Ramalan Articles, - Change and Ramadan

"The believers are only those who, when Allaah is mentioned, their
hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them, it
increases them in faith; and upon their Lord they rely."]Quran 8:2[
Have you ever read abouttheemaan)faith( of a fellow Muslim online or
in a magazine? Most likely the feeling you were left with was probably
a sense of wonder, and possibly bittersweet inspiration. Many Muslims
are blessedwith being able to relate how the light of Allaah, the
All-Powerful, is ever-present in their lives, or how they have found
peace in fulfilling the rites of Islam. These true-life stories are
heartwarming. But not every Muslim can speak from the same place. Some
may not have as tight a grip on their faithas they would like.
It is a cold, hard fact that life always intervenes to test our faith
to the limits. Some of us can bear hardships and resisttemptations.
Most of us can't. Often we feel disconnected from our Creator, as if
wandering in a dark abyss, unaware of just how precarious our
situation may be.
Butemaanis like a river of depleting ebbs and mighty flows, at times
receding into the distance, then raging back to bubble over its banks.
We all feel it. At moments of great joy or fear, most of us turn to
Allaah, praising Him, seeking help and mercy, and ouremaanskyrockets.
In others, when we're jostling in the mundane world pursuing our
earthly tasks, ouremaancan dip downward.
This is what Allaah is telling us when He All-Mighty Says )what
means(:"The believers are only those who, when Allaah is mentioned,
their hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them,
it increases them in faith; and upon their Lord they rely - the ones
who establish prayer, and from what We have provided them, they
spend."]Quran 8:2-3[.Emaanrises and falls depending on what we do—for,
indeed, one's actions are a part of one'seeman, perhaps the best
indicator of its vigor.
The question is how seriously do we take this fluctuation to ensure we
are not drawn away from life's purpose by thewhispers of Satan. Do you
take precautions against this? Do you feel it vital to protect and
enhance youremaanon ongoing basis?
If you do, there is a real opportunity for you to light up your life
this Ramadan. And I know you know that. But the opportunity, to me, is
notin Ramadan itself, but liesinstead in being able to awaken yourself
to the fact that Allaah has created us innately amenable to change.
More specifically, this opportunity, or rather the challenge, is
whetherone succeeds in making his answer to these questions an
inspired move that allows him to overcome the murmurs of vanity and
doubts in his heart? Will he muster every bit of willpower to
courageously steer himself back in line with guidance he certainly
recognizes to be true? Or shall the darkness of his weakemaanenveil
him and cause him to stray far from its broad path.
Every Muslim who has fasted Ramadan and experienced its affirmingand
inspiring power and all it brings with it knowsthat seizing this
opportunity for change isactually the easier choice, for, indeed, it
leads to ease.
Here is the main reason why.
In this month, 14 centuries ago, the Quran was revealed to the Seal of
Allaah's Messengersto call all of mankind back to the One and Only
God, Allaah the Lord and Creator of all. Allaah Says what means:"The
month of Ramadan ]is that[ in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance
for thepeople..."]Quran 2:185[ and"O mankind, there has to come to you
instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the breasts and
guidance and mercy for the believers."]Quran 10:57[
So, this means of change is mercy and guidance from Him. And the gates
to this mercy and guidance are open throughout the year but especially
so during the days and nights of Ramadan.
If youremaanis not where you want it to be, use this Ramadan as a
springboard to recommityour life to God. Start now and keep
youremaangoing all year round by arming yourselfwith`ilmand
`amal—knowledge and action.
If you believe this and truly seek to change, you will succeed.

