Recognise the bounties of Allah - story of three men

Once Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam related that there were
three men from the Banu Isra'eel. One of them was a leper, the other
bald, and the third blind. Allah Ta'ala wanted to test them, so He
sent an angel to them. The angel first went to the leper and asked
him: "What would you like best?" He replied:"I would like a nice
complexion, a beautiful skin, and that this sicknessgoes away from me
whereby people do not allow me to sit with themand which they hate."
Theangel passed his hand over the body of that person. He was
immediately cured and a nice skin and beautiful complexion appeared.
Theangel then asked him:"What type of wealth do you like the most?" He
replied: "Camels." So he gave him a pregnant camel and told him: "May
Allah Ta'ala give you barakah in this."
The angel then went to the bald person and askedhim: "What would you
like best?" He replied:"That my hair grows nicely and that this
sickness which people dislike goes away from me!" The angel passed
hishand over his head, he was immediately cured and beautiful hair
began to grow. He then asked him: "What type of wealth do you like the
most?" He replied:"Cows." So he gave him a pregnant cow and told him:
"May Allah Ta'ala give you barakah in this."
Eventually, the angel went to the blind person and asked him: "What
would you like most?" He replied: "That Allah gives me back my sight
so that I may be able to see everyone." The angel passed his hand over
his eyes and Allah gave him back his sight. He then asked him: "What
type of wealth do you like the most?" He replied:"Goats." So he was
given apregnant goat. The animals of all three delivered their babies.
In a short time, the jungle was filled with his camels,his cows, and
his goats.
Thereafter, under the orders of Allah Ta'ala, thatangel went in his
previousform to the leper and saidto him: "I am a poor person. All my
provisions for my journey are finished. Today I have no means of
reaching home except through Allah and then through your help. In the
name of that Allah who has blessed you witha nice skin and a
beautifulcomplexion, I ask you for a camel which I could rideand reach
my home." He replied: "Get far away from here! I have a lot of other
commitments to fulfil. I do not have anything to spare which I could
give you." The angelsaid: "I think I recognize you. Were you not a
leper,for which people despisedyou? Were you not very poor, and then
Allah blessed you with so muchof wealth?" He replied:"What are you
talking? I inherited this wealth frommy ancestors." The angel said:
"If you are lying, may Allah return you as you were before."
The angel then went to the bald person in his previous form and asked
him the same questions and he also replied in the same way. So the
angel said to him: "If you are lying, may Allah return you as you were
before."
Eventually he went to the blind person in that same original form and
said to him: "I am a traveller and all my provisions are finished.
Today I have no means except Allah and then you. In the name of that
Being who returned to you your eye-sight, I ask you for a goat with
which I could do my workand complete my journey." He replied:"Without
doubt, I was blind. It was only out of His mercy that Allah Ta'alagave
me back my eye-sight. Take as much as you want and leave behind as
much as you want. By Allah, I will not stop you from taking anything."
The angel replied: "Keep your wealth with you, I do not want anything.
I had only come to test you three. Now the test is over. Allahis
pleased with you and displeased with the other two."
Lesson: Just imagine, that because of the ungratefulness of those two,
all those bounties were taken away and they were left as they were
before. Allah became displeased with them and they are forsaken both
in this world and in the hereafter. Due to his gratefulness, that
person'sbounties remained intact, Allah was pleased with him, and he
is contented both in this world and in the hereafter.

