Going to Allah when we need Him

Do we think we can go to Allah only when we "need" Him?
I'm not saying that it's wrong. I'm saying that it's impossible.
We need Allah every hour, every day. Every heartbeat,every breath,
every bite of food, every ray of sunshine. We need Him when we are
poor and sick, and when we're rich and robust. We need Him when we're
starving in thegutter, or cruising on top of the world. We depend on
Allah more than a newborn baby depends onits mother, even when we
don't see it.
Our failure to see this reality does not change the fact that it is
true. We can achieve nothing without Allah. I write this article only
by His will. Youget out of bed, pour your cereal, hug your children,
go to work, run that 5K race, and breathe, all by means of the gifts
He has given.
When we're doing well, and everything is butter, that's the time to
turn to Allah even more, with gratitude and praise. If we do that,
then when we're having hard times He'll be there for us, He'll rescue
usand lift us up, even if we don't ask.
This not my idea. I did not make this up. The Messenger of Allah (sws)
said, "Remember Allah during times of ease andHe will remember you
during times of difficulty." (Tirmidhi)
Remembrance of Allah is not only a matter of prayer. It is also
kindness to others. If I have an excess of energy, I need to use that
to help someone who is ill, weak, depressed,or lost. If I have been
blessed with wealth, intelligence, knowledge, ortalent, then I need to
use that to bring someone relief.
I need Allah , I know that. Ifeel it.
We need Allah with every rotation of the earth. So yes, go to Allah
when you need Him – at every moment in time.

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1a] The punishment for breaking the fast in Ramadaan with no excuse

1a]
For Allaah is Most Generous, Forbearing and Most Merciful, as He says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Know they not that Allaah accepts repentance from His slaves and
takes the Sadaqaat (alms, charity), and that Allaah Alone is the One
Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful?"
[al-Tawbah 9:104]
If you try fasting and find out how easy it is and what comfort it
brings and how close it brings you to Allaah, you will never give it
up.
Think about what Allaah says at the end of the verses on fasting
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Allaah intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things
difficult for you"
[al-Baqarah 2:185]
The phrase, "so that you may be grateful to Him" shows that fasting is
a blessing for which we must give thanks. Hence some of the salaf used
to wish that the whole year was Ramadaan.
We ask Allaah to help youand guide you, and to open your heart to that
which will bring you happiness in this world and in the Hereafter.
And Allaah knows best.

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1] The punishment for breaking the fast in Ramadaan with no excuse

1]
I do not fast. Will I be punished on the Day of Resurrection?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Fasting in Ramadaan is one of the pillars on which Islam is built.
Allaah tells us that He has prescribed it for the believers of this
ummah [nation], as He prescribed it for those who came before them.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for
you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become
Al-Muttaqoon (the pious"
[al-Baqarah 2:183]
"The month of Ramadan in which was revealed theQur'aan, a guidance for
mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between
right and wrong). So whoever of you sights (the crescenton the first
night of) the month (of Ramadan i.e. is present at his home), he must
observe Sawm (fasts) that month, and whoever is ill or on a journey,
the same number[of days which one did not observe Sawm (fasts) must be
made up] from other days. Allaah intends for you ease, and He does not
want to make things difficult for you. (He wantsthat you) must
complete the same number (of days), and that you must magnify Allaah
[i.e. to say Takbeer (Allaahu Akbar: Allaah is the Most Great)] for
having guided you so that you may be grateful to Him"
[al-Baqarah 2:185]
Al-Bukhaari (8) and Muslim (16) narrated that Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "Islam is built on five (pillars): the
testimony that there is no god but Allaah and Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allaah; establishing prayer; paying zakaah; Hajj; and
fasting Ramadaan."
Whoever does not fast has abandoned one of thepillars of Islam, and is
committing a grave majorsin. Indeed some of the salaf were of the view
that he is a kaafir [disbeliever] and apostate– we seek refuge with
Allaah from that.
Abu Ya'la narrated in his Musnad from Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be
pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "The bonds of Islam and the bases of religion are
three, on which Islam was founded. Whoever gives up one of them
becomes a kaafir thereby and it is permissible to shed his blood: the
testimony that there is nogod but Allaah, the prescribed prayers and
fasting Ramadaan."
This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Dhahabi, and as hasan by
al-Haythami in Majma' al-Zawaa'id, 1/48, and by al-Mundhiri in
al-Targheeb wa'l-Tarheeb,no. 805, 1486. Classed as da'eef by
al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Da'eefah, no. 94.
Al-Dhahabi said in al-Kabaa'ir, p. 64.
Whoever does not fast in Ramadaan without being sick or having any
other excuse that allows him not to fast is more evil than the
adulterer or drunkard, indeed they doubted his Islam and thought that
this was heresy.
A saheeh report which warns against not fasting was narrated by Ibn
Khuzaymah (1986) and Ibn Hibbaan (7491) from Abu Umaamah al-Baahili
who said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) say: "Whilst I was sleeping two men came to me and
took my by the arm and brought me to a cragged mountain. They said,
'Climb up.' I said, 'I cannot.' They said, 'We will make it easy for
you.' So I climbed up until I wasat the top of the mountain. Then I
heard loud voices. I said, 'What are these voices?' They said, 'This
is the howling of the people of Hell." Then I was taken until I saw
people hanging by their hamstrings, with thesides of their mouths
tornand blood pouring from their mouths.' I said, 'Whoare these?' He
said, 'These are people who broke their fast before it was time.'"
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Mawaarid al-Zam'aan, no.
1509.
Al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This is the punishment
of those who fasted then broke the fast deliberatelybefore the time
for breaking the fast came, sowho about those who do not fast at all?
We ask Allaah to keep us safe andsound in this world and inthe
Hereafter.
Our advice to the brother who asked this question is to fear Allaah
and to beware of His wrath, vengeance and a painful punishment. He
should hasten to repent to Allaahbefore the destroyer of pleasures
that splits people apart [i.e., death] takes him unawares. Today there
is action and no reckoning, but tomorrow there will be the reckoning
and no action. Note that whoeverrepents, Allaah will accepthis
repentance, and whoever draws closer to Allaah one hand span, Allaah
will draw closer to him one cubit....