Ramalan Articles, - A time for jubilation

Ramadan is back. And yes, all the jubilation germinating in our
households for months now has fully sprung. Spreading through the
world, crossing every kind of barrier—literal and figurative,
manmadeand natural Ramadan seeks every square foot on the face of
earth wherein is a fasting Muslim, to cheer his heart, inspire his
soul, and enrich his sense oftaqwa.
What an amazing mode of worship is the fasting of Ramadan!
Sure, fasting Ramadan is the Third Pillar upholding the edifice of
Islam. Yes, it is a time for profound reflection and nurturing that
special God-consciousness oftaqwa. True, it is a way of boosting
self-control, an extended training period of intensive worship.
But that's not all. Ramadan is a season of harvest, a time of year in
the time of man to reap joy in sowing the fruitful seeds of happiness
for our Hereafter. In fact, so much is the delight of Muslims of all
backgrounds and places in the fertile fields of Ramadan that some
scholars openly worry that our Ramadan euphoria grows so overwhelming
that it may distract us from the essence of fasting.
In a well-knownhadeethof Prophet Muhammadwe are told that a fasting
person is promised with certainty two joyous moments every time we
fast:"One at the time one breaks his fast. And another when one meets
his Lord"]Muslim[. Thehadeethdoes not limit the joy of fasting to only
these two moments. But you better believe it does, indeed, restrict
them to just those who fast. These twin joys are exclusive to fasting
and fasters. They come only to the latter because of the former.
It's not that the fasters may again eat and drink when they break
their fast. That's not the sourceof their joy. It's the fact that they
succeeded to establish their reward with Allaah, who enabledthem to
keep their fast pure, however hard it was physically or mentally and
in spite of their being able to break it when no other human was
looking. That's the sheer joy of a faster. He was able to
overcomehimself, hisnafs, and keep it honest and whole-some, inside
and out. That's the cause of celebration.
ThehadeethI just mentioned is a divine pronouncement, ahadeethqudsi.
It actuallybegins with the Prophettelling us that Allaah Says:"All the
deeds of a Son of Aadam are his]since he claims sincerity in doing
them for Me, butcannot prove it in this world[ except for fasting.It
is ]always genuinely done[ for Me, and I]consequently give unspecified
abundant[ reward for it."
So whoever fasts cannot but fast honestly and purely for Allaah's
Sake. Every Muslim knows this. This is what fills every Muslim with
glee in and about Ramadan, plain and simple.
Ah! Now that's real and absolute happiness, the kind of gladness that
only comes from having certain knowledge that one has achieved
sincerity in worship and gainedtaqwa. Meet rare contentment! It's a
feeling that only issues from a secure place of sheer confidence
within us, one that guarantees us an unimaginable reward from a Loving
and Merciful Lord—the true and only God who has Himself shown us a
recurring way of worshipthat solidifies our relationship with Him
through trust and conviction.
It is surely awe-inspiring to realize that worship is joyful, and that
the more sincere and authentic our worship, the more joy we will find
in it and because of it. The significance of Ramadan in the spiritual
storehouse of man cannot be overstated or overestimated. And it is all
ours! And it comes with a divine warranty ofhuman success, along with
a Heavenly security that it will perfect the way we worship our Lord
and serve Him exclusively!
The Muslim asks for nothing more. That is why Muslims used to do more
in Ramadan, though they were doing it on a lot less. Some of the most
important achievements of our 'Ummah materialized in this least
materialistic of months.
Is this do-more-with-less ethic of our righteous predecessors true for
you? What did you attainlast Ramadan? The one before?
Many of us do more for ourselves in Ramadan than any time of year. But
compared to what? And what have you done for your family, your local
community, your Ummah in past Ramadans?
Do you know what you want to achieve this Ramadan?

Fathwa - Friend's sister is"marrying" a non-Muslim

Question:
I am asking this question on behalf of afriend. She comes froma family
where her mother is a convert, her father a pious Muslim, and she and
her siblings were raised in an Islamic environment. Her older sister
was previously married to a very difficult man, and she has children
from that first marriage. She finally got the strength to leave him,
but now, after having considered a number of Muslim men who each
turned out to be poor choices for marriage, she has decided to marry a
non-Muslim. He is a good man, seems to bemorally upright, and treats
her much better than the Muslim men have. My friend knows that this is
not acceptable religiously and is concerned not only about her sister
and the future of her sisters' children, but is also worried about how
she herself shoulddeal with the situation. Should she keep her
distance altogether (thereby somewhat cutting off relations with her
sister, which of course she does not think is right to do), or be nice
to the guy because he is nice and also because setting a goodexample
will be good da'wah, or just maintain a relationship with her sister
while trying to "ignore" the presence of the "husband"? And if this
marriage lasts inthe present condition (with him not converting,
etc.), should she allow her own children to interact with this
"family"?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful
Dear Sister,
Assalamu alaikum,
Given the sensitivity of the situation, it is best if this matter is
taken up with a leading member of the community.
I can only give you some general advice:
1.Just because some Muslim men are bad husbands doesn't meanthat all
of them are. This is not an excuse to give up on Muslim men.
2.Marriage to a non-Muslim man remains impermissible, despite the
sister's harsh experiences withMuslim men.
3.Shunning the man is not a good idea. The sin is hers not his.
Therefore, he is deserving of kind treatment, which is thebest da'wah.
4.She needs to let her sister know that this situation is unlawful,
and, therefore, very displeasing to Allah. If she really wants
barakain her marriage, then she'll ask this man to take shahada.
5.She should not cut her sister off. However, sheshould also maintain
some distance because continuing things"business as usual" may convey
the impression that she endorses the situation.
6.It is probably best not to allow her children tostay in her sister's
home until the situation becomes lawful.And Allah knows best.

Fathwa - What a loving muslim wife should do when herhusband shakes hands with non-muslim women?

Question:
What a loving Muslim wife should do when her husband shakes hands with
non-Muslim women ?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most MercifulDear Sister,
Assalamu alaikum,
The solution is clear. Explain to your husband that it is not
permissible to shake hands with unrelated members of the opposite sex.
If he fears embarrassment, then offer to shake the women's hands for
him. And explain to the women in a nice way that Muslim culture does
not permit men and women, who are not related, to shake hands.
Nevertheless, if your husband persists, then leave this between him
and Allah. He may have to figure out this issue for himself.
Just advise him to be cautious and fear Allah inhis dealings, and then
goon with your life.
And Allah knows best.