Glorious Month of Holy Ramadan

The month of holy Ramadan enjoys a specialimportance in the
Islamiccalendar. As Holy ProphetMuhammad (S.A.W.) said:"It is Allah's
Own month."It is the chief of all months and the most glorious one. As
we already know, 'Fasting' isone of the important pillars of Islam and
it is the very month of Ramadan during which fasting has been made
obligatory for all adults and sane Muslims. By fasting during Ramadan,
a Muslim besides discharging an obligation imposed uponhim by Allah
(SWT), becomes entitled to great reward in the Hereafter. On the other
hand, any lapse in the matter amounts to a great sin. Fasting is an
article of worship, the knowledge about the performance or otherwise
whereof rests only with Allah (SWT) andthe person concerned. Hence, it
is Allah (SWT) alone who will reward that person for it, on the Day of
Judgment.
The blessings of Ramadan are not limited to fasting alone, because the
performance of all sorts of worship and good deeds during this month
is also a source of great Divine favor. The revelation of the Holy
Quran commenced during this very month and it is therefore the duty of
every Muslim to read and try to understand the meaning of the Holy
Quran and thereby gain an insight into the Divine secrets enshrined
therein. It brings peace and illumination to the mind and imparts
purity to the soul.
Holy Ramadan is the month of fasting, intensive prayer, sacrificeand
Divine worship. Throughout this month a devout Muslim fasts during the
day in the true sense of the word, that is, he had merely denies
himself food and water, but as explained by Holy Prophet Muhammad
(S.A.W.), exercises strict control over his tongue, eyes, ears,
thoughts and deedsand does everything possible to seek the pleasure of
Allah (SWT).
Devout supplications to Allah (SWT) and repentance of one's sins
during Holy Ramadhan are the sources of Divine blessings and mercy.
Some nights, among the last ten nights of Ramadan, are called the
'Nights of Glory' (Laylatul Qadr). These are the 19th, 21st, and 23rd
nights. Muslims keep awake during these nights and offer special
prayers. Even among these nights, the 23rd enjoys excellence over
allthe others. It is accompanied by great blessings, and he usually
grants the supplications made to Allah (SWT) during this night.
The month of holy Ramadan, besides being the month of worship and
Divine blessings, carries a historical importance as well. As already
mentioned above, the revelations of the Holy Quran commenced in this
month. The epoch-making 'Battle of Badr'and the ' Conquest of Makkah'
also took place during the holy month ofRamadan.
"Ramadhan", according to some traditions is one of Allah's names. This
is why we can not say Ramadhan without making it clear that we are
talking about the month, and therefore weshould always say the month
of Ramadhan. Commander of the faithful, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (A.S.)
said: Do not say Ramadan, but say themonth of Ramadhan. For you do not
know what Ramadan is? This same meaning was referred to by Holy
Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) in his speechduring Shaaban: The month of
Allah (SWT) is coming ...Let us:
1.Learn Islam with ambition,
2.Observe Islam with sincerity,
3.Practice Islam with discipline (Sunnah),
4.Spread Islam with truthand kindness.
Whosoever recites only one 'Ayat (Verse)' in Holy Ramadan, he will be
awarded as if he had recited the full Holy Quran, in other months.
Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.)
Everything has a spring and the spring of Holy Quran is the month of
Holy Ramadan. Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (A.S.)
Today (Day of feast of fast-breaking) is the feastof those whose fasts
are accepted and their sorbs are favored by Allah (SWT), and any day
in which you do not commita sin, is the day of feast. Imam Ali ibn Abi
Taleb (A.S.)

Islamic Occasions, Islamic Calendar, Muslim Calendar, Lunar Calendar,Hijri Calendar, Islamic Months

In the name of Allah, the beneficent the merciful
Islamic calendar or Muslim calendar also called the Hijri calendar
isthe calendar used to dateevents in many predominantly Muslim
countries, and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day
on which to celebrate Islamic holy days or other Islamic Occasions.
Islamic calendar or Muslim calendar is based on the Glorious Qur'an
and its proper observance is a sacred duty for Muslims. Almighty Allah
says in the Glorious Qur'an:
The number of months inthe sight of Allah is twelve (in a year) - so
ordained by Him the day He created the heavens and the earth ...
