For children, - Status and Honor of Mother in Islam: Respect of Muslim Mothers

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In Islam, the status, honor, respect and esteem attached to motherhood is unparalleled. Noble Qur'an places the importance of kindness to parents as second only to worshipping God Almighty:
Ek Hasti Hai Jo Jaan Hai Meri
Aan Se Bhi Bhar Kar Maan Hai Meri
Khuda Hukm De Agar To Kardoon Sajda Ussay
Kuyn Ke Woh Koie Aur Nahi Maa Hai Meri
Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, And that you be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in your life, Say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they cherished me in childhood. (Noble Qur'an, 17:23-24)
One of the most convincing things about the religion Islam is the treatment of women in general and particular the high position and honor of mothers.
Noble Qur'anin several other places puts special emphasis on the mother's great role in giving birth and nursing: "And We have enjoined on man to be good to his parents: In travail upon travail did his mother bear him and in two years was his weaning. Show gratitude to Me and to your parents." (Noble Qur'an, 31:14)
"We have enjoined on the human being kindness to his parents; in pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth." (Noble Qur'an, 46:15)
The very special place of mothers in Islam has been eloquently described by Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw): "Jannah lies at the feet of your mother's"
"A man asked Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw): 'Whom should I honor most?' Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) replied: 'Your mother'. 'And who comes next?' asked the man. Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) replied: 'Your mother'. 'And who comes next?' asked the man. Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) replied: 'Your mother!'. 'And who comes next?' asked the man. Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) replied: 'Your father'" (Bukhari and Muslim)
A person came to Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw)and said: 'O' Prophet of Allah! I have committed every known evil act. Is there a chance that I may be forgiven?' Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) asked him: 'Are any of your parents still alive?' The man replied: 'My father.' He said to him: 'Go and be good and kind to him.' When he left, Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: 'If only his mother had been alive.'" (Biharul Anwar)
Among the few precepts of Islam which Muslims still faithfully observe to the present day is the considerate treatment of mothers. The honor that Muslim mothers receive from their sons and daughters is exemplary. The intensely warm relations between Muslim mothers and their children and the deep respect with which Muslim men approach their mothers usually amaze Westerners.
Famous companion of Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) or Sahabi-e-Rasool and a great scholar of Islam, Abdullah ibn Abbas (ra), considered kind treatment of one's mother to be the best deed for strengthening or rectifying one's relation with God Almighty. He said: I know of no other deed that brings people closer to Allah (SWT) than kind treatment and respect towards one's mother.
Imam Zayn al-Abidin (as) used to treat his mother with so much kindness and love as seen in the following narration:
Once he was asked, "You are the most kind person to your mother, yet we have never seen you eating with her from a single dish/plate." Imam Zayn al-Abidin (as) replied, "I fear that my hand would take what her eyes have already seen in the dish/plate and then I would be disobeying her."
In other words, he, Imam Zayn al-Abidin (as)was so careful not to disobey his mother that he would even avoid eating out of the same plate as her; He thought that she would see a morsel and intend to take it, but before she did he might unknowingly take that same morsel and eat it. This is how careful he was to obey his mother in the most minute details.
All that has preceded above shows how the status of mothers and consequently that of women - is elevated to the highest position in Islam. Honor of Mothers in Islam is beyond that found in any other religion, ideology or culture. This is a very clear proof of the lofty status of Muslim Women.

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Welcome to Islam, - * The West accuses Islam ofoppressing women

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In Islam, women have been given a high status which no past nation ever achieved and which no subsequent nation has been able to attain, because the honor that Islam gives to humanity, includes men and women equally. They are equal before the rulings of Allaah in this world and they will be equal with regard to His reward and punishment in the Hereafter.
