Jihad and Islam - True Meaning of Jihad

The word Jihad represents a concept which is much misunderstood in the
West. The concept is explained nicely by the Christian scholar Ira 6.
Zepp, Jr. in his book entitled A Muslim Primer on pages 133-135. We
adapt from his answer the following:
The essential meaning ofJihad is the spiritual, psychological, and
physical effort we exert to be close to God and thus achieve a just
and harmonious society. Jihad literally means"striving" or "struggle"
and is shorthand for Jihad fi Sabeel Allah (struggle for God's cause).
In a sense, every Muslim is a Mujahid, one who strives for God and
justice.
Al-Ghazali captured the essence of Jihad when he said: "The real Jihad
is the warfare against (one's own) passions. Dr.Ibrahim Abu-Rabi calls
Jihad "the execution of effort against evil in the self and every
manifestation of evil in society." In a way, Jihad is the Muslim's
purest sacrifice: a struggle to live a perfect life and completely
submit to God.
Another form of Jihad is the striving to translate the Word of God
into action. If one has experienced God and received guidance from the
Qur'an, one strugglesto apply that guidance in daily life. So the
larger, more prevalent meaning of Jihad is the spiritual struggle of
the soul. In this case, Jihad isalways present for the believer
whether there is an external enemy or not. We should never reduce
Jihad to violence.
A third level of Jihad is popularly known as"holy war." The classic
passage is found in the Qur'an:
Fight in the way of Allah those who fight against you, but transgress
not the limits. Truly Allah likes not the transgressors (Qur'an
2:190).
It is crucial to note here that what is condoned isdefensive warfare;
Islam cannot justify aggressivewar. Muhammad and theTradition are also
against killing non-combatants, torturing of prisoners, the
destruction of crops, animals and homes. Adapted from Ira 6. Zepp,
Jr., A Muslim Primer (1992, Wakefield Editions, US) pp.133-135.
Robert Ellwood of the University of Southern California has the
following to say about the Muslim concept of Jihad:
Out of the community ideal of Islam comes the concept of jihad, or
holy war, which is designed to defend Islam and allow its social
practice, though not to force individual conversions, which is
forbidden. Since Islam in principle isa community as well as
areligion, presumably only an absolute pacifist would be able to
reject the theory of jihad out of hand, since other communities also
fight to defend or expand their ways of life.

Jokes:-

My Girlfriend Suggested A Book For Me To Read To Enhance Our
Relationship Its Entitled: Women Are From Venus,Men Are Wrong
Boy: Did you know that the most intelligent kid in our class is deaf?
Girl: That is unfortunate. Boy:What did you say?
Pappu: Excuse me,but I dont think I deserve a mark of '0' for dis Exam
Paper. Teacher: Neither do I,but it is lowest markI can give ??
Teacher: In this exam,you will be allowed 10 mins for eachquestion.
Pappu: And how long for each Answer?
Appu: What is the best way to see flying saucers? Pappu: Pinch the waitress.
'Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs'. This is only sentence tat
has all 26 alphabets of English. Be proud 2 b a Drinker.
Wife: I hav read in newspaper dat widows mak d best wives. Husband:
May b! Bt u cant xpect me 2 kil myself dat u can b gud wife 2 sum1.
A widow wrote on the tombstone of her husband. . . . . . . . Rest in
peace - Till We Meet Again.
Appu : I am the 4th husband of my Wife. Pappu : You are not a husband
but a habit.
Crack: It is sickening way, my wife keeps talking abt her Ex-Husband.
Jack: Tats nothng. Mine keeps talking abt her next husband.

