* Friday Prayers - What should be done if Eid coincides with Friday

If Eid al-Fitr coincides with Friday, is it permissible for me to pray
the Eid prayer and not to pray Jumu'ah or vice versa?
Praise be to Allaah.
If the day of Eid coincides with Friday, then whoever prays Eid with
the imaam does nothave to attend Jumu'ah (it is not obligatory on
him); in his case it becomes Sunnah. If he does not pray Jumu'ah, he
has to pray Zuhr. This is in the case of people other than the imaam.
Asfor the imaam, he has to be present for Jumu'ah and lead those
Muslims who attend the prayer. The Jumu'ah prayer should not be
forsaken completely on this day.
Shaykh Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan

Friday Prayers - What is your opinion of a Jumu’ah khutbah that, along with the prayer, lasts ten minutes?

What do you say about an imam whose khutbah, along with the prayer,
takes only ten minutes? Yes, ten minutes! Is this Jumu'ah valid?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
There can be no doubt that keeping the Jumu'ah khutbah short is
indicative of the khateeb's understandingof Islam, as he can compile
many meanings in a few words, and does not speak for so long that the
people forget the first things he said by the time he reaches the end.
This was the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) in his regular khutbahs; indeed this is what he enjoined, and
itis the best way. Similarly his exhortations were few so that what he
exhorted the people could be remembered. So his Jumu'ah khutbahswere
short and the exhortations few.
Abu Waa'il said: 'Ammaaraddressed us and he spoke briefly but
eloquently. When he came down (from the minbar), we said: O
Abu'l-Yaqzaan, you spoke eloquently but briefly, would that you had
made it longer. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (S) say: "A
man's lengthening his prayer and shortening his khutbah is a sign of
his understanding (of religion), so make your prayers lengthy and your
khutbahs brief, for there is charm in eloquent speech."
Narrated by Muslim (969).
There are many comments from the scholars to confirm this idea:
1.
Ibn 'Abd al-Barr (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
As for making the khutbah short, it is a Sunnah to be followed. The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
enjoined that and did it. According to the hadeeth of 'Ammaar ibn
Yaasir: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) enjoined making the khutbah short. And he used to give khutbahs
with good words and few, and he disliked prattle and long-windedness.
The scholars disapprove of exhortations in whichsome is forgotten
because of the length, and they like that in which the listener can
focus on what is said and learns from it after memorizing it. That can
only occur when the exhortation is brief.
Al-Istidhkaar (2/363, 364).
2.
Ibn Hazm (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
It is not permissible to make the khutbah lengthy.
Al-Muhalla (5/60).
3.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
It is better to keep the khutbah short, because there are two benefits
ofkeeping the khutbah short:
(i) The listeners do not get bored, because if the
khutbah islengthy – especially if the khateeb delivers it ina boring
manner which does not move their hearts and does not motivate them –
then the people will get bored and fed up.
(ii) That makes the listener remember better, because if
it is too long, the first part ofit is lost by the time he reaches the
end, but if it is short, then it is possible to remember it and learn
from it. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "A man'slengthening his prayer and shortening his khutbah is a
sign of his understanding (of religion)," i.e., it is indicative of
his understanding of religion and shows that he pays attention to
people's circumstances. But sometimes there is a need for a lengthy
exhortation, and if a person speaks at length because the situation
requires that, it does notmean that he is excludedfrom the description
of being one who understands religion, because length and shortness
are relative matters. It is proven that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) would sometimes give a khutbah by
reciting Soorat Qaaf, and Soorat Qaaf, when recited slowly and
carefully (tarteel) and pausing at every verse, takes a long time.
Al-Sharh al-Mumti' 'ala Zaad al-Mustaqni' (5/65).
Secondly:
This keeping the khutbah short should not be done in such a way as to
erode the khutbah altogether, so that the people do not benefit at all
from the khutbah. They have not travelled long distances or come out
of their homes merely to see the khateeb, or to hear the tone of his
voice, rather they have come to attainsome benefit by hearing his
exhortation or an Islamic ruling and so on. Hence attention should be
paid to moderation in this matter.
It was narrated that Jaabir ibn Samurah (mayAllaah be pleased with
him) said: I was praying with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his prayer was moderate and his
khutbah was moderate.
Narrated by Muslim (1433).
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
i.e., it was somewhere between being very long or too short to be any benefit.
Sharh Muslim (6/159)
He also said:
It is mustahabb to keep the khutbah short, because of the hadeeth
quoted above, and so that they do not get bored by it. Our companions
said: Keeping it short should be done in moderation, and should not be
taken to such extremes that (itsbenefit) is erased altogether.
Al-Majmoo' (4/358)
Thirdly:
But we cannot say that akhutbah that is very short does not count,
when most of the scholars are of the view that if the khutbah contains
the essential parts (lit. pillars) then it is valid. There is a great
difference of opinion as to the definition of those essential parts.
Thecorrect view is that thereis nothing that can be called the
essential parts or pillars of the khutbah,and everything that maybe
called a khutbah, even if it is only a few words, is counted as such
and is valid as a khutbah.
This is the view of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and Shaykh Ibn Sa'di,
whose views we have mentioned in the answer to question no. 115854. In
the answer referred to, Shaykh al-'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on
him) supported this view, but he pointed outthat it should not be
followed. Please see his words in that answer.
Fourthly:
This khateeb whose khutbah and prayer together take ten minutes does
not have deep understanding of Islam, rather he is ignorant, because
understanding of the religion means keeping the khutbah short and
making the prayer long, not effectively destroying them both!
Let us read what the Khateeb of al-Masjid al-Haraam, Shaykh Sa'ood
al-Shuraym, says concerning the length ofthe Jumu'ah khutbah and
prayer, with approximate length of time:
Shaykh Sa'ood al-Shuraym (may Allaah preserve him) said:
In order to reach an approximate definition of what is meant by the
prayer being long and the khutbah being short in modern terms, I say –
and Allaah is the source of strength –
If you recite in Fajr prayer, for example, al-Jumu'ah and
al-Munaafiqoon at a moderate speed, the prayer will take you no less
than ten minutes, if not fifteen. I tried it and I found that to be
the case. All of this applies if you recite at a moderatespeed, with
the rukoo' (bowing) and sujood (prostration) of the prayer. So how
about if the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
following the command of his Lord, "And recite the Qur'aan (aloud) in
a slow, (pleasant tone and) style" [al-Muzzammil 73:4], andhe used to
make the bowing, rising, prostration and sitting between two
prostrations lengthy, and the narrator of the hadeeth said: "to such
an extent that one would think he had forgotten"? In the hadeeth of
al-Bara' ibn 'Aazib (may Allaah be pleased with him) it says: The
prayer of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) and his bowing, and when he raised his head from bowing, and
when he prostrated, and the time between two prostrations were all
nearly the same.
Al-Shaamil fi Fiqh al-Khateeb wa'l-Khutbah(p. 154)
From this it is clear that it is not possible for this khateeb to
deliver the Friday khutbah and offerthe Jumu'ah prayer in ten minutes,
unless thereis clear undermining of both matters, the khutbah and the
prayer.
Such a person needs to be told, because perhapshe may have
misunderstood something from the Sunnah with regard to this matter, so
he is spoiling both the khutbah and the prayer, whilst thinking that
he isone of those who do good!
If he does not respond to your telling him, then look for someone else
who establishes the Sunnah in a proper way or close enough, and pray
with him, and protect your prayer, and keep your heart sound. As for
him who does not learn and does not want to, leave him to his own
devices.
And Allaah knows best.

