Muslims' position towards the Danish insulting cartoons

Question:
What is the solution to the Danish cartoon that was done in Europe?
How should a Sunni Muslim from the USA think about these heathens!
Fatwa:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that
Muhammadis His slave and Messenger.
Every Muslim should know that the defamation about the religion and
mocking the Prophetwhich happened along the centuries and which is
happeningnow is an affliction through which a Muslim should be
patient. The Prophetsaid:"How strange is the matter of a believer,
there is good in all his affairs, and this is only for the believer.
If something good happens to him and he is grateful, then this is good
for him, and if a calamity befalls him and he is patient, then this is
alsogood for him." ]Muslim[ The fact that people ridicule the
Prophetis not a new matter. Rather itis a very ancient matter that is
being renewed. The non-Muslims from the tribe of Quraysh insulted the
Prophetand theysaid that he was a poet, a magician and a mad man, and
they defamed him with other insults, but this did not harm the
Prophetand did not decrease his status. This ]what happened[ only
increases our firm belief in the Prophetand that he was truly a
Prophet, and it increases our love for him, and makes us abide by his
orders.
Our advice to our Muslim brothers during these grave events and
similar incidents in addition to what we already mentioned is the
following:
1- To control oneself and take it easy, and not
hasten and do any act which maybe of a negative effect for the
Muslims. Rather, one should exploit these events in a way to serve
this religion, as these bitterincidents could yield sweet fruits.Ibn
Al-Qayyimsaid: 'Calamities and problems are afflictions and )in
reality are( blessings.' Indeed these incidentsdraw the attention of
the neglectful Muslims and result in their return to Allaah, and it is
a way of renovating the religion in the hearts of the Muslims, in
addition to other benefits that could be achieved.
2- It is an obligation to repent to Allaah and avoid sins and acts
of disobedience. Allaah Says)what means(: }And whatever strikes you of
disaster, it is for what your hands have earned; but He pardons
much.{]Quran 42:30[. Moreover, the Prophetsaid: "If you trade with
Ribaa)usury and interest(, and stick to the tails of cows and are
pleased with the plantations ]are busy with this worldly life[, and
abandoned Jihaad )fighting in theCause of Allaah(, Allaah will put you
through a humiliation which He will not remove from you untilyou
return to your religion." ]AbuDaawood[
3- To ask the scholars about what to do and act according to their
advice, as a sign of acting according to the Saying of Allaah)which
means(: }And when there comes to them something ]i.e. information[
about ]public[ security or fear, they spread it around. But if they
had referred itback to the Messenger or to those of authority among
them, then the ones who ]can[ draw correct conclusions from it
wouldhave known about it.{ ]Quran 4:83[. Therefore, one should not act
]say or do anything[ except according to the advice of these scholars.
We would like to stress on the importance of boycotting the products
of the countries which published these cartoons, and undertaking other
means which could achieve religious benefits. In doing so, we have to
focus on the country which caused the spread of this evil, and we
should completely and totally boycott its
products, services and medicines until they taste the outcome of their
evil acts.
4- To unite: By uniting, the nation will become powerful, andwe
should be careful of divisions, as this weakens the nation. Allaah
Says )what means(: }And hold firmly to the rope of Allaah all together
and do not become divided.{]Quran 3:103[. Allaah Says)what means(:
}And obey Allaah and His Messenger, and do not dispute and ]thus[ lose
courage and ]then[ your strength would depart; and be patient. Indeed,
Allaah is with the patient.{]Quran 8:46[.
Finally, it should be noted that the above advice and directives are
required from the Muslims at all times, and that they]directives[ are
more confirmed when such events and incidents happen.
Allaah Knows best.