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The Great number of inhabitants

"And most of the people are not believers even though you take great
care in this respect."
[Yusuf, 12: 103]
Abu Hurairah (radiAllahu anhu) narrated: "The Prophet (salAllahu
alayhi wasalam) said, 'The first man to be called on the Day of
Resurrection will be Adam, who will be shown his descendants. And it
will be said to them, "This is your father, Adam." Adam will say,
[responding to the call],"Labbayk wa sa'dayk." Then Allah will say [to
Adam], "Bring forth from your descendants the delegations of the
Fire." He will say, "O Lord, how many should I bring?" Allah will
answer, "From every hundred, ninety-nine.'"
The companions said, 'O Messenger of Allah, if ninety-nine out of
every one hundred of us are brought forth , then what will remain of
us?' The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) stated, 'My nation among
other nations is like a white hairon a black bull.'"
[Sahih al-Bukhari]

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How thirty people ate in the dark

Sheikh Abul Hasan Antaki (RA.) lived in Raye, a city in Khorassan. One
day, it chanced that the Sheikh had more than thirty guests, while he
did not have sufficient bread withhim. He could not bake more bread,
for, it was late at night. So, he broke the few loaves he had into
small pieces and spread them over a piece of cloth, which he had
laidbefore his guests. When they were going to start eating, the
Sheikh put outthe lamp. Everybody seemed to start eating and one could
hear the sound of their chewing. After a while, the sound stopped and
it was presumed that everybodyhad finished eating. The Sheikh then
lighted the lamp and they saw that all the pieces were lying
untouched; nobody had eaten anything. Because the food was little,
everyone was thinking about his brothers next tohim and wanted them to
eat instead.
Source: "Fadhail-e-Sadaqaa: Part II" translated by Prof. Abdul Karim.
May Allah make us useful for each other in terms of pleasing Allah.

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Interesting stories about Prophet Muhammad's childhood

Abdul Muttalib (Prophet Muhammad's grandfather) was more passionate
with his grandson (young Muhammad) than with hisown children. He never
left the boy a prey to loneliness, but always preferred him to his own
kids. Ibn Hisham reported:A mattress was put in the shade of Al-Ka'bah
for Abdul Muttalib. His children used to sit around that mattress in
honour to their father, butMuhammad used to sit onit. His uncles would
take him back, but if Abdul Muttalib was present, he would say: "Leave
my grandson. I swear by Allahthat this boy will hold a significant
position." He used to seat the boy on his mattress, pat his back and
was always pleased with what the boy did. Source: Ibn Hihsam, 1/168.
It is also reported that during Amina's (Prophet Muhammad's mother)
pregnancy, she felt no pain or discomfort. She had always heard
womencomplaining about the hardships of pregnancy, but she felt very
well. During these months Amina had many dreams. One night in a dream
she saw a light coming out of her. The light was shining on castles of
Syria. Source:Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd, 1/63.

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He Completed Fasting 30 Days Then Arrived in a Country Still on their 30th day

If I were to travel on the 30th day of Ramadaan from London just after
Magrib time, after having broken my fast and I wereto arrive at my
destination in the USA butto find that they are still in the day time
of their 30th day of Ramadaan, what should I do?
The reply to your question in brief is: your state should be similar
to that of the [Muslim] inhabitants of where you are. So, if they were
still observing fasting then you should observe fasting with them even
if that means you would be fasting for more than 30 days [the max.
number of days, normally observed in the month of Ramadaan]. This is
the opinion of Shaikh Abdul-Azeez Ibn Baaz.

