What does Islam sayabout abortion?

Are there any circumstances when abortion is allowed in Islam? What if pregnancy results from rape or incest?
Islam values human life. This is clearly expressed inthe Qur'an where we are told that in the sight of God killing a human is a very serious matter (see Qur'an 5:32). The Qur'an teaches that on the Day ofJudgement parents who killed their children will be under trial for that crime, and their children will be witnesses against them (see Qur'an 81:8-9).
People often fear that having more children will make them poor. In reply to that, the Qur'an says:
Do not slay your children for fear of poverty. We shall provide for them and for you (Qur'an 17:31).
Even in a case where one is already poor, the Qur'aninsists that Allah will provide sustenance for us and for our children, and furthermore that Allah has made human life sacred (see Qur'an 6:151).
The right to life is God-given. No human should take away that right. The general rule, therefore, is that abortion is not permitted in Islam. However, Islam is a very practical religion. It includes principles to deal with exceptional cases. One such principle is that when a pregnancy threatens the life of the mother, an abortion may be performed. Although the lives of both mother and child are sacred, in this case it is better to save the principal life, the life of the mother. Even in this case, it would be better if the abortion is done before the foetus is 120 days old, for that is when the soul is breathedinto the foetus. Islam does not permit abortion in other cases.
Women who have been victims of rape or incest naturally deserve sympathy and help. But a child conceived in this unfortunate manner still has a right to live. Of course this places an unwanted burden on the mother, but killing the child is not the right solution. To understand this point better, suppose someone sees the poorer sections of society as an unwanted burden on the rich. Would it be right then to kill off all the poor? Of course not. Why then should anyone decide that a child should be killed just because theyare an unwanted burden?Society as a whole should help such a mother and relieve her as far as possible. But the child should not be killed.
Furthermore, the fact thatsuch cases occur is an indication that people desperately need spiritualfood. They need the pure teachings that will help them turn their minds away from adultery, rape, and incest. People need God. Can you help someone to turn to God?/ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en

The ruler and the ruled

There have been many rightly-guided khalifs in the past whose qualities were far more refined andnoble than those of today's kings, prime ministers and presidents. They lived very simply and spent very little on their own personal comfort. One of these great khalifs was called Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz. He followed the teachings of Islam with sincerity and served the people whom he ruled with humility.
One hot summer's night, Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz was lying awake in bed, too hot to sleep, but cooled a little at least by the fan with which a maidservantwas fanning him. Thanks to her efforts he at last fell asleep. After a while, however, she began to grow very tired and then finally she too fell asleep, the fan slipping from her fingers and falling to the floor.
The khalif awoke from hisslumber, and seeing that his maidservant had fallenasleep, he picked up the fan and began to fan her gently. After a while she woke up and was startledand dismayed to find the khalif fanning her. She was meant to be fanning him - what would happento her now?
"Do not worry." Said Umaribn Abdul-Aziz with a smile, "you are just as much a human being as I am. When I needed to sleep, you kept me cool, and when you needed to sleep I kept you cool. What's wrong with that?"
Story by Matina Wali Muhammad, found in the book "True stories for Children"/ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en

Ramadhan in History

Such was the month of Ramadan in the time of the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam. It was a time of purification, enjoining the good, forbidding the evil, and striving hard with one's life and wealth. After the death of the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, Muslims carried on this tradition and Allah used the true believers to affect the course of history.Ramadan continued to be a time of great trials and crucial events.
Ninety-two years after the Hijrah , Islam had spread across North Africa, Iran, Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria. Spain was underthe tyrannical rule of King Roderic of the Visigoths. Roderic had forced his six millions serfs and persecuted Jews to seek the aid of the Muslims of North Africa in order to be delivered. Musa ibn Husair, the Umayyad governor of North Africa, responded bysending his courageous general Tariq ibn Ziyad at the head of 12,000 Berber and Arab troops. In Ramadan of that year, they were confronted witha combined Visigoth army of 90,000 Christians led by Roderic himself, who was seated on a throne of ivory, silver, and precious gems and drawn by white mules. After burning his boats, Tariq preached to the Muslims warning themthat victory and Paradise lay ahead of them and defeat and the sea lay to the rear. They burst forth with great enthusiasm andAllah manifested a clear victory over the forces of disbelief. Not only was Roderic killed and his forces completely annihilated, but also Tariq and Musa succeeded in liberating the whole of Spain, Sicily and parts of France. This was the beginning of the Golden Age of Al-Andalus where Muslims ruled for over 700years.
In the year 582 A.H ., Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi, afterbattling with the Crusadersfor years, finally drove them out of Syria and the whole of their occupied lands in the month of Ramadan. The Muslim world was then destined to meet one of its most frightening challenges.
In the seventh century A.H . the Mongols were sweeping across Asia destroying everything thatlay in their path. Genghis Khan called himself "the scourge of God sent to punish humanity for their sins". In 617 A.H., Samarkand, Ray and Hamdan were put to the sword causing more than 700,000 people to be killed or made captive. In 656 A.H., Hulagu, the grandson of Genghis Khan, continued this destruction.Even Baghdad, the leading city of the Muslim world, was sacked. Some estimates say that as many as 1,800,000 Muslims were killed in this awesome carnage. The Christians were asked to eat pork and drink wine openly while the survivingMuslims were forced to participate in drinking bouts. Wine was sprinkled in the masjids and no Azan(call to prayer) was allowed. In the wake of such a horrible disaster and with the threat of the whole Muslim world and then Europe being subjected to the same fate,Allah raised up from the Mamluks of Egypt, Saifuddin Qutz, who unitedthe Muslim army and met the Mongols at Ain Jalut on25th of Ramadan, 658 A.H. Although they were under great pressure, the Muslims with the help of Allah, cunning strategy and unflinching bravery crushed the Mongol army and reversed this tidal wave of horror. The whole of the civilized world sighed in relief and stood in awe at the remarkable achievement of these noble sons of Islam.
This was the spirit of Ramadan that enabled ourrighteous forefathers to face seemingly impossible challenges. It was a time of intense activity, spending the day in the saddle and the night in prayer while calling upon Allah for His mercy and forgiveness.
Today , the Muslim world is faced with drought, military aggression, widespread corruption andtempting materialism. Surely we are in need or believers who can walk in the footsteps of our beloved Prophet, sallallahu`alaihi wa sallam, the illustrious Sahabah, Tariq ibn Ziyad, Qutuz, Salahuddin and the countless heroes of Islam. Surely we are in need of believers who are unafraidof the threats of the disbelievers, yet kind and humble to the believing people; Muslims whose fast is complete and not just a source of hunger and thirst.
May Allah raise up a generation of Muslims who can carry Islam to all corners of the globe in a manner that befits our age, and may He give us the strength and the success to lay the proper foundations for them. May Allah make us of those who carry out our Islam during Ramadan and after it, and may He not make us of those who say what they do not do. Surely Allah and His Angels invoke blessings and peaceupon our Prophet Muhammad. O you who believe, send blessings andpeace to him forever./ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en