Evidence that Muhammadwas a Prophet

Question:
Prove that Muhammad is a true Prophet. What powers did God give him?
Please e-mail it as soonas possible.
Fatwa:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that
Muhammadis His slave and Messenger.
The signs that prove the prophecy of Muhammadare numerous. Many books
have beenwritten to enumerate them and thoroughly discuss them. We
would like to mention some of these signs as reported by Muslim
scholars and which prove that Muhammadwas a real Prophet including:
- First, his good biography and high morals as well as the noble
qualities that distinguished him. He was known before becoming a
Prophet as a truthful and honest person, although the community where
he lived was a society of ignorance. This was, perhaps, the most
important sign of his prophecy. He was not known to have ever lied on
people. So, why should he lie on be half of the Lord by claiming that
he was a Prophet, if he was not a real Prophet?
- Second, the powers and triumphs Allaah gave him and thespread of the
religion he preached, as well as the triumph of this religion over all
existing religions in a short period of time. Had he been a liar,
Allaah would have humiliated and destroyed him as He did with those
before him who falsely claimed Prophethood.
- Third, the miracles Allaah gave him as supporting evidence were
beyond the ability of human beings andwere beyond range ofnatural
phenomena. The moon split for him, water gushed from his fingers, food
became more abundant in his hands, and similar phenomena were
authentically reported and happened in a way that could notbe denied.
- Fourth, the Prophetwas backed by the greatest miracle which is
theQuran. In fact,Quranwas a challenge and remains a challenge for
Arabs who were known to be good poets and eloquent speakers. Allaah
challenged them to write a singleSurah )chapter( that would be similar
to that ofQuran, but the Arabs were unable to do so. Indeed, the
challenge still endures, none of the Arabs throughout history - since
the revelation of theQuran- was ableto make anything that was even
similar to it. No doubt that theQuranhas been preserved intact until
it came to us. Groups of people memorized it including children,
adults, males and females. So generations brought theQuranto
generations until it reached us as it was revealed 14 centuries ago.
Hence, theQuranremains intact protected from distortion or alteration.
Nothing has been added to it, nor taken from it.Quranis full of
scientific facts that were verified only in these times of scientific
investigation. No doubt that Muhammad who was illiterate would not
have possessed this knowledge 14 centuries ago. Doesn't this prove the
authenticity of theQuranand thatit is the Word of the Creator of the
Universe who knows all its secrets?
- Fifth, the things from the unseen that he )the Prophet( informed us
about. Some of themoccurred during his life time. Others happened
later. Some of these things happened to the Prophets, may Allaah exalt
their mention, who preceded him and some are still to occur. He also
informed about the signs of The Day of Judgment, some of which had
already been seen such as widespread killings and genocide, adultery
and fornication and the consumption of the alcohol, outnumbering of
males by females and the increased number of earthquakes, and
afflictions,… etc.
- Sixth, the testimony of some of the people of the Book that he was a
true Prophet. Some of them believed in him like 'Abdullaah Ibn
Salaamwho was a Jew as well as Negus )king ofAbyssinia( who was a
Christian. Some of the people of the Book certified that he was a
Prophet from Allaah but refused to follow him like Huyayy Ibn Akhtab.
The above are some of the signs that prove his Prophethood and the
authenticity of his revelations. We would like the questioner to visit
some of the Islamic centers in her area, and hopefully, they will
guide her to some useful references in the matter.
Allaah Knows best.

