Dought & clear - Ruling on upholding ties with one’s mother and siblings through breastfeeding.

I have a mother and siblings through breastfeeding (radaa'ah). Do I
have to uphold ties with them and visit them as I visit my mother and
siblings through blood ties? I used to visit them, then it was said to
me that I do not have to do that, and I am confused about that.
Praise be to Allaah.
The shar'i rulings concerning relationshipsthrough breastfeeding are
not the same as the rulings concerning relationships through blood
ties. Breastfeeding(radaa'ah) does not mean that one is obligedto
spend on those relatives, or that one is entitled to inherit from
them, or that one may be a guardian for the purpose of marriage –
unlike the case with ties of blood.
What they have in common is that people related in either way
areforbidden to marry, and may look at one anotherand be alone with
one another, and are regarded as mahrams for the purpose of travel.
This is the wisdom of sharee'ah, because Islamcannot give a mother who
breastfed a child five times the same rights as the mother who carried
him, gave birth to him, breastfed him and brought him up, and is the
reason for the child's existence. Canthe love, compassion and devotion
in the heart of the blood mother be likened to that in the heart of
the mother through breastfeeding?
There are verses of the Qur'aan which refer to that. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And We have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents.
His mother borehim in weakness and hardship upon weaknessand hardship,
and his weaning is in two years"
[Luqmaan 31:14]
And Allaah says, after commanding the child totreat his parents well
and forbidding him to do the slightest act of disobedience towards
them (interpretation of the meaning):
"and say: 'My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up
when I was young'"
[al-Isra' 17:24]
Hence some of the scholars said that a son through breastfeeding has
to respect and honour his mother and his parents through
breastfeeding, but he does not have to honourthem and uphold ties with
them in the same way as a son is obliged to honour his parents and
relatives by blood.
There are several da'eef (weak) ahaadeeth on this topic, which we will
mention here so that people may be aware of them.
1 – It was narrated that al-Tufayl (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: I saw the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
sharing out some meat in al-Ji'raanah, when a woman came up to the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he spread out
her cloak for her, and she sat down on it. I said, "Who is she?" They
said, "This is his mother who breastfed him."
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 5144; classed asda'eef by al-Albaani inDa'eef
Abi Dawood, 1102.
Ibn Hibbaan (10/44) included this hadeeth in a chapter which he
called, "Ways in which it is recommended for a person to honour the
one who breastfed him when he was small."
2 – It was narrated from 'Umar ibn al-Saa'ib that he heard that the
Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
wassitting when his father through breastfeeding came to him; he
spread part of his cloak for him and he sat on it. Then hismother
through breastfeeding came to him and he spread part of his cloak on
the other side and she sat on it. Then his brother through
breastfeeding came and the Messengerof Allaah(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) stood up for him and made him sit in front of him.
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 5145; classed asda'eef by al-Albaani
inal-Silsilah al-Da'eefah, 1120.
3 – It was narrated from Hajjaaj ibn Hajjaaj al-Aslami that his father
asked the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "O
Messenger of Allaah, how can I repay the favour of breastfeeding?" He
said: "(By giving) a male or female slave."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1153; al-Nasaa'i, 3329; Abu Dawood, 2064.
Classed as da'eef by al-Albaani inDa'eef Abi Dawood, 445.
Al-Suyooti said inSharh al-Nasaa'i, 6/108.
What is meant by repaying the favour of breastfeeding is the duties
that are owed as a result of having been breastfed. It is as if he is
asking, How can I waive the duties I owe as a result of having been
breastfed so that I will have paid them off in full? They used to
regardit as something good to give a gift to the wet nurse once the
child hadbeen weaned, other the wages that had be agreed upon. End
quote.
4 – The biographers said that when the captive woman of Hawaazin
hadbeen gathered together,their spokesman Zuhayr ibn Sard came and
said: "O Messenger of Allaah, inside the enclosure are your mothers,
your maternal aunts and yournursemaids. Do us a favour (and free us),
may Allaah bless you."
These ahaadeeth speak of honouring and respecting, which are Islamic
manners that are encouraged with regardto all Muslims. This is the
reason why the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) set
them all free.
Al-Bidaayah wa'l-Nihaayah, 4/419
And Allaah knows best.