Friday Prayers - Khateeb reciting in Jumu’ah prayer verses that are appropriate to the topic of the khutbah

Some khateebs doe not recite Soorat al-A'la (87) and al-Ghaashiyah
(88) in Jumu'ah prayer, rather they choose passages from the Qur'aan
that are appropriate to the subject of the khutbah. What is the ruling
on that?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The Muslims in general should respect the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and strive to learn it and act
upon it, because this is a sign of their sincere lovefor Allaah and a
means of them attaining Allaah's love for them. Allaah, may He be
exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم to mankind): 'If you (really) love
Allaah, then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the
Qur'aan and the Sunnah), Allaah will love you and forgive youyour
sins. And Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful'"
[Aal 'Imraan 3:31]
If the Muslim is sincere inhis love of Allaah, that will be manifested
in his following the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) in all things. The khateeb isthe first one who should be adhering
to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), because the people take him as an example, so hehas to present
the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
to the people and teach them about it.
How can this khateeb enjoin the people to follow and venerate the
Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
then come down from the minbar and openly go against the Sunnah of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?!
The way of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
wasto recite two soorahs in Jumu'ah prayer: Sabbih isma rabbika
al-A'la (Soorat al-A'laa 87) and al-Ghaashiyah (88), or hewould recite
al-Jumu'ah (62) and al-Munaafiqoon(63).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not choose
verses from the Qur'aan that were appropriate to the topic of his
khutbah. The best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Does this khateeb – or anyone else – think that he is more guided than
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or that he
knows something that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) did not?!
This action on the part of the khateeb is an innovation (bid'ah)
because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did
not do it.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
But there is something that some imams do: when they give a khutbah
then recite in the prayer verses that are appropriate to it. This may
be described asan innovation, because the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) always recited Soorat al-A'la (87)
and al-Ghaashiyah (88), or al-Jumu'ah (62) and al-Munaafiqoon (63),
and he did not pay any attention to the topic of the khutbah. End
quote.
Liqaa'aat al-Baab il-Maftooh (155/18).
Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd said:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) always did
three things in his recitation in Jumu'ah prayer: he recited
al-Jumu'ah (62) and al-Munaafiqoon (63), or al-Jumu'ah and
al-Ghaashiyah (88), or al-A'la (87) and al-Ghaashiyah.
Nowadays it has becomecommon for some of them to ignore that which is
prescribed and recite whatever verses the imam sees fit, or soorahs of
the Qur'aan that are appropriate to the subject of the khutbah.
This striving to recite something that was appropriate to the topic of
the khutbah was not narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) and was not known among the early generations of
this ummah, so adhering to that is an innovation. Similarly,
deliberately ignoring what is prescribed and doing something else
implies that one believes that there is something missing in what is
prescribed and it should be made up, and that may cause confusion to
ordinary Muslims. And Allaah knows best. End quote.
Tasheeh al-Du'aa' (p. 319).

Amr ibn al-Jamuh - Biographies of the Companions (Sahabah)

Amr ibn al-Jamuh was one of theleading men in Yathrib in the days of
Jahiliyyah. He was the chief of the Banu Salamah and was known to be
one of the most generous and valiant persons in the city.
One of the privileges of the city'sleaders was having an idol to
himself in his house. It was hoped that this idol would bless the
leader in whatever he did. Hewas expected to offer sacrifices to it on
special occasions and seek its help at times of distress.The idol of
Amr was called Manat. He had made it from the most priceless wood. He
spent a great deal of time, money and attention looking after it and
he anointed it with the most exquisite perfumes.
Amr was almost sixty years old when the first rays of the light of
Islam began to penetrate the houses of Yathrib. House after house was
introduced to the new faith at the hands of Musab ibn Umayr, the first
missionary sent out to Yathrib before the hijrah. It was through him
that Amr's three sons--Muawwadh, Muadh and Khallad--became Muslims.
One of their contemporaries was the famousMuadh ibn Jabal. Amr's wife,
Hind, also accepted Islam with her three sons but Amr himself knew
nothing of all this .
Hind saw that the people of Yathrib were being won over to Islam and
that not one of the leaders of the city remained in shirk except her
husband and a few individuals. She loved her husband dearly and was
proud of him but she was concerned that he should die in a state of
kufr and end up in hell-fire.
During this time, Amr himself began to tell uneasy. He was afraid that
his sons would give up the religion of their forefathers and follow
the teaching of Musab ibn Umayr who, within a short space of time, had
caused many to turn away from idolatry and enter the religion of
Muhammad. To his wife, Amr therefore said:
"Be careful that your children donot come into contact with this man
(meaning Musab ibn Umayr)before we pronounce an opinionon him."
"To hear is to obey," she replied."But would you like to hear fromyour
son Muadh what he relates from this man?" "Woe to you! Has Muadh
turned away from hisreligion without my knowing?" The good woman felt
pity from the old man and said: "Not at all.But he has attended some
of themeetings of this missionary and memorized some of the things he
teaches." "Tell him to come here," he said. When Muadh come, he
ordered: "Let me hear an example of what this man preaches." Muadh
recited the lalihah (the Opening Chapter of the Quran):
"In the name of God, the most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace.All
praise is due to God alone, the Sustainer of all the worlds, The most
Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace. Lord of the Day of Judgment!
You alone do we worship and toYou alone do we turn for help. Guide us
on the straight way, the way of those upon whom you have bestowed Your
blessings, not of those who havebeen condemned by You, nor of those
who go astray."
"How perfect are these words, and how beautiful!" exclaimed the
father. "Is everything he sayslike this?"
"Yes indeed, father. Do you wish to swear allegiance to him? All your
people have already done so" urged Muadh.
The old man remained silent from a while and then said, "I shall not
do so until I consult Manat and see what he says.""What indeed would
Manat say, Father? It is only a piece of wood. It can neither think
nor speak." The old man retorted sharply, "I told you, I shall not do
anything without him."
Later that day, Amr went before Manat. It was the custom of the
idolators then to place an old woman behind the idol when they wished
to speak to it. She would reply on behalf of the idol, articulating,
so they thought, what the idol had inspired her to say. Amr stood
before the idol in great awe and addressed profuse praises to it. Then
he said:
"O Manat no doubt you know that this propagandist who was delegated to
come to us from Makkah does not wish evil on anyone but you. He has
come only to stop us worshipping you.I do not want to swear allegiance
to him in spite of the beautiful words I have heard from him. I have
thus come to get your advice. So please advise me."
There was no reply from Manat. Amr continued:
"Perhaps your are angry. But up till now, I have done nothing to harm
you... Never mind, I shall leave you for a few days to let your anger
go away."
Amr's sons knew the extent of their father's dependence on Manat and
how with time he had become almost a part of it. They realized however
that the idol's place in his heart was being shaken and that they had
to help him get rid of Manat. That must be his path to faith in God.
One night Amr's sons went with their friend Muadh ibn Jabal to Manat,
took the idol From its place and threw it in a cess pit belonging to
the Banu Salamah. They returned to their homes with no one knowing
anything about what they had done. When Amr woke up the following
morning, he went in quiet reverence to pay his respects to his idol
but did not find it.
"Woe to you all," he shouted."Who has attacked our god last night"
There was no reply from anyone. He began to search for the idol,
fuming with rage and threatening the perpetrators of the crime.
Eventually he found the idol turned upside down on its head in the
pit. He washed and perfumed it and returned it to its usual place
saying.
"If I find out who did this to you,I will humiliate him." The
following night the boys did the same to the idol. The old man
recovered it, washed and perfumed it as he had done before and
returned it to its place. This happened several times until one night
Amr put a sword around the idol's neck and said to it: "O Manat, I
don't know who is doing this to you. If you have any power of good
inyou, defend yourself against thisevil. Here is a sword for you."
The youths waited until Amr was fast asleep. They took the sword from
the idol's neck and threw it into the pit. Amr found the idol Lying
face down in the pit with the sword nowhere in sight. At last he was
convinced that the idol had no power at alland did not deserve to be
worshipped. It was not long before he entered the religion ofIslam.
Amr soon tasted the sweetness of Iman or faith in the One True God. At
the same time he felt great pain and anguish within himself at the
thought of every moment he had spent in shirk. His acceptance of the
new religion was total and he placed himself, his wealth and his
children in the service of God and His Prophet.
The extent of his devotion was shown during the time of the battle of
Uhud. Amr saw his three sons preparing for the battle. He looked at
the three determined young men fired by the desire to gain martyrdom,
success and the pleasure of God.The scene had a great effect on him
and he resolved to go out with them to wage jihad under the banner of
the messenger of God. The youths, however, were all against their
father carrying out his resolve. He was already quite old and was
extremely weak.
"Father," they said, "surely God has excused you. So why do you take
this burden on yourself?"
The old man became quite angryand went straight away to the Prophet to
complain about his sons: "O Rasulullah! My sons herewant to keep me
away from thissource of goodness arguing thatI am old and decrepit. By
God, I long to attain Paradise this way even though I am old and
infirm."
"Let him," said the Prophet to his sons. "Perhaps God, the Mighty and
the Great, will grant him martyrdom."
Soon it was time to go out to battle. Amr bade farewell to his wife,
turned to the qiblah and prayed: "O Lord, grant me martyrdom and don't
send me back to my family with my hopes dashed." He set out in
thecompany of his three sons and a large contingent from his tribe,
the Banu Salamah.
As the battle raged, Amr could be seen moving in the front ranks,
jumping on his good leg (his other leg was partially lame), and
shouting, "I desire Paradise, I desire Paradise."
His son Khallad remained closely behind him and they both fought
courageously in defense of the Prophet while many otherMuslims
deserted in pursuit of booty. Father and son fell on thebattlefield
and died within moments of each other.