Ramadhan in History

Qur'an, "O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those who came before you that you may keep your duty to your Lord (having taqwa)." (2:185). And may blessings and peace of Allah be upon His last Messenger Muhammad ibnAbdullah, forever.
O you who believe, Ramadan is a sacred month wherein Almighty Allah is constantly testing His creation and giving humanity the opportunity to achieve infinite, endless Bliss. Fasting is a complete purification and a means to developing the consciousness of Allah's presence. The consciousness of Allah (Taqwa) is a protection against the schemes of Shaitan, and the suffering of this world. Allah has informed us that,
"Whoever keeps his duty to Allah (has taqwa), He ordains a way out for him and gives him sustenance from where he imagines not. And whoever trusts in Allah, He is sufficient for him. Surely Allah attains His purpose. Allah has appointed a measure for everything." (65:2)
Many Muslims today have a misconception about fasting and the activities ofa fasting person. They go into a state of semi-hibernation, spending most of their daylight hours in bad. If they fear Allah, they wake up for prayer, but then return to sleep immediately. This unnatural sleep makes them become lazy, dull-witted and often cranky.
Ramadan is actually a timeof increased activity wherein the believer, now lightened of the burdens of constant eating and drinking, should be more willing to strive and struggle for Allah. The Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, passed throughapproximately nine Ramadans after the Hijrah. They were filled with decisive events and left us a shining example of sacrifice and submission toAllah.
In the first year after the Hijrah , the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, sent Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib with thirty Muslim riders to Saif al Bahr to investigate three hundred riders from Quraish who had camped suspiciously in that area. The Muslims were about toengage the disbelievers, but they were separated by Majdy ibn Umar al-Juhany. The Hypocrites of Madinah, hoping to oppose the unity of the Muslims, built their own masjid (called Masjid ad-Dirar). The Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, ordered this masjidto be destroyed in Ramadan.
On the seventeenth of Ramadan, 3 A.H ., Almighty Allah separated truth from falsehood at the Great Battle of Badr. The Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, and 313 of his companions set out to intercept a caravan of their own goods that had been left in Makkah. It wasled by Abu Sufyan himself, and estimated at 50,000 dinars. They were met, instead, by a well-equipped army of thenobility of Quraish, intent on putting out the light of Islam. Despite being outnumbered three to oneand appearing weak and unseasoned, the Muslims defended their faith with aburning desire to protect the Prophet and meet their Lord through martyrdom. Allah gave them a decisive victory on this day of Ramadan, that would never be forgotten.
In 6 A.H ., Zaid ibn Haritha was sent to Wadi al-Qura at the head of a detachment to confront Fatimah bint Rabiah, the queen of that area. Fatimah had previously attacked a caravan led by Zaid and had succeeded in plundering its wealth. She was known to be the mostprotected woman in Arabia, as she hung fifty swords of her close relatives in her home. Fatimah was equally renowned for showing open hostility to Islam. Shewas killed in a battle against these Muslims in the month of Ramadan.
By Ramadan of 8 A.H. , the treaty of Hudaibiyya had been broken and the Muslim armies had engaged the Byzantines in the north. Muhammad, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, felt the need to strike a fatal blow to disbelief in the Arabian Peninsula and conquer thecity of Mecca. Allah has declared His Sanctuary a place of peace, security and religious sanctity. Nowthe time had come to purify the Ka`bah of nakedness and abomination. The Prophet,sallallahu `alaihi wa sallamset out with an army having more armed men than al-Madinah had ever seen before. People were swelling the army's ranks as it moved toward Makkah. The determination of the believers, guided by the will of Allah, became so awesome that the city of Makkah was conquered without a battle, on 20 Ramadan. This was one of the most important dates in Islamic history for after it, Islam was firmly entrenched in the Arabian Peninsula. During the same month and year, after smashing the idols ofMakkah, detachments were sent to the other major centers of polytheism and al-Lat, Manat and Suwa, some of the greatest idols of Arabia, were destroyed./ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en