--
- - - - - - -

Ramadan 2012, The 12th Day

The believers are brothers, so make peace between your brothers and
have fear of Allah so that hopefully you will gain mercy. (Surat
al-Hujurat, 10)
Do not envy each other, donot bid against each other,do not hate each
other, do not turn your backs on each other, and let none ofyou sell
upon the sale of another. Be slaves of Allah,brothers. A Muslim is the
brother of a Muslim, he does not wrong him, fail to assist him, lie to
him nor despise him. (Imam an-Nawawi, The Complete Forty Hadith, p.
122)
Many Muslims fail to attachsufficient important to the global reign of
Islam. It really is amazing. They genuinely attach importance to
prayer, and the hajj, but not to the global reign of the faith. They
do not even consider it important for the faith to spread in the
regions where they live. Nor among their own families. Yet this is the
greatest religious obligation. The Qur'an talks about this from start
to finish. (A9 TV, March 6, 2012)
Muslims Who Desire The Oppression In The World To End Should Seek For
The Islamic Union With All Their Hearts
Unity, cooperation, solidarity, friendship, self-sacrifice, support,
and similar other qualities are some of the beautiful attributes which
are the underlying foundation of the Qur'anic morality. This is stated
in many sayings of Our Prophet (saas). One of them reads:
'Believers are like the different parts of a building, each one
supporting the other.' Then he demonstrated what he meant by
interlocking his fingers. (Hadith of Al-Bukhari and Muslim, Words of
the Prophet Muhammad, p. 67)
Allah in many verses of theQur'an states that believers are guardians
of each other. The word"guardian [wali]" means friend, protector,
helper and supporter. According to this, fellow Muslims are obligated
to acquire each other as friends, defend each other and support each
other, because this is a command of Allah to them.
In a verse from Allah, the believers are required to guard one another:
Your friend is only Allah and His Messenger and those who believe:
those who perform prayer and give the alms, and bow. (Surat al-Ma'ida,
55)
In the next verse, Allah reveals that the believers befriending and
guarding each other would definitely be victorious in the intellectual
struggle they wage against the unbelievers:
As for those who make Allah their friend, and His Messenger and those
who believe: it is the party of Allah who are victorious! (Surat
al-Ma'ida, 56)
From this verse and many more verses of the Qur'an it is understood
that whenbelievers love and befriendone another, support each other,
they will surely end all evil that the unbelievers have been
implementing on believersand will establish good morality on earth
ordainedby Allah. Obviously, in order to stop injustices, oppressions
and wrongdoings against all Muslims in many parts of the world today,
they must embrace each other, eliminating the distance between them
and form the Islamic Union as soon as possible. Allah informs us in a
verse of the environment which will occur when believers do not unite:
Those who disbelieve are the friends and protectors of one another. If
you do not act in this way there will be turmoil in the land and great
corruption. (Surat al-Anfal, 73)
There is no doubt that no conscientious Muslim fearing Allah would
want to undertake the responsibility for the disorder and the
oppression that result from their turning their backs on their
brothers and sisters and not uniting. However, everyone who does not
strive for the unification ofMuslims will be responsible for the pain,
suffering, oppression and injustice they witness.
Our brothers and sisters who want to stop the persecution should pray
as"O Lord, bring about the Islamic Union soon"
All Muslims who love Allah,our Prophet (saas), and their Muslim
brothers and sisters, should feel the responsibility and want the
Islamic world to be in unity in order to bring peace and security to
the millions living in captivity, oppressed, persecuted, subjected to
torture, driven from their homes and forced to live in poverty around
the globe. In fact, the shortest, the most efficient and accurateway
to save our brothers and sisters is to ensure theIslamic Union.
Our brothers and sisters who want the Islamic Union in order to save
the Muslim world should pray as "O Lord, bring about theIslamic Union
soon," "establish the Islamic Union now." Allah answersbelievers'
prayers. Our brothers and sisters who pray this beautiful prayer will
soon see that their prayers come true inshaAllah. Persistently engaged
in this prayer andacting accordingly, believers will no doubt be
greatly rewarded.
Sectarian fighting must end; the differences shouldnot be seen as
justificationfor separation.

--
- - - - - - -

The Sunnah is to hasten to break one’s fast

I would like to know if breaking fast (iftar) is fard (obligatory)or?
When a person apporching to the Masjid for Salatul Maghrib, during the
time of iftar, should he/she break the fast and join in the prayer or
pray first and then break the fast. I hope my question is clear
enough. Please, answer me in details and may Allah blessyou with His
mercy.
The Sunnah is to hasten to break one's fast. This is what is indicated
by the ahaadeeth. It was narratedfrom Sahl ibn Sa'd that the Messenger
of Allaah (peaceand blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The people
will still be fine so long as they hasten to break their fast."
(Narratedby al-Bukhaari, 1821; Muslim, 1838)
What one should do is to hasten to break the fast byeating small
morsels that will calm one's hunger, then get up to pray, then ifone
wishes, one may comeback and eat more.
This is what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
used to do. It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik said: "The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to break his fast
before praying by eating fresh dates, and if there were no fresh dates
he would eat dried dates; if there were no dried dates, he would have
a few sips of water." (al-Sawm, 632; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani
in Saheeh Abi Dawood, no. 560)
Al-Mubaarakfoori said in his commentary on the hadeeth: "This
indicates the lengths to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) in order to hasten to break his fast."

--
- - - - - - -

He divorced his wife irrevocably then died during her ‘iddah

There is a man who divorced his wife irrevocably and he died during
her 'iddah. What is her 'iddah? Does she inherit from him?.
Praise be to Allaah.
If a man divorced his wife irrevocably when he was healthy, then he
died during her 'iddah, she should complete the 'iddah of divorce, not
the 'iddah of one whose husband has died. She does not inherit from
him and she should not observe mourning for him.
For more details of that, please see the answer to question no. 111905
. See also al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 29/325
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy onhim) was asked: If the
husband dies, having divorced his wife irrevocably, during the time of
the 'iddah, should she observe mourning for him?
He replied: The correct view is that she should observe the 'iddah of
her divorce, not the 'iddah of one whose husband has died, and she
should not observe mourning for him.
If the divorce occurred during his final illness but he died, then she
inherits from him, but she should not observe mourning for him,
because her inheritance in this case is not because she was his wife,
but because he wanted to deprive her of it, so he is to be punished by
having his plan thwarted. Hence if she died during the 'iddah, he does
not inherit from her.

--
- - - - - - -