Allaah says )what means(:"And indeed We have honored the Children of Adam."]Quran 17:70[
And )what means(:"There is a share for men and a share for women from what is left by parents and those nearest related."]Quran 4:7[
And )what means(:"And they )women( have rights )over their husbands as regards living expenses( similar )to those of their husbands( over them )as regards obedience and respect( to what is reasonable."]Quran 2:228[
And )what means(:"The believers, men and women, are Awliyaa' )helpers, supporters, friends, protectors( of one another."]Quran 9:71[
And )what means(:"And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honor. And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: 'My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was young'"]Quran17:23-24[
And Allaah says )what means(:"So their Lord accepted of them )their supplication and answered them(: ‘Never will I allow to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female.’"]Quran 3:195[
And )what means(:"Whoever works righteousness -- whether male or female -- while he )or she( is a true believer )of Islamic Monotheism( verily, to him We will give a good life )in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision(, and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do )i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter(."]Quran 16:97[
And )what means(:"And whoever does righteous good deeds, male or female, and is a )true( believer ]in the Oneness of Allaah )Muslim([, such will enter Paradise and not the least injustice, even to the size of a Naqeera )speck on the back of a date stone(, will be done to them."]Quran 4:124[
There is nothing in any other religion, nation or law that can compare to the honor, which a woman is granted in Islam. Roman civilization decreed that a woman was a slave who belonged to man, and had no rights at all. InRomea major gathering met to discuss the status of women, and decided that she was a being who had no soul, and that therefore she would not inherit life in the Hereafter, and that she was evil!
InAthens, women were regarded as chattels; they were bought and sold and were regarded as evil, the handiwork of the devil. The ancient laws ofIndiastate that disease, death, Hell, snake venom and fire were all better than woman. Her right to life came to an end when her husband's -- or master's -- life ended. When she saw her husband’s body burning she would throw herself into the flames; if she did not do so, she would be subject to curses.
With regard to women in Judaism, the ruling on her in the Old Testament is as follows: "So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly. I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains…" )Ecclesiastes 7:25-26 - New International Version(.
It is known that the Old Testament is venerated and believed by both Jews and Christians. This was the situation of woman in ancient times.
With regard to her situation in the Middle Ages and in modern times, this will be explained by the following: The Danish writer Wieth Kordsten explained the view of the Catholic Church towards women. He said: "During the Middle Ages, very little care was given to women, following the teaching of the Catholic Church which regarded woman as a second class creation."
InFrance, a council in 586 CE decided to research the status of women and whether they were to be counted as human or not. After some discussion, they decided that woman was human, but she was created to serve man. The 217th clause of the French law states the following: "A married woman -- even if her marriage is based on the condition of separating what belongs to her and what belongs to her husband -- is not permitted to give anything as a gift or to transfer any of her property or use it as collateral, or to take possession of anything whether in return for payment or otherwise, without her husband being a party to the contract or agreeing to it in writing."
InEngland, Henry VIII forbade English women to read the Bible. Until 1850 CE women were not counted as citizens, and until 1882 CE they did not have any personal rights. )Silsilat Maqaarinah al-Adyaan, by Dr. Ahmad Shalaby, vol. 3, p. 210-213(
As for contemporary woman in Europe,Americaand other industrial nations, she is a creature that is degraded and abused for commercial purposes!! She is a feature of advertising campaigns, where she takes off her clothes in order to advertise products on posters, and sells and displays her body according to the systems devised by men, so that she is no more than an object of pleasure for them.
In such societies, a woman is cared for only as long as she is able contribute something physically or mentally. When she becomes old and cannot give any more, society -- individuals and institutions alike -- forsake her and she lives alone in her house or in an old age institution.
Compare this -- and there is no comparison -- with the teachings of the Noble Quran, in which Allaah says )what means(:"The believers, men and women, are Awliya' )helpers, supporters, friends, protectors( of one another."]Quran 9:71[
And )what means(:"And they )women( have rights )over their husbands as regards living expenses( similar )to those of their husbands( over them )as regards obedience and respect( to what is reasonable."]Quran 2:228[
And )what means(:"And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honor. And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: 'My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was young'"]Quran17:23-24[
Since her Lord has honored her in this way, it is clear to all of humankind that Allaah Almighty has created a woman to be a mother, a wife, a daughter and a sister and prescribed certain laws which apply exclusively to women and not men.

