1] There were no female Prophets or Messengers – discussion of the wisdom behind that

1]
Why were all the Prophets of Judaism, Christianity and Islam men? Why were there no women Prophets? Why did they have to be male?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The Muslim does not hesitate to believe in the great wisdom of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, in all that He does. One of His names is al-Hakeem (the Most Wise) and one of his attributes is hikmah (wisdom).
Allah, may He be exalted, has decreed that one of the attributes of the Messengers is masculinity.Some of the scholars stated that there was consensus on this point. And there is the greatest wisdom behind that.
Shaykh ‘Umar al-Ashqar (may Allah preserve him) said:
Another aspect of the perfection that Allah granted is that He chose all the Messengers whom He sent from among men.He did not send any Messenger from among women. This exclusivity isindicated by the verse in which Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And We sent not before you (O Muhammad SAW) but men to whom We inspired” [al-Anbiya’ 21:7].
The Messengers were menand not women for reasons which were dictated by the nature of their task. For example:
1.
The role of Messenger requires a great many tasks to be performed: addressing men and women, meeting people in secret and openly, moving throughout the land, confronting liars andestablishing proof againstthem and debating with them, preparing and leading armies, and goingthrough the sufferings of war. All of that is suitable for men but not for women.
2.
The role of the Messenger demands that the Messenger should be in charge of those who follow him, so he issues commands and prohibitions to his followers, and he rules and judges among them. If a woman were entrusted with such tasks,she would not be able to do them properly, and there would be people who would refuse to follow and obey her.
3.
Masculinity is more perfect. Hence Allah has given the role of responsibility to men overwomen:
“Men are the protectors and maintainers of women” [an-Nisa’ 4:34].
And the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said that women are lacking inreason and religious commitment.
4.
Women have to cope with things that prevent them from doing many tasks, such as menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and nifaas (bleeding following childbirth), which is accompanied by psychological stresses andpains, in addition to the care that is required by the child. All of that prevents her from being able to fulfil the role of Messenger and carrying out its duties.
(p. 84-85)
Secondly:
With regard to Prophethood, some of thescholars – such as Abu’l-Hasan al-Ash‘ari, al-Qurtubi and Ibn Hazm –were of the view that there were some female Prophets! including Maryam bint ‘Imraan. Their evidence is the verses in which it says that Allah, may He be exalted, sent revelation tothe mother of Moosa, for example, and what it saysabout the angels speakingto Maryam (peace be upon her), and also what it says about Allah, may He be exalted, having chosen her above the women of the world.
What they said does not seem to be correct.
Shaykh ‘Umar al-Ashqar (may Allah preserve him) said:
What they say cannot be taken as proof of the Prophethood of women. They Their view may be refuted from several angles:
1.
We do not accept their view that the Prophet is not commanded to convey the message, to teach and to mix with people. Our view is that there is no difference between a Prophet and the Messenger in this regard; the differences that are Prophet is sent with the laws of the Messenger who came before him.
If this is the case, then thereasons why a woman Messenger cannot be sent apply also to the sending of a woman Prophet. There are many reasons which make will be incapable of playing the role of the Prophet.
2.
The revelation sent by Allah to these women, themother of Moosa and Aasiyah, happened in the form of dreams. We knowthat dreams may form a part of revelation, and that this may happen to people other than the Prophets. .../ - - - :-> 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 Family in Ramadan

13 – There may be small children in the house who need to be encouraged to fast, so the father should urge them to get up for suhoor, and encourage them to fast by praising them and giving a reward to the one who fasts the whole month or half of it, and so on.
It was narrated that al-Rubayyi’ bint Mu’awwidh said: On the morning of ‘Ashoora’ the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent word to the villages of the Ansaar saying, “Whoever started out not fasting, let him not eat for the rest of theday, and whoever started the day fasting, let him fast.” She said: Weused to fast and make our children fast, [and take them to the mosques] and make toys for them out of wool, then if one of them cried for food we would give him that toy until iftaar.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1859; Muslim, 1136 – the words in square brackets were narrated by Muslim.
Al-Nawawi said:
This hadeeth shows that we should train children todo acts of worship and getthem used to that, but they are not accountable. Al-Qaadi said: It was narrated from ‘Urwah that when they are able to fast it becomes obligatory upon them. This is a mistake which is disprovenby the saheeh hadeeth, “The Pen is lifted from three: from the child until he reaches adolescence…” And Allah knows best.
