The Hijrah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam., Islamic Articles,-

The Hijrah – emigration of the Prophet, , to Madeenah – constitutes a
wonderful memory honored by many annually. But, itis only the wise who
recognize itsfull magnanimity: as a victory for the believers and
their escape from a life of injustice and subjugation to a free and
respectable one. It marked a newphase in the struggle between Islam
and disbelief, and between truth and falsehood, hence only fit to
signify the start of the Muslim calendar.
And for us to appreciate it so, we must go back in history more than
ten centuries, to the thirteenth year after Muhammad, , was given the
mission of Prophethood. It was a time whenMuslims were permitted to
leave Makkah and escape persecution; many succeeded, managing to
overcome the obstacles put in their way by Quraysh, to hinder them
from reaching Yathrib (the former name of Madeenah). When they
arrived, they found their brothers from the Ansaar (their supporters
among the locals) welcoming them warmly, opening up their hearts and
homes to them. That greatly boosted their morale, so much sothat only
a few believers remained in Makkah, and only because they were
oppressed or captured.
Sensing their vulnerability, the Quraysh believed the situation could
only be restored if they managed to prevent the emigration of the
Prophet, , by any means possible.
As a result, conspirators secretly agreed to eliminate him, , before
he was able to leave for refuge in Madeenah. On a Thursday of the
month of Safar , the disbelievers assembled at Daar -un-Nadwah to
decide on the best course of action. One suggestion expressed the
necessity of killing the Prophet, , while others advocated either
imprisonment or exile.
However, the consensus was to murder him in a manner that the tribe of
the Prophet, , Banu Haashim, could not retaliate. Their strategy was
to handpick the best young man from all the tribes of Quraysh and
order them to strike the Prophet, , simultaneously with their swords,
so that every clan would be culpable for the crime. Clearly, Banu
Haashim could not engage them all in battle and would be obliged to
only accept blood money as settlement. Allaah The Almighty mentions
this, Saying (what means): {And [remember, OMuhammad], when those who
disbelieved plotted against you to restrain you or kill you or evict
you [from Makkah]. But they plan,and Allaah plans. And Allaah is the
best of planners.} [Quran 8:30]
The Quraysh, however, were unaware that Allaah The Almighty had
already given permission for the Prophet, , to emigrate; so, while
they were still weaving their plots, he was preparing to travel to
Madeenah. While disguised as a necessary precaution, he, , went to the
house of Abu Bakr unusually at the noon, to inform him of theorder to
depart Makkah imminently.
Fearing that he would not be blessed to accompany the Prophet, , Abu
Bakr sought permission to travel with him and was granted it. He shed
tears of joy; he hired a non-Muslim man from Banu Ad-Dayl, called
'Abdullaah ibn Urayqit, to take care of two camels he had preemptively
readied for the journey and bring them to him three nights later at
the Thawr cave. His daughters, 'Aa'ishah and Asmaa̓ prepared all the
necessary gear and supplies, and put food in a container. Asmaa̔ would
later be known as "the one with two waistbands", as she would tear her
waistband in half, tying abundle of food on one end and a water skin
container on the another, to take to the two travelers.
Then, the awaited moment arrived and the Prophet, , andAbu Bakr set
out to leave through the backdoor of the house. Before that, he, ,
ordered 'Ali ibn Abi Taalib to stay behind in order to return to
people possessions they had entrusted to him. He, , also told the
young man to lie down in his bed, wearing his clothes, inorder to
stymie Quraysh.
Hence, the Prophet, , and Abu Bakr succeeded in evading the
disbelievers, who did not even notice they had left until thefollowing
morning, when 'Ali ibn Taalib emerged from the house. Enraged, they
surrounded him, asking him about the Prophet, , but he pretended to be
astonished and unaware of his whereabouts.
Knowing that Abu Bakr was the confidante of the Prophet, , they rushed
to his house to extract information, only to find he had left, too.
They questioned Asmaa̓ about her father, butshe feigned ignorance. So,
Abu Jahl, one of the chiefs of Quraysh, became enraged and slapped her
face, cutting her ear with her earring in the process.
