Hajj & Umrah, - *Realizing the Essence and Purpose ofHajj - I

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When a Muslim realizes the essence ofHajjas well as the rationales and secrets behind it, this qualifies him to perform a valid and acceptedHajj. This is similar to humbleness in prayer. A person who has greater humility in prayer, his prayer is more likely to be accepted. The same applies toHajj. The more a pilgrim is aware of the essence, spirit and rationales behind theHajjas well as the purposes for which it has been prescribed and, further, he utilizes this to reform his creed and behavior, hisHajjwill be more likely to be accepted and greatly rewarded and he will benefit more.
Nevertheless, no one will be able to achieve this unless he qualifies himself by actively seeking the secrets and rationale behindHajjand reflecting on them. AHajjpilgrim who does not attempt that ought to worry that hisHajjmay amount to no more than a mixture of tourism and tiredness.
Here are some of the most important rationales and purposes behindHajjthat a pilgrim should realize:
1- Attaining piety:
One of the purposes behindHajjis to attain piety. Piety is firmly and explicitly connected toHajjin the relevant Quranic verses. Allaah The Exalted Says )what means(:
·}And complete the Hajj and ‘Umrah for Allaah……….. And be pious to Allaah.{]Quran 2: 196[
·}And take provisions, but indeed, the best provision is piety.{]Quran 2: 197[
2- Firmly establishing and asserting Islamic monotheism in the heart and mind:
Hajjis based on dedicating one's intention to Allaah The Almighty and doing everything only for His Sake. Allaah The Exalted Says )what means(:
·}And complete the Hajj and ‘Umrah for Allaah.{]Quran 2: 196[
·}So avoid the uncleanliness of idols and avoid false statement, Inclining ]only[ to Allaah, not associating ]anything[ with Him….{]Quran 22: 30-31[
Talbiyahwhich is the slogan ofHajj, explicitly states dedicating worship to Allaah The Almighty alone:"Labbayka Allaahumma labbayk. Labbayka laa shareeka laka labbayk. Innalhamda wan-n‘imata laka walmulk, laa shareek lak)O Allaah, I answer Your Call, there is no partner to You, to You Alone belong praise, favor and sovereignty, there is no partner to You."
Hajjis also based on compliance to the methodology of the Prophet,, and avoiding polytheism in obedience. To perform any of theHajjrituals according to one's whims and inclinations is rejected. Rather, it is necessary to follow the example of the Prophet,, and to adhere to his methodology.
3- Honoring the symbols of Allaah and what He deems sacred :
One of the most prominent purposes and rationales behindHajjis getting a slave of Allaah used to honor, exalt and love the symbols of Allaah The Almighty and what He deems sacred. One has to fear violating or going against the forbiddances of Allaah The Almighty. In the course of the Quranic verses relevant to theHajj, Allaah Says )what means(:}That ]is so[. And whoever honors the Symbols of Allaah - indeed, it is from the piety of hearts.{]Quran 22: 32[
4- Teaching noble morals and good characteristics:
a- Chastity:
Allaah Says )what means(:}Hajj is ]during[ well-known months, so whoever has made Hajj obligatory upon himself therein ]by entering the state of Ihraam[, there is ]to be for him[ no sexual relations….{]Quran 2: 197[ Foreplay is included as well.
b- Restraining anger and abandoning disputing and arguing:
Allaah Says )what means(:}and no disputing during Hajj…{]Quran 2: 197[ Commenting on the verse, ‘Ataa’said,"It refers to disputing with your companion until you anger him or he angers you."According to the preponderant view, it means stressing forbiddance of dispraised disputes only, which is arguing and disputing over matters which are useless underSharee'ah)Islamic legislation(.
c- Gentleness, leniency and tranquility:
When the Prophet,, heard people harshly urge and beat camels upon leaving Muzdalifah, he remarked: "O people, be tranquil, because it is not hastiness that indicates righteousness.”
d- Self-denial and mingling with others:
DuringHajj, a person denies himself, abandons everything with which distinguishes himself and becomes exactly like all his brothers in dress, saying theTalbiyah,moving from one place to another and acts of worship.