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Welcome to Islam, - * Statements of Popes and Writers

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“I would prefer meeting Satan than meeting a woman.”
·“The woman is the door to Hell, the way to corruption, the scorpion's sting and the ally of Satan.”
In the 1484 CE Acquittal, Pope Innocent VIII announced that a woman and a human being were seemingly conflicting opposites.
Below are some statements of European philosophers and famous thinkers in the post-Renaissance era:
"If you see a woman, think not that you see a human being, not even a wild being, but what you see is Satan himself, and what you hear is the snake's whistle."]Saint Paul Fantair's recommendations to his disciples[
"The woman was created not only to be subjected to man, but also to endure his injustice."]Confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau[
"The woman is an animal which the man should beat, feed and detain."]Schopenhauer[
"No man thinks of a woman and then respects her; he either despises her or does not think of her seriously."]Otto Finger[
"Man could imagine himself without a woman; but a woman could hardly imagine herself without a man."]Julian Banda[
"The woman is a tool for laughter: a living statue of stupidity."]French writerLamennais[
"The woman is a relative being."]HistorianMichelet[
"They )the Christians( regarded kidnapping children to bring them up on monasticism among the acts that bring them closer to God. They used to escape from women even though they were their relatives, thinking that merely looking at the woman would make their deeds worthless."]Ma‘aawil Al-Hadm Wat-Tadmeer Fi An-Nasraaniyyah wa fi At-Tabsheerby Ibraaheem Sulaymaan Al-Jabhaan pp72-75[
"The woman has to cover her hair for she is not the image of God."]Ambrose in the 4thcentury CE[
'Woman distorts the image of man'
Tertullian, one of the leaders of early Christianity, said the following showing mankind the Christian view of woman,"She is the door through which Satan enters into man’s soul. She led him to eat from the unlawful tree, contradicted the law of God, and distorted the image of God, i.e. man."He was referring to the following statement of the Bible:"And Adam was not deceived, but the woman, because she was fully deceived, fell into transgression. But she will be delivered through childbearing, if she continues in faith and love and holiness with self-control."]Timothy I 2:14-15[
The Bible saysthrough the wordsof Moosa )Moses(, may Allaah exalt his mention, that because of their treachery against the Lord, plague afflicted the community:"Moses said to them, ‘Have you allowed all the women to live?Look, these people through the counsel of Balaam caused the Israelites to act treacherously against theLordin the matter of Peor – which resulted in the plague among the community of theLord!Now therefore kill every boy, and kill every woman who has had sexual intercourse with a man. But all the young women who have not had sexual intercourse with a man will be yours.’"]Numbers 31:15-18[
Chrysostom, one of the great devotees of Christianity, said about the woman,"She is an inevitable evil, an obsession to which man is predisposed by nature, a desired blight, a risk that endangers the family and house, a destructive sweetheart and a disaster plated and disguised."He was referring to statement of the Lord who sent His angel to say about her that she is evil itself:"Then a round lead cover was raised up, revealing a woman sitting inside the basket. He then said, ‘This woman represents wickedness,’ and he pushed her down into the basket and placed the lead cover on top."]Zechariah 5:7-8[
Now, consider the statement of Allaah The Almighty in His well-guarded Book, the Quran, which no falsehood approaches, announcing to all the world the freedom and humanity of the woman, and restoring dignity to her as being a source of tranquility, affection and mercy for man )which means(:}And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.{]Quran 30:21[
If the Bible, with its Old and New Testaments, holds the woman responsible for Aadam's )Adam’s( sin and for her coming out of Paradise to work and suffer, and makes even her giving birth to children an expiation of that sin, then how could one expect the followers of that religion to be kind to her?

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Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * The green dome in Madeenah: its history and theruling on its construction and on leavingit as it is

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The green dome in Madeenah: its history and the ruling on its construction and on leaving it as it is.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The history of the green dome
The dome over the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) dates back to the seventh century AH. It was built during the reign of Sultan Qalawoon, and at first it was the colour of wood, then it became white, then blue, then green, and it has remained green until the present.