Paying through installments

Definition: It is a postponed payment executed in a fixed number of
instalments at determined times, with a price higher than the cash
price.
Is such a sale allowed? Scholars have two opinions:
1-The first opinion: Many scholars of the Hanafi, Maaliki, Hanbali,
and Shafi'ee schools of jurisprudence rule that it is allowed. They
present the following proofs:
A- This form of sale is an exampleof the sales that are allowed in the
Quran where Allaah Says (what means): "…Allaah has permitted trade and
has forbidden interest…" [Quran: 2:275] And also: "…Except when itis
an immediate transaction which you conduct among yourselves…" [Quran
2:282]
B- Some prophetic narrations show the permissibility of the increase
above the cash price. Forexample, the Prophet ordered'Amr bin Al-'Aas
to equip an army, so 'Amr would buy a camel for the price of two due
to the payment being in instalments. [Al-Haakim & Bayhaqi]
C- In Islam, trades and transactions are generally allowed, provided
they are conducted with a mutual consentof the contractors, unless the
particular type of transaction is specifically forbidden by the
Sharee'ah (Islamic Law). Since there is no convincing proof that this
type of sale is prohibited, it remains allowed. Whoever
claimsotherwise has to provide proof.
2-The second opinion: This is thatof Imaams Zayn Al-'Aabideen 'Ali bin
Al-Husayn and Al-Jassaas from the Hanafi School of Jurisprudence, as
well as others who stated that increasing the price in exchange for
postponing a payment is similar to increasingthe debt in exchange for
postponing its fulfilment. Their proofs are:
A- The verse where Allaah Says (what means): "…Allaah has permitted
trade and has forbidden interest…" [Quran 2:275] means that sales that
include an increase of price in exchange for deferring payments are
forbidden, because they are examples of Riba (interest).
B- The Prophet has forbidden the addition of extraneous conditions to
a sale, or to have two sales in one.
C- There is an analogy of this type of sale with the case where someof
the debt is forgiven when the debtor pays before the due date. This
would mean that time has compensation, and this is plainly Riba.
D- The increase of price because of the deferred payment is an
increase in exchange for nothing in return, therefore it is a case of
Riba, which, by definition, means to hike up the price in exchange for
nothing.
The majority of the scholars have refuted the above proofs, presented
by those who prohibit this sale, as follows:
A- To say that this type of sale is like Riba because of the increase
of price is refuted. The Prophet, has determined the cases of Riba,
and some scholars have limited themselves to these caseswhile others
have added other cases they thought were considered Riba because they
fulfil the same causes. These cases are, however, the object of
disagreement between the scholars. But the matter that is disagreed
about in this particularcase is beyond what was mentioned by the
Prophet and related cases, for it is about asale in which the kind of
merchandise and the evaluation of the price have differed.
B- To say that Riba means an increase in price is also refuted because
almost every sale includes an increase in the price. The
abovementioned verse [Quran: 2:275] mentions the unlawfulness of Riba
in general, but the types of Riba were enumerated by the Prophet and
they were six types. Sale by instalments is not included in these six
types of Riba, nor is it included in the types added to them by some
scholars.
C- Taking as proof the Hadeeth (prophetic narration) that forbidstwo
sales in one, or extraneous conditions in a sale, is refuted because
the forbidden sales in that Hadeeth are in fact sales where either the
price or the merchandise is not specified, which is not the case of
the instalment sale.
In conclusion, the most acceptable opinion is the one adopted by the
majority of the scholars, which allows this type of sale, because of
their strong proofs and because they convincingly addressed the proofs
presented by the other side. Also, the common interest of all the
Muslims requires that it be accepted due to the benefit for both the
buyer and the seller.
Two Fatwas (Legal Rulings) Concerning Instalments:
Question 1: What is the Islamic Ruling concerning the increase in the
price when there is a deferred payment executed in instalments?
Answer: Payment by instalments in sales contracts is allowed if it
includes legitimate conditions and permissible if the monetary amount
of the instalments is defined and the times of payment are fixed; as
Allaah Says (what means): "O you who believe! When you contract a debt
for a specified term, write it down…" [Quran 2:282] And also, due to
the Hadeeth: "Whoever loaned something, let him lend itin a known
measure, or a known weight, and for a fixed term." In addition, we
have the authentic story of Bareerah who emancipated herself from her
masters in exchange for nine Ooqiyyaat (the plural of Ooqiyyah,one of
which is equivalent to three hundred and sixty Dirhams), paying one
Ooqyyah a year, and this was a payment in instalments, and the Prophet
did not condemn it; rather, he approved of it. [Shaykh Ibn Baaz]
This narration indicates that it is permissible to pay in instalments.
Even though the texts state that it is permissible to delay payment,
there is no text that explicitly states that it is permissible to
increase the price in return for the delay.
Hence, the scholars differed concerning the ruling on this issue. Some
scholars said that it is prohibited, on the grounds that it is the
same as Riba. They stated that this was due to the increase in price
in return for the deferment, which is Riba. On the other hand, the
majority of scholars, including the four Imaams, were of the view that
it is permissible. The comments of the scholars of the four Schools of
Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) concerning this include the following:
· The Hanafi School : "The price may be raised in return for delaying
payment," [Badaa'i' Al-Sanaa'i', 5/187]
· The Maaliki School : "For more time some amount may be addedto the
price." [Bidaayat Al-Mujtahid, 2/108]
· The Shaafi'ee School: "Five in cash is equivalent to six in deferred
payment." [Al-Wajeez byAl-Ghazzaali, 1/85]
· The Hanbali School : "Delay adds something to the price." [Fataawa
Ibn Taymiyyah, 29/499]
Question 2: A man living in the United Sates asks if instalments used
in car sales that include a fee for deferring payment is allowed. This
fee increases when the buyer fails to pay on the agreed due dates.
Answer: If someone sells cars or other merchandise for a known fixed
price that is payable by instalments that are fixed both intime and
amount, in such a way that the price does not change when the fixed
time of payment changes (i.e., payment is delayed), then this sale is
allowed, for Allaah Says (what means): " O you who believe! When you
contract a debt for a specified term, write it down…" [Quran 2:282]
But if the price of the merchandise increases if an instalment is paid
after the due date, as it is understood in this question, then this is
forbidden by consensus of the scholars, because this is a case of
Riba, which is mentioned (and explicitly forbidden) in the Quran.[The
General Committee for Religious Research, Fatawa, Da'wah, and
Guidance]