e- Teaching a Muslim how to bear the consequences of one's mistakes:
This clearly appears in the obligatory compensation )Fidyah( when a pilgrim deliberately violates one of the restrictions ofIhraam, stays in the wrong place on ‘Arafah or moves to Muzdalifah before sunset etc.
f- Teaching modesty:
This clearly appears through the unity of all pilgrims in rituals as well as in their experience and feelings. All material differences among pilgrims in terms of language, color or wealth, etc are denied. In the course ofKhutbat Al-Wadaa‘)the Farwell sermon(, the Prophet,, said:"O people, ]mind that[ your Lord is One and your father )i.e Adam( is one. Verily, except by piety, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, a non-Arab has no superiority over an Arab, a red has no superiority over a black, and a black has no superiority over a red."
g- Teaching patience in all its aspects:
DuringHajj, a pilgrim curbs his desires and inclinations by abstaining from anything that would violate his state ofIhraam.Furthermore, he abstains from some things which are permissible, when he is not in the state ofIhraam. A pilgrim exposes himself to hardship and exhaustion for the sake of obeying the commands of Allaah The Almighty to perform and complete the rituals ofHajj. This creates incentives within him to abandon acts of disobedience, obey Allaah The Almighty and bear hardship for the sake of pleasing Him even afterHajjis over.
h- Giving and generosity:
This clearly appears when the pilgrim pays the expenses of Hajj.

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Discover Islam, - *The entire world is asking: what is Islam?

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According to various reports in the Arab press, a wave of Americans has converted to Islam since September 11.
'Alaa Bayumi, director of Arab Affairs at the Council for American-Islamic Relations )CAIR(, wrote in theLondondailyAl-Hayat: "Non-Muslim Americans are now interested in getting to know Islam. There are a number of signs... Libraries have run out of books on Islam and theMiddle East... English translations of the Quran head the American best-seller list.
The Americans are showing increasing willingness to convert to Islam since September 11. Thousands of non-Muslim Americans have responded to invitations to visit mosques, resembling the waves of the sea )crashing on the shore( one after another. All this is happening in a political atmosphere that, at least verbally, encourages non-Muslim Americans' openness towards Muslims inAmericaand in the Islamic world, as the American president has said many times in his speeches. ..."
CAIR Chairman Nihad Awad told the Saudi paper'Ukaz: "34,000 Americans have converted to Islam following the events of September 11, and this is the highest rate reached in the US since Islam arrived there."
According to Dr. Walid Al-Fatihi, instructor of medicine atHarvardMedicalSchool,Bostonhas recently become a center of Islamic proselytizing aimed at Christians. On September 22, 2001, Al-Fatihi sent a letter to the Egyptian weeklyAl-Ahram Al-Arabi, in which he described the unfolding of events since September 11.
"On Saturday, September 15, I went with my wife and children to the biggest church inBoston, )TrinityChurch( inCopley Square, by official invitation of the Islamic Society of Boston, to represent Islam by special invitation of the senators ofBoston," wrote Fatihi. "Present were the mayor ofBoston, his wife and the heads of the universities. There were more than 1,000 people there, with media coverage by one ofBoston's main television stations. We were received like ambassadors. I sat with my wife and children in the front row, next to the mayor's wife. In his sermon, the priest defended Islam as a monotheistic religion, telling the audience that I represented the Islamic Society of Boston.
After the sermon was over, he stood at my side as I read an official statement issued by the leading Muslim clerics condemning the incident )i.e., the attacks(. The statement explained Islam's stance and principles, and its sublime precepts. Afterwards, I read verses of the Quran translated into English... These were moments that I will never forget, because the entire church burst into tears upon hearing the passages of the words of Allaah!
"Emotion swept over us," Al-Fatihi continued. "One said to me: 'I do not understand the Arabic language, but there is no doubt that the things you said are the words of Allaah.' As she left the church weeping, a woman put a piece of paper in my hand; on the paper was written: 'Forgive us for our past and for our present. Keep proselytizing to us.' Another man stood at the entrance of the church, his eyes teary, and said: 'You are just like us; no, you are better than us.'"