Professor ‘Ali Haafiz (may Allaah preserve him) said:
There was no dome over the sacred chamber. There was in the roof of the mosque above the chamber a waist-high enclosure of brick to distinguish the location of the chamber from the rest of the mosque’s roof.
Sultaan Qalawoon al-Saalihi was the first one to build a dome over the chamber. He did that in 678 AH. It was square at the bottom and octagonal at the top, made of wood, and built on top of the pillars that surrounded the chamber. Planks of wood were nailed to it, over which plates of lead were placed, and the brick enclosure was replaced with one made of wood.
The dome was refurbished at the time of al-Naasir Hasan ibn Muhammad Qalawoon, then the leaden plates slipped, but they were fixed and refurbished at the time of al-Ashraf Sha’baan ibn Husayn ibn Muhammad in 765 AH. It fell into disrepair and was renovated at the time of Sultaan Qayit Bey in 881 AH.
The chamber and dome were burned in the fire that swept through the Prophet’s mosque in 886 AH. During the reign of Sultaan Qayit Bey the dome was rebuilt, in 887 AH, and strong pillars to support it were built in the floor of the mosque, and they were built of bricks to the correct height. After the dome had been built in the manner described above, cracks appeared in its upper part. When it proved impossible to refurbish it, the Sultaan Qayit Bey ordered that the upper part be demolished and rebuilt strongly using white plaster. So it was built solidly in 892 AH.
In 1253 AH, an order was issued by the Ottoman Sultan ‘Abd al-Hameed to paint the dome green. He was the first one to colour it green, and the colour has been renewed whenever necessary until the present.
It became known as the green dome after it was painted green. It was previously known as the white dome or the fragrant dome or the blue dome. End quote.
Fusool min Tareekh al-Madeenah al-Munawwarahby ‘Ali Haafiz (p. 127, 128).
Secondly:
Rulings thereon
The scholars, both in the past and in modern times, criticized the building of this dome and its being given a colour. All of that is because of what they know of sharee’ah closing many doors for fear of falling into shirk.
These scholars include the following:
1 – al-San’aani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inTa-theer al-I’tiqaad:
If you say: A great dome has been built over the grave of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), costing a great deal of money, I say: This is in fact great ignorance of the situation, because this dome was not built by him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or by his Sahaabah or by those who followed them, or by those who followed the Taabi’een, or by the scholars and imams of the ummah. Rather this dome was built over his grave (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on the orders of one of the later kings of Egypt, namely the Sultan Qalawoon al-Saalihi who is known as King Mansoor, in 678 AH, and was mentioned inTahqeeq al-Nasrah bi Talkhees Ma’aalim Dar al-Hijrah. These are things that were done on the orders of the state and not on the basis of shar’i evidence. End quote.
2 – The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas were asked:
There are those who take the building of the green dome over the Prophet’s grave in the Prophet’s Mosque as evidence that it is permissible to build domes over other graves, such as those of the righteous and others. Is this argument correct or what should our response to them be?
They replied:
It is not correct to quote the fact that people built a dome over the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as evidence that it is permissible to build domes over the graves of the righteous dead and others, because those people’s building a dome over his grave (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was haraam and those who did it sinned thereby, because they went against what is proven in a report from Abu’l-Hayaaj al-Asadi who said: ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) said to me: Shall I not send you on the same mission as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent me? Do not leave any image without erasing it or any high grave without levelling it.
And it was narrated that Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade plastering over graves, or sitting on them or building over them. Both reports were narrated by Muslim in hisSaheeh. So it is not correct for anyone to quote the haraam action of some people as evidence that it is permissible to do similar haraam actions, because it is not permissible to go against the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) by citing the words or actions of anyone else. And because he is the one who conveyed the command from Allaah, and he is the one who is to be obeyed, and we must beware of going against his commands, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):“And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) gives you, take it; and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it)” [al-Hashr 59:7].
