It is difficult for him to stay in Madeenah and leave his family and his mother far away; shouldhe be patient or should he go back?

I came to al-Madeenah al-Munawwarah as a teacher of computer science three months ago and I left my family and my country. By Allah, I miss them and feel a great deal of distress because of being away from them. My mother also needs me and I am afraid that if I end my contract I will have gone against the command of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to be patient in bearing the hardships of Madeenah. What do you think, may Allah bless you?.
Praise be to Allaah.
There is nothing wrong with you ending your contract for the reasons mentioned, and this does not have anything to do with not being patient in putting up with the hardships of Madeenah, i.e., its heat and difficulties, as mentioned in the hadeeth narrated by Muslim (1363) from Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqaas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (sa) said: “I declare sacred what is between the two lava fields of Madeenah, (and I forbid) cutting of itsthorny shrubs or killing ofits game.” And he said: “Madeenah is better for them, if only they knew. No one leaves it out of dislike for it but Allaah will put someone better than him in his place, and no one stands firm despite its hardships and difficulties, but I will intercede for him, or be a witness for him, on the Day of Resurrection.”.
And Muslim (1374) narrated from Abu Sa‘eed al-Mahri that he came to Abu Sa‘eed al-Khudri (mayAllah be pleased with him) and consulted him about leaving Madeenah, complaining to him aboutits prices and his large number of dependents, and telling him that he could not bear the hardships and difficulties of Madeenah. He said to him: Woe to you! I do notadvise you to do that. I heard the Messenger of Allaah (S) say: “No one bears its hardships with patience and dies, but I will intercede for him, or Iwill be a witness for him, on the Day of Resurrection, if he is Muslim.”
Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Sharh Muslim: Scholars of (Arabic) language said: al-la’waa (hardships) refers to difficulty and hunger. … end quote.
If you leave Madeenah, it will not be because of the hardship and difficulty encountered there; rather it will be to honour your mother and keep yourself chaste. If you can combinethe two things and bring your wife and keep in frequent touch with your mother, then you will attain the blessings of living in Madeenah and beincluded in this great promise of attaining the intercession of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Undoubtedly this will be better and more perfect.
We ask Allah to guide us and you.
And Allah knows best./ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en

1a] Is feeling proud of one’sreligion a kind of blameworthy pride?

1a]
that is blameworthy.
But feeling proud becauseof doing acts of obedienceand worship means feeling happy that one has been enabled to do that and feeling proud of belonging to people who do that, and praising Allahfor saving him from shirk and its people, and from sin and its path.
As for looking down on the slaves of Allah and feeling that one is above them because of acts of obedience that one has done, this is the worst type of pride and arrogance, and the one who is like this is on the brink of disaster and thereis a danger that his deeds will be thrown back at him.
And Allah knows best.

1] Is feeling proud of one’sreligion a kind of blameworthy pride?

