The Taj Mahal

Agra [1] is the city of the Taj Mahal, in the north Indian state of
Uttar Pradesh , some 200 km from Delhi .
Agra has three UNESCO World Heritage sites, the Taj Mahal and the Agra
Fort in the city and Fatehpur Sikri nearby. There are also many other
buildings and tombs from Agra's days of glory as the capital of the
Mughal Empire.
The city has little else to recommend it. Pollution, especially smog
and litter, is rampant and travellers are pestered byswarms of touts
and hawkers at every monument, mosque, temple or palace. That said,
the sites are some of the wonders of the world and no trip to India is
complete withoutat least one visit to the Taj.
[ edit ] Understand
While Agra's heyday was as the capital of the Mughal empire between
1526 and 1658, the city was founded much earlier. The earliest
reference to Agra is in the ancient epic, the Mahabharata, while
Ptolemy was the first person to call it by its modern name. The
recorded history of Agra begins around the 11th century, and over the
next 500 years, the city changed hands between various kings, both
Hinduand Muslim.
In 1506, Sultan Sikandar Lodi, the ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, moved
his capital from Delhi to Agra. His son Ibrahim Lodi was the last
ruler of the Lodi dynasty, as he was defeated in 1526 by Babur, the
first Mughal ruler, in the battle of Panipat. Agra fell too, and
became the capital of the Mughals, whose rule over Agra was
uninterrupted except for a brief period between 1540 and 1556. In
1540, Sher Shah Shuri overthrew Humayun became the ruler of much of
North India, including Agra. After SherShah Suri's death his
descendants proved unequal to the task of ruling the kingdom, and
Hemu, a Hindu general ofSuri became the effectiveruler who would later
crown himself King Hemachandra Vikramaditya just as the kingdom was
facing an assault from the reinvigorated Mughals. In 1556, Hemu would
be defeated and killed in the second battle of Panipat, and the
Mughalsregained Agra.
Mughals were great builders. Babur built the Aram Bagh (garden of
relaxation) modeled after the garden of paradise, where he was
eventually buried after his death. His grandson Akbar refurbished the
Agra fort and built the Fatehpur Sikri , an entire city just on the
outskirts of Agra. He also renamed Agra after himself, and the city
was known as Akbarabad while it was in Mughal hands. Akbar's grandson
Shah Jehan would give Agra its most famous monument, the Taj Mahal ,
which is the mausoleum of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal . The Taj is
constructed in white marble. It took 20 years to construct, and is now
universally known as a monument to love. Legend has it that Shah Jehan
wanted a replica of the Taj constructed in black marble that would be
his final resting place. There is no actual support for this theory,
but even if it were true, it would have been unlikely to be
eventuated. His son Aurangzeb was austere and pious, and had no time
or inclination for the ostentation of his forefathers, preferring
tospend his money on warsin South India. In any case, even during Shah
Jehan's reign, which was the period when the Mughal empire was at its
height, the construction of the Taj put a strain on the resources of
the empire and caused a min-famine around Agra.Shah Jehan was
eventually buried in the white Taj, next to his beloved Begum.
Shah Jehan, in addition to giving Agra its greatest claim to fame, was
also responsible for beginning its decline, as decided to shift his
capital to Shahjehanabad, which we now know as Old Delhi, in 1658.
Though Aurangzeb ordered a move back, this too was short lived, as he
moved his headquarters down south to Aurangabad to be focus on his
wars. Agra declined, and so didthe Mughal Empire. The city was
eventually captured by the Marathas, who renamed it back to Agra. In
1803, itcame under the British, who situated the Agra Presidency
there, and when India gained independence, the city was incorporated
into the state of Uttar Pradesh, and did not gain even the limited
honour of being the state's capital, that distinction going to Lucknow
, further east. It is now a tourist town, known for the Taj and a
couple of other monuments.
Anyone interested in reading a novel based onthe remarkable story
behind the Taj Mahal's creation should consider Beneath a Marble Sky
by John Shors. Beneath a Marble Sky is an international bestseller,
has won multiple awards, and is being made into a movie by Hollywood.
Other book (historical fiction) is The Taj by Colin De Silva.
[ edit ] Get in
Agra is 200 km southeast from Delhi and is one of the points of the
tourist'sGolden Triangle of Agra- Delhi - Jaipur . Agra is alsovery
well connected via rail and road with other nearby cities and tourist
destinations.
[ edit ] By plane
Service to Agra's Kheria Airport ( IATA : AGR ICAO : VIAG ) is
seasonal. As of November 2008, the city is served by Kingfisher
Airlines and Air India Regional, who both fly on the Delhi -Agra-
Jaipur tourist triangle route. The flight time to either is less than
an hour. Travelers have had trouble with extreme lateness, and for
that reason a hired car may be a safer (and probably cheaper)
alternative.
[ edit ] By train
Agra is on the main train line between the Delhi - Mumbai (Bombay) and
Delhi - Chennai routes, and many trains connect Agra with these cities
every day. Some east-bound trains from Delhi also travel via Agra, so
direct connections to points in Eastern India (including Kolkata ) are
also available. There are close to 20 trains to Delhi every day, and
at least three or four to both Mumbai and Chennai. Agra and Delhi are
notorious for their thick winter fog which reduces visibility to
almost zero. If travelling in late December or early January (the fog
season), travelers should be aware that, because of the reduced
visibility, all trains slow down and travel time goes up. The Bhopal
Shatabdi, for example, may arrive in Agra well after 10AM, andmight
return to Delhi well after midnight. Froma safety point of view, it is
always preferable to travel by train during thewinters. Driving in fog
onthe road is very risky. There are three stations in Agra:

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Does a person who died of cancer as a result of smoking attain the status of a martyr?

Does a person who died of cancer as a result of smoking attain the
status of a martyr?.
Praise be to Allaah.
It is proven in the saheeh Sunnah that there are various kinds of
martyrs who will attain the status of martyrdom in the Hereafter; this
is by the grace and mercy of Allah.
It was narrated from AbuHurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that
the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
said: "The martyrs are five: the one who dies of the plague, the one
who dies of a stomach disease, the one who drowns, the one who is
crushed beneath a falling wall, and the martyr who is killed for the
sake of Allaah."
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Ibn al-Teen said: All of these are deaths which involve hardship.
Allah has bestowed His grace upon the ummah of Muhammad (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) by making them means of erasing their sins
and increasing their rewards, and enabling them to attain the status
of martyrdom.
Fath al-Baari, 6/44
If a person dies of cancer, some of the scholars are of the view that
he is included among the types of martyr mentioned in thehadeeth, on
the basis that the word mabtoon (the one who dies of a disease in the
abdomen)is general and includes everyone who dies of a disease in his
abdomen and that this does not apply to any one specificdisease.
Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The word mabtoon means the one with a disease in the abdomen, which is
diarrhoea. Al-Qaadi said: And it was said that he is the one who
suffers from dropsy or oedema and swelling of the abdomen. And it was
said that it refers to the one who suffers some disease in his
abdomen. And it was said that it refers to anyone who dies from a
disease in the abdomen in general. End quote from Sharh Muslim by
al-Nawawi.
But it should be noted that this suggestion is connected to two conditions:
(i) that the site of the cancer be in the abdomen so
that he maytruly be said to be mabtoon.
Shaykh 'Abd al-Muhsin al-'Abbaad (may Allah preserve him) was asked:
Does a person who dies of cancer come under the heading of mabtoon?
He replied:
No, because cancer is not always in the stomach; it may be somewhere
other than the stomach.
Sharh Sunan Abi Dawood (tape no. 230)
As the site of your friend's cancer was in the throat, he is not
included among any of the groups who are regarded as martyrs.
(ii) that the disease should not have been caused by
smoking, taking drugs or drinking alcohol, or other haraam things,
unless he has repented sincerely from that and has given up consuming
those haraam things.
This condition is general and applies to all those mentioned in the
hadeeth. If a woman is pregnant as the result ofzina and dies in
labour, she is not regarded as one of the martyrs. If a person who
drowned had boarded the boat orship in order to commit sin or some
immoral activity, and dies as a result of drowning, he is not one of
the martyrs. Aperson who is killed by afalling wall when he is
committing zina or drinking alcohol is not one of the martyrs. In the
answer to question no. 45669, we have quoted the Standing Committee as
saying thata person who dies as theresult of a car accident when he
was inside the car comes under the same heading as one who was killed
by a falling wall, so he is a martyr, by Allah's leave. But this
cannot be applied to those foolish young men to whom thishappens when
they are racing in their cars, or tothose who compete in difficult
circumstances inthe mountains or in the snow ("extreme sports").
In the answer to question no. 22140 , we quoted Shaykh al-Islam Ibn
Taymiyah as saying that if a person drowns after boarding a ship
forsinful purposes, he is nota martyr.
And elsewhere he said:
Whoever wants to follow a path where the possibilities of being safe
or being killed are equal has to refrain fromfollowing it; if he does
not refrain, then he is aiding in his own destruction so he is not
amartyr.
Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 5/381
Al-Suyooti (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Al-Qurtubi said: This and the previous one -- i.e., those who are
killed by a falling wall or drowning -- if they did not take risks and
did not fail to take precautions, (then they are martyrs). But if they
did not take precautionsand died as a result of that, then they are
sinners.
Al-Deebaaj 'ala Muslim (4/508)
In al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah (26/273, 274) it says:
An exception is made in the case of one who travels for the purpose of
sin and dies away from home. Another exception is made in the case of
one who drowns but was sinning by boarding the ship when he knew that
it was most likely not to be safefor him to do so, or he boarded it
for the purpose of committing sin. Another exception is made in the
case of a woman who is pregnantas a result of zina and dies in
childbirth. End quote.
If the person who is slainin battle was fighting forthe sake of
tribalism or to show off, he does not attain the virtue or status of
martyrdom, and it is more likely that such people will not attain that
great reward.
Summary:
Cancer in and of itself does not mean that the person who dies of it
is one of the types of martyrs, unless the disease was in his abdomen.
That is not what is stated in the hadeeth; rather it is the ijtihaad
(opinion) of some scholars with regard to the meaning of mabtoon. If a
person'sdisease was caused by smoking and the like, and he dies of it
before repenting, then he is nota martyr, even if the disease was in
his abdomen. But if the disease in his abdomen was not the result of a
haraam action, we hope that he will attain the status of the martyrs
in the Hereafter, in sha Allah.
And Allaah knows best.

