Improper dress for women and intermingling between sexes

The greatest and most important of all the favors and blessings
bestowed by Allaah is Islam and the honorable Islamic law, which is
derived from the Book ofAllaah and the Prophetic Sunnah. This Law has
outlined all that which is beneficial for mankind inthis life and the
Hereafter.
One of the virtues of this Law is that its rules and regulations have
clearly laid out preventions of allevil and immorality, and all the
roads that lead to it which is a protection ofthe truth and morality.
There are many issues forwhich this Law has laid out preventative
measures so that people will not fall into evil, for example on some
of the issues of faith, acts of worship and transactions.
However, the most obvious of all of these preventative measures are
those related to women and the limits that Allaah has defined for them
not to exceed. Islam has clearly laid the guidelines for the
Muslimwoman to adhere to so that her personality remains distinct and
her safety, purity, and good conduct are assured.
The correct dress and covering for women and the prohibition of them
intermixing with men arethe two most important interconnected
preventative measures that Islam has laid out. Muslims must submit to
the rulings which oblige women to properly coverin order to protect
their chastity and purity, maintain shyness and protect them from
being harassed or bothered, as Allaah says )what means(:}O Prophet!
Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to
bring down over themselves ]part[ of their outer garments. That is
more suitable that they will be known]as chaste believing women[ and
not be abused. And ever is AllaahForgiving and Merciful{]Quran 33:
59[.
In this verse, Allaah addressed the wives of the Prophetwho werethe
furthest from immorality and evil actions; they were purestand most
pious women ever and were honored by the virtue of being married to
the Prophet.
Muslims must also adhereand submit to the rulings which prohibit
intermixing mixing between men and women. There are many Islamic texts
in this regard, such as the Hadeeth which is narrated by 'Uqbah Ibn
'Aamirthat the Prophetsaid:"Do not enter into the presence of women."A
man from the Ansaar then retorted: 'What about our in-laws' -
referring to the relatives of a woman's husband such as his brothers,
cousins, and their children, so the Prophetreplied:"The in-laws are
death"]Al-Bukhaari & Muslim[ which means that they are more harmful to
women than death is to the soul. The previous evidence came from the
Prophetwhose words were nothing but revelation. So how could anybody
ever accept anyone else's opinion over this?
Why is it that the Prophetlined up the rows of men for prayers in the
mosque separate from the women, and described the rows, as narrated by
Abu Hurayrahby saying:"The best rows ]in the mosque[ are the first
rows, and the worst are the last, and the best rows ]inthe mosque[ for
women are last the rows, and the worst are the first."]Muslim[. This
affirmsthe obligation of separating men from women, and keeping them
far apart. If this is the way believing men and women should be during
an act of worship inside the mosque, then how much more so is it
necessary in places outside the mosques, where gatherings might
include evil and sinful people along with the good people?
The Muslim nation must not slight these texts because the evil
consequences which these texts are aiming to prevent society from
still very much exist, and there is nothing that would prevent such
evils from occurring in our time which did not exist at the time of
the Prophet
Moreover, the people whom the Prophetaddressed in these narrations
were the best generation of the Muslim nation according to his own
testimony, as was mentioned in many narrations. So, has the need for
such texts and their warnings vanished in our time? Is it not a clear
fact that in fact we need these texts and warnings even more than that
generation did? This is especially so because of the dangers of evil
in our time becoming more widespread and its means being more diverse.
It is usually the case that people honor any set of laws which they
perceiveas being beneficial to them, especially when these laws
prevent evil orharm from befalling them when applied; moreover, people
do not mind if these laws include certain restrictions on their
freedom and impose penalties for those who disobey or transgress the
defined limits. Why is it the case that some of those who believe in
Allaah and His Messenger deal with Islamic Law with suspicion and
uncertainty. Some of these people even go as far as to demand that it
should be abolished, despite the fact that this Law includes all that
which is beneficial to mankind and prevents, or at least reduces, all
that which brings harm?
It is not permitted for anyone to discuss and pass judgment
regardingthis issue without having the proper Islamic knowledge to be
able to do so. Nor should they base their discussion and opinion on
unfounded claims with no evidence, or simply argue on the basis of
their base desires. Rather, one should be sincere and free themselves
from their base desires which will divert them far away from the
truth. In addition, one must have a broad knowledge of Islam and
possess the ability to differentiate between authentic and weak
evidences, possess a clear understanding of the relevant evidences as
well as the ability to properly extract Islamic rulings from these
evidences; only then can a person become eligible to discuss this
issue.
The outcome of what we say or write is the matter which we must fear
the most, and are extremely wary of its consequence, as the
Prophetclarified to Mu'aath Ibn Jabalafter he had asked with
astonishment:"Will we be held responsible for all that we say?" The
Prophetreplied:"What do you think makes people land on their faces or
noses into the Hellfire more than the product of their
tongues?"]Ahmad, Abu Daawood & At-Tirmithi[.