1]
Is there anything wrong with a person feeling proud of his religion or feeling proud of a person who does something good? Because we know that pride in the heart is something bad.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
With regard to feeling proud of one’s religion and of belonging to it, this is something that is prescribed in Islam and is a righteous deed.
A story from one of the battles illustrates this point: Abu Sufyaan, the leader of Quraysh, expressed pride in his religion and the religion of his people – as he had not yet entered Islam. TheProphet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) answered his boast with an expression of the Muslim’s pride in his religion and his affirmation of the Oneness of the Lord of theWorlds.
Al-Bukhaari narrated in his Saheeh (3039) from the hadeeth of al-Bara’ ibn ‘Aazib (may Allah be pleased with him) that after the battle Abu Sufyaan ibn Harb started composing rajz verse and saying: “Rise in honour, Hubal; rise in honour Hubal.”
The Prophet blessings andpeace of Allah be upon him) said: “Why don’t youanswer him?”
They said: “O Messenger of Allah, what should we say?”
He said: “Say: Allah is MostHigh and Most Glorious.”
Abu Sufyaan said: We have al-‘Uzza and you have no ‘Uzza.”
The Prophet blessings andpeace of Allah be upon him) said: “Why don'’t you answer him?”
They said: “O Messenger of Allah, what should we say?”
He said: “Say: Allah is our Supporter and you have no supporter!”
Allah, may He be exalted, has taught His slaves that true pride and perfect honour can only be achieved by obeying Allah. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Whosoever desires honour, power and glory then to Allaah belong all honour, power and glory [and one can get honour, power and glory only by obeying and worshipping Allaah (Alone)]. To Him ascend (all) the goodly words, and the righteous deeds exalt it (i.e. the goodly words are not accepted by Allaah unless and until they are followed by good deeds), but those who plot evils, theirs will be severe torment. And the plotting of such will perish”
[Faatir 35:10].
i.e., and whoever would like to be honoured in thisworld and the Hereafter, let him adhere to obedience to Allah, then he will attain what he wants, because Allah is the Sovereign of this world and the Hereafter, and all honour, power and glory belong to Him, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Those who take disbelievers for Awliyaa’ (protectors or helpers or friends) instead of believers, do they seek honour, power and glory with them? Verily, then toAllaah belongs all honour,power and glory”
[al-Nisa’ 4:139]
“And let not their speech grieve you (O Muhammad r), for all power and honour belong to Allaah”
[Yoonus 10:65]
“But honour, power and glory belong to Allaah, and to His Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), and to the believers,but the hypocrites know not”
[al-Munaafiqoon 63:8].
Mujaahid said: “Whosoever desires honour, power and glory”[al-Faatir 35:10] by worshipping idols, “then to Allaah belong all honour, power and glory.
Qataadah said: “Whosoever desires honour, power and glory then to Allaah belong all honour, power and glory”i.e., let him seek honour, power and glory by obeying Allah, may He be glorified and exalted.
Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 6/536
Secondly:
With regard to a person feeling proud of himself, ifit is because he is religiously committed, righteous and pious, then it is good, but if it is because of anything else, such as lineage, ancestry, wealth, position or status among people, then this is an act of Jaahiliyyah and is not permissible.
Muslim (1550) narrated from Abu Maalik al-Ash‘ari(may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There are four matters of Jaahiliyyah in my ummah that they will not give up: pride in one’sforefathers, slandering lineages, seeking rain by the stars and wailing (for the dead).”
Muslim (5109) also narrated from ‘Iyaad ibn Himaar al-Mujaasha‘i (mayAllah be pleased with that) that the Messenger of Allah (sa) said one day in his khutbah: “Allah has revealed to me that you should be humble so that no one will boast to anyone else and no one will transgress against anyone else.”
Al-Majd Ibn Tamiyah (mayAllah have mercy on him) said: Allah has forbidden on the lips of His Prophet two types of mistreatment of people: pride and transgression against them and scorn.
Fayd al-Qadeer, 2/217
The guideline with regardto this issue is: whatever is a source of pride and honour because of religion is part of the religion and is praiseworthy; any source of pride other than that is blameworthy. :->