Al-Fatihi recounts the next day the Islamic Society of Boston issued an open invitation to the Islamic Center inCambridge.
"We did not expect more than 100 people, but to our surprise more than 1,000 people came -- among them the neighbors, the university lecturers, members of the clergy, and even the leaders of the priests from the nearby churches, who invited us to speak on Islam," Fatihi wrote. "All expressed solidarity with Muslims. Many questions flowed to us. Everyone wanted to know about Islam and to understand its precepts.
Of all the questions, not a single one attacked me; on the contrary, we saw )the people's( eyes filling with tears when they heard about Islam and its sublime principles. Many of them had never heard about Islam before. Well, they had heard about Islam only through the biased media. That same day, I was invited again to participate in a meeting in the church, and again I saw the same things.
On Thursday, a delegation of 300 students and lecturers from Harvard visited the center of the Islamic Society of Boston, accompanied by the American Ambassador toVienna. They sat on the floor of the mosque, which was filled to capacity. We explained to them the precepts of Islam, and defended it from any suspicions )promulgated in the media(. I again read to them from the verses of Allaah, and )their( eyes filled with tears. The audience was moved, and many asked to participate in the weekly lessons for non-Muslims held by the Islamic Center..."
Al-Fatihi says on September 21, the Muslims participated in a closed meeting with the Governor of Massachusetts. They discussed introducing Islam into the school curriculum. He claims Gov. Jane Swift agreed to implement their plans.
"These are only some of the examples of what happened and is happening in the city ofBoston, and in many other American cities, during these days," Al-Fatihi continued. "Proselytizing in the name of Allaah has not been undermined, and has not been set back 50 years, as we thought in the first days after September 11. On the contrary, the 11 days that have passed are like 11 years in the history of proselytizing in the name of Allaah.
I write to you today with the absolute confidence that over the next few years, Islam will spread in America and in the entire world, Allaah willing, much more quickly than it has spread in the past, because the entire world is asking: 'What is Islam?!'"

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Discover Islam, - *Penal laws in Islam

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In Islam, there are specific penal laws for major crimes. The underlying principles here are the following. Firstly, no matter how ideal a religion is, there will be some forms of transgression by some persons. Secondly, there are major crimes that need major punishments.
The major transgressions, according to Islam, are murder, highway robbery, theft, adultery, and false accusation of adultery. These transgressions affect the individual and the society and create a state of confusion and insecurity.
The principles that govern penal laws in Islam are:
1. The punishment should be effective enough to deter the crime.
2. Punishment is necessary, though disliked.
3. Punishment is a means to social security.
The Penalty for Murder:
As for murder, the Islamic punishment for intentional murder is the execution of the murderer. Pardoning is possible if the closest relative of the murdered person accepts blood-money. However, if murder is unintentional, blood-money takes the place of the death sentence.
In countries that have abolished capital punishment, we notice that such a cancellation has ended up with more murders and more murderers. Any toleration of murders will encourage more murders and the result is the loss of security.
In countries that apply the death sentence for murder, one notices that such a sentence minimises the cases of murder. When a person knows that he will be killed if he kills, he will think at least a thousand times before he considers committing a murder.
Islam legislated killing as a punishment for murder fourteen centuries ago. Allaah is the Most Merciful: man need not wait centuries until sociologists finish their research on the subject or until parliaments vote for a solution!
Allaah, through the Holy Quran, shows us the right way that provides society with security: intentional murder is punished by killing the murderer. Although killing is a severe punishment, it is fair because murder itself is an even more severe action and such a punishment is necessary because without it more murders are encouraged.
The Penalty for Highway Robbery:
Another crime that is specified in the Quran is highway robbery. The punishment of a highway robber may take one of these forms depending on the seriousness of the case. The robber may be put to death, or crucified, or have his hand and leg cut off on opposite sides, or imprisoned.
Of course, highway robbers threaten the security of the society, endanger the lives of individuals, and rob persons of their money. If such persons are punished softly, the result is more and more robbers as is the case of countries that deal with such criminals leniently.