Having been stonewalled, the Quraysh exerted all their efforts to hunt
down the two men, placing everyone in Makkah underclose surveillance
and announcing a valuable prize for anyone who caught the Prophet, ,
dead or alive. They commissioned experts in tracking and rushed north
in the hope of finding any trail of the Prophet, .
However, the Prophet, , had already outdone them, by having cleverly
taken an unfamiliar and indirect route to Madeenah. He, , headed
south, threading through rugged mountains till hereached an
inaccessible cave called Thawr , where he stayed with Abu Bakr until
the hunt simmered down.
However, a massive manhunt led the Quraysh to that very cave and they
drew quite near to its entrance, so much so that Abu Bakr could hear
their footsteps; so, he whispered to the Prophet, : "What if they were
to look through the crevice and spot us?" Filled with trust and
confidence in the promise of Allaah The Almighty (to protect him and
His Message), the Prophet, , calmly replied: "AbuBakr! What do you
think [can happen to] two with whom the Third is Allaah?"
Needless to say, the firm belief of the Prophet, , in Allaah The
Almighty was verified; the Quraysh ruled out the possibility of them
being anywhere near that place and left without having achieved any
success.
On to Madeenah
The Prophet, , stayed three nights in the cave of Thawr , during which
he received daily reports of the non-believers in Makkah, from
'Abdullaah ibn Abi Bakr . Another man, 'Aamir ibn Fuhayrah, would hide
his trailwhen he would bring sheep, so the Prophet, and Abu Bakr could
drink some milk. Then, at the appointed time, 'Abdullaahibn ̓Urayqit
brought the camels, as per the agreement.
On a Monday night in the month of Rabee'ul-Awwal , the Prophet, , and
Abu Bakr headed to Madeenah, taking the coastal route. They rode all
day long, andAbu Bakr rode with the Prophet, , beside, in front
andbehind him, shielding him continuously, fearing the Qurayshwould
attack. At noon, they stopped to rest, taking shelter behind a huge
rock. Abu Bakr evened the place out for the Prophet, , to lie down. In
the meantime, a shepherd, driving his herd, seemed to be heading their
way; when he came closer, Abu Bakr asked: "Who is your master?" The
slave boy replied: "I am a slave of a master from Makkah." He
inquired: "Do your sheep have milk? " The boy answered in the
affirmative, so Abu Bakr milked some for theProphet, , who was able to
quench his thirst.
However, danger lurked, as a disbeliever had caught a glimpse of the
Prophet, , from afar. Hehastened to Makkah and told people of two
figures he spotted riding on their camels, along the coast. One man,
Suraaqah ibn Maalik, realized he was right to assume they must have
been Muhammad, , and his Companion, but convinced the informant
otherwise, so he couldclaim the prize money for himself. He stayed for
an hour, then sneaked away, so he would not call the attention of
anyone. He took his spear and rushed on his horse to where he thought
the Prophet and his Companion were.
But, when he drew close, his horse stumbled and he fell to theground.
He briefly considered it an ill omen, before mounting his ride again
and rushing forward, only for his horse to trip once more. Suraaqah
became apprehensive, but his desire for the prize money made him
overlook his reservations. But, when he came closer to the Prophet, ,
his horse's hooves sank into the sand until it came to its knees and
smoke rose frombetween them; that is when he realized that the men he
was pursuing were being protected by Allaah The Almighty. Therefore,
he asked them for security (fearing Muslims would take revenge for his
action), promising not to divulge their whereabouts. The Prophet, ,
wrote him a note, granting him that and Suraaqah, on his part,
fulfilled his promise and diverted any other person in pursuit of
theProphet, , to look elsewhere, concealing his location, until he
safely approached Madeenah.
On their way, the Prophet, , and his Companion also stopped at the
tent of Umm Ma'bad and asked her for some food. She, however, had
nothing to offer, but a dry boney goat. So,the Prophet, , took it,
touched its udders, invoked the blessings of Allaah The Almighty and
miraculously milked it. And, as they all drank from the milk, this
remarkable incident led Umm Ma'bad and her husband to embrace Islam.