PRINT HAJJ GLOSSARY

Al-Haram
The Holy City of Makkah and its surrounding areas. Al-Haram has
different boundaries. These boundaries extend to three miles on one
side, seven on the other and nine miles towards Jeddah. Within these
boundaries of Al-Haram itis forbidden to hunt, bother any animal, or
to cut grass or trees. One is permitted to kill dangerous animals like
snakes, scorpions, rats or animals with rabies (dogs, etc.)
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Al-Mash'ar/Muzdalifa
The Valley between Arafaat and Mina, where pilgrims should make a Du'a
after they have sleptin Muzdalifa while they are going to Makkah to
throw Jamrat al-Aqabah on the morning of the 10 th of Dhul-Hijjah.
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Allahu Akbar
God is great.
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Arafah (Arafaat)
The area that surrounds Mount Rahmah, Southeast of Makkah.
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Ashwat
Plural of Shawt - See Shawt.
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Asr
Afternoon. The Asr prayeris the prescribed prayer to be performed
between afternoon and sunset.
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Black Stone
The stone in the Southeast corner of the Kaa'bah from which Muslims
begin the Tawaf.Also called as Hijr Al-Aswad.
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Circumambulating
To walk around (something), especially aspart of a ritual. See also: Tawaf.
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Du'a
Supplication for Allah.
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Dhul-Hijjah
See Thul-Hijjah.
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Eidul Adha
One of the Islamic holiday. It represents the celebration of sacrifice.
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Fajr
Dawn. The Fajr prayer is the prescribed prayer to be performed between
dawn and sunrise.
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Ghusul
Complete bathing.
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Ghurub
Sunset. Maghrib prayer isthe prescribed sunset prayer. Also see Maghrib
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Hajira/Hajar/Hager
Wife of prophet Ibrahim/Abraham (pbuh) and mother of prophet
Ismail/Ishmael (pbuh).
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Hajj
The 5 th pillar of Islam, to be performed at least once in a lifetime.
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Ifadah
Refers to the Tawaf that is done by a Muslim whenshe/he comes from Muzdalifa.
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Ihraam/Ehram
The state in which one starts Umrah or Hajj, and during which certain
actsare prohibited. Some of these acts are: cutting hair, shaving any
parts ofthe body, clipping nails, putting perfumes or colognes,
killing or hunting animals, sexual intercourse, making marriage
proposals, or marriage contracts.
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Isha
Isha. The Isha prayer is the prescribed prayer to be performed between
once the night settles until dawn.
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Istlam
The act of kissing the Hajr-e-Aswad (Black Stone) is called Istlam.
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Jam' Prayers
Combining prayers. Under certain circumstances, Zuhur andAsr prayers
can be combined, and Maghrib and Isha prayers can be combined. When
this is done, the two prayers are offered at the same time, with one
adhan and two separate Iqamahs, one for each prayer.
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Jamrah
The pillar at which the pilgrim throws pebbles. There are three
Jamrahs pillars at which pilgrims throw pebbles. Jamrah Al-Ula, Jamara
Al-Wusta & Jamrah Al-Aqabah.
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Kaa'bah
The square stone building in al-Haraam mosque in Makkah and towards
which all Muslimface in every prayer.
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Kaffara
Means expiation.
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Labbaik
A call meaning "Here I Come". It is the Muslim's expression of
answering the invitation of God to perform pilgrimage.
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Madinah
The city which Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) migrated, about 450 km
northeast of Makkah.
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Maghrib
Sunset. The Maghrib prayer is the prescribed prayer to be performed
between sunset and the time when all day light is gone.
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Makkah
The holiest city for Muslims, located in Western Saudi Arabia.
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Maqam-e-Ibraheem
Abraham's station, a small glass station 30 meters from the Kaa'bah
door. It is the place where prophet Abraham used to stand when he was
building the Kaa'bah.
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Marwah
The hill on which a pilgrim ends his/her sayee. It is about 250 meters
Northeast of the Kaa'bah.
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Mina
An area close to Makkah on the road to Arafah.
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Miqat
The place where Muslims declare their intention tomake Hajj or Umrah
and begin the state of Ihraam. The Miqat boundary is anchored by
different townships and locations in different directions around the
Kaabah. They are (1)Dhul-Hulaifa in the North, (2)Yalamlam in the
South-East, (3)Zat Irq in the North-East, (4)Al-Johfa in the
North-West, (5)Qarn al-Manazil in the East.
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Muzdalifa/Al-Mash'ar
The place between Arafah and Mina where pilgrims stay the night onthe
9 th of Thul-Hijjah.
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Nafl
A Nafl (supererogatory) act is an act of worship done because it has
beensuggested to us by the Prophet (pbuh) and practiced by him on at
least one or two occasions. It earns a reward for the person
performing it and its omission does not incur any punishment.
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Niyyah
Intention. When a personis performing pilgrimage,he/she has to set the
intention.
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Odhiya
See Udhia
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Pilgrimage
The English word for Hajj.One of the 5 pillars of Islam.
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Qiran(Combined Hajj)
The type of Hajj where a pilgrim makes Umrah in the same state of
Ihraam.This is applicable only to persons who are residentwithin a
radius of 16 Farsakh or 48 miles Shariiof Makkah.
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Ruku
A position in the prayer where the Muslim leans forward and puts
his/her hands on the knees.
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Safa
The hill on which a pilgrim begins his/her sayee (walking). It is
about 200 m Southeast ofthe Kaa'bah.
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Sayee
The act of walking between the two hills - Safa and Marwah.
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Shawt
Each complete round (circuit) around the Kaa'bah constitutes a Shawt.
Plural of Shawt is Ashwat. The pilgrim performs 7 Ashwat in a Tawaf.
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Takbeer
Saying Allahu Akbar.
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Talbiyah
The response to Allah's call for Hajj.
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Tamattu(Advantageous Hajj)
The type of Hajj where a pilgrim starts with Umrahthen makes Hajj
later on but in the same year.
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Tarwiyah
The 8 th day of Thul-Hijjah.
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Tashreeq
The 11 th , 12 th , and 13 th days of Thul-Hijjah.
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Tawaf
Circumambulating the Kaa'bah. There are many types of Tawaf, such as
Tawaf al-Qudum (upon arriving to Makkah), Tawaf al-Ifadah (when coming
to Makkah from Mina after the day of Arafah), Tawafun-Nisa (The Tawaf
of Women) and Tawaf al-Wada (Farewell Tawaf) before departing from
Makkah.
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Thul-Hijjah
The twelfth month of the Islamic lunar year.
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Udhia
It is the animal sacrifice that a Muslim offers to God.
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Umrah
An Islamic ritual that is performed at Makkah anytime of the year
except between the 9 th and the 13 th of Thul-Hijjah (these days are
only reserved for the full pilgrimage or Hajj). It includes Tawaf 7
times, Sayee between the hills of Safa and Marwah. It also requires
some obligations from the pilgrim until the state of Ihraam is ended.
Enteringinto the state of Ihraam and removal of Ihraam is carried out
in the same manner as for the full pilgrimage.
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Vudu
See Wudu.
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Wadah
Tawaf al-Wadah is the last (farewell) circuit around the Kaa'bah.
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Wudu
The act of performing ablution.
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Yawm
Literally means Day. There are many meaningful days in the Hajj
proceedings such as Yawm-e-Tarwiyah (first day of Hajj/8 th day of
Thul-Hijjah), Yawm-e-Arafa (second day of Hajj /9 th day of
Thul-Hijjah), Yawm-e-Nahr (third day of Hajj/Qurbani in Mina/10 th day
of Thul-Hijjah), etc.
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Zamzam
The name of a well of water that sprang up beneath Prophet Ishmael's
(pbuh) feet's, when he was an infant. Itis about 150 m Southeast of
the Kaa'bah.
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Zuhur
Noon. The Zuhur prayer is the prescribed prayer to be performed
between mid-day and afternoon.