On the contrary, in a country like Saudi Arabia, which applies Islamic penal laws, we find that the cases of murder and robbery are the fewest in the whole world. We must remember that the function of the punishment is double: the criminal himself is punished for what he has committed and other persons in the same community are warned not to commit similar crimes.
The Penalty for Theft:
The other crime that is specified in the Quran is theft. As we know, Islam emphasises the individual's safety with regard to his life, property, and honour. Any threat to these three entities is severely punished by Islam. A person who kills another or robs him is severely punished because this is the only way to guarantee security for every individual.
Concerning theft, Islam legislates cutting the thief's hand off as a maximum punishment and under certain conditions. In countries that apply this punishment, like Saudi Arabia, we notice that theft is a very rare occurrence. The judge decides the seriousness of the case and decides if the thief should get the maximum penalty or not, according to certain conditions and restrictions.
When a person knows that he will lose his hand if he uses it in stealing, this makes stealing a rare possibility. The implication of such a punishment is this: each organ in the body must be used cleanly, honourably, and legally. The function of the hand is not stealing. If the hand is used to threaten other people, it is a dangerous hand and the judge is entitled to reconsider its existence.
The other implication of cutting the hand off is to give the thief and other people a permanent example and a continuous reminder of the fate of thieves. In countries that merely imprison the thief, the thief himself may steal again after being released from prison.
The Penalty for Adultery:
Another major crime in Islamic law is adultery. The Holy Quran tells us that the adulterer or the adulteress is to be flogged one hundred stripes while being witnessed by some people. The idea of letting some people witness the carrying out of the punishment is to add to the psychological effect of flogging on the culprit. If the adulterer or adulteress is married, the penalty is stoning to death, according to certain strict conditions.
The position of Islam with regard to adultery is clear. If adultery is punished softly or not punished at all, the result will be destructive to the family structure. The family, according to Islam, is the best structure that secures happiness, security, loyalty, and belongingness to the husband, the wife, and children. Therefore, this family must be protected from all dangers and threats. One threat to the family surely comes from adultery. That is why Islam punishes adultery severely in order to penalise offenders and to deter others.
In countries that are lenient with adultery, before and after marriage, the result is obvious for all of us. Those countries have frequent divorces, frequent cases of rape, countless cases of nervous breakdown caused by divorce, murders accompanying rape, and a series of psychological and mental complications.
According to Islam, all physical needs must be organised and all psychological needs must be guaranteed. Eating is a need, but it must be regulated; otherwise, a person may starve or explode out of overeating. The same applies to the sexual need; this need must be satisfied and organised at the same time. The only safe solution is the Islamic one: sexual satisfaction through marriage only. This solution has no single bad side effect. On the contrary, free sex satisfies the sexual need, but it has a countless number of ill-effects that harm the family, adults, and children.
The Penalty for False Accusation of Adultery:
The other major crime is the false accusation of a woman of adultery. The punishment of a false accuser is flogging him eighty stripes and not admitting evidence from him throughout his life.
This severe punishment for a false accusation of adultery is justifiable on the basis that this accusation has a destructive influence on the woman involved. If she is married, she may be divorced in addition to the disgrace that will follow her and her family. If she is not married, this accusation may block the way of marriage in front of her.
As we have said, Islam puts high emphasis on an individual's life, property, and honour. Any threat to a person's life, property, or honour is severely punished by Islamic law.
Of course, offences are more than five. Those five mentioned here are the major ones. Because murder, robbery, theft, adultery, and false accusation of adultery are the major crimes, the Quran mentions them and specifies the punishment for each. Other crimes and offences are punished according to what the judge sees in the light of the spirit and text of penal laws.
As we can see, Islam is not a system of prayers and fasting only. It is a system that regulates worship, penal laws, marriage and divorce, inheritance, taxes, eating, clothing, and social relations. In brief, Islam is a comprehensive system that regulates all the aspects of human life, guides man to the best solutions to his major problems, and helps man to avoid problems in the first place.
]

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Discover Islam, - *Who is Allaah?

