Women site, - Priceless Gems: Advice forWomen from the Prophet

• The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:"If a
woman performs the five )obligatory( prayers, fasts the month )of
Ramadan(, maintains her chastity and obeys her husband, )on the Day of
Judgment( it will be said to her, 'Enter Paradise from whichever gate
you like'."]Ibn Hibbaan[ ]Al-Albaani: Saheeh[
• The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:"O
company of women! Give charity even from your ornaments, for you
constitute the majority of the people of Hell on the Day of
Judgment."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
• The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, further
said:"I advise you )O women( to adhere to Tasbeeh )to say 'Exalted be
Allaah'(, Tahleel )to say 'there is none worthy of worship except
Allaah'(, and Taqdees )to say 'Exalted be )Allaah( The Sovereign, The
Pure, Exalted and Pure be the Lord of angels and Holy spirit'(, and
count with the help of your fingers, for they will be questioned and
made to speak )to give witness to you(, and be not heedless )of Thikr
-- remembrance( lest you would forget )to seek( mercy."]Abu Daawood
and At-Tirmithi[
• It was narrated that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam, asked a woman of the Ansaar )Helpers( called Umm Sinaan:"What
prevented you from performing Hajj with us?"She replied, "There were
only two camels used for carrying water owned by so-and-so )meaning
her husband(. He and his son offered Hajj on one, and the other was
left to be used for irrigation." He said )to her(:"Then, 'Umrah )to be
offered( in Ramadan is equal )in reward( to Hajj or Hajj with
me."]Muslim[
• The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:"May
Allaah have mercy upon a man who stands at night and offers
)supererogatory( prayers and then awakens his wife to offer prayer,
and if she refuses )to wake up(, he sprinkles water on her face; and
may Allaah have mercy upon a woman who stands at night and
offers)supererogatory( prayers and awakens her husband to offer
prayer, and if he refuses, she sprinkles water on his face."]Ahmad[
]Al-Albaani: Saheeh[
• It was narrated on the authority of Umm Humayd, the wife of Abu
Humayd As-Saa'idi, may Allaah be pleased with them, that she came to
the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and said, "'O Messenger of
Allaah! I like to offer prayers with you." He said:"I know that you
like to offer prayers with me; however, )you should know that( your
prayer in your sleeping place )inside your chamber( is better for you
than your prayer in your chamber; and your prayer in your chamber is
better for you than your prayer in your house; and your prayer in your
house is better for you than your prayer in the mosque of your people;
and your prayer in the mosque of your people is better for you than
your prayer in my mosque."]Ahmad[ ]Al-Albaani: Saheeh[
• It was narrated on the authority of 'Aa'ishah, may Allaah be pleased
with her, that she said, "I said, 'O Messenger of Allaah! We see that
Jihaad )struggle( is the best of deeds; should we not engage in
Jihaad?' He said,"For you )women(, the best act of Jihaad is to
perform Hajj that is accepted )by Allaah(."]Al-Bukhaari[
• It was said to the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, "'O
Messenger of Allaah! Such-and-such a woman prays at night, fasts by
day, does such-and-such good deeds and gives charity. However, she
harms her neighbors with her tongue.' On that the Messenger of Allaah,
sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:"There is no good in her. She is
from the people of Hell."They further said, "And such-and-such a woman
performs only the )obligatory five( written prayers, and gives only
yogurt as charity. However, she harms no one." On that the Messenger
of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:"She is from the
inhabitants of Paradise."]Al-Bukhaari: Al-Adab Al-Mufrad[ ]Al-Albaani:
Saheeh[
• The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:"By the
One in whose hand the soul of Muhammad is! A woman will not fulfill
the right of her Lord )perfectly( unless she fulfills the right of her
husband fully; and if her husband asks her to have sexual intercourse
while sitting on the back of a camel, she should not prevent him )from
doing so(."]Ibn Maajah[ ]Al-Albaani: Hasan[
• The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:"If a woman spends
)gives charity( from the foodstuff of her house but not wastefully,
she will have a reward for what she spent, her husband will have a
reward for what he earned, and the storekeeper the like of that,
without reducing anything from the reward of each other."]Al-Bukhaari[
• It was narrated on the authority of Al-Husayn ibn Mihsan that one of
his paternal aunts came to the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu
'alayhi wa sallam, for a particular need, and when she finished her
need the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said to her:"Do you
have a husband?" She answered in the affirmative. He asked: "How are
you with him?"She said, "I am never negligent in fulfilling his right
except when I am incapable." On that, he said:"Then, regard your
position with him for he either leads you to Paradise or to
Hell."]Ahmad and Al-Haakim[ ]Al-Haakim and Ath-Thahabi: Saheeh[
• The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:"No
trouble, fatigue, anxiety, sadness, harm or distress befalls a Muslim,
even a prick that he receives from a thorn, but that for which Allaah
forgives some of his sins."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
O Muslim sister, remember this Hadeeth )narration(, and hope for the
reward from Allaah The Almighty for whatever difficulties and troubles
you meet in your life, like pregnancy, post-partum bleeding, suckling,
raising children, menstruation, and so on, perchance your scale of
good deeds will be heavy, your sins will be forgiven, and your rank
will be elevated high in Paradise.

