Fathwa, - Nikah and intimacy between man and wife

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Ramadan Articles - Points to Ponder in Ramadan

A person might contemplate duringRamadanupon numeroussubjects. He
should reflect upon his affairs, his final abode, and whatis awaiting
him, as regards his departure to Allaah The Almighty. He can also
contemplate over his morals and evil aspects, in the hope of getting
rid of the latter; his acts of worship in which he was negligent and
which were filled with doubts and passing thoughts, which kept him far
from Allaah The Almighty, and from having good private talk with Him.
He can contemplate about standing in front of Him; what mends his own
self and final abode, and what causes him to knowand have love for his
Lord The Almighty.
A believer should reflect upon the Names and Attributes of Allaah; and
his standing to his Lord on the Day the people would stand to the Lord
of the Worlds. If one reflects upon the Names and Attributes of
Allaah, his living and final abode, his departure, death and grave,
his resurrection and standing in front of Allaah The Almighty, the
evil of his own soul, and the deficiencies of his actions and
provision, undoubtedly his reflection would cause him to increase in
faith and refrain from disobedience. It would enable him to endure
thedifficulty of striving against the evil he is suffering from,
remember the grave, death and accounting, and remember the terrors and
standing in front of Allaah The Almighty. All of this would be a
motive for him to hasten to Allaah The Almighty, to keep away from
sins, fear Allaah The Almighty, do his best and strive to excel in
worship and obedience, and persist inthinking of what returns upon him
with good in his worldly life and his final abode.
As for the remembrance of Allaah The Almighty, if one devotes himself
to it,he will be in the same state mentioned by Allaah The Almighty
Who Says )what means(:}So remember Me; I will remember you. And be
grateful to Me and do notdeny Me.{]Quran 2:152[ Among the benefits of
one's leaving his food and drink )in fasting( is to realize this
state. Is it appropriate that one realizes this during his day, and
when he breakshis fast, he gives up meditation and remembrance of
Allaah The Almighty? I mean those high ranks that represent the origin
of the knowledge of and love for Allaah The Almighty. Once he
reflectsupon the names and attributes of Allaah The Almighty, he
affirms the Oneness of his Lord, lovesHim, fears Him, has hope in Him,
supplicates Him, draws near Him, and makes his share from Allaah The
Almighty the most important priority for him in the world and the
Hereafter.
You need this meaning today and afterRamadan, otherwise, what would
you do if your days pass and you return to your old state, and the
month ofRamadangets over without getting any of that?
The next meaning is to make substantial contributions to increasing
the sustenance for the poor and needy. It is one of the traces
ofTaqwa)consciousness of Allaah The Almighty(. It is your share )of
good( which you should be keen to obtain, to give out of your property
to the poor and needy, for the sake of Allaah The Almighty. Make
hunger and thirst a reminder for you of those who have long been
suffering fromhunger and thirst, support your brethren and the
righteous slaves of Allaah The Almighty, and honor and bring about
pleasure upon them. All of this is among the best deeds mentioned by
the Messenger of Allaah. That was his state inRamadan. He was the most
generous of all people, and he used to be at the pinnacle of his
generosity in the month ofRamadan, when Jibreel )Gabriel(would teach
him the Quran. ]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
To conclude those benefits, let us say that fasting, standing )at
night in prayer(, remembrance of Allaah The Almighty and reduction of
food, drink and desire inRamadanbreak the soul's voracity, greediness,
wrongness and transgression. This is one of the most important reasons
that make one submit to his Lord and increase in piety.
The human soul inclines to transgression, errors, arrogance, laziness,
idleness and sleep -- it holds all things dear. Thisis why fasting is
one of the greatest means to break the destructive desires of the soul
for thesake of Allaah The Almighty, whereby it becomes submissive,
humble, reassured and devout. It hastens to obedience and seeks
forgiveness, humbles andsubmits itself to Allaah The Almighty, and the
heart and the physical organs respond to His love and obedience, and
refrain from disobedience to Him.

Ramadan Articles - Welcome, Month of Goodness!

