Is it permissible to slaughter an animal with the intention of offering a sacrifice?

I have been married for four years and have not been blessed with
children. Praise be to Allaah, I have recently heard the news that my
wife is pregnant, and on my father's advice I slaughtered two animals
(as a sacrifice) and distributed the meat among needy Muslims, purely
for the sake of Allaah on behalf of myselfand my wife. What is the
Islamic ruling on that? May Allaah reward you with good.
Praise be to Allaah.
If this sacrifice and feeding the needy was done as an act of
thanksgiving to Allaah, then it is permissible, for feeding people is
a way ofdoing good to people, and Allaah loves those who do good.
But if your sacrifice was aimed at warding off evil and bringing about
good,then it is not permissible. This is what is well-known among
people when the word "sacrifice" (fadw) is used, because they think
that by doing this they will ward off evil and bring about good, so
they do this when accidents or sickness happen to them or their loved
ones.
In Islam, sacrifice is not a means of warding off thatwhich has been
decreed by Allaah, whether good or bad.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was
asked about slaughtering an animal when a building is completed or
halfway through building. He said:
This action is subject to further examination. If the intention behind
the sacrifice is to protect oneself against the jinn orsome other
intention by which the owner of the house intends to achieve
something, such as keeping it or its occupantssafe, this is not
permissible, and it is a kind of bid'ah (innovation). If it is done
for the jinn then it is major shirk, because it is an act of worship
done forsomeone other than Allaah.
But if it is done as an act of thanksgiving for a blessing that Allaah
has bestowed, such as reaching the roof or completing the house, so
the person gathers his relatives and neighbours and invites them to
this feast, there is nothing wrong with this. This is what many people
do as an act of thanksgiving for a blessing from Allaah, as He has
enabled them to build a house and live in itinstead of renting.
Similar to this is what some people do when they come back from a
journey, and they invite their relatives and neighbours as an act of
thanksgiving to Allaah for their safe arrival. When the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came back from a journey
he would sacrifice a camel and invite the people to eat. (Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 3089).
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 5/388.
Shaykh Muhammad al-Saalih ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
What some people do when they move into a new house and slaughter an
animal and invite their neighbours and relatives is fine so long as it
is not accompanied by any corrupt beliefs, as is done in some places
where, when a person moves into a new house, the firstthing he does is
to bring asheep and slaughter it on the threshold so that the blood
will fall onto it, and they say that this will prevent the jinn from
entering the house. This isa corrupt belief which has no basis in
Islam. But if a person slaughters it as an expression of joy and
happiness, there is nothing wrong with that.
Al-Sharh al-Mumti', 7/550,551.
And Allaah knows best.

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Is the fast invalidated by swallowing phlegm or sticking one’s finger in one’s ear?

When the blessed month of Ramadan is approaching, the scholars in our
country start to distribute pamphlets explaining how to fast and what
breaks the fast.
One of the things they sayis that the one who swallows phlegm or
mucus, or puts his finger in his ear, has broken his fast. Is this
correct?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed concerning the
fasting person swallowingphlegm or mucus: does it invalidate the fast
or not? The correct view is that it does not invalidate it, because it
does not come under the same heading as food and drink.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy onhim) said: When the
scholars differ, the reference point is the Qur'aan and Sunnah. If
weare uncertain about a matter, as to whether it invalidates the act
of worship or does not, the basic principle is that it does not
invalidate it (unless there is evidence to the contrary). Based on
that, swallowing phlegm does not break the fast.
What matters is that one should leave phlegm and avoid trying to bring
it upto the mouth from the throat. But if it comes up to the mouth, he
should expel it, whether he is fasting or not. With regard to putting
drops inthe ears and whether thatbreaks the fast, that requires
evidence that will be proof for the individual before Allah, may He be
glorified and exalted, concerning breaking the fast.
End quote from Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 19/356
He also said: The more correct view is that phlegm does not break the
fast even if it reaches the mouth and one swallows it. It does not
break the fast but one should not swallow it, because the scholars
forbade that, because it is something off-putting and one should not
swallow it.
End quote from Liqa' al-Baab al-Maftooh, no. 152
Secondly:
As for putting one's finger in one's ear, that definitely does not
break the fast. In fact, even if one puts drops or medicine in the ear
and can taste it in the throat, that does not invalidate the fast
because there is no evidence to suggest that the fast is invalidatedby
that.

And Allah knows best.

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A very strange village

I have heard the following story from a pious and knowledgeable
brother. Hopefully it will be beneficial for all of us.
Once a Scholar of Islam was travelling and came across a village where
he noticed a very strange thing. He saw a store where a man was
selling bread. What was strange is that the man was charging $1 for
the fresh bread and $2 for the bread that was made a day before.
However, all the people were buying yesterday's bread though they were
more expensive than the fresh bread. The Scholar approached the bread
salesman and asked why the people preffered the old bread over the
fresh bread. The man said "The people of this village love the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) so much, that they prefer to buy
yesterday's bread over today's fresh bread because yesterday was
closer to the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)."
Today, most of our love for Prophet Muhammad ismuch less than the love
for a single dollar. May Allah give us the understanding of this
beautiful religion of Islam.Ameen.

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Kind words shine like the moon

Mus'ab ibn Umayr was thefirst of ambassador of Rasul Allah in Madinah.
Before Rasul Allah had arrived in Madinah, Mus'ab taught ahl
al-Madinah about Islam and they began to enter the Deen.
This enraged Sa'd ibn 'Ubaadah, one of the chieftains of Madinah. He
sheathed his sword and set off for the head of Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr. When
he confronted Mus'ab he threatened, "Stop this nonsense you speak or
you shall find yourself dead!"
Mus'ab replied in the way that should be a lesson for us all. This man
before him did not stop at rudeness and ignorance, he wanted to slit
his throat.
Mus'ab said, "Shall you not sit and listen for a fewmoments. If you
agree with what I say then take it, and if not, we shall desist from
this talk." Sa'd sat down.
Mus'ab spoke about Allah and His messenger until the face of Sa'd ibn
Ubaadah's face shone like a full moon and he said,"What should a
person dowho wishes to enter into this Deen?" After Mus'ab had told
him he said,"There is a man, if he accepts this Deen, there shall be
no home in Madinah that will not become Muslim. Sa'd ibn Mu'aadh."
When Sa'd ibn Mu'aadh heard what was happening, he was infuriated. He
left his home to go and kill this man called Mus'ab ibn Umayr for the
dissention he had caused. He enteredupon Mus'ab and announced, "You
shall desist of this religion you speak of or you shall find yourself
dead!"
Mus'ab replied, "Shall you not sit and listen for a fewmoments. If you
agree with what I say then take it, and if not, I shall desist from
this talk." Sa'd sat.
Mus'ab spoke about Allah and His messenger until the face of Sa'd ibn
Mu'aadh's face shone like a full moon and he said,"What should a
person dowho wishes to enter into this Deen?"
Look at what a kind word did. Sa'd ibn Mu'aadh went home to his
Madinan tribe that night and announced to them all, "Everything of
yours isHaram upon me until you all enter into Islam."
That night, every home in Madinah went to bed with Laa ilaaha illa Allah.

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