Dought & clear, - Hijab in Islam is not due to sexual obsession

I am curious about the coverings that you have to wear if youre a
female in your religion/culture. it really does all seem very vain for
us that are Christian because it implies that a woman thinks every man
wants her if she is not wearing this type of garb. it also seems that
men are not to be trusted with someone from your culture/religion
becuase of your "beauty" that you feel you posess, but people could be
beautiful and not every man wants them. can you shed some light on
this for me? I will be honest and say that when I see someone wearing
this, I always think "how vain are you?". thank you ahead of time for
replying.
Praise be to Allah.
First of all we would like to thank you for your frankness, the
clarity of your question and your search for an answer. We hope that
you will find the answer in these few lines we write.
We will begin our answer by posing a question, which we would like you
to answer, then after that our point will become clear, by Allah's
leave. Our question is: do you think that if a girl takes off all her
clothes and walks about in the markets of London or Paris completely
naked, will you accept that from her or will the authorities and laws
in that place allow her to do that?
We think it most likely that your answer will be no, and that you will
not accept this idea, especially since the laws that protect public
order do not allow that at all. This is no secret to anyone who lives
in that country.
If we take it to another level, we say to you: do you think that if
she wore something that covered her private parts, but it uncovered
her chest and she went shopping topless, we think that you would also
agree that such behaviour is ill-mannered and that it is disrespectful
and a transgression of public etiquette as it is known among people.
Forget about those who expose themselves blatantly; what do you think
that if a woman went out in the streets and public places wearing
nightclothes…?
Perhaps you also know that the authorities in Western countries have
the right to object to those who wear swimwear in public places, and
that the manager of the company or boss in a workplace has the right
to prevent female employees from working with him wearing revealing,
provocative clothing, and it is mandatory to wear regular, modest
clothing.
Our question now is: do you think all these countries, people,
organisations, laws and customs are vain or obsessed with sex, as you
say? Or do you think they are abhorrent and unjust, aimed at
suppressing freedom, and could not be introduced by anyone but people
who are obsessed with sex? Do you think that if a woman uncovers her
chest or her private parts or wears swimwear in public places, all men
will want her or that she is engaging in prostitution and trying to
tempt them?
If you say that there is a difference between the two scenarios, and
nakedness in public places is unacceptable, but that uncovering the
hair and face is something normal and is not provocative and does not
transgress public order, we say to you: who is to decide between us
and you in defining the parts of the body that may be uncovered and
the parts that it is unacceptable to uncover? Why do you want to make
us adhere to the limits that you set, and do not want to accept the
limits set out in Islamic sharee'ah?
Furthermore, why should a particular society, such as Western society,
decide for other societies what is appropriate for them and what is
not?
Once you know that banning nakedness or scanty dress in public places
does not imply all the things that you mentioned in your question,
then we would tell you that we Muslims believe that modest dress is
this hijab which you see Muslim women wearing and accuse them of being
vain?
Why do you look at modesty, or whatever you think is contrary to
public taste, manners and morals – why do you regard your point of
view or that of your society as the criterion for judging other
societies or people?
Why do you reject our view concerning this matter, and ask us to
adhere to your concept and definition of modesty? If a girl uncovers
her thighs and stomach, is this modesty? Or should she limit it to
uncovering her legs and forearms only? What is the guideline for your
choices in this matter? What right do you have to make all of humanity
adhere to your particular concept?
Or: is this a remnant of the "right" of the white man or, let's say,
the white or blonde woman, to control the world and define its
concepts, customs, manners and taste?
Why do you not describe the Virgin Mary (peace be upon her) as you
have described us in your question as being "vain"? You know that she
wore a kind of hijab. Did she understand modesty as something sexual,
according to your description?
Why do women in the church cover their hair during the service in the
church and during the prayer?
What is the difference between the state of prayer and outside prayer?
If wearing the hijab during prayer increases piety and faith, then why
would a woman remove part of her faith and piety outside of prayer?
Why do you not make the same accusation of vanity with regard to what
is mentioned in the first Epistle of the apostle Paul to the
Corinthians, in which he says:
"But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered
dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved.