Prerequisites of the Prayer

Some prerequisites exist regarding the offering of Prayers.
Theseprerequisites must be fulfilled before the commencement of the
Prayer, otherwise the Prayer will not be considered valid. The
following are the prerequisites:
1.Knowledge that the time for the Prayer has begun:
Each prayer has its own particulartime at which it must be performed.
Allaah Says )what means(:"…Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the
believers a decree of specified times."]Quran 4: 103[ The Prophethas
clarified when the time of each prayer starts and when it ends. So
anybody who prays a given prayer before its fixed time,his prayer is
invalid.
2. Purity from Major and Minor impurities:
A minor impurity is one that may be removed by the performance of
ablution )Wudhou'(. A state of minor impurity results after defecation
or urination. A major impurity requires the performance of Ghusl or
ritual bathing. A state of major impurity results after sexual
intercourse or sexual discharge for both men and women. Menstruation
and postpartum bleeding are considered forms of major impurities. In
those cases, after such conditions come to an end, women are required
to make Ghusl before praying.
Allaah Almighty Says )what means(:"O you who have believed, when you
rise to]perform[ prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the
elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles.
Andif you are in a state of Janaabah)major impurity(, then purify
yourselves…"]Quran 5: 6[
The Prophetsaid:"Allaah does not accept any prayer that was not
performed while in a state of purity, nor does He accept charity from
what has been stolen from booty."]Al-Bukhaari & Muslim[
3. Purity of the body, clothes and place:
Such objects should be clean of physical impurities as much as
possible. If one can not remove them, he may pray with the impurities
present and does not have to repeat the prayer later. Concerning
bodily purity, it was related that the Prophetsaid:"Stay clean of
urine, as the majority of punishment in the grave is due to
it."]Ad-Daaraqutni[
'Alireported:"I used to have a great deal of prostatic fluid flowing,
so I asked a man to ask the Prophetabout it. He asked him and the
Prophetsaid:'Make ablution and wash your genital organ.'"]Al-Bukhaari[
Concerning purity of clothing, Allaah Says )what means(:"And your
clothing purify."]Quran 74: 4[
Jaabir Ibn Sumrahreported that he heard a man asking the Prophet:"May
I pray in the same clothes that I had on during intercourse with my
wife?"Hesaid:"Yes, but if yousee some stains on it, you must wash
it."]Ahmad and Ibn Maajah[
Concerning the purity of the placewhere one is praying, Abu
Hurayrahsaid: "A Bedouin stood and urinated in the mosque. The people
got up to grab him. The Prophetsaid:'Leave him and pour a container
full of water over his urine. You have been raised to be easy on the
people, not to be hard on them.'"]Al-Bukhaari[
4. Covering the 'Awrah)parts of the body that should be covered(
Allaah, Almighty, Says )what means(:"O children of Aadam, take your
adornment at every Masjid )Mosque(…"]Quran 7: 31[
The meaning of "adornment" here is the covering of the 'Awrah. The
meaning of"Mosque" is "prayer." Therefore, itmeans "Cover your 'Awrah
for every prayer." Salamah Ibn Al-Aku'said to the Prophet:"O Messenger
of Allaah, may I pray in a long shirt?"Hesaid:"Yes, but button it,
even with just a thorn."]Al-Bukhaari[
6. Facing the Qiblah:
All scholars agree that one must face the Qiblah during every prayer.
Allaah Says )what means(:"…Turn your face toward Al-Masjid Al-Haraam.
And wherever you ]believers[ are, turnyour faces toward it ]in
prayer[..."]Quran 2: 144[
If one can not determine the direction of the Qiblah,he shouldask one
who knows. If he finds no one to ask, he should try his best to
determine it. In such a case, his prayer will be valid, and he needs
not repeat it even though he discovers later on thathe had faced in
the wrong direction. If it is made clear to him while he is praying
that he is facing the wrong direction, he needs only turn in the
proper direction without stopping his prayer.
The first one is performing voluntary prayers while riding )ananimal,
car and so on(. The rider may bend his head slightly for the bowings,
but he should bend a little bit lower for the prostrations. He may
face in whatever direction his ride is going.
He did not, however, do this for the obligatory prayers. Ahmad and
Muslimrecorded that hewould pray on his mount while traveling from
Makkah to Madeenah, facing away from Makkah. Upon this, Allaah
revealed )what means(:"…Wherever you ]might[ turn, there is the Face
of Allaah..."]Quran 2: 115[ Ibraaheem An-Nakhaa'isaid:"They would pray
on their mounts and animals in the direction in which they were
facing."Ibn Hazmcommented:"This has been related from the companions
andthose of the following generation, during travel and residence."
The second case is praying while having to deal with forced
conditions, illness and fear. Undersuch circumstances, it is allowed
to pray without facing the Qiblah.The Prophetsaid:"If I order you to
do something, do what you are capable of doing."Allaah Says )what
means(:"And if you fear ]an enemy, then pray[ on footor riding…"]Quran
2: 239[. Ibn 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased withhim,added:"Facing the
Qiblah or not facing it."]Al-Bukhari[
There are two cases in which onedoesn't have to face the Ka'bah.'Amr
Ibn Rabee'ahreported:"I saw the Messenger of Allaahpraying while
riding and hefaced the direction in which he was going."]Al-Bukhaari &
Muslim[