Hereafter Preparation: Clever King Story, a Real Life Story

There was a country longtime ago where the people would change a king
every year. The person who would become the king had to agree to a
contract that he would be sent to an island after his one year of
being a king.
One king finished his term and it was time for him to go to the island
and live there. The people dressed him up inexpensive clothes and put
him on an elephant and took him around the cities to say goodbye to
all the people. This was the moment of sadness for all the kings who
ruled for one year. After saying farewell, the people took the king
with a boat to the remote island and left him there.
On their way back, they discovered a ship that had sunk just recently.
They saw a young man who survived by holding on to a floating piece of
wood. As they needed a new king, they picked upthe young man and took
him to their country. They requested him to bea king for a year. First
he refused but later he agreed to be a king. People told him about all
the rules and regulations and that how he will be sent to an island
after one year.
After three days of being a king, he asked the ministers if they could
show him the island where all the other kings were sent. They agreed
and took him to the island. The island was covered with thick jungles
and sounds of vicious animals were heard coming out of them. The king
went littlebit inside to check. Soon he discovered the dead bodies of
all the past kings. He understood that as soon as they wereleft in the
island, the animals came and killed them.
The king went back to the country and collected100 strong workers. He
took them to the island and instructed them to clean the jungle,
remove all the deadly animals and cut down all the excess trees. He
would visit the island every month to see how the work was
progressing. Inthe first month, all the animals were removed and many
trees were cut down. In the second month, the whole island was cleaned
out. The king then told the workers to plant gardensin various parts
of the island. He also took with himself useful animals like chickens,
ducks, birds, goats, cows etc. In the third month, he ordered the
workers to build big houses and docking stations for ships. Over the
months, the island turned into a beautiful place.
The young king would wear simple clothes and spend very little from
his earnings as a king. He sent all the earnings to the island for
storage. When nine months passed like this, the king called the
ministers and told them:
"I know that I have to go the island after one year, but I would like
to go there right now." But theministers didn't agree to this and said
that he has to wait for another 3 months to complete the year.
3 months passed and now it was a full year. The people dressed up the
young king and put him on an elephant to take him around the country
to say goodbye to others. However, this king is unusually happy to
leave the kingdom.
People asked him, "All the other kings would cryat this moment and why
are you laughing?"
He replied, "Don't you know what the wise people say? They say
thatwhen you came to this world as a baby, you were crying and
everyone was smiling. Live such a life that whenyou are die, you will
be smiling and everyone around you will be crying. I have lived that
life. While all the other kings were lost into the luxuries of the
kingdom, Ialways thought about the future and planned for it. I turned
the deadly island into a beautiful abode for me where I can stay
peacefully."
The moral lesson from this story is about how we should live our life.
The life of this world is toprepare for the life hereafter. In this
life, we shouldn't get lost into thedeceiving and attractive things of
this world and forget about what is to come in the afterlife. Rather,
even if we are kings, we should live a simple life like our beloved
Holy Prophet Muhammad (saww) and save all our enjoyments for the
hereafter. May Allah make it easy for us all. Amin.
Noble Qur'anSays: Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah
(alone).It is He Who sends down rain, and He Who knows what is in the
wombs. Nor does any one know what it is that he will earn on the
morrow: Nor does any one know in what land he is to die. Verily with
Allah is full knowledge and He is acquainted (with all things).
(31:34)
Noble Qur'an urges us to prepare for tomorrow: O ye who believe! Fear
Allah, and let every soul look to what (provision) He has sent forth
for the morrow. Yea, fear Allah: for Allah is well-acquainted with
(all) that ye do. (59:18)

