Berry Islands – the perfect amount of seclusion and privacy

This cluster of 30 cays, southeast of Bimini, is home to Chub Cay,
Billfishcapital of The Bahamas. Besides sportfishing, the surrounding
waters of The Berry Islands offer dozens of uninhabited cays, miles of
secluded beaches, and invigorating dive sites.
City/Settlement: Bullock's Harbour, Great Harbour Cay; Chub Cay
Location: 150 miles east of Miami and 50 miles northeast of Nassau
Want to live like a millionaire? Here, you can at least vacation like
one. A popular stopover for yachtsmen en route between Florida and
Nassau, it is claimed that The Berry Islands boast more millionaires
per square mile than most places on earth. A chain of about 30 islands
and 100 hundred small cays, The Berry Islands – given their name
because of the abundance of thatch berry trees – lure vacationers
seeking privacy and exclusivity.
"The Berrys," as locals callthem, were believed to have been first
settled in 1836 when Governor Colebrooke established a settlement of
liberated Africans at Great Harbour Cay. Over a century later, Great
Harbour Cay underwent a period of intense and successful development
in the late 1960's when Cary Grant, Brigitte Bardot and
othercelebrities holidayed there. Today, Great Harbour Cay is a quiet,
simple paradise with seven miles of beautiful beaches and one of the
best protected harbors inThe Bahamas.
The surrounding waters offer dozens of uninhabited cays, miles of
secluded beaches, and invigorating dive and snorkel sites. Home to
Chub Cay, Billfish capital of The Bahamas, The Berrys are known for
championship sport fishing, second only to Bimini. Many desolate cays
are the nesting grounds of wildlife such as terns, pelicans and
noddies. The groves of coconut, pine and thatchberry trees offer a
variety of indigenous flora and fauna. Local cuisine and entertainment
offer cultural samples to guestswhile history can be uncovered with
stops at two lighthouses, ancient churches and abandonedcays.
Shopping:
Although The Berry Islands are not known forshopping, small general
stores are located in Bullock's Harbour, at marinas and in some of the
cays. They offer provisions for boaters, plus a limited collection of
resort wear, including sunglasses, shoes and bags. Handmade
authentically-Bahamian shell jewelery, straw creations and other gift
items are also available from local craft persons.
Airline Service:
There are two airports serving The Berry Islands – Great Harbour Cay
Airport (MYGB) and Chub Cay Airport (UBL) , which is private but an
official port of entry. Daily scheduled air service is available from
Nassau, Grand Bahama Island andFlorida into Great Harbour Cay. Charter
services can be arranged through any of the certified local and
international carriers.
Hoffman Cay's Blue Hole: Hoffman Cay is famous for 600-ft. wide and
20-ft. deep blue hole, whose only living inhabitants are said to
beoysters.
Little Stirrup Cay Ruins: Little Stirrup Cay, privately owned and
called "Coco Cay", is a 140-acre island located between Freeport and
Nassau that has been transformed by Royal Caribbean Cruise Line into a
tropical oasis for its guests. Used as a one day stopover for
cruisers,the white sandy beaches and lush greenery, offer a relaxing
getaway.
R.N. Gomez All Age School: The first and currently the only school
within The Berry Islands. Located in Bullock's Harbour, it serves as a
lending library, and books are available to borrow between the hours
of 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Sugar Beach & Caves: considered to be one of the prettiest places in
TheBahamas. Located on Great Harbour Cay, it consists of numerous
sandy coves set among cliffs, which are said to resemble the great
Mediterranean beaches. There are also caves, an abundance of
thatchberry trees and ruins. The shelling is excellent and, for the
more adventurous, the creeks are filled with many species of wild life
The Ship Yard Beach: was the first settlement in Great Harbour Cay. It
is surrounded by sea-grapetrees and is the best beach for suntanning
with limited shading.
Little Whale Cay Bird Sanctuary: Home to a wide variety of birds, many
of which can be traced back to Englishman Wallace Groves' bird
collection. He developed the cay in the 1930s as a private residence
and established a bird sanctuary there. It has become a lush paradise
for flamingos, the endangered West Indian whistling duck, Bahama
woodstar, hummingbirdsand domestic peacocks.
Great Harbour Cay Golf Course: A beautiful nine-hole golf course
that's free to all guests of the Marina. Golfing equipment is not
available.