(GloriousQur'an 9:36)
It is He Who made the sun to be a shining glory,and the moon to be a
light of beauty, and measured out stages for it, that you might know
the number of years and the count of time. Allah did not create this
exceptin truth and righteousness. And He explains His signs in detail,
for those who understand. (Glorious Qur'an 10:5)
They ask thee (O Muhammad) concerning the New Moons. Say: Theyare but
signs to mark fixed periods of time in (the affairs of) men and for
pilgrimage ... (Glorious Qur'an 2:189)
Islamic calendar or Muslim calendar is a lunar calendar having twelve
lunar months in a year, the beginnings and endings of which are
determined by the sighting of the crescent moon (new moon). Theselunar
months (lunations) are based on the motion of the moon, and because 12
synodic months is only 12 x 29.53=354.36 days.
Therefore the Islamic calendar is consistently about eleven days
shorter than a tropical year or solar year. Islamicholy days, although
celebrated on fixed datesin their own calendar, usually shift eleven
days earlier each successive solar year, such as a year of the
Gregorian calendar or Christian calendar.
Muslims do not adjust their Islamic year by adding an extra month, as
the Jews do to keep their lunar calendar in synch with the seasons.
Hence the months of the Muslim Islamic year do not relate to the
seasons which are fundamentally related to the solar cycle. This means
that important Muslim festivals, which always fall in the same Hijri
month, may occur in different seasons. For example, the Hajj and
Ramadan can take place in the summer as well as the winter. It is only
over a 33-year cycle that lunar months take a complete turn and fall
during the same season.
As we already know the Islamic calendar or Muslim calendar is derived
from the phases of the moon, the Fasting month of Ramadanfalls a
little earlier each year. The effect of this is to balance out the
discrepancy between Fasting in the northern and the southern
hemispheres. It is often thought that in certain parts of the globe
the fast will be easier than in others, for the length of the day, as
well as its temperature, varies from season to season and from land to
land. But Ramadan, creeping forward at a rate of about eleven days in
each solar year, ensures that wherever one may be on the planet, the
fast will fall sometimes in winter and sometimes in summer. Similarly
although in high latitudes the days can be long, there is no heat. A
balance is thus obtained, so that Fasting is similarlyefficacious all
over the world.
Although new moons may be calculated quite precisely, the actual
visibility (by a human observer's eye) of the crescent is much more
difficult to predict. It depends on many factors such as weather, the
optical properties of the atmosphere or atmospheric pollution, the
altitude of the moon at sunset and its closeness, the quality of the
eyesight of the observer, the location of the observer and etc. It is
therefore very difficult togive accurate information in advance about
when a new month will start.
Furthermore, some Muslims depend on a local sighting of the moon,
whereas others depend on a sighting by authorities somewhere in the
Muslim world. Bothare valid Islamic practices, but they may lead to
different starting days for the months.
Islamic years are called asHijra (Hijrah) years, these Hijra (Hijrah)
years are counted since the Hijra (Hijrah), which is when the Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh)migrated from Makkah to Madina (formerly known as
Yathrib) approximately July 622 CE. Thus each numbered year is
designated either H or AH, the latter being the initials of the Latin
Anno Hegirae (in the year of the Hijra).
All the events of Islamic history, especially those which took place
during the life of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and afterwards are
quoted in the Hijri calendar era.Hijra (Hijrah) of the Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) is an important turning point for the Muslim
community. After the emigration, the Muslims were able to organize and
establish the first real Muslim "community," with social, political,
and economic independence. Life in Madina allowed the Muslim community
to mature and strengthen, and the people developed an entire society
based on Islamic principles.
It is indeed, a unique occasion to ponder that the Islamic Era did not
start with the victories of Islamic wars, nor with the birth or death
of the prophet (pbuh), nor withthe Revelation itself. It starts with
Hijra, or the sacrifice for the cause of Truth and for the
preservation of the Revelation. It was a divinely inspired selection.
Allah wanted toteach man that struggle between Truth and Evil is
eternal. The Islamic year reminds Muslims every year not of the pomp
andglory of Islam but of its sacrifice and prepares them to do the
same.
