Dought & clear, - (Abandoning or Neglecting Salaat) ,- Should she do Hajj and give charity onbehalf of her mother who did not pray?.

Is it permissible for a daughter to do Hajj and give charity on behalf
of her deceased mother, knowing that the mother did not pray when she
was alive?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The one who does not pray because he denies that it is obligatory is a
kaafir according to scholarly consensus. The one who does not pray out
of negligence and laziness is a kaafir according to the more correct
of the two scholarly opinions, because the Prophet(peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "The covenant that stands between us and
them is prayer; whoever gives it up is a kaafir." And there is other
evidence to that effect from the Qur'aan and Sunnah. Based on that, it
is not permissible to do Hajj or give charity on behalf of someone who
has died and did not pray, just as it is not permissible to do Hajj
and give charity on behalf of any other kaafir.
And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah send blessings and
peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions. End
quote.
Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh 'Abd al-Razzaaq 'Afeefi, Shaykh
'Abd-Allaah ibn Qa'ood.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah li'l-Buhooth al-'Ilmiyyah wa'l-Ifta (11/113.

Dought & clear, - (Abandoning or Neglecting Salaat) ,- Is the person who prays Friday prayeronly not a kaafir?.

Is it correct that who prays Friday prayer only is not considered
kaafir? I read that sheikh Ben Uthaimeen, may Allah have mercy on him,
said: whoever prays Friday prayer is not a kaafir; because he never
neglects it, because the prophet, peace be upon him, said (the prayer)
not (prayer). Is it true that ibn Uthaimeen and ibn Taymiyah said
this?.
Praise be to Allaah.
There is a difference of opinion among those who say that the one who
does not pray is a kaafir, with regard to the exact definition of the
omission of prayer which makes him a kaafir. Most of them are of the
view that he becomes a kaafir if he omits one obligatory prayer or two
obligatory prayers.
Some of them are of the view that the one who does not pray does not
become a kaafir unless he gives up prayer altogether.
The former opinion was narrated by Ishaaq ibn Raahawayh (may Allaah
have mercy on him) from the Sahaabah and Taabi'een. Imam Muhammad ibn
Nasr al-Maroozi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: I heard Ishaaq
say: it is narrated in a saheeh report from the Messenger of Allaah
(blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) that the one who does not
pray is a kaafir, and this was the opinion of the scholars from the
time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) until
our own time, that the one who deliberately does not pray without any
excuse until the time for the prayer is over is a kaafir.
The ending of the time means delaying Zuhr until sunset and delaying
Maghrib until the sun rises.
The end of the times for prayer was set as described above because the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) joined prayers at
'Arafah and Muzdalifah and when travelling, so he prayed one of them
at the time of the other. Because the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allaah be upon him) offered the first prayer at the time of the second
in some cases, and the second prayer at the time of the first in other
cases, the time for both became one time in cases where one has an
excuse, just as the menstruating woman, if she becomes pure before
sunset, is commanded to pray both Zuhr and 'Asr, and if she becomes
pure at the end of the night, she is commanded to pray both Maghrib
and 'Isha'. End quote fromTa'zeem Qadr al-Salaah(2/929).
Muhammad ibn Nasr (Allaah have mercy on him) narrated that Imam Ahmad
said: No one becomes a kaafir because of sin except the one who
deliberately does not pray. If he does not pray until the time for the
next prayer begins, he must be asked to repent three times. End quote.
It was narrated that Ibn al-Mubaarak said: Whoever deliberately does
not pray with no excuse until the time is over, is a kaafir. Ta'zeem
Qadr al-Salaah (2/297).
Ibn Hazm said:
We narrated from 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab (me Allaah be pleased with
him), Mu'aadh ibn Jabal, Ibn Mas'ood and a number of the Sahaabah
(may Allaah be pleased with them), and from Ibn al-Mubaarak, Ahmad ibn
Hanbal, Ishaaq ibn Raahawayh (may Allaah have mercy on them), and from
17 of the Sahaabah in total (may Allaah be pleased with them) that the
one who deliberately and consciously does not offer an obligatory
prayer until the time for it ends is a kaafir and an apostate. This is
also the view of 'Abd-Allaah ibn al-Maajishoon, the companion of
Maalik. And it was the view of 'Abd al-Malik ibn Habeeb al-Andalusi
and others. End quote fromal-Fasl fi'l-Milal wa'l-Ahwa' wa'l-Nihal,
3/128.
He (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: And it was narrated from
'Umar, 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn 'Awf, Mu'aadh ibn Jabal, Abu Hurayrah and
others among the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) that the
one who deliberately does not offer one obligatory prayer until the
time for it ends is a kaafir and an apostate. End quote from
al-Muhalla (2/15).
This view was also expressed in fatwas by the Standing Committee for
Issuing Fatwas, led by Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have
mercy on him).
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah(6/50, 40)
Some of the scholars quoted as evidence for this opinion the words of
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him): "Whoever does
not pray 'Asr, all his good deeds are cancelled out." Narrated by
al-Bukhaari (528), because cancellation of good deeds can only happen
as a result of becoming a kaafir, and because of what has been quoted
above from the Sahaabah who narrated these hadeeths.
With regard to the second opinion, which is that the one who does not
pray does not become a kaafir unless he gives up prayer altogether,
this is the view of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have
mercy on him), although he also ruled to be a kaafir the one who
misses some prayers and is called by the ruler to pray but does not
pray. He also stated that the one who prays sometimes and does not
pray sometimes, if he resolves in his heart to give up prayer
altogether, then he is inwardly a kaafir, i.e., it is between him and
Allaah, may He be exalted.
See:Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 22/49, 7/715;Sharh al-'Umdah, 2/94.
This was also the view of Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah be pleased
with him) who said: What appears to be the case from the evidence is
that he does not become a kaafir unless he gives up prayer all the
time, in the sense that he has decided not to pray, so he does not
pray Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, 'Isha' or Fajr. This is the one who is a
kaafir. But if he prays one or two obligatory prayers, then he is not
a kaafir and he cannot truly be described as having given up prayer.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said: "Between
a man and shirk and kufr stands his giving up prayer (al-salaah)" and
he did not say "salaah (a prayer)". End quote
fromal-Sharhal-Mumti'(2/26).
We could not find any written comment of his concerning one who only
offers Friday prayer, but we asked him about that verbally and he
replied that it seems that he does become a kaafir because Friday
prayer is one of 35 prayers in the week, so the one who only prays
Friday prayer can be described as giving up prayer altogether so he
could become a kaafir as a result.
And Allaah knows best.