The dangers of smoking

People should make use of what Almighty Allaah has made lawful for
themand beware of what He has prohibited. He left nothing which is
good without making it lawful out of His grace, and nothing which is
evil except that he prohibitedit out of His mercy. So, just as He
conferred uponyou the bounty of making the good lawful, He also
conferred upon you the bounty of making the evil prohibited. People
should therefore offer praise to Him for both cases by willingly
taking the lawful things and shunning the prohibited saying: 'we hear
and obey.'
Nowadays smoking has spread to every section of our society, even to
young boys in the markets and in their homes. No one can deny the
harmful effects that ithas on one's body, financial condition, society
and religion.
The Affects Smoking on the Body
People smoke for different reasons )as theyclaim(, some smoke to relax
when they feeling tense, others smoke to feel more alert when they
feeling dull, while others smoke when they're depressed or bored, or
to overcome feelings of anger or grief.The question here is; how can a
mere cigarettebe so many things to so many people? The answer lies in
the chemicals in cigarettes and the powerful psychological effects
theyhave.
There's hardly a part of the human body that's not affected by the
chemicals in the cigarettes you smoke. Let's take a tour of your body
to look at how smoking affects it.
The Head & Mouth
As a smoker, you're at risk for cancer of the mouth. Tobacco smoke can
also cause gum disease, tooth decay and bad breath. The teeth become
unsightly and yellow. Smokers may experience frequent headaches. And
lack of oxygen and narrowed blood vessels to the braincan lead to
strokes.
Lungs and Bronchi
Moving down to your chest, smoke passes through the bronchi, or
breathing tubes. Hydrogen cyanide and other chemicals in the smoke
attack the lining of the bronchi, inflaming them and causing that
chronic smoker's cough. Because the bronchi are weakened, you're more
likely to get bronchial infections. Mucus secretion in your lungs is
impaired, also leading to chronic coughing. Smokers are 10 times as
likely to get lung cancer and emphysema as nonsmokers.
Smoking and the Heart
The effects of smoking onyour heart are devastating. Nicotine raises
blood pressure andmakes the blood clot more easily. Carbon monoxide
robs the bloodof oxygen and leads to the development of cholesterol
deposits on the artery walls. All of these effects add up to an
increased risk of heartattack. In addition, the poor circulation
resultingfrom cholesterol depositscan cause strokes, loss of
circulation in fingers and toes and impotence.
Smoking and the Body's Organs
The digestive system is also affected. The tars in smoke can trigger
cancerof the esophagus and throat. Smoking causes increased stomach
acid secretion, leading to heartburn and ulcers. Smokers have higher
rates of deadly pancreatic cancer. Many of the carcinogens from
cigarettes are excreted inthe urine where their presence can cause
bladder cancer, which is often fatal. High blood pressure from smoking
can damage the kidneys.
Nicotine—A Stimulant
Nicotine, the chemical that makes addicts out ofcigarette smokers, is
a stimulant with propertiessimilar to those of cocaine and amphetamine
)speed(. Nicotine provides the pick-me-up that smokers feel. It
increases heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate, and makes the
smoker feel more alert. Unfortunatelythese effects wear off after 20
minutes or so and the smoker is left craving another pick-me-up.
Acetaldehyde and CarbonMonoxide—Sedatives
Acetaldehyde, a byproduct of both cigarette smoke and alcohol, has
some sedative properties. The carbon monoxide in cigarettes makes you
feeldull the way you would in a stuffy room with not enough air. These
chemicals seem to dampen some people's feelings of tension, angeror
strong emotion.
Other Psychological Effects
For many, the act of smoking itself—pausing in one's work, lighting
up, exhaling a certain way—becomes a comforting ritual in itself.The
smoker may be involved in a private fantasy that relieves feelings of
boredom and meaninglessness. Smoking may go hand in hand with other
activities, such as drinking coffee or alcohol or eating dessert.These
"triggers" are why quitting smoking involves more than just kicking
the nicotine habit. Sooner or later everyone who smokes does so to
relieve the craving for nicotine—a powerfully addictive drug. The
addicted body sends messages of uneasiness and need to the conscious
mind until the smoker gives in and lights up.
Understanding Is Power
Take a close look at the feelings that make you want a cigarette and