Ch 9: Inside the House

Leaving the auspicious and glowing meeting at the house of Ziad b.
Umar, Isabella took the road straight to her home which ran through
the Palace of Martyrs to Suqul Asafir. Isabella's house was just a few
paces away. The meeting had filled her with such joy that, unmindful
of everything around, she walked quietly and soberly with downcast
eyes. Half an hour later she reached home whereher mother was waiting
impatiently for her. On enquiry about the cause of her delay Isabella
named a friend of her's, at whose house she was delayed. On her
mother's order the dining table was set and she immediately sat down
and began to eat. Soon her father (the head priest) also arrived and
the night passed peacefully.
Early next morning the Muezzins called for the Fajr prayer from all
mosques of Cordova. Howpleasant is the sound andhow, in the salubrious
hour of morning, people were being roused for bowing and prostrating
for the Fajr prayer with the name of Allah. How enchanting is the
sound of Allah-o-Akbar, Allah-o-Akbar, (Allah is great, Allah is
great). Now the gongs of churches also began to toll. How jarring and
meaningless is the sound. Truly the condition of each community is
known from its rites. From mosques devotees beganto emerge. Labourers,
traders and cultivators took their respective ways to places of work,
markets and fields. The chirping of birds had somewhat subsided.
Hearing the call of prayerIsabella got out of her bed and went to the
library room of her houseand sitting at a table began to study a book.
Inthe meantime Peter and Michael also came there and Isabella stood up
andreceived them with respect. A little later Isabella's father also
came and took his seat inthe room and Isabella's mother was also
called in. Isabella was frightened at this unexpected, uncalled
andstrange gathering and suspected that these people had assembled
onher account and probably her association with Islam had come to
their knowledge . Colour went out of her face and her heart began to
throb quickly and so, taking theexcuse of thirst, she wentfor water to
another room.
The head priest, addressing Isabella's mother, Peter and Michael said:
Do you know what is the state ofIsabella and how is she trying to
humiliate and degrade us? It is to think about this matter that I have
given you the trouble to come over here.
Peter: Oh ! What is the matter!
Head Priest: It is all very serious. I have been hearing for some time
that Isabella has given upChristian creed and has secretly embraced
Islam.
Helena (Isabella's mother): Fie, fie ! What are you talking? Jesus
Christ may never do it. What is the matter that you are so enraged
todaythat, without any reason,you have made my daughter a Muslim ?
Head Priest: What I am saying is quite true. If nottoday, you will
learn it a few days after.
Peter: Holy father, you have said something strange. Isabella is a
very good girl. She has studied theology. She is not ignorant as to
accept the bloody religion of Islam.
Helena: Well, I am just calling the girl. I do not know what caused
this suspicion in you.
So saying Helena went to the room where Isabella was sitting horrified
in a corner. Helena at once caught the hand of Isabella and said to
her: Listen, daughter, your father calls you. Isabella who had
realised the situation rose up and followed her mother to the large
room and presented herself to the head priest.
Isabella's father beckoned to Michael and asked him to talk to her.
Michael: Daughter, we have heard that you haverevolted from
Christianity. Is it true? If anyone has given wrong report about you,
you may refute it.
Isabella heard this and kept quiet and, lowering her eyes, began to
weep. Warm tears began to drop on her rosy cheeks.
Helena: Just see. Did not I tell you that someone hasfalsely accused
my daughter. What refutation could she give!Her tears speak that the
allegation of her revolt from Christianity is quite false.
Head Priest: You just keepquiet for a while and let Isabella herself
reply. Yes,daughter, tell me what is this report about you?
Isabella continued to remain silent with bowed head. But on persistent
questioning from Peter and Michael she was compelled to open her lips.
Isabella: I have not yet accepted Islam but continue to remain Christian.
Michael: If you have not yet accepted Islam, do you intend to accept
it in future?
Isabella: Why do you ask me about future? I can put the same question to you.
Michael: Then tell me what is your opinion about Islam?
Isabella: I do not abuse Islam like others for in the Muslim sacred
Books Christ is praised and Muslims speak well of him.
Michael: Then you love Islam and Muslims?
Isabella: You may call it love or anything else. Anyway I am not
ungrateful. If Muslims respect our Christ, then I also must respect
their Prophet and their Sacred Book.
Peter: So it is clear now that in your heart you have become a Muslim,
otherwise you would nothave so praised Islam andMuslims. But now tell
me what do you think about the religion you have been believing, that
is Christianity.
Isabella: I have faith in the Bible and all revealedbooks, but I do
not accept the flaws which later Christians have introduced in
religion.
Head Priest (addressing Michael, Peter and Isabella's mother): Now you
have known her ideas. There is no other remedy to it except the sword.
Peter: Please give me time. I will explain to her and she will surely
be reformed. I will remove her misunderstandings. Anyway, she has
studied books on theology.
Head Priest: Well, you may try and see, otherwise I will think of some
other remedy for her.
After this talk the meeting dispersed and the head priest, taking
Peter and Michael with him, left for the great church as there was a
large crowd of Christians of Spain to see the relics (bones, etc.) of
Prophets and the head priest. Theyhad come from long distances to
participate in the ceremony and the head priest had gone to bless
thousands of Christians.
The priests having left, Isabella went to her room and silently
thought about her future. She was now convinced that she was sure to
be put to torture and she will have to face severe trials. Yet she
found her mind at ease and heart strong and prepared to meet all
troubles.
She took out a paper from her table and wrotea letter to her friend
Mirano (daughter of Priest Michael) to the following effect:
"My dear sister!
"Last night at nine I attended the meeting of Muslim divines at which
my spiritual father Umar Lahmi and other divines were present. How can
I describe its atmosphere, my sister ! A wonderful spiritual assembly
it was. My participation in it greatly fortified my heart. I wish you
were also present there. I have made a promise with their spiritual
leader Ziadb. Umar to take you with me tomorrow or day after to them.
A strange thing happened today. It appears that I am going to be put
to trial. Pray that God may keep me ever on the right path. It so
happened that my father got some information about me that I have
embraced Islam and so he called your father [Michael] andPeter to his
house and many questions were asked from me. Now, justfancy with my
father on one side and Michael andPeter on the other, in what
difficult position I was placed. But I also gave them stunning
replies. Now, Peter has given promise to my father that he will make
me understand. If any such occasion comes you must also be present
along with other three friends . Other details I will give you
verbally.
"Your sister, Isabella."
After finishing the letter she called her maidservant and told herto
go to Mirano and bring from her a book. She also gave her the letter
which, she said, was lying with her for some time and asked her to
deliver it to Mirano. The maid-servant did as she was ordered and,
going to Michael's house,gave the letter to Mirano,who immediately
openedand read it and said to the maid-servant that shewill herself
bring the book in the evening.
Isabella and her other friends met together in the evening in the same
garden in which Isabella had first heard the talk ofUmar Lahmi. She
informed her friends all that had happened and consulted them. It was
also decided that next evening they should all go to attend the
meeting of Ziad b. Umar and also inform him of everything. After
enjoying the evening walk of the garden all the girls left for their
respective homes.
Isabella – A girl of Islamic Spain