For all its difficulties, the journey finally came to a good end, with
the Prophet, , reaching Madeenah safely, where he was received by the
many Companions who had previously emigrated from Makkah and by his
Muslim brothers who were hosting him in their city.

Examples for good ends, Islamic Articles,-

All perfect praise is due to Allaah; I testify that there is none
worthyof worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His Slave and
Messenger; as well as his family and all his companions.
Fear of an evil end had broken the hearts of our righteous Salaf
(predecessors) . Sufyaan Ath-Thawri cried one night until the morning,
and when he was asked whether he cried due to his fear of his sins, he
replied: "No, I am more scared of having an evil end"
Ibn Katheer, said: "People who are righteous inwardly and outwardly
and whose actions coincide with their words, Allaah willing, will not
have an evil way to end their lives; and never was this reported about
anyone before. It is only those who are evil inwardly and outwardly;
those who are daring and indulge in major great sins and who are
frequent in committing minor sins. This type of people, who are used
to this practice willcontinue to do so until they die without
repenting."
The Prophet said: "Verily, deeds are but by the way they end."
[Al-Bukhaari]. This is why our right predecessors feared their ends
because no one knows how he will end his life and in which state he
will depart.
For this reason, Huthayfah, was happy to die before the trialsabout
which the Prophet, , informed them and said: "All perfect praise be to
Allaah who has hastened my death before these trials".
One of the signs indicating that the person died whilst having a good
end is dying whilst performing a righteous deed. Anas, narrated that
he heard the Prophet saying: "Do not be impressed with someone's
actions (thinking they are righteous) until you see how his end is,
because one would be performing a (righteous) deed fora long period of
his life, and should he die upon such a deed he would enter Paradise,
but he switches to performing evil deeds (before his death). The slave
would be performing a (bad) deed for a long period of his life, and
should he die upon such a deed he would enter Hell, but he switches to
performing good deeds (before his death) and when Allaah Wills good
for a slave He uses him before his death" The companions asked: "O
messenger of Allaah! How does Allaah use him?" He, , responded: "He
enables him to perform a good deed, then ends his life upon it." ]
Ahmad [
Huthayfah, narrated that the Messenger of Allaah, said: "He who says;
'Laa ilaaha illallaah' (i.e., 'None is worthy of worship except
Allaah') seeking the pleasure of Allaah, and it being his final
statement, will enter Paradise; he who fasts sincerely, seeking the
pleasure of Allaah, and died whilst in this state, will enter
Paradise; he who spends in charity, sincerely seeking the pleasure of
Allaah, and it being the last thing he did before dieing, will enter
Paradise."
Jaabir, reported: "I heard the Prophet saying: "Every slave will be
resurrected in the state upon which he died" ] Muslim ]. Imaam
As-Suyooti said: "Thisnarration refers to the state of obedience or
disobedience" . Maalik Ibn Deenaar used to say: "If I can afford
(physically) not to ever sleep I would not sleep" he was asked about
the reason, to which he said: "I fear that the angel of death would
come to me whilst I am sleeping and I would like that he comes whilst
I am engaged in a righteous deed" .
An example highlighting one of the best ways to die is for a
disbeliever to embrace Islaam then immediately die. Anas reported: "A
young Jewish boy who was in the service of the Prophet fell ill. The
Prophet went to visit him. He sat down by his head and said to him:
"Embrace Islam." The little boy looked at his father who wassitting
beside him. He said: 'Obey Abul-Qaasim (i.e., the Messenger of Allaah
).' So he embraced Islam and the Prophet stepped out saying: "Praise
be to Allaah Who has saved him from Hell-fire." [Al-Bukhaari].
Allaah guided a man from the Philippines to the light of Islaam on
Wednesday in the city of Taa'if in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he
was taught some of the merits of Islaam and on Thursdayhe started
reciting some chaptersof the Qur'aan and on Friday morning he passed
away, after only two days of him becoming a Muslim.