Ramadanis around the corner, the great month the Muslims wait for with
passion and yearning, with longing and tears -- tears of pleasure at
receiving the dearest and most generous of months.
It is the month of goodness and mercy, the month of purity and
chastity, the month of cleanness and clarity, in which the hearts are
cleansed and the souls rise high.
Congratulations on the coming ofthe month of good things, the month of
the dutiful acts, and the month of pleasures, in which Allaah The
Almighty boasts before His angels of you, and looks at your
competition in it.
Welcome to you, O honored guest and great month! Welcometo you, O
month of goodness, spring of forgiveness, and beloved to )Allaah( the
Most Merciful!
These are the seasons that have come to exude their pleasant scent
among the people. They are seasons to obtain good deeds and reduce
misdeeds. So, Oseeker of goodness, come forward ]to do good[! O seeker
ofevil, desist ]from evil[!
The Prophetsaid: "When the first night of Ramadan comes, the gates of
Hell are locked and none of them is opened; the gates of Paradise are
opened andnone of them is locked, and the devils and the strong Jinns
are chained in fetters; and a caller calls out, 'O seeker of goodness,
come forward )and perform acts of goodness diligently(, O seeker of
evil, stop )and repent for it is time to repent(.' Some are freed from
Hell by Allaah, and that happens every night."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
My brothers and sisters in )the religion of( Allaah:
Ramadanwas the wish of your beloved, Muhammadwho said: "O Allaah!
Bless us in Rajab and Sha'baan, and make us live until we witness
Ramadan." The righteous predecessorsused to supplicate their Lord for
six months to accept their deeds of the lastRamadan, and another six
months to convey them to the next Ramadan. Where do we stand with
regard to the first generation?
Welcome to you, O master of the months! The Messenger of Allaahsaid:
"The month of Ramadan has come upon you. It is a month of blessing, in
which Allaah covers you with His mercy, plots out sins, and responds
to supplication. He looks at your competition in it, and shows pride
to His angels in you. So, show Allaah good from yourselves, since the
wretched is he who is deprived of Allaah's mercy." ]At-Tabaraani[
In it, the people are of two kinds:one receivesRamadanwith
ladentables, varieties of food and drink, and spends the greatest part
of his day sleeping, and the greatest part of his night wandering. The
other kind of people receivesRamadanby returning to Allaah The
Almighty,repentance, seeking forgiveness, and abandoning what is
forbidden by Allaah The Almighty of disobedience, especially duringthe
month of mercy, forgiveness and release from Hellfire.
Righteousness is indeed the wisdom for which fasting has been
ordained, as stated by Allaah The Almighty )what means(: }O you who
have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon
those before you that you may become righteous.{ ]Quran 2:183[ Tongues
fast from cursing and uttering obscenities and lewd speech, and ears
fast from hearing obscene words; eyes fastfrom looking at what is
unlawful,and hearts are devout in worship, seeking Allaah The
Almighty; and the great loss is to come out of Ramadan without
increasing our good deeds nor being promoted in rank with Allaah The
Almighty. That is indeed the evident loss.
The profitable winner, by the permission of Allaah, is he who fasts in
compliance with the command of Allaah The Almighty,and prevents the
soul from]unlawful[ inclination. Then, indeed, Paradise will be his
refuge. Thus, the reward will be great and the gift abundant.
It is narrated by Ibn Abi Ad-Dunyaand others on the authority of
'Abdullaah ibn 'Amr ibn Al-'Aasthat he said, "The Messengerof
Allaahsaid: 'Verily, fasting and Quran will intercede for the servant
on the Day of Judgment. Fasting will say: 'O Lord! I prevented him
from food, drink and sexual desires during the day. So, please, accept
my intercession for him.' The Noble Quran will say: 'O Lord! I
prevented him from sleep at night. So, please, accept my intercession
for him.' He )the Prophet( said: 'Then, they will be permitted to
intercede.'"
So strive your utmost to recite the noble Quran during the approaches
of the night and the ends of the day, because the Quran will be a
witness, either for or against you. It is due on us to receive the
goodness by performance of good deeds and through abandonment of
evildoings and destructive habits.It is also due on us to maintain
kinship ties and to be dutiful to our parents, which pleases the Most
Merciful and admits one to Paradise in the company of the Prophet
Muhammad Al-Mustafa.
It is the month of goodness, giving, dutifulness and abundance of
good. It is the month of munificence, generosity, and spending in the
cause of Allaah. Therefore, do notforget your brothers and sisters
from among the poor, needy, widows and orphans. By Allaah, many nights
may come upon some people, during which they find no morsel with which
to break their fast, or a sip of drink to rely on in their fasting,
whereas you are blessed in good things and gifts. So, show Allaah The
Almighty good from yourselves.
According to Khaalid Al-Qasri"The most generous to spend among the
people is the one who gives someone from whom he has no hope ]of
return[; and the greatest to forgive among the people is the one who
pardons when he has the power not to; and the one who maintains
kinship ties most among the people is he who maintains kinship ties
with him who severs kinship ties with him."
It is narrated on the authority of 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'oodthat he said,
"The Messenger of Allaahsaid: 'Who among you considers the wealth of
his heirs dearer to him than his own wealth?' They replied, "O
Messenger of Allaah! There is none among us except that he loves his
own wealth more." The Prophetsaid: 'So his wealth iswhatever he spends
)in the causeof Allaah( during his life )on gooddeeds( while the
wealth of his heirs is whatever he leaves after his death.'"
]Al-Bukhaari[
Ar-Rabee' ibn Khaythamahnever used to give a beggar either a piece of
bread, or a broken thing, or a patched garment. He used to say, "I
feel shy that my book will be read before Allaah, having in it those
trivial things I gave for His sake."
We ask Allaah The Almighty to make abundant and blessed our share from
this noble month, to endow us with forgiveness and mercy and with a
garden in Paradise whose breadth is like the breadth of the heavens
and the earth; not to make our share only hunger and thirst, and not
to make us of those in connection with whom the honored
Messengersaid:"and the wretched is he who has been deprived of the
forgiveness of Allaah in this noble month."

