Dought & clear,- Ruling on dealing with mortgages in a non-Muslim country.

Perhaps my question hasbeen asked many times before. It is about
mortgages in non-Muslim countries. We live in a western society and we
live in rented accommodation so as to avoid riba. Recently we found
out that there are no houses for rent, and 96% of the market is based
on mortgages. All houses are offered for sale only.Some of them told
me that in this situation it is permissible for me to buy a house by
means ofa mortgage and, moreover, it is possible to get the mortgage
in the name of family insurance, so that the individual does not pay
riba or a mortgage; rather it is paid by the insurance. Is it
permissible to get a mortgage in the name ofthe family insurance, in
such a way that you and other trustees or borrowers are not dealing
directly with thebank and the lawyer takes care of dealing with the
mortgage on your behalf?
I hope that you can advise me as to whether that is permissible or not.
Praise be to Allaah.
A mortgage is a haraam riba-based transaction that is based on a loan
with interest in which the owner of the money takes as collateral the
property for the purchase of which the borrower is taking out the
loan, until the debt has been paid off along with the interest (riba).
If the debtor is late in making payments, then the owner of the money
is entitled to sell the property and take back his money.
This transaction is offered by riba-based banks or real estate
mortgage companies, and this transaction is done when the one whowants
to buy a house chooses a house, then hegoes to the mortgage company –
or to the riba-based bank – to ask them to buy that house and he
agrees to pay themoney in instalments, plus the interest that hasbeen
agreed upon. A representative of the company or bank meets with the
owner of the house and the third party, namely the borrower, and the
price of the house is paid in full to the owner. In some cases the
borrowerpays part of the price (down payment). And the contract is
signed with the borrower for the money paid to the owner of the house
plus the interest. The house ismortgaged to the mortgage company or
bank that pays the money to the owner of the house. If the borrower
fails to pay any instalment on his loan, the mortgage company has the
right tosell the house in order toget back the rest of the money that
it is owed bythe borrower.
This transaction clearly comes under the heading of blatant riba.
Allah, may He be exalted,has forbidden riba and has issued a warning
to those who consume it ofa severe punishment as He, may He be
exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Those who eat Riba (usury) will not stand (on the Day of
Resurrection) except likethe standing of a person beaten by Shaytaan
(Satan) leading him to insanity. That is because they say: "Trading is
onlylike Riba (usury)," whereas Allah has permitted trading and
forbidden Riba (usury). So whosoever receives an admonition from his
Lord and stops eating Riba (usury) shall not be punished for the past;
his case is for Allah (to judge); but whoever returns (to Riba
(usury)), such are the dwellers of the Fire - they will abide therein"
[al-Baqarah 2:275].
This riba-based transaction is not permissible either in Muslim
countries or non-Muslim countries; it is not permissible in order to
acquire houses or stores.
Some contemporary scholars have permitted this riba-based transaction
if it is in a non-Muslim country and it is done in order to acquire a
house in which to live. This permission is attributed to the Hanafi
madhhab, and some evidence is quoted for it. But many scholars have
challengedthis fatwa, including Shaykh Salaah as-Saawi (may Allah
preserve him)in his book Waqafaat Haadi'ah ma'a Fatwa Ibaahat
al-Qurood al-Ribawiyyah li Tamweel Shira' al-Masaakin fi'l-Mujtama'aat
al-Gharbiyyah.

Dought & clear,- She swore that she would not speak to her and she sent her a text message; has she brokenher oath?.