NOBEL PRIZE Understanding cells - Shinya Yamanaka of Japan.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2012 goes to scientists
John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka fortheir pioneering researchon stem
cells.
-But the idea that the specialised cells could somehow be made to
de-differentiate never completely disappeared. Experimental strategies
were attempted at various times to achieve this. Hans Spemann (Nobel
Prize 1935) had conceived of what he had called a "fantastic
experiment" in which nuclei from differentiated cells could be
transferred into the cytoplasm of an immature cell and its development
potential tested.
This basic idea came to be realised in the early 1950s by Robert
Briggs and Thomas King, who developed a technique totransfer cell
nuclei from both undifferentiated and differentiated cells to an
enucleated (from which the nucleus had been removed) fertilised egg in
the frog species Rana pipiens. Briggs and King found that the transfer
of the embryonicundifferentiated cell nucleus led to the development
of the enucleated egg cell into the tadpole stage and that this did
not happen in the case of the nucleusof the differentiated cell.
Therefore, they concluded that differentiated cells undergo
irreversible changes in such a way that their capacity to support
development was lost. This only confirmed the prevalent view.
Gurdon's research
Enter Gurdon, who had trained in embryology at Oxford. In 1958, as a
graduate student, he repeated the Briggs-King experiment but with a
different frog family, Xenopus laevis. He enucleated the eggs by
ultraviolet radiation and found that a few tadpoles were indeed
created when the eggs were transplanted with nuclei from cells from
thelining of tadpole intestines (Figure 1). ThusGurdon succeeded
whereBriggs and King had failed. He also showed that the efficiency of
the process could be greatly increased by performing serial
transplantation, through which he could revert the status of a large
proportion of all the epithelial cells of the tadpole intestine. This
ledhim to conclude that differentiated somatic cell nuclei had the
potential to revert to pluripotency.
So his discovery was not immediately accepted by the scientific
community given the results of scientists of the calibre ofBriggs and
King. "Indeed," Gurdon said in the post-prize announcement
interviewwith the Nobel Foundation, "there was quite a period after
the early work when people did not believe the results. So it took
nearly 10 years for the major result to be accepted."
Soon after his major finding Gurdon left his frogs, which he had grown
by nuclear transfer, with his supervisor and moved to Caltech where he
had taken a post-doctoral position and began to work in a completely
unrelated field. The frogswere tended to by his supervisor and a
technician. "So by 1962," Gurdon recalls, "they were adults and one
could publish a paper to say that these animals, derived from nuclear
transfer, really were absolutely normal. So it took a little time to
get through…. So it's entirely reasonable for the skeptics to say,
'well, these well-established people have already done the experiment
andhere is a graduate student from Europe whois disagreeing with them…
why should we pay attention to that?'"
SOURCE: NOBEL FOUNDATION
Figure 1: John gurdon used ultraviolet light to destroy the cell
nucleus in a frog egg (1). He then replaced the cell nucleus with a
differentiated intestinal epithelial cell from a tadpole (2). Many
manipulated eggs did not develop, but in some cases normal swimming
tadpoles were generated(3). This showed that the genetic information
required to generate the differentiated cells in a tadpole remained
intact in the donor cell nucleus. Later studies have shownthat mammals
can also becloned by this technique (4).
Gurdon's discovery introduced a new research field based on somatic
cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) as a method to understand how cells
change as they become specialised and also how this process could be
reversed. This formed the basis for the first cloned mammal, the sheep
Dolly, by Ian Wilmut and Keith Campbell, which the SCNThad created by
turning an adult mammary gland epithelial cell into an enucleated
sheep egg. One significant modification that Wilmut and Campbell did
was to induce the mammary epithelial cells into
quiescence—non-dividing state—which was found to be better to
synchronise with the embryo in the early development phase.Since
Dolly, many mammalian species have been cloned using SCNT, including
mouse, cow, pig, wolf and African wildcat.
A fundamental question remained, however, afterGurdon's path-breaking
work. What Gurdon had shown was that a differentiated cell nucleus had
the capacity to revert to an undifferentiated pluripotent state. But
is itpossible to induce this reversal in an intact differentiated cell
without any nuclear transfer? This was considered to be impossible or
at the very least requiring very complex reorganisation in the cell to
unlock the differentiated state.
Yamanaka's research
Then came Shinya Yamanaka, who believed otherwise. He approached the
problem of reprogramming adult somatic cells systematically.
Interestingly, Yamanaka had started out his careeras an orthopaedic
surgeon but found that "he was not so good at surgery". He felt that,
as asurgeon, he was not able to help many patients. Hewas also
concerned about finding cure for intractable diseases such as the
motor neuron disease amytrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Andso he
decided to take up basic medical sciences. Hedid his PhD in
pharmacology. During hispostdoctoral work at the Gladstone Institute
in the mid-1990s involving knock-out (KO) mice, he came across
embryonic stem (ES) cells. He had identified a new gene that seemed to
have significance for cancer. To study that gene, he made a KO mouse
and discovered that the gene was very important for pluripotency in
mouse ES cells.
Back in Japan, he set up his own laboratory at theNara Institute of
Science and Technology to study this problem of reprogramming. His
laboratory focussed on transcription factors expressed in ES cells
that were important for maintaining pluripotencyin ES cells. From his
work and that of the others, it seemed that a large number of factors
were responsible. It was also known then that ES cells could induce
pluripotency in somatic cell nuclei after induced cell fusions between
ES cells and somatic cells. Armed with this knowledge, Yamanaka
identified a set of 24 factors as candidates to reinstate
pluripotency.
In one of his first experiments, he introduced all 24 genes, encoding
these transcription factors into skin fibroblasts (connective tissue
cells), and a few of them actually generated cell colonies that
resembled ES cells. He whittled down the number of genes one by one to
identify finally a combination of only four transcription factors
(Myc, Oct3/4, Sox2 and Klf4) that were sufficient to convert mouse
embryonic fibroblasts to pluripotent stem cells (Figure 2). These
pluripotent stem cells, which he called induced pluripotent stem cells
(iPScells), appeared at a very low frequency.

NOBEL PRIZE Understanding cells - John B. Gurdon of the United Kingdom.

THE 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to
twoscientists for discoveries that have led to a paradigm shift in our
understanding of how immature cells differentiate and
becomespecialised cells in the body of an organism— such as neurons,
muscle and skin cells—and the plasticity of the differentiated state.
JohnB. Gurdon, 79, of the Gurdon Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom,
and Shinya Yamanaka, 50, of Kyoto University, Japan, and Gladstone
Institutes, San Francisco, California, United States, showed in
different experiments that "mature, differentiated cells can be
reprogrammed to become pluripotent".
Gurdon discovered in 1962 that the specialisation of cells is
reversible. Yamanaka, who was born coincidentally in the same year as
Gurdon's discovery, showed in 2006 how intact mature cells in mice
could be reprogrammed by clever introduction of some genes to become
immature stem cells. Their findings have revolutionised our
understanding of how cells and organisms develop. We now know that
differentiation is nota unidirectional process, as was believed
earlier, and that mature cells need not remain locked forever in their
specialised states. Gurdonand Yamanaka showed that, under some
conditions, the clock of cellular development can be turned back.
During normal development, the egg cells and cells in the early embryo
proceed from theinitial undifferentiated state into a more specialised
state by differentiation. In an adult organism, different kinds of
differentiated cell types are needed to perform different specialised
tasks. The fertilised egg and the cells of the embryo in theearliest
stage of its development (the zygote) can give rise to all types of
cells in the embryo, as well as extra-embryonic tissues such asthe
placenta, and hence they are termed totipotent. During the development
process, cells at the blastocyst stage begin to be distinguished. The
cells inthe inner cell mass—the embryonic stem (ES) cells—are
pluripotent. That is, they can give rise to all somatic cells as
wellas to cells that become gametes (eggs and sperm).
Cells progressively become restricted in their differentiation
potential and thus do notretain their pluripotency.This maturation of
cells results in most cells becoming fully differentiated. The process
also results in theformation of cells with limited and specialised
potency—the somatic or adult stem cells. They remain in certain
locations in the body such as bone marrow, intestine, and skin and act
as the reservoir for cell maintenance and repair machinery.
Differentiated cells are very stable and do not, asa rule, become
cells of any other type or revert to the early undifferentiated state.
The long-standing dogma in biology, therefore, was that somatic or
adult cells were permanently lockedin the specialised state ofa
specific part of the body and that the journey back to the
undifferentiated, embryo-like, stem cell state was impossible.
Thespecific pattern of expression of functional proteins in
differentiatedcells also suggested that these carried irreversible
genetic modifications that rendered induction of pluripotency in them
impossible.