Uttering the testimonies of faith prior to death is a good deed
andanother example for one's good end. Mu'aath ibn Jabal, narrated
that the Prophet said: "He whose final words are: 'Laa Ilaaha
Illallaah' (i.e., 'None is worthy of worship except Allaah')will enter
Paradise." [Al-Haakim].
'Abdullaah Ibn 'Amr Ibn Al-'Aas, reported that when his father was on
his death bed he said: "O Allaah! You commanded me with many commands
and I fell short in many of them. O Allaah! You forbade me from many
matters, but I transgressed. O Allaah! Nonehas the right to be
worshipped but You" then he continued repeating this until he died .
Many of the Salaf died whilst praying, which is another example for a
good way to end life. 'Abdullaah Ibn Abi As-Sarh supplicated one night
after having performed Qiyaam saying: "O Allaah! Make my last deed in
this life the performance of Fajr prayer" Then he performed ablution
and prayed Fajr and died whilst concluding his prayer.
Abu Tha'labah used to say: "I hope that Allaah will not make me suffer
upon death like I see some people do" Then he started performing
Qiyaam and died whilst in the position of prostration. That night his
daughter saw in her dream that her father died, so she woke up
terrified and went to her mother asking about her father, so she told
her that he was praying Qiyaam. They went to check on him and found
him in the position of prostration and whenthey moved him he fell to
his side.
A young man prayed the Fajr prayer with the congregation andsat in the
mosque reciting the Qur'aan and waiting for the sun to rise so that he
may pray two Rak'ahs and he did not know thatit was the last hour of
his life, and died whilst in that state.
A fifty five year old lady was admitted into ER (the emergency room)
as a result of getting a heart attack which made her heart stop
beating completely. When the physicians were trying to make a heart
massage with special equipment a very astonishing thing happened,
which doctors had never seen before that day … the woman suddenly
opened her eyes and spoke calmly saying a few words… she did not
complain of any pain … she did not scream asking for their assistance
… she did not ask for her husband or children …she simply uttered the
two testimonies of faith … then the heart stopped again. She repeated
this three times … then she died … and her face illuminated. When her
husband was asked about the type of woman she was, he said: "I married
her more than thirty five years ago, and since then I have never seen
her abandon the Witr prayer (i.e. the odd-numbered Rak'ahs after the
optional night prayer) unless she was sick or during her monthly
period".
Dying whilst fasting is yet another example exemplifying a good end,
like in the case of Asmaa' Bint Abu Bakr and her son 'Urwah, .
Some people die whilst in the state of Ihraam which entitles theperson
to a great reward, as in the narration about the Companion who died as
a result of his animal kicking him whilst in the state of Ihraam (for
either Hajj or 'Umrah ), he said: "Wash him with water and lote-tree
(leaves), shroud him in his own garments and do not cover his head,
because he will beresurrected on the Day of Resurrection uttering the
Talbiyah.".
There are some people who die whilst reciting the Qur'aan, like inthe
case of 'Uthmaan Ibn 'Affaan¸ who was known to be a person who
continuously recited the Qur'aan day and night. He was martyred whilst
reciting the Qur'aan in his house. Once Ibn 'Abbaas, recited the
saying ofAllaah which means: "Is one who is devoutly obedient during
periods of the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing
the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, [like one who does
not]?" [Quran 39: 9] then he said: "I swear by Allaah! This applies to
'Uthmaan Ibn 'Affaan".
One of the best examples indicating a good end is being martyred.
Al-Miqdaam Ibn Ma'di Karib, narrated that the Prophet said: "A martyr
has six bounties: He will be forgiven with the first drop of his blood
that is spilt; He will see his place in Paradise (at the time of
death);He will be saved from the 'Great Horror' (on the Day of
Judgment):A Crown of Dignity will be placed on his head, which
contains many corundum, each one being more precious than this life
and all that it contains; He will have seventy two Women of Paradise;
And, he will be allowed to intercede for seventy of his familymembers
(who would have otherwise gone to hell)." [At-Tirmithi].