Hence, Muslims do not traditionally "celebrate" the beginning of a new
year, but we do acknowledge the passingof time, and take time to
reflect on our own mortality. The Islamic year begins on the first day
of Muharram with the remembrance of great sacrifice of Imam Hussain
(pbuh), the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) on the land of
Karbala for the sake of Truth.
The Islamic (Hijri) year consists of twelve (purelylunar) months:
*. First Month of Islamic calendar: Muharram al-Haram(Moharam,
Moharram) - Fighting is prohibited
*. Second Month of Islamic calendar: Safar al-Muzaffar- A Time of Mourning
*. Third Month of Islamic calendar: Rabi al-Awwal(Rabi-ul-Awwal, Rabi
Awwal, Rabi Awal)
*. Fourth Month of Islamic calendar: Rabi al-Thani(Rabi-us-Sani, Rabi-ul-Akhir)
*. Fifth Month of Islamic calendar: Jumada al-Awwal(Jamadi-ul-Awwal,
Jamadi Awwal)
*. Sixth Month of Islamic calendar: Jumada al-Thani(Jamadi-us-Sani,
Jumada al-Akhir)
*. Seventh Month of Islamic calendar: Rajab al-Murajab- Fighting is prohibited
*. Eighth Month of Islamic calendar: Sha'ban al-Moazzam(Shaaban, Shaban)
*. Ninth Month of Islamic calendar: Ramadan
al-Mubarak(Ramadhan,Ramazan, Ramzan)
*. Tenth Month of Islamic calendar: Shawwal al-Mukarram(Shawal, Shawwaal)
*. Eleventh Month of Islamic calendar: Dhu al-Qa'dah(ZiQa'ad, Zul
Qadah) - Fighting is prohibited
*. Twelfth Month of Islamic calendar: Dhu al-Hijjah(ZilHaj, Zul
Hijjah) - Fighting is prohibited
Due to different transliterations of the Arabic alphabet, other
spellings of the Islamic months are possible.

Accusing chaste women of adultery

Allaah Almighty Says in the Noble Quran (what means):
"The [Unmarried] woman or [unmarried] man found guilty of sexual
intercourse— lash each one of them with a hundred lashes, and do not
be taken by pity for them in the religion [i.e. law] of Allaah, if you
should believe in Allaah and the Last Day.And let a group of the
believers witness their punishment. The fornicator does not marry
except a [female] fornicator or polytheist, and none marries her
except a fornicator or a polytheist, and that [i.e. marriageto such
persons] has been made unlawful to the believers. And those who accuse
chaste women (of adultery) and then do not produce four witnesses —
lash them with eighty lashes and do not accept from them testimony
ever after. And those are the defiantly disobedient. Except for those
who repent thereafter and reform, for indeed Allaah is Forgiving and
Merciful."[Quran 24: 2-5]
Islamic law (Sharee'ah) prescribes a very heavy penalty for adultery.
However, Islam does not legislate such a penalty without first putting
in place sufficient legislation that protects people against falling
in sin. It also ensures that the punishment is not enforced except in
cases where there is certainty about the offence and its perpetrators.
Islam is a complete code of living that is not based on punishment.
Its basis is toprovide all that promotesa clean and morally pure life.
If some individuals then abandon such a clean and easy life in order
to deliberately submerge themselves into filth, they incur such heavy
penalty.
In the case of adultery, Islam requires four witnesses to testify that
they have seen the offence, or else, a clear and confirmed confession
by the perpetrators.
It may be suggested, then, that the punishment is unreal
andunenforceable, which renders it ineffective as adeterrent.
Punishment is not the basis of the Islamic approach; its basis is
prevention, education and cultivatingpeople's finer feelings and
consciences so that they refrain from even contemplating this offence.
Imaam Maaliknarrated that a man confessed to fornication in the time
of the Messenger of Allaah. The Messenger of Allaahcalled for a whip,
and he was brought a brokenwhip. Hesaid:"Above this,"and he was
broughta new whip whose knots had not been cut yet. Hesaid:"Below
this,"and hewas brought a whip which had been used and made flexible.