* * EID MUBARAK *** - greating tips

Look Outside. It's so pleasant! Sun Smiling For you. Trees Dancing for
you. Birds singing foryou. Because I requestedthem All to wish
You..*EID MUBARAK*
May the choicest blessings of Allah fill your life with joy and
prosperity.EID MUBARAK
May the blessings of Allah fill your life with happiness and open all
the doors of success nowand always.Eid Mubarak
Some words can be left unsaid,Some feeling can be left unexpressed,But
person like u can never be forgotton on this day.* * EID MUBARAK ***
With petals of roses,Palmfull of holy water,Light of
sunshine,Fragrance ofFlowers & Grass with the dew. I wish a very
HAPPYEID 2 YOU.
Eid is the combination of3 meaningful words. E - Embrace with open
heart. I - Inspire with impressive attitude. D - Distribute pleasure
to all.Eid Mubarak

Mistakes made on Eid

What are the mistakes and wrong actions that the Muslims are warned
against on the two Eids? We see some actions which we denounce such as
visiting graves after the Eid prayer and staying up to worship onthe
night of Eid….
Praise be to Allaah.
As Eid is approaching, we would like to point out some things that
some people do out of ignorance of the laws of Allaah and the Sunnah
ofthe Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
These include the following:
1 – The belief of some that it is prescribed to spend the night of Eid
in worship.
Some people believe that it is prescribed to spend the night of Eid in
worship. This is a kind ofinnovation (bid'ah) that is not proven from
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Rather it
wasnarrated in a da'eef (weak) hadeeth which says, "Whoever stays up
on the night of Eid, his heart will not die on the day when hearts
die." This hadeeth is not saheeh. It was narrated via two isnaads, one
of which is mawdoo' (fabricated) and the other is da'eef jiddan (very
weak). See Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Da'eefah wa'l-Mawdoo'ah by
al-Albaani, 520, 521.
It is not prescribed to single out the night of Eid to pray qiyaam to
theexclusion of all other nights, unlike the one whose habit it is to
pray qiyaam, in which case there is nothing wrong with him praying
qiyaam on the night of Eid.
2 – Visiting graves on thetwo Eid days.
This is contrary to the purpose of Eid which is to express joy and
happiness, and it goes against the teaching of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the actions of the salaf. It
comes under the generalmeaning of the Prophet's prohibition onvisiting
graves on a specific day and making that like a festival, as
thescholars stated.
See Ahkaam al-Janaa'iz wa Bida'uha by al-Albaani, p. 219, 258.
3 – Forsaking the jamaa'ah and sleeping late and missing the prayer.
Unfortunately you see some of the Muslims missing the prayer and
forsaking the jamaa'ah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "The covenant that stands between us and them is the
prayer; whoever forsakes it is a kaafir." Narrated by al-Tirmidhi,
2621; al-Nasaa'i, 463; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
al-Tirmidhi.
And he said: "The most burdensome prayers for the hypocrites are the
'Isha' and Fajr prayers. If they knew (what goodness) there is in
them, they would come to them even if they had to crawl. I had thought
of ordering the call to prayer to be given, then I would tell a man to
lead the people in prayer, then I would go, taking some men with me
carrying bundles of wood, to people who donot attend the prayer, and
would burn their houses down around them." Narrated by Muslim, 651.
4 – Women mixing with men in the prayer place, the streets and
elsewhere, and crowding together with men in those places.
This is a source of great fitnah (temptation) and serious danger. Both
women and men should be warned against that, and the necessary
meansshould be taken to prevent that as much as possible. Men and
youth should not leave the prayer place or the mosque until after the
women have dispersed completely.
5 – Some women going out wearing perfume and makeup, and without veils.
This is a problem which is widespread, and manypeople take this matter
lightly. Allaah is the One Whose help we seek. Some women – may Allaah
guide them – even dress up in their finest clothes and put onthe best
perfume when they go to the mosque to pray Taraaweeh or goto the Eid
prayers, etc. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Any woman who puts on perfume and passes by people so that they
can smell her fragrance, is anadulteress." Narrated by al-Nasaa'i,
5126; al-Tirmidhi, 2783; classedas hasan by al-Albaani inSaheeh
al-Targheeb wa'l-Tarheeb, 2019.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "There are two types of the people of Hell whom I have not
seen. People with whips like the tails of cattle with which they beat
the people, and women who are clothed yet naked, going astray and
leading others astray, with their heads lookinglike the humps of
camels, leaning to one side. They will not enter Paradise nor even
smell its fragrance, although its fragrance may be detected from such
and such a distance." Narrated by Muslim, 2128.
The guardians of womenmust fear Allaah with regard to those who are
under their care, and fulfil the duty of protecting and maintaining
that Allaah has enjoined upon them,because,
"Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allaah has
made one of them toexcel the other"
[al-Nisa' 4:34 – interpretation of the meaning]
So they must guide themand show them that which will lead to their
salvation and their safety in this world and in the Hereafter, by
means of keeping away from that which Allaah has forbidden and
striving for that which will bring them closer to Allaah.
6 – Listening to singing and haraam things.
Among the evil things that are widespread in these times is music and
singing. They have become very widespread and people take this matter
lightly. It is on TV and radio, in cars, homes and marketplaces. There
is no power and no strength except with Allaah. Even cell phones are
not free of this evil. There are companies which compete in putting
the latest music on the ringers of their cell phones, and in this way
music has even reached the mosques, may Allaah protect us… This is a
great problem and a great evil wherebymusic is heard in the houses of
Allaah. See question no. 34217 . This confirms the words of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), "There will be
among my ummah people who will regard adultery, silk, alcohol and
musical instruments as permissible." Narratedby al-Bukhaari.
See questions no. 5000 , 34432 .
The Muslim has to fear Allaah and realize that the blessing of Allaah
means that he is obliged to give thanks to Him. It is not gratitude
for the Muslim to disobey his Lord, when He is the OneWho has bestowed
this blessing upon him.
One of the righteous passed by some people who were engaged in idle
entertainment on the day of Eid and said to them, "If you did well in
Ramadaan, this is not the way to give thanks for that. If you did
badly in Ramadaan, this is not the way that the one who did badly
should behave."
And Allaah knows best.

Is it permissible for ordinary people to label as a kaafir one who reviles Islam, without referring to the scholars concerning that?