The virtues of pregnancy

I would like to know the virtues of pregnancy in islam and what is recommended for a woman to do interms of ibadat during this time? Isthe salah of a pregnant woman more rewarded than a salah of a woman thats not pregnant.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
There is no doubt that a woman’s pregnancy and giving birth is fulfilling an aim of sharee‘ah that is dear to Allah, which is increasing the progeny of the Muslims who proclaimthe Oneness of Allah, the followers of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). This isthe most important thing on which the woman should focus her intentionduring her pregnancy.
It was narrated that Ma‘qilibn Yasaar said: A man came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and said: I have found a woman who is of good lineage and beautiful, but she cannot have children; should I marry her?
He said: No.
Then he came to him a second time and he told him not to marry her.
Then he came to him a third time and he said: “Marry the one who is loving and prolific (could bear many children), for I will be proud of your large numbers before the nations.”
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2050; al-Nasaa’i, 3227; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.
Because of this aim to which we have referred, ifpregnancy is difficult for the woman and she bearsit with patience, there are many benefits which will come to the mother through it, including the following:
1.
Psychological preparation for the task of raising the child which is the most important and most complicated of all tasks, inwhich they (the parents) raise the child to have a good attitude and become religiously committed for the sake ofAllah, and they hope that Allah will decree reward for them because of the actions of their righteous son, so that he will become an ongoing charity for them after they die and thus they may attain a great deal ofreward which no one knows except Allah.
2.
The difficulties encountered by the pregnant woman, including pain and sickness, and health, psychological and physicalproblems in many cases, will all bring great rewardthat will be recorded for the pregnant woman, in sha Allah. Allah will reward the Muslim for everything that befalls him in this world. Even if a thorn pricks him, Allah will expiate thereby someof his sins, and the pains of labour and pregnancy are far greater than that.
3.
Even if we assume that this woman dies in childbirth, she will die as amartyr. This is indicative of the virtue of her condition. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The woman who dies in pregnancy or childbirth is a martyr.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3111; classed as saheeh by al-Nawawi in Sharh Muslim, 13/62. And he said: the one who dies in childbirth, i.e., she dies with something (the child) inside, not separated from her.
Secondly:
As for the acts of worship that the pregnant womancan do, they are all the acts of worship that the Muslim does by day and by night, such as praying, fasting (so long as there isno fear of harm), giving charity, reading Qur’aan, regularly reciting the adhkaar that are prescribed in sharee‘ah, treating people kindly, visiting relatives, taking stock of oneself, and striving to attain the best attitudes, actions and words.
Perhaps one of the things that the woman should focus on during this period is learning about sound methods of raising children, reading books on this topic or listening to useful lectures by scholars on it, whether that has to do with moral upbringing, health, psychology, pedagogy, and so on, in preparation for the great mission withwhich Allah has entrusted the parents, which is the trust of raising and caring for the child, so that the parents may embark upon it with knowledge and insight and achieve the best results, and attain the pleasure of Allah in this world and in the Hereafter.
With regard to specific rituals or adhkaar specifically for the womanduring pregnancy, we did not know of any such thing in Islam.
Finally we should point out that there are some hadeeths which indicate that the wife’s pregnancy will bring a reward like that of one who fasts and prays at night for the sakeof Allah, and that there are many other rewards for giving birth, breastfeeding and weaning the child, but they are all false and fabricated hadeeths, so it is not permissible to narrate them or speak of them except by way of warning people about them. We have already mentioned some of them on our website in the answer to question no. 121557
And Allah knows best./ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en

The virtue of fasting six days of Shawwaal

What is the ruling on fasting six days of Shawwaal? Is it waajib (obligatory)?
Praise be to Allaah.
Fasting six days of Shawwaal after the obligatory fast of Ramadaan is Sunnah Mustahabbah, not waajib. It is recommended for theMuslim to fast six days of Shawwaal, and in this there is great virtue and an immense reward. Whoever fasts these six days will have recorded for him a reward as if he had fasted a whole year, as was reported in a saheeh hadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Abu Ayyoob (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever fasts Ramadaanand follows it with six days of Shawwaal, it will be as if he fasted for a lifetime.” (Narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nisaa’i and Ibn Maajah).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained this when he said: “Whoever fasts for six days after (Eid) al-Fitr has completedthe year: (whoever does agood deed (hasanah) will have ten hasanah like it).”According to another report: “Allaah has made for each hasanah ten like it, so a month is like fasting ten months, and fasting six days completesthe year.” (al-Nisaa’i and Ibn Maajah. See also Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, 1/421). It was also narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah with the wording: “Fasting for the month of Ramadaan brings the reward of ten like it, and fasting for six days brings the reward of two months, and that is the fasting of the whole year.”
The Hanbali and Shaafa’i fuqaha’ explained that fasting six days of Shawwaal after fasting Ramadaan makes it as if one has fasted for an entire year of obligatory fasts, because the multiplication of the reward applies even to naafil fasts, because each hasanah brings the reward of ten like it.
Another of the important benefits of fasting six days of Shawwaal is that is makes up for any shortfall in a person's obligatory Ramadaan fasts, because no one is free of shortcomings or sins that have a negative effect on his fasting. On the Day of Resurrection, some of his naafil deeds will be taken to make up the shortcomings in his obligatory deeds, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The first thing for which people will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection will be their salaah (prayer). Our Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, will say to His angels – although He knows best – ‘Look at the salaah of My slave, whether it is complete or incomplete.’ If it is perfect,it will be recorded as perfect, and if something is lacking, He will say, ‘Look and see whether Myslave did any voluntary (naafil) prayers.’ If he did some voluntary prayers, [Allaah] will say, Completethe obligatory actions of My slave from his voluntary actions.’ Then all his actions will be dealtwith in a similar manner.”(Narrated by Abu Dawood).
And Allaah knows best.