Preparing for the Hereafter: Drawbacks of a Palace, King Story

Many years ago there lived a King who built himself a huge and
magnificent palace. No one had seen anything like it before. The
turrets rose into the sky and many expensive materials were used in
itsconstruction. The King invited one and all to come and view his
palaceand left a guest book at the entrance for them to sign and leave
comments in.
He took pleasure in reading the various praises that people visiting
the palace had written for him in the book. However, he came across
two comments that were not in keeping with the general feeling. These
two comments were not in praise of the palace; on the contrary, they
criticized it. The King was upset and summoned the authors of the
comments. At first, neither of them was ready to explain his comment
but, after the King assured them that their lives were not in danger,
they disclosed the reasons.
"O King! There are two weaknesses in this palace. The first of these
is that some day, the palace will turn into ruins, and the second one
is that it does not have anything to ensure that its owner will not
beseparated from it one day. In a life of just a few days, why do we
have to attach ourselves to such worldly, material things?" (Bikhre
Moti)
Man will soon die and leave behind all his worldly possessions. What
will accompany himthe journey to the Hereafter are his noble deeds.
Imam Ali al Hadi (as)said: In the world, people are publicized by
their property, wealth and asset, and in eternity they are known by
their deeds and actions.
"Wealth and children are an adornment of the life of the world, but
lasting righteous deeds are better with your Lord in reward and better
in hope." Noble Qur'an, (18:46)
Wisdom therefore dictates that man should focus his attention to
things that are imperishable and highly rewardable.
Imam Ali (as)said: The world is a passage lodging, and eternity is a
place everlasting, yon should take advantage ofthe opportunity to save
something from your passage lodging for the rest of your Journey.
Some body asked Imam Hassan Mojtaba (as):
Why are we reluctant to die, why don't we like death?
"Because", replied the Imam Hassan Mojtaba (as), "You ruined your
next world (hereafter) and developed this one; naturally, you do not
like to be transferred from flourishing to decline."
Imam Hassan Mojtaba (as) said: The faithful people use this world to
gather provisions for the next world but faithless people only enjoy
the fruits of this world while living.
Imam Jafar Sadegh (as)quoted on the authority of Holy Prophet Muhammad
(saww): What do I have to do with this world, and what does this world
have to do with me? The story of me and the world is similar to that
of a man who is riding on a hot day and reaches a tree. He takes a nap
under the shade of the tree for a short while, and then goes on
leavingthe tree behind.
Imam Jafar Sadegh (as) said: The person, who is attached much to the
world, when it is time to depart, will have many deep regrets and many
grievances.

The extraordinary features of the atom

The atom consists of a nucleus, containing neutrons and protons,
and electrons revolving around it.
The smallest components of the atom are two types of quarks, and the
electrons. All the matter in the universe, all odors, all tastes,
all colors, hardness, softness and everything else is created out
of these three tiny components.
Electrons are extraordinarily minute compared to the nucleus. An
electron is just one 2000th of the protons that make up the
nucleus.
If we put a dot on a piece of paper and take this as the nucleus of
the atom, the electron revolving around it would be 50 meters away.
If we think of the nucleus as an apple, the electron orbiting it
would be 50 kilometers away. It would be impossible for a human
being standing there to see the electron.
No blow, impact or explosion that could take place in this world
can displace either the atom, the nucleus or the electrons. Even
when a living thing made up of atoms dies, the atoms that
constitute it will keep on turning.
The atoms that constitute a burning tree do not burn up and cease to
exist with it; they continue revolving in the air and combine with
different atoms to produce new substances.
The nucleus inside the atom is constantly revolving. Electrons
revolve both around the nucleus, and around their own axes. The
quarks inside the nucleus also revolve endlessly in the same way.
Each one revolves at a specific speed. They never make a mistake
and never impair the order set out for them. The electron
revolvesboth around its own axis and around the nucleus at an
extraordinary speed ranging from 2000 to 100,000 kilometers PER
SECOND.
Not a single electron has ever collided with another electron
throughout the 15 billion years since they were first created. No
such collision could ever happen.
Electrons revolve around the nucleus in seven different orbits, and
the number of electrons circling the nucleus may sometimes exceed
100.
Electrons jump into one another's orbits and change places at a very
high rate of speed. But despite their stupendous speeds and
movements they still never collide with one another.
Electron exchanges between two atoms takes place with a very low
energy. This is a great blessing to us in terms of the
continuation of life, as this is one of the reasons behind the
existence of everything, from the cells in our bodies to the
objects we use, from the stars in the skies to the Earth itself.
In a single moment, there is as much electrical transmission in our
brains as the number of stars in an average-size galaxy. This
electrical transmission is made possible by electrons.
Electrons also revolve around their own axes. This is known as
"spin". Were it not for that, all electrons would combine in a
single orbit, no electron exchange would ever take place, and
matter could never form.
While we think we are sitting quietly at home, the Earth is
revolving around its own axis at 500 meters per second . And we
are revolving with it. The Earth revolves around the Sun at 30
kilometers per second. And we again revolve with it. The Solar
System revolves within the Milky Way at a speed of 250 kilometers per
second. And we revolve with it. And every one of the atoms in our
bodies, all around us and where we live also constantly revolve.
Everything, from giant galaxies down to the tiniest quark, is under
the knowledge and control of Almighty Allah, Creator and Lord of
all the worlds.
I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed satan;
Everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah. He knows
what you are engaged upon. On the Day when they are returned to
Him, He will inform them of what they did. Allah has knowledge of
all things. (Surat an-Nur, 64)