Millions of Muslims prepare for Hajj

Millions of Muslims from around the world have gathered in the Saudi
city of Mecca in anticipationof the start of Hajj - the annual Muslim
pilgrimage.
Taking part in the pilgrimage at least once in one's lifetime is a
major obligation for all able-bodied Muslims of financial means, and
between two and three million people participate in the six-day ritual
every year.
Hajj occurs in the 12th month of the Islamic lunar calendar, called
Thul-Hijjah, between the eighth and the 13th days of the month.
Hajj is, put simply, complex. There are several different ways of performing it.
The explanations that follow are, thus, a simplification of the
pilgrimage, meant to lay things out clearly, rather than
comprehensively.
Start of Hajj, 8th of Thul-Hijjah
The very first rite of Hajj is entering ihram - a pilgrim's sacred
state - when crossing the outer boundaries of Mecca, calledMiqat.
Pilgrims have been arriving in Saudi Arabia for weeks in anticipation
of this day. On the eighth of Thul-Hijjah, pilgrims enter ihram, which
entails wearing plain garments - two unstitched clothes for men, or
any loose-fitting clothing for women - as well as following certain
rules, including not hunting or engaging in sexual activity.
They then set out from Mecca en masse to Mina, whether by foot along
pilgrim paths, or by buses and cars. It is an 8km journey.
The pilgrims will spend the day inMina, only setting out the next
morning at dawn.
Day of Arafat, 9th of Thul-Hijjah
The Day of Arafat is considered one of the most important days, not
just of Hajj, but of the Islamiccalendar. Mount Arafat was the scene
of the Prophet Muhammad's final sermon, and after making the 14.4km
journey from Mina, pilgrims spend the day here in reverent prayer.
Elsewhere in the world, many Muslims choose to fast on this day.
After sunset, its time to move again, this time to Muzdalifah - a 9km
trip - where they spend the night under the stars. Many will also
begin collecting pebbles here for tomorrow's rites, departing again
just before sunrise.
'Eid day,10th of Thul-Hijjah
The 10th of Thul-Hijjah is 'Eid al-Adh'haa, a day celebrated by
Muslims around the world as the greater of the two Muslim holidays.
For those performing Hajj, the day is know as Yawm al-Hajj al-Akbar
(The big Hajj day) and is probably the longest day of the pilgrimage.
Pilgrims start the day in Muzdalifah and begin heading back to Mina
before dawn. Once in Mina, they perform the first Ramy, throwing
pebbles at columns known as Jamarat.
Millions of pilgrims converge at the Jamarat bridge, which housesthe
three columns representing the devil.
The bridge has been the sight of deadly stampedes in the past, with
around 350 people being crushed to death in 2006.
But in recent years, the event has taken place without major incident,
and this year, Saudi Arabia has unveiled an expanded five-storey
structure to accommodate the crowds.
After casting their stones, pilgrims perform the sacrifice.
Pilgrims thus slaughter a sheep, goat, cow or camel - or more likely,
pay for it to be done in their names.
At this point, pilgrims trim or shave (men only) their hair and remove
their ihram clothes. Manywill then proceed to Mecca to perform Tawaf
and Sa'y, first circling the Kaaba seven times, then walking seven
times between the hills of Safa and Marwa.
When all is finally done, they return to their campsite in Mina.
Final days,11th-13th of Thul-Hijjah
With the hardest part behind them, pilgrims will now spend the next
two or three days in Mina.
On each day, they will again perform throwing at each of the three pillars.
When their time in Mina is finished, pilgrims return to Meccato
perform the final circulation ofthe Kaaba, a "farewell" tawaf.
Before heading home, many also go to Medina, the second holiest city
in Islam, where the Prophet Muhammad is buried along with his closest
companions . Visiting Medina, however, is not a part of Hajj.