Defining the time for salaat al-istisqaa’ (prayerfor rain)

Is there any report from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) which definesthe time for going out topray Salaat
al-Istisqaa' (prayer for rain)?
Praise be to Allaah.
There is a hadeeth in Sunan Abi Dawood with an acceptable isnaad from
'Aaishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) which states that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) set a day when the
people should go out. 'Aa'ishah said: "The Messenger of Allaah(peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out when the rim of the sun
appeared…" The hadeeth clearly indicates that a day was set when the
people were to go out to pray Salaat al-Istisqa', even though it does
not namethis day. More than one of the scholars have stated that it is
mustahabb to choose Mondays and Thursdays, because deeds are shown to
Allaah on those days, and because these are good days for fasting. So
if the Muslimscombine fasting and praying for rain, their du'aa's in
this case are more likely to be accepted.
It may be said that it is not prescribed to single out these two days
rather than others, because that was not proven from the Prophet(peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or from any of the Sahaabah, and
this is thecorrect view. So it is not prescribed to choose one day
rather than another without there being any text to prove that. What
is prescribed is to choose a day on which the people shouldgo out,
which may happen to be a Monday or any other day, according to what is
in the people's best interests and according to what is convenient for
them.

Salaat al-Haajah

My question has to do with praying to allah for a need. I know it is
called satatul hajah. Howmany times does a person have to pray it and
when should it be prayed. Is it right to prayit at the times when
duaas are most likely to be answered
Praise be to Allaah.
It is prescribed for the Muslim to worship Allaahin the ways that He
has prescribed in His Book, and in the ways that have been proven from
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The
principleconcerning matters of worship is tawqeef [i.e., following
what is in the Qur'aan and saheeh Sunnah; with no room for individual
opinion]. And we cannot say that any act of worship is prescribed
unless there is saheeh evidence.
The so-called Salaat al-Haajah was narrated in da'eef (weak) or munkar
(denounced) ahaadeeth – as far as weknow – which cannot beused as
proof and whichare not fit to base acts ofworship on.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 8/162
The hadeeth narrated concerning Salaat al-Haajah says:
"From 'Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Awfa al-Aslami, who said: The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came out to us and
said: 'Whoever has need of something from Allaah or any one of His
creation, let him do wudoo' and pray tworak'ahs, then let him
say,"There is no god but Allaah, the Forbearing, the Most Generous.
Glorybe to Allaah, Lord of the mighty Throne. Praise beto Allaah the
Lord of the Worlds. O Allaah, I ask You for Your mercy and forgiveness
and I ask You for all good things and for safety from all sins. I ask
You not to leave any sin without forgiving it, or any distress without
relieving it, or any need which it pleases You to fulfil without
fulfilling it for me." Then let him askAllaah for whatever matter of
this world or the Hereafter that he wishes, for it will be fulfilled."
(Narrated by Ibn Maajah,Iqaamat al-Salaah wa'l-Sunnah, 1374)
Al-Tirmdihi said: this is a ghareeb [strange] hadeeth, and concerning
its isnaad it was said: Faa'id ibn 'Abd al-Rahmaan is weak in hadeeth.
Al-Albaani said: rather it is da'eef jiddan (very weak). Al-Haakim
said: mawdoo' (fabricated) ahaadeeth were narrated from Abu Awfa.
Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, vol. 1, p. 417
The author of al-Sunan wa'l-Mubtada'aat said, after mentioning what
al-Tirmidhi said concerning Faa'id ibn 'Abd al-Rahmaan: Ahmadsaid he
is matrook (left, i.e., his hadeeth is not to be accepted), and Ibn
al-'Arabi described him as da'eef (weak).
And he said: You know what is said concerning this hadeeth. It is
better and more perfect and safer for you to make du'aa' to Allaah in
the depths of the night and between the adhaan and iqaamah and at the
end of every prayer before the tasleem; and on Fridays, for then there
are times when du'aa' is answered; and when breaking one's fast. For
your Lord says (interpretation of the meanings):
'Invoke Me [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism) and ask
Mefor anything] I will respond to your (invocation)'[Fussilat 40:60]
'And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer
them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the
invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any
mediator or intercessor)'[al-Baqarah 2:186]

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