Shaddaad Ibn Al-Haad, narrated: "A Bedouin came to theProphet accepted
Islaam and said: 'I wish to migrate (to Madeenah)'. So the Prophet
asked some of his companions totake care of him. Then after a battle,
the Muslims had gained some booty so the Prophet divided it and gave
the Bedouin's share to some of his companions to look after, as the
Bedouin was still at the rearguard. When the Bedouin returned, they
gave him his share, so he asked them: 'What is this?' they replied:
'It is your share from the booty which the Prophet gave us to hold on
to for you.' So the Bedouin took the booty and went to the Prophet and
asked: 'What is this?' The Prophet replied: "Your share of the booty."
The Bedouin said: 'This is not why I believe in you and follow you;
rather, I follow you so that I can get shot by an arrow right here,
(and then he pointed to his throat) then die and enter Paradise.' The
Prophet said: "If you are sincere then Allaah will grant you your
wish." After a short while, fighting resumed and the Bedouin's body
was brought to the Prophet with an arrow in his throat at exactly the
spot where he had pointed tothe Prophet . Thereupon The Prophet said :
"He was sincereso Allaah granted him his wish." Then using his own
garment, the Prophet shrouded the Bedouin, prayed the funeral prayer
over him and was heard by his companions to say during the prayer: "O
Allaah! This is Your slave who migrated for Your sakeand was killed as
a martyr – and Itestify to this". Which testimony could ever be more
honorable, sincere and truthful than this great one given by the
Prophet ?
A truck driver by the name of AbuDujaanah , was known in his town to
be an evil person who consumed intoxicants. One day, he got in a
deadly car accident, but Allaah rescued him from death. Allaah decreed
that two righteous young men see the accident and rush to him whilst
he was unconscious and took him with them and when he woke up they
told him to perform Ghusl (ritual bath) which he did, then they
instructed him to pray, and after he prayed they said to him: "Allaah
Has rescued you from death and had you died upon the state you were
in, it would have been the worse way to die and be resurrected. You
should repent to Allaah and shun all sins" their words affected him
deeply, and he shunned his evil company with whom he used to hang
around, and started practicing. A few months later, he traveled to
Bosnia for Jihaad , and Allaah granted him martyrdom there. His body
remained with the enemies thrown in an open field for two and a half
months after he was killed, and then a swap of dead bodies happened
between the Mujaahideen and the Serbs, and when the brothers opened
the plastic bag in which he was kept for this long period, they saw
his face smiling and an extremely pleasant scent emanating from his
body.
These were but some examples of how a good end may be, and we ask
Allaah to bless us and grant us a good way to end our lives.

Dought & clear,- Is there any riba involved in selling pure gold for mixed gold?.

Is it permissible for me to exchange a diamond ring for gold directly
with the trader? Please note that the ring is made of white gold set
with a diamond. If that is not permissible, I hopethat you can explain
the correct way to exchangethis ring for gold.
Praise be to Allah.
It is not permissible to sell gold for gold unless two conditions are
met: the exchange should take place in the same meeting in which the
agreement was reached,i.e., hand to hand; and they should be equal in
weight, because of the report narrated by Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may
Allah be pleased with him) who said: "Gold for gold, silver for
silver, likefor like, hand to hand. Whoever gives more or asks for
more has engaged in riba, and thetaker and the giver are the same."
Narrated by Muslim, 2971.
So it is not permissible tosell gold for gold of different amounts or
deferred payment; no differentiation is made between white gold or
other kinds of gold, because what is meant by white gold is nothing
more than gold to whichsome platinum has been added to make it white.
In fact it is still gold, but it is mixed with something else that did
not change it from beinggold. This has been explained previously in
the answer to question no. 68039
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said concerning the words
ofthe Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), "Do not sell
gold for gold or silver for silver unless it is same for same":
The scholars said: This includes all kinds of goldand silver, both
high andlow quality, sound and broken, jewellery and ingots, and so
on, whether it is pure or mixed with something else. There is
scholarly consensus on all of that.
End quote from Sharh Muslim.
Secondly:
The correct way to do this transaction is to sell the ring for cash,
then buy whatever you want of gold and other things with the cash.
And Allah knows best.

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.