Sharh Muslim, 8/14
14 – If possible, the fatherand mother should take the family for ‘Umrah in Ramadaan, and that is something that will benefit them in the Hereafter, themselves and their family, for ‘Umrah during Ramadaan has the same reward as Hajj. It is better to go at the beginning of Ramadaan soas to avoid the crowds.
15 – The husband should not overburden his wife with more than she can bear of having to prepare food and sweets. Many people take this month to prepare fancy foods and drinks, and they go extremes in that. This detracts from the sweetness of this month and goes against the reason for fasting, which isto attain piety.
16 – The month of Ramadaan is the month of the Qur’aan, so we suggestthat each family gets together to read Qur’aan. The father should teach hisfamily to recite Qur’aan and help them to understand the meanings of the verses. In the same gathering they may also read a book about the rulings and etiquette of fasting. Allah has enabled many scholars and seekersof knowledge to write books which can be used for preaching and teachingduring Ramadaan; the books are divided into thirty parts, so one topic can be read each day, and this will benefit everyone.
17 – They should be encouraged to spend and check on their neighbours and the needy.
It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was the most generous of people, and he was at his most generous during Ramadaan when Jibreel met him. He would meet him each night and revise the Qur’aan with him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was more generous than the blowing wind.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6;Muslim, 2308.
18 – The parents should prevent their families and children from staying up late at night and wasting their time in things that are of no benefit, let alone things that are haraam. For the devils among mankind are more active in this month in promoting evil things and acts of immorality to thosewho are fasting, during the nights of Ramadaan and during the days.
19 – They should remember the family’s meeting in Allah’s Paradisein the Hereafter, and the great joy of meeting there under the shade of His throne. These blessed gatherings in this world and coming together to obey Allah by seeking knowledge, fasting and praying are only the means that lead to attaining that happiness./ - - - :-> 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 Family in Ramadan

Praise be to Allah.
It is one of the blessings ofAllah to the Muslim that Heenables him to fast in Ramadaan and to spend its nights in prayer. It is a month in which good deeds are multiplied and people are raised in status,when Allah frees some people from the Fire. So the Muslim should strive tomake the most of this month and the goodness itbrings; he should hasten to spend his life in worship. How many people have been deprived of this month because of sickness, death or misguidance.
The Muslim must make themost of his time during this month; he has an unavoidable duty towards his children, to raise them well and bring them up properly, to urge them to do all kinds of goodness and make them get used to that – because the child will grow up in the manner to which his parents makes him get accustomed.
During these blessed days, the father and mother have a role to play in making the most of this time, and we can offer parents the following advice:
1 – Checking on the children’s fasting and encouraging those who fall short in this regard.
2 – Reminding them about the real nature of fasting, and that it is not just giving up food and drink, but it is a means of attaining taqwa (piety), and that it is an opportunity for sins to be forgiven and expiated.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ascended the minbar and said: “Ameen, Ameen, Ameen.” It was said to him, “O Messenger of Allah, why did you do that?” He said, “Jibreel said to me, ‘May Allah rub his nose in the dust, that person who Ramadaan comes and his sins are not forgiven,’and I said, ‘Ameen’. Thenhe said, ‘May Allah rub his nose in the dust, thatperson who lives to see his parents grow old, one or both of them, but he does not enter Paradise,’ and I said, ‘Ameen’. Then he said, ‘May Allah rub his nose in the dust, that person in whose presence you are mentioned and he does not send blessings upon you,’ and I said, ‘Ameen.’”
Narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah, 1888; al-Tirmidhi, 3545; Ahmad, 7444; Ibn Hibbaan, 908. See Saheeh al-Jaami’, 3501.
3 – Teaching them the etiquette and rulings on eating, such as eating withthe right hand from what is directly in front of them;reminding them that extravagance is haraam and is harmful to the body.
4 – Not letting them spend too long on eating iftaar so that they miss praying Maghrib in congregation.
5 – Reminding them about the situation of the poor and destitute who cannot find even a mouthful of food to quench the fires of hunger;reminding them of the situation of those who have migrated or are fighting in jihad for the sake of Allah in all places.
6 – These gatherings offeran opportunity to bring relatives together and uphold the ties of kinship. This custom still exists in some countries, and it is an opportunity to reconcile and mend broken ties between relatives.
7 – Helping the mother to prepare the food, and to clean up and keep the food fit for eating.
8 – Reminding them to pray qiyaam (taraweeh) and to prepare for it by not eating too much and to get ready in time to perform the prayer in the mosque.