For children, - Nutrition suggestions for a healthy life

Almighty Allah Who created the universe from nothing has made human
beings responsible not only for acting as His servants but also for
looking after their bodily existence. He has entrusted to them what
needs to be kept as best as can be. We must not forget that robust
health is the greatest blessing that Allah has given us. When we
protect the bodies entrusted to us from illness, there are a few
things about nutrition that we should keep in mind:
- Do not eat animal fats, butter or margarine.
- Eat lost of fruits and vegetables, even before meals.
- Be careful of salt and cook your food without using salt.
- Eat small amounts frequently.
- Do not eat late. If possible, get used to not eating after 9 o'clock.
- Use cold pressed olive oil in your food and on your salads. But
don't use too much olive oil; no more than 2 tablespoons a day.
Otherwise the consumption of unsaturated fats will cause you to gain
weight.
- Watch your carbohydrate intake. You should eat only one kind of
carbohydrate per meal, such as bread, rice or pasta.
- Avoid refined sugar and white bread. Eat brown sugar instead of
white and whole grain bread instead of white bread. Refined sugar and
carbohydrates dissolve quickly in the blood producing an excess of
insulin that could overwork the pancreas. This could hasten the onset
of diabetes. Whole grain products contain vitamin B, leave a person
feeling full and supply fiber that facilitates the working of the
intestines.
- Balance your cholesterol with omega oils. Omega oils balance the
cholesterol produced in the liver. Omege-3 is found mainly in fish;
Omega-6 is found in walnuts and hazelnuts. Omega-3 found in canola oil
has recently become popular.
- Cold water oily fish are especially rich in Omega-3 but because they
contain lots of cholesterol they must be eaten sparingly. You can eat
two small servings twice a week.
- We do not need more sugar or sweets than we get in our daily diet.
The bread and rice that we consume is changed by the liver into the
sugar that the body needs every day. One way to keep the blood sugar
stable is to eat whole grain bread and brown rice which pass into the
bloodstream after being slowly absorbed by the intestines. The
stability of the blood sugar caused by these foods make us feel
satisfied for a long time. This balance is delicately adjusted, but in
any case if you are craving for sugar satisfy it by eating natural
sweets such as dates, figs or a dried apricots.