Questions that the Jews posed to the Prophet

Question:
I heard that when Prophet Muhammadstarted preaching Islam, the Jews
were very upset and they wanted to test him to find out whether he was
a true Prophet, so they prepared 40 difficult questions and asked him.
Is this true, if yes,please, explain what are the 40 questions and
what were the answers given by the Prophet Muhammad?
Fatwa:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that
Muhammadis His slave and Messenger.
No doubt that the Jews disbelieved in what Allaah revealed to our
Prophet Muhammadand hated it. They were envious of him - except a few
of them - because he was not one of them, i.e. did not descend from
the children ofIsrael.
Allaah Says )which means(:}And when there came to them a Book]i.e. the
Quran[ from Allaah confirming that which was with them - although
before they usedto pray for victory against those who disbelieved -
but ]then[ when there came to them that which they recognized, they
disbelieved in it; so the curse of Allaah will be upon the
disbelievers. How wretched is that for which they sold themselves -
that they would disbelieve in what Allaah has revealed through ]their[
outrage that Allaah would send down His favor upon whom He wills from
among His servants. So they returned having ]earned[ wrath upon wrath.
And for the disbelievers is a humiliating punishment.{]Quran 2:89-90[.
However, we do not know of any authentic Hadeethstating that they
prepared forty questions for the Prophetand asked him about them.
What is proved in the books of Imaans Al-Bukhaari and Ahmadas well as
otherauthentic sources is that they asked him seven questions.
Al-Bukhaarireported that Anasnarrated that when'Abdullaah Ibn
Salaamheard about the arrival of the Prophetto Madeenah, he came to
himand asked him about some things saying: "I will ask about three
things that none except a messenger knows: what is the first sign of
the Hour? What is the first meal that the dwellers ofParadiseeat?
Why is it that the child sometimes resembles his father and other
times his mother?" The Prophetsaid:"Jibreel )Gabriel( informed about
this earlier. Ibn Salaamsaid:"That is the Jews' enemy from theangels."
The Prophetsaid:"As for the first sign of the Hour, it is a fire that
gathers the peoplefrom the East and the West. As for the first meal
that the dwellers ofParadiseeat, it is a portion of the fish liver.
As for the child, if the water )i.e. sperm( of the man comes before
that of the woman, the child resembles his father and if the mother's
water comes first then the child resembles her. Thereupon, Ibn
Salaamsaid:"I bear witness that none has theright of being worshipped
but Allaah and that you are His messenger." Then Ibn Salaamsaid: "O
Prophet of Allaah, the Jews are people of falsehood.So ask them about
me before they realize that I have become Muslim. The Jews came and
the Prophetasked them: "How doyou grade 'Abdullaah Ibn Salaam within
your community." They said: "Our best and the son of ourbest."
Thereupon, the Prophetsaid: "What if 'Abdullaah Ibn Salaam becomes
Muslim?" They said: "May Allaah protect
him from that!" The Prophetthen repeated the same questions and the
Jews repeated the same answers. At that time, 'Abdullaah Ibn
Salaamcame out to them and said: 'I bear witness that none has the
right to be worshipped but Allaah and that Muhammad is His messenger.'
Thereupon, they )theJews( said: "He is our worst and the son of our
worst," and demeaned him. Ibn Salaamsaid: 'This is what I feared, O
Prophet of Allaah."
Ahmadreported that Ibn Abbaassaid:"A group of Jewscame one day to the
Prophetand said: 'O Abu Al-Qaasim, tell us some things that only true
messengers of Allaah know.' The Prophetsaid: "Ask me about whatever
you wish, but promise me by the Name of Allaah and by the covenant
Prophet Ya'qoobtook from his sons, that if I tell something that you
know, then you will follow me and become Muslims." They said:"That's
for you." Thereupon they said: "Tell us about the following four
things: tell us about the meal that Israel forbade himself before the
revelation of the Torahand tell us about the water)sperm( of the woman
and the water of the man how is the male child formed from that? And
tell us this illiterate Prophet during his sleep and who is his
guardian from the angels." The Prophetsaid: "Do you accept by the
covenant of Allaah that you will follow me if I inform you?" They
gave him as much covenant and promise as he wished. Then the
Prophetsaid: "I ask you by the One Who revealed the Torah to Moosaado
you know that Israel)Ya'qoob( fell badly sick and his sickness took a
long time, then he made a vow to Allaah that he would forbid on
himself the food he liked most if Allaah cures him, and the food he
liked most was camel meat and the drink was camel milk. They
said:"Yes." He said:
"O Allaah testify against them." Then hesaid: "I ask you by Allaah,
the One Who has no partners Who revealed the Torah to Moosaado you
know that the man's water is white and thick and that the woman's
water is yellow and thin. Any of the two waters gets above the other
gets the resemblance of the child in his sex and charactersby the will
of Allaah. If the water of the man gets over the woman it is a male
by the Will of Allaah and if the water of the woman gets above that of
the man then it is a female by the Will of Allaah.They said: 'By
Allaah what you said is true.' The Prophetsaid: "O Allaah testify
against them."
Then he said: "I ask you by the One Who revealed Torah to Moosaado you
know that the eyes of this illiterate Prophet sleep but his heart does
not." They said: 'By Allaah that is true.' He said: "O Allaah,
testify against them." They said: 'You, now tell us about your
guardian from the angels, we will stay with you or leave you according
to that.' Hesaid: "My guardian is Jibreel)Gabriel( and Allaah never
sent anyProphet but he was his guardian." The Jews said: 'So, wewill
separate from you. Had your guardian been another angel not Jibreel,
we would have followed you and believed in what you brought.'
The Prophetsaid: "But what prevents you from believing in him?" They
said: 'He is our enemy.' Then Allaah revealed thefollowing verses
)which means(:}Say, "Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel - it is ]none but[
he who has brought it ]i.e. the Quran[ down upon your heart, ]O
Muhammad[, by permission of Allaah,…{]Quran 2:97[. Allaah Says )which
means(:}And when aMessenger from Allaah came to them confirming that
which was with them, a party of those who had been given the Scripture
threw away the Book of Allaah behind their backs as if they did not
know.{]Quran 2:101[. Allaah Says )which means(:}So they returned
having ]earned[ wrath upon wrath{]Quran 2:90[.
Allaah Knows best.

Dought & clear - Ruling on zakaat al-fitr and how much is to be paid

Is the hadeeth "The fast of Ramadaan will not betaken up [to Allaah]
until zakaat al-fitr is paid" saheeh?
If the fasting Muslim is in need and does not possess the threshold
(nisaab) of zakaah, is he obliged to pay zakaat al-fitr because of the
soundness of this hadeeth or other saheehshar'i evidence that is
proven in the Sunnah?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Sadaqat al-fitr is obligatory upon every Muslim who is
self-supporting, if he hasone saa' or more than heneeds of food for
himself and his family onthe day and night of Eid.
The basis for that is the report narrated from Ibn'Umar (may Allaah be
pleased with him) who said: "The Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined zakaat al-fitr, a saa' of
dates, or a saa' of barley,upon all the Muslims, slave and free, male
and female, young and old, and he commanded that it be paid before the
people went out to pray." Agreed upon; this version was narrated by
al-Bukhaari.
And Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri narrated: "We used to pay zakaat al-fitrwhen
the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
alive, a saa' of food or a saa' of dates or a saa' of barley or a saa'
of raisins or a saa' of dried yoghurt." Agreed upon.
It is acceptable to give a saa' of the local staple food such as rice etc.
What is meant by a saa' here is the saa' of the Messenger of
Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which is four times
the amount that may be held in the two hands of a man of average
build. If a person does not pay zakaat al-fitr, he is sinning, and he
has to make it up.
With regard to the hadeeth mentioned, we do not know whether it is
saheeh or not.
We ask Allaah to give you strength and to make our words and deeds and
yours righteous.
And Allaah is the Source if strength.