Great Stirrup Cay Lighthouse: located northof Great Harbour Cay, Great
Stirrup cay is home to a lighthouse that datesback to 1863 and
sheltersthe wreck of an unidentified ship lying just offshore. It is
owned by the Norwegian Cruise Line – the first island to be owned
exclusively by a cruise line – and is usedas a stopover for
passengers.
U.S. currency is accepted and is interchangeable with the Bahamian
dollar. In September through May, the temperature on the Island
averages 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit; the rest of the year is warmer,
with temperatures between 80 and 85 degrees. Nighttime temperatures
are generally cooler by 5-7 degrees. All U.S. citizens and foreign
nationals traveling to/from the United Statesto/from The Bahamas
arerequired to present a valid passport, passport card or
WHTI-compliant document to re-enter theUnited States. All Canadian
citizens traveling to/from Canada to/from The Bahamas arerequired to
present either a valid passport, an official birth certificate or an
original naturalization/citizenship certificate.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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Does everyone who goes against the Sunnahfall into bid‘ah (innovation)? Notes on the meaning of following

I have read many fatwa'sabout innovation and my question is. If the
prophet (peace be upon him) practiced something. Do we have to
practise EXACTLY as he did it? If we dont do it EXACTLY then is it
innovation? Because i'veread a lot of the fatwa's and in a lot of it
many ofthe practices are considered BIDAH. For example the Prophet
(Peace be Upon him) did emphasize on the virtue of Dua in
congrenation. Now if its practised afterfardh salaah why is it an
innovation? Is the sunnah of the prophet subject to exactly the way he
did, the time he did etc etc. If we do it at a different time is it
innovation? say for example if its sunnah to read Surah Kahf on
friday. Now if I read surah kahf every monday and tuesday, will it be
considered a bidah? Im still making Ibadah. Why is it subject to
TIME?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
No doubt it is obligatory for the Muslim to be a follower of his
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in what he
prescribed and it is not permissible for him to go against that orto
introduce any innovation into the religion, because of the evidence
that indicates that it is obligatory to follow and it is forbidden to
introduce innovation. But it shouldbe noted that differing from the
way of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and
falling into bid'ah may mean one of two things:
(i)
introducing an act of worship for which there is no basis in Islam,
such as touching graves and seeking help from their occupants. The
scholars call this real innovation (al-bid'ah al-haqeeqah). This is
that which was not prescribed at all.
(ii)
the act of worship may be originally prescribed in Islam, and what is
contrary to the Sunnah may have to do with defining a certain time or
place for it, or a certain number of times it is to be repeated, or
the manner in which it isto be done or the reasonfor which it is to be
done. This is called innovation by addition (al-bid'ah
al-idaafiyyah);it is not bid'ah unless it is done regularly and
repeatedly. If it is done only once or twice without adhering to that,
then it is not bid'ah, such as if people pray qiyaam in congregation
(jamaa'ah)on some occasion, without thinking that there is any
particular virtue in doing so.
Hence ash-Shaatibi (may Allah have mercy on him) said, discussing the
"innovation by addition": The word bid'ah refers to an invented way of
doing something in Islam that is similar to what is prescribed, of
which the intention is to go to extremes in worshippingAllah, may He
be glorified.
That includes regularly adhering to certain manners and forms of
worship, such as recitingdhikr together in unison, taking the birthday
of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) as anEid
(festival), and so on.
It also includes adhering to specific acts of worship at specific
timesthat were not defined assuch in sharee'ah, such as always fasting
on the fifteenth of Sha'baan (an-nusf min Sha'baan) and spending that
night in prayer (qiyaam).
End quote from al-I'tisaam, 1/37-39
Adhering to a thing means doing it regularly and repeatedly.
Secondly:
Du'aa' (supplication) is prescribed during the prayer and following
it, according to the correct scholarly opinion. What is not allowed is
reciting du'aa' in unison. The evidence for it being prescribed to
offer du'aa' after the prayer isas follows:
1.
It was narrated that 'Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allah be pleased with
him) said: When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
said the salaam at the end of the prayer, he would say: "Allaahumma
ighfir li ma qaddamtu wa ma akhkhartu wa ma asrartu wa ma a'lantu wa
ma astraftu wa ma anta a'lamu bihi minni. Anta al-muqaddim wa anta
al-mu'akhkhir laa ilaaha illa anta (O Allaah!Forgive me what I have
done in the past, and what I will do in the future, and what I have
concealed, and what I have done openly, and what I have exceeded
in,whatever You know about me more than I. You are the One Who brings
forward, and You are the One Who puts back, there is no god except
You)."