The Messenger of Allaahgave the order and hewas flogged. Then
hesaid:"O people! Observe the limits of Allaah. Whoever has committed
any of these ugly things (adultery or fornication) should cover them
up with the veil of Allaah. Whoever reveals to us hiswrong action, we
shall perform what is in the Book of Allaah against him (i.e. the
prescribed penalty)."[Maalik]
Prescribing a very harsh punishment for adultery is not sufficient, on
its own, to protect the Muslim community and ensure the purity of its
atmosphere. Therefore, asupplementary order is given to isolate the
adulterers from the rest of the Muslim community.It goes further to
remove the air of the offence from the Muslim community, prescribing
aheavy punishment for those who accuse chaste women of adultery
without providing firm evidence in support of their accusation. Allaah
Almighty Says in the Quran (what means):
"And those who accuse chaste women of adultery and then do not produce
four witnesses — lash them with eighty lashes and do not accept from
them testimony ever after. And those are the defiantly disobedient.
Except for those who repent thereafter and reform, for indeedAllaah is
Forgiving and Merciful"."[Quran 24: 2-5]
Allowing people to accuse chaste women, whether married or not,
without a clear proof means that people could always make up such
accusation, fearing no repercussion. This means that the Muslim
community finds itself with a stained reputation. Every individual is
threatened with false accusation. Every man suspects his wife, and
every wife suspects her husband, and people doubt their legitimacy. In
such an intolerable state of doubtand suspicion, every family is
undermined. Moreover, when such accusations are frequently made, those
who steer themselves away from adultery will begin to think that the
crime is common in society. Thus, people begin to think about adultery
in a different spirit, with its ghastly nature sounding less ghastly
as a result of its frequent mention. Those who would not have
contemplated it at all may begin to think of doing so, feeling that
many others are doing it.
Thus, in order to protect people's honor and their suffering from
suspicion as a result of uncorroborated accusations, the Quran
prescribes for false accusation a punishment that comes close to that
of adultery. The punishment is flogging with 80 stripes, rejecting
their testimony in any case or situation, and giving them the label of
transgressors. The first part of the punishment isphysical, while the
second is moral. It is sufficient that the accuser is deprived of
theright to testify, and considered deceitful. The third part of the
punishment is a religious one. The one guilty of false accusation is
following a line that deviates from that of faith. The only way to
protect himself from suchpunishments is that the accuser should
provide four witnesses who have seen the offence being committed, or
three alongside him if he himself has seen it.
It is agreed upon by Muslim scholars that for adultery (or
fornication) case to be authentically proven, four witnesses must
simultaneously see, by their own eyes, the man's sexual organ inserted
in the woman's sexual organ. Only when these four witnesses givesuch
testimony is the accusation proved and the punishment of adultery (or
fornication) is enforced on the perpetrators.
Such restrictions are set forth by Sharee'ah in order to limit to the
least minimum the possibility of falsely accusing chaste women of
adultery (or fornication), which leads to social and psychological
troubles for the accused women. Even when such a sin –adultery (or
fornication)- is committed, such restrictions laid by Sharee'ah will
guarantee the suppression of the crime and prevents its spread among
the people, which contaminates the morallypure Muslim community.

Islam's position on homosexuality

Homosexuality and lesbianism have been dubbed 'alternative
life-styles', 'personal preference', 'natural variation', etc. In the
West today, where homosexuality was once considered an illness by the
Association of Psychiatrists, it has now been removed from the list
and replaced by homophobia (the dislike of homosexuals and
homosexuality). Consequently, Islam and Muslims are considered
intolerant and biased due to their continued opposition. Arguments
infavour of tolerance towards homosexuals arebased on the assumption
that homosexual behaviour is biologically based and not merely learned
from society.
1. Early opposition to homosexuality was basedon the argument
that such behaviour was unnatural. Sodomy cannot produce children,
which is one of the main natural consequences of sexual relations.
'Mother Nature' did not make us that way, it was argued. To counter
such arguments, homosexual researchers scoured the earth until they
found supposed homosexual behaviour among the animal kingdom. They
found that the males of some species of exotic fishes off the coast
ofJapanimitated the behaviour of females of the species in order to
prevent other males fromimpregnating their mates, and some rare
butterflies from islands off the coast ofAfricaalsohad males
exhibiting female behaviour during mating season, etc. However, if the
animal kingdom is to be used to justify human behaviour, there also
exists a spider inSouth Americawhose female is much larger than the
male. When mating is complete, the female eats her mate.