And there are other verses which enjoin obedience to Allaah and to His Messenger. And because building up graves and erecting domes over them are means that lead to associating their occupants with Allaah, and the means that lead to shirk must be blocked. End quote.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Qa’ood.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah(9/83, 84)
3 – The scholars of the Standing Committee also said:
There is no proof in the fact that a dome was set up over the Prophet’s grave for those who take it as an excuse for building domes of the graves of the awliya’ (“saints”) and righteous people, because the building of a dome over his grave was not done on his instructions and was not done by any of his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them), or by the Taabi’een, or by any of the imams of guidance in the early generations whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) testified were good. Rather it was done by people of bid’ah (innovation). It was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected.” And it was proven that ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said to Abu’l-Hayaaj: Shall I not send you on the same mission as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent me? Do not leave any image without erasing it or any high grave without levelling it. Narrated by Muslim. As it is not proven that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) built a dome over his grave, and it is not proven from any of the leading imams; rather what is proven shows that to be an invalid action, and no Muslim should feel any attachment to the action of innovators who built a dome over the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). End quote.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azzez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Qa’ood
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah(2/264, 265).
4 – Shaykh Shams al-Deen al-Afghaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
al-‘Allaamah al-Khajandi (1379 AH) said, discussing the history of the green dome that was built over the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and explaining that it is an innovation that was done by some sultans and ignorant persons who erred and made a mistake, and that it is contrary to the clear saheeh ahaadeeth and reflects ignorance of the Sunnah, and that they went to extremes and imitated the Christians who are confused and misguided:
It should be noted that until the year 678 AH, there was no dome over the chamber which contains the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), rather it was built by the king al-Zaahir al-Mansoor Qalawoon al-Saalihi in that year (678 AH), when this dome was built.
I say: He did that because he had seen in Egypt and Syria the adorned churches of the Christians, so he imitated them out of ignorance of the command and Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as al-Waleed imitated them by adorning the mosque, as was mentioned in Wafa’ al-Wafa’.
It should be noted that undoubtedly this action of Qalawoon was contrary to the saheeh ahaadeeth of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but ignorance is a great calamity and exaggeration in love and veneration is a real disaster, and imitation of foreigners is a fatal disease. We seek refuge with Allaah from ignorance and exaggeration and imitation of foreigners. End quote.
Juhood ‘Ulama’ al-Hanafiyyah fi Ibtaal ‘Aqaa’id al-Qubooriyyah(3/1660-1662).
Thirdly:
The reason why it has not been demolished:
The scholars have explained the shar’i rulings concerning the building of this dome and its obvious effects on the followers of bid’ah’ who have developed an attachment to this structure and its colour, and they praise and venerate it a great deal in their poetry and writings. Now it is up to the authorities to implement these fatwas, and this is nothing to do with the scholars.
The reason why it is not demolished is so as to ward off fitnah and for fear that it may lead to chaos among the ordinary people and the ignorant. Unfortunately the ordinary people have only reached this level of veneration towards this dome because of the leadership of misguided scholars and imams of innovation. They are the ones who incite the ordinary people against the land of the Two Holy Sanctuaries and its ‘aqeedah and its manhaj. They are very upset about many actions that are in accordance with sharee’ah in our view and contrary to innovation in their view.
Whatever the case, the shar’i ruling is quite clear, and the fact that this dome has not been demolished does not mean that it is permissible to build it or any dome over any grave, no matter what grave it is.
Shaykh Saalih al-‘Usaymi (may Allaah preserve him) said:
The fact that this dome has remained for eight centuries does not mean that it has become permissible, and being silent about it does not indicate approval of it or that it is permissible. Rather the Muslim authorities should remove it and put it back as it was at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). They should remove the dome and the adornments and engravings that are found in the mosques, above all the Prophet’s Mosque, so long as that will not lead to an even greater fitnah. If it would lead to an even greater fitnah, then the ruler should postpone the matter until he finds an opportunity for that. End quote.
Bida’ al-Quboor, Anwaa’uha wa ahkaamuha(p. 253).
And Allaah knows best.

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