For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her
hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut
off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.
A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of
God; but woman is the glory of man.
For man did not come from woman, but woman from man;
neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.
It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her
own head, because of the angels."
1 Corinthians 11:5-10 – New International Version (NIV)
In the first Epistle of Paul to Timothy, it says:
"I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety,
adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls
or expensive clothes,
but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.
I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man;
she must be quiet."
1 Timothy 2:9-12– New International Version (NIV)
Furthermore, the face-covering (niqab) is also mentioned in the Bible,
as a sign of modesty and good manners in a woman.
In the book of Genesis it says:
"He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked
up, he saw camels approaching.
Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel
and asked the servant, 'Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?'
'He is my master,' the servant answered.So she took her veil and
covered herself."
Genesis 24:63-66 – New International Version (NIV).
We do not have room here to quote more verses than these. There have
been specialist studies dealing with such matters, which you can try
to find and study.
All we are trying to do is base our discussion with you on logic and
fair-mindedness towards others and on a sound foundation of thinking
and discussion, far removed from any accusations of "vanity" and the
like. Such accusations are the easiest thing for an opponent to say,
and there is no one who is not able to refute them or respond in kind.
We assure you that the obligation of hijab in Islamic sharee'ah is not
because Islam accuses every woman who does not wear hijab of being
immoral, or because all men will look at her as a focus for their
wickedness and desires. Islamic societies raise people to be righteous
and pious at all stages of upbringing, in the family and in the
street, school, mosque and at university. The fact that there are many
Islamic rulings that encourage good manners, decency, chastity and
modesty is sufficient to deter many people from committing immoral
actions.
But Islam does not only look at the majority of people; rather it pays
attention to the fact that there is also a small percentage of
evildoers, in order to protect the well-being of the majority and so
that they will not be affected by the actions of the minority, that
could spoil life for people and spread immorality if they are not
stopped, just as if the authorities in Western countries left
perverts, homosexuals and the patrons of strip clubs to act upon their
desires and preferences in the streets or in public places, without
any checks or measures – you can imagine what the consequences would
be for those societies.
Here we will present to you a further quotation which says that
attempts to remove women's niqabs (face veils) and make them uncover
their faces is the way of the evildoers.
In the Catholic edition of the book of Daniel, it says:
"Now Susanna was a woman of great refinement and beautiful in appearance.
As she was veiled, the scoundrels ordered her to be unveiled, so that
they might feast their eyes on her beauty."
Daniel 13:30-31 – New Revised Standard Edition
No comment!
Finally, we invite you to read studies on safety which keep an eye on
statistics charting attacks on women, such as rape for example. You
will find terrifying numbers. According to the organization RAINN
(Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network), which is the largest
American national organisation against sexual assault, every two
minutes in America there is a sexual assault, which means that sexual
assaults in one year number 207,754. This is a huge number which
requires a serious effort to unearth the causes and look for the
remedy. See:
http://rainn.org /get-information /statistics/frequency- of-sexual-assault
If we were to look for statistics on marital infidelity, illegitimate
children, broken families, and incest, we would find many problems
that occurred as a result of women not dressing properly and
overstepping the limits that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted,
set for them in the Holy Qur'an, and which can be found even in the
Old and New Testament as they exist in print form, as mentioned above.
We hope that you will think about what we have mentioned above, after
which we may discuss further the main reasons that motivate Muslim
women to wear hijab, and the psychological and social effects of that
piece of cloth.
If you accept our logic in this debate, we welcome all questions and
sincere requests to learn more about the religion of Islam.
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear, - Will the person who intends to fast ‘Ashoora during the day be rewarded for his fasting?

I know of the virtue of fasting the day of 'Ashoora, and that it is
expiation for the year that came before. But because we use the
Gregorian calendar I did not know when 'Ashoora is until the morning
of the day itself. I had not eaten anything, so I intended to fast. Is
my fast valid, and will I get the reward of this day and receive
expiation for the previous year?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Praise be to Allaah for making you keen to do naafil acts of worship.
We ask Him to make us and you steadfast in doing that.
With regard to your question about forming the intention to fast from
the night before, there is sound evidence from the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) that the intention to observe a
naafil fast formed on the morning of the day itself is valid, so long
as a person has not ingested anything that breaks the fast after dawn.