Narrated by Abu Dawood (1509); classed as saheeh by an-Nawawiin
al-Majmoo'. This does not contradict the reportthat says that the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said this du'aa'
before the salaam. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) used to recite this du'aa' in both places. See: al-Majmoo', 3/467
2.
It was narrated that Abu Umaamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
It was said to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him): Which du'aa' is most likely to be heard? He said: "(That
which is said) in the last part of the night and at the end of the
obligatory prayers."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3499; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
Saheeh at-Targheeb wa't-Tarheeb
"at the end of the prayers" may refer to after the prayers or in the
last part of the prayers. In the followinghadeeth, for example, what
is meant is after the prayer: 'Uqbah ibn 'Aamir (may Allah be pleased
with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) instructed me to recite al-Mu'awwidhaat (soorahs that
give protection) at the end ofevery prayer (i.e., after the prayer).
Narrated by Ahmad, 17453; Abu Dawood, 1523. Classed as saheeh by
Shu'ayb al-Arna'oot inTahqeeq al-Musnad
As for reciting du'aa' in unison, there is no report that speaks of
it; hence doing it regularly following the prayers comes under the
heading of bid 'ah.
So acts of worship must be done as prescribed bysharee'ah in six ways:
quantity, manner, time, place, reason and type. For more details of
that please see the answer toquestion no. 21519
Thirdly:
There is nothing wrong with reading Soorat al-Kahf on days other than
Friday, if the readerwants to do that or if it so happens as part of
hisregular daily portion of Qur'aan, and he will have a tenfold reward
for each letter, as is the reward for reading other soorahs. But that
ison condition that he does not set aside a special day for reading
it, as is the case on Fridays, and hence he should not believe that
reading it on this day is better than reading it onother days or that
there is a particular virtue of reading it on a specific day that is
like the virtueof reading it on Friday, because that virtue applies
only to Friday, according to those who say that the hadeeth which
speaks of that is saheeh.
And Allah knows best.

Is it permissible to try to choose verses and prescribed du‘aa’ for ruqyah, or is it obligatory to limit it to what has been narrated?

Is it permissible for the purpose of shar'i ruqyahto try to choose
verses, saheeh hadeeths and proven du'aa's? Or is it obligatory to
follow what is the proven in the saheeh hadeeths that speak
specifically of ruqyah as prescribed in sharee'ah?.
Praise be to Allaah.
If the one who performs ruqyah does so by reciting general verses of
the Qur'aan or general prayers seeking refuge with Allah or other
du'aa's for ruqyah,or whatever Allah may inspire him with of saheeh
du'aa's that are appropriate to the situation, without restricting it
to the specific ruqyahs that have been narrated, there is nothing
wrong with that in sha Allah, because of the general meaning of the
words ofthe Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him:
"Whoever among you is able to benefit his brother, let him do so."
Narrated by Ahmad, 13973; classed assaheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
al-Jaami', 6019
And the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
"There is nothing wrongwith a ruqyah that does not involve shirk."
Narrated by Muslim, 2200.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The scholars are unanimously agreed that ruqya is permissible if three
conditions are met:
It should be done by reciting the words of Allah, may He be exalted,or
His names and attributes, and in Arabic or in a language the meaning
of which is understood, and with the belief that ruqyah has no effect
in and of itself; rather it is only effective by the will of Allah,
may He be exalted.
They differed as to whether that is a condition; the correct view is
that it is essentialto pay attention to the above-mentioned
conditions. In Saheeh Muslim it is narrated that'Awf ibn Maalik said:
We used to recite ruqyahs during the jaahiliyyah, and we said: O
Messenger of Allaah, what do you think aboutthat? He said: "Recite
your ruqyahs to me. There is nothing wrong with a ruqyah that does not
involve shirk."
And he narrated from Jaabir: The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) forbade ruqyah, then the family of 'Amr
ibn Hazm came to the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allaah, we had a ruqyah that we
used to recite for scorpion stings, but you have forbidden ruqyah.
They recited it to him and he said: "I do not see anything wrong with
it. Whoever among you can benefit his brother, let him do so."
