead to shirk. And we should not pray at graves because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Those who came before you used to take the graves of their Prophets and righteous people as places of worship; do not take graves as places of worship, for I forbid you to do that.” (Narrated by Muslim in hisSaheehfrom Jundub ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Bajali (may Allaah be pleased with him).
This hadeeth indicates that it is not permissible to pray at graves or to take them as mosques; and because that is a means that leads to shirk and worshipping someone other than Allaah by calling upon them (the occupants of the graves), seeking their help, making vows to them, and touching the graves to seek their blessings. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned against that. Rather graves should be visited in the manner prescribed in sharee’ah only, to give salaams to them and make du’aa’ for them and pray for mercy for them, but without travelling specifically for that purpose.
And Allaah is the Source of strength and the Guide to the straight path.

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Dought & clear, - {Islamic history and biography}, - * al-Masjid al-Aqsa and theDome of the Rock

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I have recently received an Email advising me of the status of the Masjid al Aqsa and diffrentiating it from the doom of the rock.
Can you please clarify the situation and advise, if the Masjid e Aqsa is different from the Doom of the Rock, why do we see its picture representing Masjid e Aqsa at all Islamic places, and I (and many other muslims) were completely inaware of the difference.
Praise be to Allaah.
Al-Masjid al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem) was the first of the two qiblahs, and is one of the three mosques to which people may travel for the purpose of worship. And it was said that it was built by Sulaymaan (peace be upon him), as stated inSunan al-Nasaa’i(693) and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Nasaa’i. And it was said that it existed before Sulaymaan (peace be upon him) and that Sulaymaan rebuilt it; this is based on the evidence narrated inal-Saheehaynfrom Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, which mosque was built on earth first?’ He said, ‘Al-Masjid al-Haraam [in Makkah].’ I said, ‘Then which?’ He said, ‘Al-Masjid al-Aqsa.’ I said, ‘How much time was there between them?’ He said, ‘Forty years. So wherever you are when the time for prayer comes, pray, for that is the best thing to do.’”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3366; Muslim, 520.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was taken on the Night Journey (isra’) to Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), where he led the Prophets in prayer in this blessed mosque.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allaah) [above all that (evil) they associate with Him]
Who took His slave (Muhammad) for a journey by night from Al-Masjid Al-Haraam (at Makkah) to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsaa (in Jerusalem), the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him (Muhammad) of Our Ayaat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.). Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer”
[al-Isra’ 17:1]
The Dome of the Rock was built by the caliph ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwaan in 72 AH.
It says inal-Mawsoo’ah al-Filasteeniyyah(4/203): “The name al-Masjid al-Aqsa was historically applied to the entire sanctuary (al-Haram al-Shareef) and the buildings in it, the most important of which is the Dome of the Rock which was built by ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwaan in 72 AH/691 CE, which is regarded as one of the greatest Islamic historical buildings. But today the name is applied to the great mosque which is situated in the southern part of the sanctuary plateau.”
It also says inal-Mawsoo’ah(3/23): “The Dome of the Rock is situated in the middle of the plateau of al-Masjid al-Aqsa, which is in the southeastern part of the city of al-Quds (Jerusalem). It is a spacious rectangular plateau which measures 480 meters from north to south, and 300 meters from east to west. This plateau occupies approximately one-fifth of the area of the Old City of Jerusalem.
The mosque which is the place of prayer is not the Dome of the Rock, but because pictures of the Dome are so widespread, many Muslims think when they see it that this is the mosque. This is not in fact the case. The Mosque is situated in the southern portion of the plateau, and the Dome is built on the raised rock that is situated in the middle of the plateau.
We have already seen above that the name of the mosque was historically applied to the whole plateau.
This is supported by the words of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) inMajmoo’at al-Rasaa’il al-Kubra, 2/61: “Al-Masjid al-Aqsa is the name for the whole of the place of worship built by Sulaymaan (peace be upon him). Some people started to give the name of al-Aqsa to the prayer-place which was built by ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab in front of it. Praying in this prayer-place which ‘Umar built for the Muslims is better than praying in the rest of the mosque, because when ‘Umar conquered Jerusalem there was a huge garbage dump on the rock, since the Christians wanted to show their scorn for the place towards which the Jews used to pray. So ‘Umar issued orders that the filth be removed and he said to Ka’b: ‘Where do you think we should build a place of prayer for the Muslims?’ He said, ‘Behind the rock.’ He said, ‘O you son of a Jewish woman! Are influenced by your Jewish ideas! Rather I will build it in front of it.’
Hence when the imams of this ummah entered the mosque, they would go and pray in the prayer-place that was built by ‘Umar. With regard to the Rock, neither ‘Umar nor any of the Sahaabah prayed there, and there was no dome over it during the time of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs. It was open to the sky during the caliphate of ‘Umar, ‘Uthmaan, ‘Ali, Mu’aawiyah, Yazeed and Marwaan… The scholars among the Sahaabah and those who followed them in truth did not venerate the rock because it was an abrogated qiblah… rather it was venerated by the Jews and some of the Christians.”
‘Umar denounced Ka’b al-Ahbaar and called him the son of a Jewish woman because Ka’b had been a Jewish scholar and rabbi, so when he suggested to ‘Umar that he should build the mosque behind the rock, that was out of respect for the rock so that the Muslims would face it when praying, and veneration of the rock was part of the religion of the Jews, not the religion of the Muslims.
The Muslims’ fondness for the picture of the Dome may be because of the beauty of this building, but this does not excuse them from the resulting mistake of not distinguishing between the Mosque and the buildings that surround it.
This may be one of the plots and tricks of the Jews, because of their veneration for the rock and their facing it in prayer. Or is may be in order to give importance to the Rock so that they can fulfil their desire to build the so-called Temple of Solomon on the ruins of al-Masjid al-Aqsa. This is by making the Muslims think that al-Masjid al-Aqsa is the Dome of the Rock, so that if the Jews start to destroy al-Masjid al-Aqsa and the Muslims denounce them for that, they will tell them, “Al-Masjid al-Aqsa is fine,” and will show them a picture of the Dome of the Rock. Thus they will achieve their aims and be safe from the Muslims’ criticism.
We ask Allaah to restore the Muslims’ power and glory, and to cleanse al-Masjid al-Aqsa of the brothers of the monkeys and pigs, for Allaah has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of men know not (cf. Yoosuf 12:21).
And Allaah knows best.

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