2. During the 1980's it was claimed that a gland in the base of
the brain which is small in women and large in men was found to be
small among homosexuals. However, this evidence, while seeming
incontrovertibleto the layman, was immediately refuted by scientists.
The data was taken from cross-sectionsof the brains of dead adult
humans whose sexual preference was identified prior to death.
Consequently, the reduced size of that gland among homosexuals could
have been a result of the practice and not its cause. That is, they
could have been born with normal-sized glands which then became
smalldue to their deviant lifestyle.
3. Recently, genetics has become the most commonly used
foundation for the pro-gay argument. In 1993 Dr. Dean Hamer, a
researcher at the National Cancer Institute, claimed to have
discovered 'the first concrete evidence that 'gay genes' really do
exist.' Homosexual orientation was supposedly transmitted to males on
the X chromosome from the mother. Hamer's findings,published in the
prestigious journal 'Science', transformed hiscolourless career as a
government scientist intoa dynamic media personality and he penned his
memoirs. He gave expert testimony to the Colorado Supreme Court that
formed the basis of the victorious decision striking down anti-gay
propositions. However, a replication ofhis study at
theUniversityofWestern Ontariofailed to find any linkage whatsoever
between the X chromosome and sexual orientation. It wasalso found that
Hamer's study lacked a control group; a fundamental principle of
scientific research.
Furthermore, in June 1994, the Chicago Tribune reported that a junior
researcher in Hamer's laboratory who assisted in the gene mapping in
the homosexuality study, alleged that he selectively reported his
data. She was then summarily dismissed from her post-doctoral
fellowship in Hamer's lab.But a National Institute ofHealth
investigation substantiated her claims and gave her another position
in a different lab. Though Dr. Hamer was coy about his own sexuality
in his memoirs, he later admitted in his lectures that he was gay.
4. It should be noted that Islam, in its final form, did not
introduce anti-gay legislature to the world. The texts of the Torah
are replete with clear condemnations of such practices.
5. The consequence of AIDS is enough to prove that homosexuality
is eviland dangerous to society. The early spread of AIDS was
concentratedamong the homosexual community. It later spread to the
heterosexual and the so-called bisexual community through blood
transfusions and intravenous drug usage. Its spread continues on a
rampage among promiscuous heterosexuals.
6. Islam considers homosexuality to be the result of a choice. It
is inconceivable that God made people homosexuals then declared it a
crime and prescribed punishments for it in both this life and the
next. To accept such aproposition is to accept that God is unjust.
Inclinations can exist within humans for a variety of natural and
unnatural acts, from fornication to rape and from necrophilia to
bestiality. These inclinations may come from jinn-suggestions, media
influence, or even from human whisperingsor direct contact. Sodomywas
common among the people of Prophet Loot (Lot)who lived in Sodom,
Palestine; after they had rejected his advice to give up this
evilpractice, Allaah Almighty crushed and then annihilated their city.
TheQuran describes that punishment in the verse which means:"So when
Our commandment came, We made the highest part [of the city] its
lowest and rained upon them stones of hard clay in succession."[Quran:
11:82]
Human beings are not like robots who only do what they are programmed
to. Humans choose and God holds them responsible for their choices.
Were homosexuality a product of genetic destiny, it would be unfair
for God to criminalise it and punish those who practice it. Currently,
some scientists are even claiming that murder is of genetic origin. To
accept that would mean to excuse murderers and tolerate murder.
7. Islam instructs parents to separate their children in their
beds by the age of ten in order toavoid sexual experiences which may
result from childhood experimentation. Such experiences may be
reinforced by contacts in schools and through abuse from adults. Also,
the distinctions between male and female are strongly made in Islamic
teachings.
Prophet Muhammadcursed men who imitate women and women who imitate
men. Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "The Messenger
of Allaahcursed the man who wears women's clothes and the woman who
wears men's clothes." [Abu Dawood & Ibn Maajah]