What do you know about cholesterol?

Allah has created human beings with bodies equipped with systems
superior to even the most splendid machines. All of us have a
responsibility to maintain this body in the best way so as to maintain
our good health.
Cholesterol, recently described in the press as a cause of heart
attacks even in young people, heads the list of those agents that pose
a serious threat. In light of the latest statistics, it has been
established that currently, one of the main causes of death cardiac
and artery diseases linked to cholesterol. In this article, we shall
examine how cholesterol forms and how best to protect yourself against
it.
What is Cholesterol?
This is a fatty substance, of a wax-like consistency, that is
essential for life. It is widespread throughout the body, but
particularly in the brain, nerves, liver intestines, muscles and
heart.
Every year, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report on
17 October 2002, heart attacks and strokes cause the deaths of 12
million people worldwide. Individual efforts aimed at reducing these
major threats, together with simple, low-cost measures taken at the
national level, can reduce these major risks to health—such as high
blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and cigarettes—by over 50%.
The body uses cholesterol to produce hormones, Vitamin D, and the bile
acids that digest fats. In order for these processes to take place,
very low blood levels of cholesterol are sufficient.. But if there is
too much cholesterol in the blood, it accumulates in the arteries and
causes them to harden and narrow. We absorb excess cholesterol through
animal food products causing the level of cholesterol in our
bloodstream to rise to dangerous levels.
As you know, a network of blood vessels interpenetrates the entire
body, carrying blood to such organs as the heart, brain and kidneys,
thus permitting them to function. If cholesterol accumulates in any
organ's blood vessels, then in that organ diseases appear.
If cholesterol accumulates in the coronary arteries that nourish the
heart, for example, problems such as chest pains or heart attacks
develop. On the other hand, accumulations of cholesterol in the renal
arteries may lead to kidney defects and high blood pressure. The
higher a person's cholesterol level, the greater the risk of heart
disease.
Anti-Cholesterol Nutrition
- Balance Your Cholesterol with Omega Oils
Omega-oil acids moderate the amounts of cholesterol produced by the liver.
Omega-3 is most present in fish, and Omega-6 in walnuts and hazelnuts.
Lately, canola oil has become popular for the Omega-3 it contains.
- Chicken Breast Is Low in Cholesterol
People with weight problems and high cholesterol should eat breast of
chicken—the so-called white meat—keeping in mind that wings and
drumsticks are rich in cholesterol, however. Skinning the chicken
first helps lower the fact content. Even so, in terms of cholesterol,
soya mince or soya meat are still preferable to animal products.
- Beware of Cheddar Cheese!
No matter how carefully you shop for diet products, the cheddar cheese
you buy will still contain a high level of cholesterol. Therefore,
cottage cheese is recommended instead.
- Seafood Is High in Cholesterol!
Shellfish (mussels, lobster, squid) contain high levels of
cholesterol, for which reason you should eat them only occasionally
and other forms of seafood are preferable.
- Regular Walking Raises Levels of Good Cholesterol and Lowers Harmful
Cholesterol
The more physical activity you do, the higher your level of HDL (good
cholesterol). To balance cholesterol, exercise is essential along with
a proper diet. For a healthy heart, walking is the ideal form of
exercise. One should walk at least half an hour every day. Three
kilometers (1.8 miles) in 30 minutes will be enough to maintain a
healthy heart rhythm.
In order to lower your levels of LDL (harmful cholesterol):
- Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables.
- Eat 3 to 4 portions of vegetables and 3 to 4 portions of fruit a
day. The ideal regimen is to consume five portions of both every day,
as in a home-made fruit salad.
- Eat more salads, complete with tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet corn,
lettuce, carrots…
- Eat less fat, and trim fat from cuts of meat before cooking.
- Cut back on sugar.