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Allaah is the proper name of the One True God. Nothing else can be called Allaah. This term has no plural or gendfer, which shows its uniqueness when compared with the word ‘god’, that can be made plural, gods; or feminine, goddess. It is a known fact that every language has one or more terms that are used in reference to God and sometimes to lesser deities. This is not the case with Allaah.
Some of the biggest misconceptions that many non-Muslims have about Islam have to do with the word "Allaah". For various reasons, many people have come to believe that Muslims worship a different God than Christians and Jews. This is totally false, since "Allaah" is simply the Arabic word for "God" -- and there is only One God. However, it is certainly true that Jews, Christians and Muslims all have different concepts of Almighty God. For example, Muslims, like Jews, reject the Christian beliefs of Trinity and Divine Incarnation. However, this does not mean that each of these three religions worships a different God – because there is only One True God. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are classified as ‘Monotheistic’, however, Islam teaches that other religions have, in one way or another, distorted and nullified a pure and proper belief in Almighty God by neglecting His true teachings and mixing them with man-made ideas.
The One True God is a reflection of the unique concept that Islam associates with God. To a Muslim, Allaah is the Almighty, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, who is similar to nothing and nothing is comparable to Him. The Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, )may Allaah exalt his mention( was asked by his contemporaries about Allaah; the answer came directly from Allaah Himself in the form of a short chapter of the Quran, which is considered the essence or the motto of monotheism. This is chapter 112 which reads )what means(:“Say: ‘He is Allaah, )who is( One, Allaah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.’”]Quran 112:1[
Some non-Muslims allege that God in Islam is a stern and cruel God who demands to be obeyed fully. He is not loving and kind. Nothing can be farther from the truth than this allegation. It is enough to know that with the exception of one, each of the 114 chapters of the Quran begins with the verse: "In the name of Allaah, the Merciful, the Compassionate." In one of the sayings of Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, we are told that:"Allaah is more loving and kinder than a mother to her dear child."
However, Allaah is also Just. Hence, wrongdoers and sinners must have their share of punishment, and the pious will receive His bounties and favors. People suffering throughout their lives while seeking Allaah’s bounty and people oppressing and exploiting other people all their lives should not receive similar treatment from their Lord. Expecting similar treatment for them is contrary to the very belief in the accountability of man in the Hereafter, which removes all the incentives for striving to attain a moral and virtuous life in this world.
Islam rejects characterizing God in any human form or depicting Him as favoring certain individuals or nations on the basis of wealth, power or race. He created human beings as equals. They may distinguish themselves and get His favor only through virtue and piety.
The concepts that God rested in the seventh day of creation, that God wrestled with one of His soldiers, that God is an envious plotter against mankind, or that God is incarnate in any human being are considered blasphemy from the Islamic point of view.
The Creator must have a different nature from the things He created, because if He were of the same nature as them, He would be temporal and would therefore need a maker. Therefore, nothing is like Him. If the Maker is not temporal, then He must be Eternal. The Eternal cannot be bound by limitations. He is the Self-Sufficient because nothing outside Him can cause him to continue to exist, and if nothing outside Him causes Him to continue to exist, this means that He is Self-Sufficient. And if He does not depend on anything for the continuance of His own existence, then His existence can have no end. The Creator is therefore Eternal and Everlasting.
Linguistically, it is interesting to note that the Aramaic word "El", which is the word for God in the language that ‘Eesaa )Jesus(, may Allaah exalt his mention, spoke, is certainly more similar in sound to the word "Allaah" than the English word "God". This also holds true for the various Hebrew words for God, which is "El" and "Elah", and the plural form "Elohim". The reason for these similarities is that Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic are all Semitic languages with common origins. It should also be noted that in translating the Bible into English, the Hebrew word "El" is translated variously as "God", "god" and "angel"! This imprecise language allows different translators, based on their preconceived notions, to translate the word to fit their own views. The Arabic word "Allaah" presents no such difficulty or ambiguity, since it is only used for Almighty God alone. Additionally, in English, the only difference between "god", meaning a false god, and "God", meaning the One True God, is the capital "G" which is commonly used in written works.

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