those that you have after you light up. Understanding these feelings
will put you in charge when you're ready to quit smoking. Do not be
deceived by smokers who might appear to be of strong stature; unlike
their outward appearance, they are not healthy in light of their lack
appetite, the condition oftheir lungs, coughs, tuberculosis and
feebleness which might be felt upon very little exertion.
The Good news
Despite the bad health effects of smoking, the good news is that when
you quit smoking your body begins to repair itself. Ten years after
you quit, your body has repaired most of the damage smoking caused.
The Affects Smoking on the financial condition
Just ask any of them about the money that they expend daily on
smoking, which, if spent on what is beneficial for a person and his
family such as good food, drink,clothes, etc., would be of much
benefit for ones religion and worldly life. Rather, a smoker uses up
most of his money on thisvain pursuit which only adds to his immediate
and deferred injuries. Weseek Allaah's guidance for us and for them.
As for the traders who earn money from buying and selling such items
and become wealthy after being poor and richafter being needy, then
these are all ill-gotten gains and sinfulness. Such people are rich
financial terms but very poor in their hearts; wealthy in this world
but have nothing in the Hereafter, due to these ill-gotten gains which
they made in this worldlylife. They do not know when death will come
to them forcing them to leave their wealth to their heirs while their
hearts still long for it. Indeed poverty is better than wealth gained
by disobeying Allaah.
The Affects Smoking on the community
Smoking diffuses social diseases that spread corruption amongst
society, but most smokersdo not care about the spread of this
phenomenon among people; in fact they may actually enjoy seeing it
spread among people to entertain and ease their own disastrous
lifestyle. Therefore, they intentionally smoke in public before the
youth, who become accustomedto this bad habit and regard it as a
normal practice of the community. This leads to the inevitable outcome
of the youth indulging in this fad to the extent thatthey rapidly
become addicted to it. How many are the diseases that afflict those
who use the remnants of cigarettes which are thrown in streets and
public places!
The Affects Smoking on the one's religion
Most scholars, who are pure of all maladies and are well versed in the
rulings of Islamic Law, know for certain it's prohibition from the
Islamic texts and principles of Islamic jurisprudence. Smoking is
disobedience of Allaah and His Prophetand disobedience opposes faith,
which decreases bycommitting sins just as it increases by doing good.
Those upon whom Allaah has conferred His bounty of being protected
against this habit should praise Him for this bounty and ask Him for
steadfastness and to protect his brothers who are plagued with this
addiction so that they may give it up. They should also ask Allaah
repeatedly to guard themand approach all possiblemeans that might help
others to shun it such as having a strong will, avoiding the places
where this vice is practiced and replacing itwith that which Allaah
has made lawful of food and drink, for Allaah has made lawful any gate
that might lead to good. They should also think of the affairs of
those whom Allaah has released from the fetters of this habit and to
what extent they regained their health and recovered from the diseases
that afflicted them because of this addiction - surely all praise is
due to Allaah.
Those who wait until cancer or emphysema has set in aren't so
lucky—these conditions are usually fatal. It's one more reason to take
the big step and quit now, but a more worthy reason to quite is to
adhere to the command of Allaah to eat and drinkhealthy and refrain
from harmful matters. Allaah Says )what means(: "O you who have
believed! Eat from the good ]i.e., lawful[ things which We have
provided for you and be grateful to Allaah,if it is ]indeed[ Him that
you worship."]Quran 2: 172[.

Dought & clear - April Fools.

In some foreign countries – kafir (non-Muslim)countries –there is the
well-known custom of April Fools, which happens of the first day of
April. Some Muslims are imitating them in this, thinking that it is
permissible to tell lies on this day… what is your opinion on this
belief and on this custom?
Praise be to Allah.
Lying is not permissible at all, at any time. And it is not
permissible to imitate the kuffar (non-Muslims) and to be like them,
on this day or on any other, because the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever imitates a people is one of
them."
And Allah knows best.