'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) narrated that the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered upon his
family one day and said: "Do you have anything (i.e., any food)?" They
said, "No." He said, "Then I am fasting." (Muslim, 1154, 170). The
word "idhan" (translated here as "then", in the sense of "in that
case") indicates that it is permissible to form the intention of
observing a naafil fast on the day itself. This is unlike the
obligatory fasts, which are not valid unless one forms the intention
the night before, because of the hadeeth, "Whoever does not form the
intention to fast before dawn, has not fasted." Abu Dawood, 2454;
al-Tirmidhi, 726; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Jaami',
6535. What is meant here is obligatory fasts.
Based on this, then your fast is valid. With regard to getting the
reward for fasting, will this be reward for the whole day or from the
time of the intention only? Shaykh al-'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said:
There are two scholarly opinions on this matter. The first is that he
will be rewarded from the beginning of the day, because the correct
Islamic fast can only be from the start of the day.
The second view is that he will only be rewarded from the time of his
intention, and if he formed the intention at midday then he will be
rewarded for half a day. This is the correct view, because the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "Actions are
but by intentions, and each person will have but that which he
intended." This man only formed the intention during the day, so he
will be rewarded from the time he formed the intention.
Based on the correct opinion, if a fast is connected to a particular
day, such as fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, and fasting on al-ayaam
al-beed (the 13th, 14thand 15thof each Hijri month) or fasting three
days each month, and a person forms the intention during the day, he
will not be rewarded for the entire day.
Al-Sharh al-Mumti', 6/373.
The same applies to the case of one who did not intend to fast
'Ashoora until after dawn had come: he will not get the reward for
fasting 'Ashoora', which is the expiation of one year, because his
case is not like that of one fasted the whole day of 'Ashoora', rather
he only fasted part of it, from the moment he first formed the
intention of fasting.
But he will be rewarded in the general sense of the reward for fasting
during the month of Allaah Muharram, which is the best kind of fasting
after Ramadaan (as it says inSaheeh Muslim, 1163).
Perhaps one of the main reasons for your and many people's not knowing
when 'Ashoora is, oral-ayyaam al-beed, until the day has started, is –
as you mention – use of the Gregorian calendar. Perhaps missing out on
these special days will motivate you and others whom Allaah blesses
with guidance, to follow the lunar Hijri calendar which Allaah has
prescribed for His slaves and approved of for His religion, even if
that is only with regard to their personal dealings, so as to revive
this calendar which reminds us of different shar'i occasions, and in
order to be different from the People of the Book whom we are
commanded to differ from and be distinct with regard to their rituals
and unique characteristics, especially since the lunar calendar was
followed by the earlier Prophets, as may be understood from the
hadeeth which mentions the reason why the Jews fasted 'Ashoora – which
is a day that is known through the lunar calendar. They said that it
was the day on which Allaah had saved Moosa. This indicates that they
followed a lunar calendar and not the months of the solar European
calendar.
Al-Sharh al-Mumti', 6/471
May Allaah make your missing out on this special reward, and the
missing out of others who are keen like you, lead to a good outcome,
so this will make you strive harder in doing good works and acts of
worship. This may make you more keen than people who do some act of
worship regularly and feel content with what they are doing, and may
fill them with self-admiration.
We ask Allaah to bless us with His bounty and reward, and help us to
remember Him and give thanks to Him.

Dought & clear, - Is one’s life partner chosen by oneself or decreed by Allaah?.

What does Islam say about life partner,,,is she/he fixed by Allah or
Allah has left it for us to decided?
Praise be to Allaah.
First of all, we should realize that there is no contradiction between
our belief that Allaah has decreed everything, and our belief that He
has given us free will which enables us to do things. Confirming the
free will of His slaves, Allaah says )interpretation of the meaning(:
"To whomsoever among you wills to walk straight" ]al-Takweer 81:28[
Our will operates within the will of Allaah, not outside of it, as
Allaah says )interpretation of the meaning(: "But you cannot will,
unless Allaah wills…" ]al-Insaan 76:30[ Thus it is not permitted to
try to cancel one idea out with the other, or to deny either of them.
Allaah has confirmed both, that man has the power to choose, and that
nothing can operate outside of His Will, may He be glorified.
If we apply this to the question asked, we will see that man has
freedom of will through which he can choose whichever woman he wishes
to marry, and that whatever choice he makes has already been decreed
by Allaah. The man's choice is the means by which he gets what he
wants, but some obstacles may come between the person and what he
wants, in which case he will realize that Allaah has not decreed this
for him, for some reason which is known to Him. Everything that Allaah
does is good, and His slaves do not have knowledge of the Unseen or of
how things will end. A person may regret missing out on something when
it is good that he did not have it, or he may hate something that
happens to him when it is good that it happened to him, as Allaah
tells us )interpretation of the meaning(: "… it may be that you
dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which
is bad for you. Allaah knows but you do not know." ]al-Baqarah 2:216[
May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.