Ramadan Articles - There is Blessing in Suhoor

The Prophetsaid: "Take Suhoor as there is a blessing in it."
]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[ In thisHadeeth )narration(, there is an
injunction to take Suhoor, which means eating and drinking directly
before dawn in order to get ready to fast that day. The wisdom
underlying this order is also mentioned: namely, the blessing it
contains.
Blessing is the descent of divine goodness in something and being fixed therein.
Blessing also means the increase of goodness, reward and all the
useful things needed by a slave inthe life of this world and in the
Hereafter.
Blessing comes from Allaah The Almighty and cannot be attained except
by obeying Him.
It is noticed that some of those who fast do not heed the importance
of having the Suhoor meal and delaying it; they may even abandon it
entirely. They might take a meal at midnight orbefore sleeping at
night, whetherbecause of the worry that they may not wake up on time,
or because of their desire to sleep longer, or their indifference to
Suhoor and its blessings, or their ignorance of the matter. This is a
mistake that should be avoided as it contradicts the Sunnah)Prophetic
tradition( and deprives one of the blessings of Suhoor.
A person who intends to fast should take Suhoor and delay it until
directly before dawn, even ifthe Suhoor is only a little as this has
numerous benefits and greatblessings. Among its blessings is that it
constitutes obeying the command of the Prophetmentioned in the
Hadeeth: "TakeSuhoor as there is a blessing in it." ]Al-Bukhaari and
Muslim[ This favor and honor )i.e., obeying thecommand of the Prophet(
is enough.
Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:
• }He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allaah{ ]Quran 4:80[
• }And whoever obeys Allaah and His Messenger has certainly attained
a great attainment.{ ]Quran 33:71[
Among its blessings is that it distinguishes Muslims as it contradicts
the practice of the People of the Book. The Prophetsaid: "The
difference between our fasting and that of the People of the Book is
eating Suhoor )shortly before dawn(."]Muslim[
Another blessing is that it fostersprosperity and preserves it. It was
reported on the authority of Sahl ibn Sa'd As-Saa'idithat the
Prophetsaid: "The people will continue to prosper as long as they
hasten to break the fast and delay the Suhoor."]Al-Bukhaari and
Muslim[
Among the blessings of Suhoor isthat it gives the strength needed to
perform acts of obedience, helps in performing acts of worship and
increases one's stamina and ability to work. A hungry and thirsty
person is stricken by laziness.
Among the blessings of Suhoor isattaining the salutations of Allaah
The Exalted and His angels:"Allaah and his angels definitely send
salutations on those who eat Suhoor." ]Ibn Hibbaan and At-Tabaraani in
Al-Awsat[ ]Al Albaani: Hasan[
In addition, Suhoor prevents one from indulging in bad behavior and
misdemeanor that may result from hunger.
Moreover, the time of Suhoor is a blessed time. It is the time when
Allaah The Almighty descends in a way that befits His Glory and
Majesty with His glory and greatness. The Messenger of Allaahsaid:
"Our Lord, The Blessed, The Superior, comes down every night to the
nearest Heaven to us when the last third of the night remains,
saying:"Is there anyone to invoke Me, so that I may respond to his
invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me, so that I may grant him his
request? Is there anyone seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive
him?" ]Al-Bukhaari[
Also among the blessings is that this time is one of the best times
for seeking forgiveness, if not thebest ever. Allaah The Exalted
praises those who seek forgiveness at this specific time. Allaah The
Almighty Says )what means(:
• }and those who seek forgiveness before dawn.{ ]Quran3:17[
• }And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness{ ]Quran 51:18[.
Thus, waking up for Suhoor is a reason for obtaining this bounty and
attaining the various blessings of seeking forgiveness.
Furthermore, one of the blessings of Suhoor is that it makes it more
likely for a person to answer the call to Fajr prayer, and it is well
known that this hasgreat rewards. It guarantees performing the Fajr
prayer on time in congregation.
Moreover, among the blessings of Suhoor is that eating this mealis
considered an act of worship initself, if by doing so one intends to
increase one's strength and use it in obeying Allaah and intends to
follow and adhere to the way of the Prophet. Besides, if the one who
intends to fast takes Suhoor, he will not get tired of fasting;
rather, he will long for it. On the other hand, those who do not take
Suhoor find great hardship in fasting that makes it difficult for them
to fast again.
Among the blessings of Suhoor isthat Allaah The Almighty places
goodness in the activities of the one who partakes Suhoor, so that he
is guided to doing good deeds on that day. He finds the energy to
perform obligatory andvoluntary acts of worship, recite Athkaar )words
of remembrance(, enjoin good and forbid evil and so on. Otherwise, if
he does not take Suhoor, fasting may make it difficult for him to
perform all these things.
In brief, the blessings of Suhoor are too many to be counted. Allaah
The Almighty, in His Sharee'ah, has wisdom and secrets that are
astounding to the minds, and that only a few may realize. However, we
should remember these great meanings and remind others of them.