Is it permissible for ordinary people, if they hear someone reviling
Allah or Islam or the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) to label him akaafir without referring to the scholars?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
There is no doubt that reviling Allah, may He be exalted – Allah
forbid – or reviling His Messengeror His religion – Allah forbid –
comes under the heading of disbelief in Allah the Almighty. The one
who does that has committed major kufr that puts one beyond the pale
of Islam. If he dies in that state without having repented from it,
then he will be one of the people of Hell who will abide therein for
all eternity.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The scholars are unanimously and definitively agreed that if a Muslim
reviles Islam, or criticises it, or he reviles the Messenger
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), or criticises or mocks
him, then he is an apostate and a kaafir and it is permissible to
sentence him to death and seize his wealth.
End quote from Fataawa Noor 'ala ad-Darb by Ibn Baaz, p. 139
Shaykh Ibn Jibreen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:
What is the ruling on one who reviles Allah and His Religion? What
isthe expiation for that? Please note that the manconcerned is
married; does his wife become haraam for him or is she divorced?
He replied:
There is no doubt that this is apostasy from Islam and disbelief in
Allah for which the person who does it deserves to be sentenced to
death unless he repents; his wife is divorced from him and his ties of
kinship with his relativesare severed, so he does not inherit from
them and they do not inherit from him. But if he repents, regrets it,
prays for forgiveness and acknowledges his mistake, Allah will
accepthis repentance and he can take his wife back if her 'iddah has
not ended; if it has ended then it is up to her, and it is not
permissible for him to take her back except with her consent.
End quote from Fataawa Islamiyyah, 3/533
Secondly:
If a person hears someone clearly reviling Allah, or shar'i proof is
established to that effect, then there is nothing wrong with
himbelieving that this person is a kaafir. This is the most abhorrent
and serious kind of reviling, and no one does that except one who has
gone far astray and has no respect for Allah, mayHe be glorified and
exalted, or one who has lost his mind and does not know what he is
saying.
This kind of reviling is not one of the obscure issues that need a
ruling from the scholars or need to be subjected to examination;
rather it is something very clear and obvious that can be recognised
by ignorant and knowledgeable alike, and old and youngwill be
disgusted by it.
But at the same time it isessential to bear in mindthe shar'i purpose
behind denouncing that and regarding it as repugnant, which is to
remove and ward off that evil and to strive to make the one who said
it repent and come back to his Lord, even if he has apostatised and
gone beyond the pale ofIslam. Asking the apostate to repent is
something that is well known and well established. So efforts should
be made to exhort him in a manner that is appropriate to hissituation,
explaining the abhorrent nature of what he has done and todiscuss with
him the shar'i way that is appropriate to his situation.
The scholars of the Standing Committee said:
Reviling Islam – Allah forbid – is kufr according to the texts and
scholarly consensus. Allah, may He be exalted,said (interpretation of
the meaning):
"Was it at Allah, and His Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons,
signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger (SAW) that you were
mocking?
Make no excuse; you have disbelieved after you had believed"
[at-Tawbah 9:65].
And there are other similar texts.
It is essential to advise him and denounce him for that; if he
responds, praise be to Allah, otherwise it is not permissible to
initiate the greeting of salaam with one who has reviled Islam, or to
return his greeting if he initiates the greeting; it is not
permissible to accept his invitation andhe must be shunned completely
until he repents or until the ruling of Allah, which is to be
sentenced to death, is carried out on him by the authorities, because
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever
changes his religion, execute him." Narrated by al-Bukhaari in his
Saheeh, 3017.
End quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa'imah, 2/12
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
If a person repents from any sin, even if that was reviling Islam, his
repentance will be accepted, if he fulfils the conditions that we have
mentioned. However it should be noted that a word may constitute kufr
or apostasy, but the one who utters it does not (necessarily) becomea
kaafir thereby, because of the presence of some factor that prevents
him being labelled as a kaafir. In the case of this man whosaid that
he reviled Islamin a moment of anger, we say to him: If your anger was
so severe thatyou did not know what you were saying, and you did not
know whether you were in thesky or on the ground, and you said
something without thinking and not knowing what you were saying, there
is no ruling that is applicable to these words and you are not to be
labelled an apostate, because this is something that was said
involuntarily and without thinking, and if anything is said
involuntarily and without meaning to, Allah, may He be glorified and
exalted, will not bring one to account for it. Allah, mayHe be
exalted, says concerning vows (interpretation of the meaning): "Allah
will notcall you to account for that which is unintentional in your
oaths, but He will call you to account for that which your hearts have
earned" [al-Baqarah 2:225].

Ahlul Bayt, Ahl al-Bayt, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Noble Qur'an, Ayat Al-Tathir, Mubahala

Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) is a phrase meaning Peopleof the House, or
family. Inthe Islamic tradition it refers to the household of Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh).
Ahlul Bayt (Ahle Bait) in simple terms is to put trust of guidance to
Aal-e-Muhammad [descendents of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)], through
Fatima Zahra (pbuh) and Imam Ali (pbuh) and their descendents. Bayt is
to give the Oath of Allegiance to Imam Ali (pbuh) and accept his
guidance.
Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) orhousehold members of Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) refers to his daughter Fatima Zahra (pbuh), his successor and
son-in-law, Imam Ali (pbuh), their two sons Imam Hasan (pbuh) and Imam
Hussain (pbuh), and the nine Imams from the lineage of Imam Hussain
(pbuh).
Ahlul Bayt (Ahl-e-Bait) in Noble Qur'an
The Purified Ones: The Highest degree of purity means to be kept
constantly away from all the causes of impurity. This is termed as the
stateof infallibility in knowledge, character and action. It could
have been applied generally tothe whole mankind who are keeping aloof
from all the impurities as the word of Allah (SWT) commands; but,
Allah (SWT) expressively has confined His order to certain group of
individuals by excluding the rest of the mankind from it in His divine
will by declaring Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) as the persons purified by
Him to be constantly in touch with the Noble Qur'an in its original,
hidden, well protected, exalted and purified form. It was Allah's
(SWT) wish to remove all blemishes from them, as mentionedin the Verse
of Purity (Ayat Al-Tathir) in the Noble Qur'an:
The Verse of Purity (Ayat Al-Tathir): "... Allah only desires to keep
away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House! And to purify
you a (thorough) purifying." Noble Qur'an (33:33)
The above verse from Noble Qur'an, is known as Ayat Al-Tathir, refers
tothe members of the household of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), which
include exclusivelyProphet Muhammad, Imam Ali, Fatima Zahra, Imam
Hasan, and Imam Hussain (peace be upon them all). Hence Prophet
Muhammad's (pbuh) other offspring, wives, sons of paternal uncles, and
dwellers of his houseare not to be called as Prophet Muhammad's Ahlul
Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt).
The argument is based on the genuine and authentic traditions narrated
by Sahaba, companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) recorded in both the
Sunni and Shia sources.
Ahlul Bayt (Ahle Bait) in Hadith's
1. Hadith-e-Kisa (Hadith of the Cloak):
It is narrated from Umm al-Momineen, Umm Salamah that once Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) was in her house lying on a mattress, covered with a
cloak from Khaibar when his beloved daughter Fatima Zahra (pbuh)
entered with a dish called al-Khazira (a kind of food). Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) askedher to call her husband, Imam Ali and her two
sons, Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain. Fatima Zahra (pbuh) called them and
as they all sat together to eat, Allah (SWT) revealed the following
verse of purity (Ayat Al-Tathir) to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). "...
Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of
the House! And to purify you a (thorough) purifying." Noble Qur'an
(33:33)
Upon this Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) covered them all with his cloak and
lifting his hands towards the sky said: "O Allah (SWT)! This is my
family and the nearest of my kin, keep away from them uncleanness and
keep them pure as pure can be." Umm al-Momineen, Umm Salamah adds that
thrice Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) repeated these words and when she poked
her head under the cloak andasked him, Am I with you? In a refraining
gesture, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said twice: "You are (also) among the
righteous."
Thus it is clear from above discussion that Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh)
daily habit of stopping at his daughter Fatima Zahra's (pbuh) house
and addressing her household as Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt), was not
without reason. In fact he was expounding the meaning of the term
Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) and practically explaining to the Muslimsthe
verse of purity (Ayat Al-Tathir) and the particular persons meant by
it. To be more precise, he was drawing the attention of the Muslim
nation towards the significance of his Ahlul Bayt (Ahl al-Bayt) and
their leadership after himso that the Muslims should love, obey and
follow them.