Some scholars adhered to this general meaning and regarded as
permissible any ruqyah that brings benefits evenif the meaning does
not make sense. But the hadeeth of 'Awf indicates that any ruqyah that
leads to shirk is forbidden, and anything that does not make sense
cannot be guaranteed not to lead to shirk, so it is forbidden as a
precaution. And the finalcondition is essential. … al-Qurtubi said:
Whatever (ruqyah) is by reciting the words or names of Allah is
permissible; if it is narrated in a report (from the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) it is mustahabb.
End quote from Fath al-Baari, 10/195
Al-Khattaabi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to ruqyah, what is forbidden is thatwhich is not in
Arabic, because it is not known what it means and perhaps it may
involve witchcraft or kufr (disbelief). But if the meaning is clear
and it contains mention of Allah, may He be exalted,then it is
permissible to use it for ruqyah.
End quote from Ma'aalimas-Sunan, 4/226
Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Ruqyah is of four types: that which is mentioned in the Sunnah – it is
prescribed and mustahabb to use it as ruqyah; that which is shirk or
bid'ah – it is haraam to use it as ruqyah; that which is a permissible
du'aa' in which there is no shirk or bid'ah, but it is not something
that was narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him and his family) – it ispermissible to use this asruqyah.
Hence the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said
concerning ruqyah: "There is nothing wrong with it so long as it is
not shirk."

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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story - Love knows when to let go

About 6months ago this guy who i was in a long distance relationship
with broke up with me over facebook. I had no other choice but to give
in to what he wanted because i knew that he didnt love me anymore the
same way he used to.
A month after that i met this guy at a church get together whilst
trying to move on from the brokenrelationship i recently was in. He
broke the ice, by giving a compliment on a talk i gave out that day. I
was on cloud nine indeed. I went home thatday with the image of the
stranger lingering in my head; i couldnt stop thinking of him. I had
false doubts about him because he was from another country but was
popular and successful in his career as a singer andmusician. I was
nothing compared to him; i was beaten up by my own thoughts that i
tried to forget about him. Unfortunately it didnt work. One night i
was watching this popular singing competition in my country and wa-lah
he was one of the competitors. The same night, i was on facebook when
his page was suggested. I didnt add him straight instead i sent him a
message to congratulate him on his performance and simply to return
the favour.
It felt soooo random for me to do that still i did. I sent that
message but wasnt expecting a reply. Two weeks later, i got a message
from him and this time he left his phone number. So i took my chances
and text him. We started chatting on and off since that day it was
late in May then. We would chat about these random stuffs back and
forth leaving me daydreaming of him.
I was completely head over heels not knowing he was starting to feel
the same way for me. (Well that's what he later told me) I was slowly
recovering from the pain i had been in and was slowly giving my heart
away to this guy. He was different (in a good way)He was kindhearted,
loving, caring, down to earth and thoughtful. I couldnt ask for anyone
better. So days went by, there are days that we would meet up at a
random place and spend 2-3hours talking and laughing our heads off
ateach others' jokes. Those magical moments i can never forget. They
made me feel special and truly loved until things started changing.
The competition he was in? Well he won that singing competition. He
deservedit right from the start. After winning, people started
spreading rumours about him dating his runner up. I didnt do or say
anything because i knew i had no right to take rumours from others.
All i wanted was to hear it straight from him, i never had the
intention of judging him i only wanted to find out the truth. But if
what i had been hearing was true then i would let him go. I couldnt be
foolish enough to keep holding on to what is not mine. But as i recall
the times we'd spent together and the whole lot of exchanging texts,
what isstarting to happen is so very impossible. In the way that he'd
say all these things (that he wants to be with no one else but me,
that he's loving me forever, that he'll try everything in his power so
i could feel loved and special) It's justnot fair..
Days and weeks went by istarted not hearing from him instead rumours
widely spreaded. That he had changed alot! I couldnt believe what i
was hearing. I was hurting inside but still i was breathing. And so
one day, i saw them together at a car park in town. He didnt see me
but i saw them clearly from my position. Seeing them settled my
uncertainties, all the questions i had. Finally i was in peace, Guess
it's really time that i let him go; that i forget about him. But one
thing for sure is, i will never forgetthe special times we've spent
together, the way he made me feel, how hetreated me like the only girl
he sees. I still love him but i have to let him go. He seemed happy
with her and there's nothing more that i would want to see than seeing
him happy. After everytime we'd spent together Im left with an
everlasting impression.
Maybe we weren't meantfor each other. He may bethe sun and i the ocean
therefore in his eyes, i belong somewhere else. Ipray that happiness
and peace fills his everyday..