9 – With regard to suhoor,the parents should remind the family of the barakah (blessing) of suhoor and that it gives a person the strength to fast.
10 – Allowing enough time before Fajr prayer so that those who have not prayed Witr may do so, and so that those who have delayed their prayer until the end of the night may pray, and so that eachperson may make du’aa’ tohis Lord as he wishes.
11 – Paying attention to praying Fajr on time in congregation in the mosque, for those who arerequired to do so. We haveseen many people who wake up at the end of the night to eat, then they go back to bed and neglect Fajr prayer.
12 – It was the practice ofthe Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the last ten days ofRamadaan to stay up at night and wake his family. This indicates that the family should pay attention to making the most of this blessed time in doing things that are pleasing to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. So the husband should wake his wife and childrento do that which will bringthem closer to their Lord./ - - - :-> 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 Real Purpose of Fasting

A Purpose for Every Work
There are essentially two component factors in any work which a man has to perform. The first thing is the purpose for which a work is done and the second thing is the particular shape of that work which is chosen to achieve that purpose. For instance, take the case of food your object in taking food is to remain alive andmaintain your strength. The method of achieving this object is that you take a morsel, put it in your mouth, masticate it and push it below the throat. This method is adopted byyou since it is the most effective and proper one to achieve this object. But everyone of you knows that the main thing is the purpose for which food is taken and not the form and procedure of this action.
What will you say if anybody were to make a morsel of saw-dust or cinder or mud, put it in his mouth, chew and gulp it? You will say only this that his brain is out of order. Why? Because this idiot did not understand the real purpose of eating and is suffering form the misunderstanding that only the aforesaid four component acts constitute eating. Likewise, you will call that person also mad who soon after taking the food vomits it by thrustinghis fingers into his throat them complains that the benefits said to accrue from taking food have not been availed of by him and that, contrarily, he is daily getting lean and is on the verge of death. Thisfool blames the food for his growing weakness little realizing that it is dueto his own stupidity. He imagined, due to his intellectual deficiency, thatlife vitality could be got byfulfilling those requirements which constitute the act of eating. As such, he thoughtwhy should he sustain the load of food in his stomach? “Why not throw it out so that the stomach may become light? I have already fulfilling the requirements of eating”, he surmises, Naturally he has himself to suffer the penalty of harboring such a foolish idea and then implementing it also. He ought to have known that until the bread gets digested after entering thestomach and having transformed into blood, is diffused into the whole body the vitality of life cannot be obtained.
Although outward actions are also necessary, becausewithout them the bread cannot reach the stomach, yet the object cannot be achieved by merely fulfilling the outward actions. There is no magic in these actions that by merely fulfilling them, blood starts running in a wizardly manner in the veins of a man. Blood will be obviously produced according to the law prescribed by Allah. If you break it, you will kill yourself by your own hands.
Consequences of Considering the Outwardas Real
If you ponder over the example I have just placedbefore you in detail, you can understand why your"Ibadat" have become inefficacious today. As I have already pointed out repeatedly, the greatest mistake of all is to regard the acts of Salah and fasting and their outward shape as real ‘`Ibadat’ and you suffer from the delusion that whoever fulfilled these requirements performed the "Ibadat" of Allah. You are just like that person who thinks that performance of four acts, i.e. making the morsel, putting it in the mouth, masticating it and pushingit below the throat makes up the process of eating, and that whoever did these four things has eaten the food and so should receive the benefitsof eating irrespective of whether he pushed down in his stomach mud and stone, or vomited the bread soon after eating it.
If you have a little sense then tell me how a man who is fasting and is thus engaged in the ‘`Ibadat’ of Allah from morning till evening, can in the midst of that ‘`Ibadat’ utter a lie and indulge in backbiting? Why does he quarrel at the slightest pretext and utter abuses from his mouth? How dare he encroach on other people’srights? How does he indulge in acquiring illicit money and giving money to others illicitly? And having done all these thing, he still thinks that he has performed ‘`Ibadat’ of Allah? Does this not resemble the work of that person who eats cinder and mud and thinks that by merely completing the four requirements of eating he has actually done the job of eating.
Again Freedom from Restrictions after Ramadan
Then tell me how is it that when you are relieved after doing Allah’s ‘`Ibadat’for about 360 hours throughout Ramadan all the effect of this whole exercise in piety disappears on the 1st of Shawwal? You do during the ‘`Eid’ days all that Hindus do in their festivals,so much so that in the cities even adultery, wine-drinking and gambling are resorted to on ‘`Eid’ day...../ - - - :-> 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