TAQWAA

Taqwaa (piety) forms part of the basic essentials of Islam. It means
to observe the Divine commandments conscientiously and scrupulously
and to avoidall forbidden, wicked and shameful things, believing
wholly and firmly in the Great Requital of the Last Day and fearin
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and His wrath and punishment. In other
words, it demands of us, on the one hand, to carry out, thoroughly and
well, the duties prescribed by the Almighty and to fulfill zealously
the rights of men who have a claim onus according to the Divine law,
and, on the other, to refrain strictly from doing anything thathas
been prohibited by Him. It calls on us to make the fear of Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) our constant companion. Both in the Holy
Quraan and the Traditions a very great emphasis has been laid on
Taqwaa and righteousness and it has been urged on us most forcefully
and persistently to cultivate itin ourselves. Some of the relevant
verses of the Holy Quraan are:
O ye who believe! fear Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) as He should be
feared and die not except in a state of Islam. [III-102]
So fear Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) as much as you can; listen and obey.
O ye who believe! fear Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and let everysoul
look to what (provisions) he has sent forth for the morrow. And fear
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa); for Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) is
well-acquainted with (all) that ye do. [LIX-18]
The Quraanic verses, further, reveal that there is a great favour of
the Lord even in this world on those who fear Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) and practise Taqwaa and righteousness. Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) shows special munificence to them and makes His help
available to them in thousand ways:
And for those who fear Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) He (ever)
prepares a way out and He provides for him from (sources) he never
could imagine. [XLV:2-3]
The Holy Quraan also tellsthat those who lead a lifeof Taqwaa and
righteousness become the Friends of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa),
and, then, for them there is neither fear nor shall they ever grieve.
Behold! verily on the Friends of Allah there is no fear nor shall they
grieve, those who believe and (constantly) guard against evil; for
them are Glad Tidings in the life of the world and the Hereafter.
[X-62-64]
Some of the wonderful boons and blessings that await the pious. and
the righteous in the Hereafter have been revealed briefly in the
following verses:
Say: shall 1 give you glad tidings of things far better than those?
for the righteous are Gardens in nearness to their Lord with rivers
flowing beneath; thereinis their eternalhome withCompanions (pure and
holy) and the good pleasure of Allah For in Allah's sight are (all)
His servants. [111:15]
And verily, for the Righteous is a beautiful place of (Final) Return.
Gardens of Eternity whose doors will ever be opened to them; therein
will they recline (at ease);therein can they call (at pleasure) for
fruit in abundance and (delicious) drink; and beside them will be
chaste women restraining their glances (companions): equal age.Such is
the promise madefor the Day of Account! Truly, such will be Our Bounty
(to you) It will never fail. [XXXVIII:49-54]
In the Holy Quraan., again men of Taqwaa aregiven the very special
tidings of place of exceptional nearness to Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) in the Hereafter:
As to the Righteous they will be in the midst of Gardens and Rivers in
an Assembly fo Truth in the presence of a Sovereign Omnipotent.
[LIV:54-55]
The sole criterion of honour and superiority with Allah (Subhaanahu
Watá'aalaa) is Taqwaa.
Verily the most honouredof you in the sight of Allah is (he who is)
the most righteous of you. [XLIX:13]
Similarly, it has been declared by the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu
AlaibeWasallam) in one of his Traditions that:
"Nearest and dearest to me are those who possesses the virtue of
Taqwaa (no matter what race or nationality they belong to or which
country they live in)."
Taqwaa (i.e. fear of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and a over powering
anxiety for theHereafter) is the root of all virtue. It is the measure
of all goodness. We will be as good and noble and as free from what is
bane and corruptas there is Taqwaa in us.
Some other Traditions of Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam) are:
"A holy Companion once said to the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe
Wasallam), O Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam)! I have heard so
many of your valuable sayings That I fear I may not be able to
remember them all. So I request youfor a comprehensive advice which
may suffice for me always. The Prophet (Sallallahu AlaiheWasallam)
replied, "Fear Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) in proportion to your
knowledge and make that fear and Taqwaa theguiding principles of your
life."
"He who has fear will set out early and he who willset out early will
reach the destination in time."
"The fortunate and the successful, indeed, are those who fear Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) and prepare for the life to come."
"Even a single tear shed out of fear of Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)
and of His anger and punishment carries a great value in His eyes."
"There are two drops," says the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam),
"and two marks than which nothing is more precious to Allah
(Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa). Of the two drops so exceedingly dear to Him,
one is the tear that may have fallen from the eyes of anyone out of
His fear, and the other is the drop of blood that is shed in His path.
Similarly, of the two marks one is the mark sustained in the path of
Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) (i.e. the scar left behind by a wound
sustained in Jihad), and the other is the mark which may have
developed as a result of the carrying out of a religious obligation
(as for example, the marks one often sees on the forehead and knees of
those who offer the Salaah regularly)."
We will take up one more Tradition of the Prophet (Sallallahu
AlaiheWasallam). It says:
"Never can he go to hell who weeps in the fear ofAllah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)."
The sum and full substance of the entire discussion is that it is
great, indeed, to be blessed with true fear of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa) and a genuine solicitude for the Hereafter. It can
literally revolutionise one's whole existence.
Brothers! Know it thoroughly and well that one who is Allah-fearing in
this transitory world will have absolutely nothing to worry in the
Hereafter. He will have neither fear nor anxiety. He will dwell in
eternal peace, comfort and happiness by the Grace of Allah (Subhaanahu
Wata'aalaa). On the contrary, he who is not Allah-fearing and shows no
concern for After-life and refuses to look beyond the pleasures of
material existence for him. There will be terrible anguish and
distress in the life to come. For thousands of years he will be
sheddingtears of blood.
The surest way to develop Taqwaa, i.e. Allah-fearingness and
solicitude for the Hereafter is to avail oneself of the company of the
devout servants of the Lord who fear Him and obey His commands
honestly. Then there are good and reliable religious books which
should be read regularly, and, if a person is illiterate, he should
have them read out to him by others. Lastly, it is advisable to
meditate in solitude on death and onthe rewards one is going to get
from Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa) for one's, good, and virtuous
deedsand the punishment that is going to be awarded by Him for one's
sins and transgressions against the Divine Law. One should dwel
mentally on one's state and visualise what is going to happen in the
grave. What will one's condition be when men will be raised up again
on the Last Day and produced before Allah (Subhaanahu Wata'aalaa)?
What will one do when the balance-sheet of one's conduct on the earth
willbe unrolled? Where will one, then hide one's face?

A Thousand Camels

In the times of Umar (Radiallahu Anhu) there was a severe famine. All
the people of Madinah were suffering due to the shortage of food. A
caravan made up of a thousand camels loaded with a large stock of food
grains belonging toUthman (Radiallahu Anhu) arrived from Shaam
(Syria). Several merchants offered to buy all of it. He asked them
what profit they would pay. "Five per cent," they said. He answered
that he could get higher profit than that. They began to argue with
him, saying that they did not know of any merchant who would offer him
more than their quote. He saidto them, "I know of one who repays a
profit of more than seven hundred to a dirham (Arabian currency)." He
then recited the verse of the Noble Quran in which Allah Ta'ala
mentioned this profit."The likeness of those who spend their wealth in
the Way of Allah, is as the likeness of a grain (of corn); it grows
seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold
increase to whom He pleases. AndAllah is All-Sufficient for His
creatures' needs, All-Knower." (2:261).
"O traders! Bear witness with me that I donate allthis to the poor
people of Madinah!" said Uthman (Radiallahu Anhu).
Source: Related by Shaikh Habibullah Mukhtaar in his book"Bringing Up
Children in Islaam" in the chapter ofGenerosity.
Dear readers, what ever we give for the sake of Allah is really ours
and whatever we keep with us will one day be someone else's. Let us
follow the footsteps of our Prophet and the pious Sahabah, with whom
Allah was pleased with, by helping the needy ones in this blessed
month of Ramadan.

Signs of Allah in clouds

Allah knows that we need water. As a result, He created a system in
the sky that produces water even as we talk, read, sleep, work and
doother activities. This system is visible to us through the clouds.
Clouds are amazing creations of Allah. At least once in our lifetimewe
look at an airplane and say "Wow, how can that big thing fly in the
sky?" But did we ever look at the clouds and wonder how they remain in
the sky? Let's compare the clouds and the airplanes. The airplanes
have specific shapes and designs. If one of their wings breakdown,
then the plane crashes. On the other hand, these clouds have no
specific shapes or sizes. Yet, they can fly in the sky without a
problem. In addition, theplanes have to come down to the earth for
re-fueling every once in a while. But the clouds can remain in the sky
formonths without coming down.
The airplanes are very heavy objects, however, the clouds are even
heavier. An average cumulonimbus cloud contain enough water tofill
10,000 swimming pools! Now, that's heavy.
Moreover, clouds provide us with shade during sunny days and let's us
see beautiful scenaries even in the sky. Did you ever thank Allah for
these blessings?