A Muslim woman swore that she would not speak to another Muslim woman
because of a dispute that had arisen between them. Then the other
woman sent her several text messages, repeatedly, so the first woman
responded by a text message. Now the first woman is asking: doI have
to offer expiation for breaking an oath or not? What should I do if
Iwant to talk to her again?.
Praise be to Allaah.
If a person swears that he will not speak to someone, then writes a
message to him, there is a difference of opinion among the fuqaha' as
to whether he has broken his oath. The Hanafis andShaafa'is say that
he has not broken his oath.
The Maalikis and Hanbalis are of the view that he has broken his oath;
they regard sending messages and letters as coming under the same
heading as speaking.
But the more correct view is that writing is not regarded as speaking.
However we should examine the intention of the one who swore the oath
andthe motive that made him swear that oath. If he intended only to
prevent himself speaking verbally, then he has not broken his oath. If
he intended to prevent all kinds of communication, or if themotive for
swearing the oath was that he did notwant to communicate at all, then
he has broken his oath by writing.
It says in al-Mabsoot (9/23): If he wrote to him or sent a message, he
has not broken his oath because we stated that speaking can only be
verbal. Do you not see that none of us regards it as permissible to
say "Allah spoke to me", although His Book and His Messenger have come
to us? Rather we say that Allah spoke to Moosa, because he heard His
words withoutany intermediary. End quote.
It says in Kashshaaf al-Qinaa' (6/259): If he swears not to speak to
anyone, he breaks his oath by speaking to any person, male or female,
young or old, sane or insane. If the one who swore the oath writes a
letter or sends a message with a messenger, he has broken his oath,
becauseAllah, may He be exalted,says (interpretation of the meaning):
"It is not given to any human being that Allah should speak to him
unless (it be) by Inspiration, or from behind a veil, or (that) He
sends a Messenger" [ash-Shoora 42:51]. And 'Aa'ishah said: What is
between the covers of the Mushaf is the words of Allah. And because
this a means of communicating with people, so it is like speaking.
However, it says in ash-Sharh wa'l-Mubdi': The correct view is that
this is not speech. But if he intended not to communicate with him or
if the reason for his oath was the intention to shun him, then he
hasbroken his oath, unless the one who swore the oath intended not to
speak verbally to him, in which case he has not broken his oath by
writing or sending a message. End quote.
See: Mawaahib al-Jaleel, 3/299; Mughni al-Muhtaaj, 6/218
Secondly:
If she did not break her oath and there was something good to be
attained by speaking to this woman, then she should speak to her and
offer expiation for breaking her oath, because of the hadeeth of 'Abd
ar-Rahmaan ibn Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
"If you swear to do something then see that something else is better
than it, then do that which is better and offer expiation for your
oath."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari,6343; Muslim, 1652
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him)
said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) said: "Whoever swears an oath then sees that something else is
better than it, let him do that and offer expiation for his oath."
Narrated by Muslim, 1650
But if the oath was broken by writing to her– according to the details
discussed above –then she is no longer bound by her oath and she may
speak to her, but she has to offer expiation for breaking her oath.
And Allah knows best.

Sunnah is like Medicine, Islamic Stories,-

Sunnah is like Medicine
Shaikh Khidir from Toronto, Canada once gave a very beautiful example
on the importance of following the ways (sunnah) of Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him). He said that sunnah is like medicine. Usually,
when we visit the doctors for treatment, they write onthe
prescriptions the medicines we need. We take these prescriptions to
pharmacists who thensell the medicines to us. Sometimes these
medicines are bitter and hard to swallow, but we still consume them as
weknow that the cure is in them. Similarly, each andevery sunnah has
physical and spiritual cure for us in this world and in the hereafter.
Even if some of sunnah are hard to follow, we should still follow them
as the cure is in them.
"...So take what the Messenger gives you, and refrain from what he
prohibits you..." Al Quran 59:7

A Sign from Allah,Islamic Stories,-

A Sign from Allah
The following incident has been narrated by Colonel Amir Uddin who
originally heard it from his wife. Colonel Amir Uddin is a well known
caller to Islam through whose effort over 6,000 people have accepted
Islam all over the world. He is 86 years old and have been to over 56
countries to call people towards Allah.
During one such journeys to invite peopleto Islam, his wife met a
woman who was a new Muslim. While travelling, they came to know how
she became a Muslim. The woman said that shewas originally a
Christianbut her husband was a Muslim. Her husband used to tell her
about the oneness of God everyday. One day while she was in the
Church, she asked the Priest whether the Muslims' cocept of oneness of
Godwas correct or the Christians' concept of Trinity was correct. The
Priest told her that the Muslims are correct and he also advised her
to keep this matter secret. She became very confused after hearing
this. At night when she went home, she prayed to God to show her which
path was the truth. She started reading the Bible thoroughly to search
for answers. One night after she prayed to God to show her the truth,
she opened the Bible and to her amazement, the entire Bible appeared
to her as Arabic text! She mentioned this to an Imam who told her that
this was a sign from Allah to accept the Quranas her guidance instead
of the Bible. She becameMuslim there and then.
Dear readers, such incidents are nothing new. These incidents happen
on a daily basis to those who are searching for the truth. We did not
come to this world with our own will.We will not leave this world with
our own will.Then why live this life according to our own will? A
Muslim is that person who submits to the will of Allah. Let us all
submit to Allah, Who is the Lord of everything in and out of this
universe. "And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will
never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the
losers." (Al Quran, 3:85)