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Muslims say they do not worship idols. When they go to Mecca, why do they kiss a black stone?

Isn't that like worshippingan idol?
Muslims do not worship the black stone. They regard the stone as a
created thing. The most fundamental principle of Islam is that nothing
or no one is to be worshipped except Allah, the one true God.
Muslims who can afford the journey are required once in their lifetime
to visit the House of Worshipin Makkah. This was the first house built
for the worship of the one true God. It was constructed byAbraham and
his son Ishmael, peace be upon them. The black stone was brought to
them from heaven by the angel Gabriel to function as a corner stone.
It was thus affixed in one corner.
Because Muslims kiss that stone, some observers hastily conclude that
Muslims worship it. A kiss, however, is not an act of worship unless
it is accompanied by an intention to worship. If you kiss your child,
for instance, that does not mean you worship your child.
Some may find it strange that Muslims should treat a stone with
respect. But this is not just any old stone. It is an item out of
paradise.
The act of fixing a stone to mark a place of worship is as old as
history. In the Bible we are told that Jacob, on whom be peace, had
fixeda stone at a place where he saw a vision. He poured oil on it and
calledit Bethel meaning 'house of God' (see Genesis 28:18). He did
this again upon God's instruction (see Genesis 35:1, 14, 15). No one
should understand from this that God instructed Jacob to worship the
stone.

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Dr. Robert Morey proves in his book that Allah is the name of the moon god worshipped in Arabia before Islam. Is he right?

The book you refer to is entitled The Islamic Invasion:
Confronting the World's Fastest Growing Religion, published by Harvest
House Publishers, Oregon, US, 1992. The author, Dr. Robert Morey, sees
Islam as an invasion into North America and a threat to his religious
heritage.
Unfortunately, Dr. Morey has resorted to dishonest tactics in
combating Islam. To prove his contention that Allah is not the God of
Christians and Jews, he quoted from several books in such a dishonest
fashion that thequotations say the opposite of what we find in those
books (see quotations on pages 47-53 of Dr. Morey's book).
Dr. Morey quoted from the Encyclopedia Britannica to support his case.
But in fact the Encyclopedia says:
Allah is the standard Arabic word for "God" andis used by Arab
Christians as well as by Muslims (Britannica, 1990 Edition, vol.1,
p.276).
Dr. Morey also quoted from H.A.R Gibb to support his case. But Gibb
actually says the opposite.In his book Mohammedanism, Gibb says on
page 26 that bothMuhammad and his opponents believed in"the existence
of a supreme God Allah." Gibb further explained this on pages 37-38
(see Mohammedanism by H.A.R. Gibb, Oxford University Press, 1969). Dr.
Morey should have checked his references more carefully before his
book went into print.
Dr. Morey said that Alfred Guillaume agrees with him, and he refers to
page7 of Alfred Guillaume's book entitled Islam. But here is what
Alfred Guillaume actually says onpage 7 of his book:
In Arabia Allah was known from Christian andJewish sources as the one
God, and there can be no doubt whatever that he was known to the pagan
Arabs of Mecca as the supreme being (Islam by Alfred Guillaume,
Penguin,1956, p.7).
How could Dr. Morey misquote like this? Furthermore, Dr. Morey quoted
from page 28 of a book by another non-Muslim writer Caesar Farah. But
when we refer to that book we find that Dr. Morey gave only a partial
quotation which leaves out the main discussion. The book actually says
that the God who was called Il by the Babylonians and El by the
Israelites was called ilah, al- ilah, and eventually Allah in Arabia
(see Islam: beliefs and Observances, by Caesar Farah, Barron's
Educational Series, 4th Edition, p.28). Farah says further on page 31
that before Islam the pagans had already believed that Allah is the
supreme deity.Of course they had 360 idols, but, contrary to Dr.
Morey's assertion, Allah was never one of the 360 idols. As Caesar
Farah points out on page 56, the prophet Muhammad, on whom be peace,
personally destroyed those idols.
Dr. Morey also quoted from William Montgomery Watt. But Watt says on
page 26 of his book that the Arabic word Allah is similar to the Greek
term ho theos which we know is the way God is referred to in the New
Testament (see Muhammad; Prophet and Statesman by William Montgomery
Watt, OxfordUniversity Press, 1964, p.26).
Dr. Morey also quoted from Kenneth Cragg's book entitled The Call of
the Minaret. However, on page 36 of Kenneth Cragg's book we find the
following:
Since both Christian and Muslim faiths believe in One supreme
sovereign Creator-God, they are obviously referring when they speak of
Him, under whatever terms, to the same Being. (The Call of the Minaret
by Kenneth Cragg, Oxford University Press, 1964, p. 36). Further on
the same page,Cragg explains that the One whom the Muslims call Allah
is the same One whom the Christians call 'the God and Father of
ourLord Jesus Christ', although the two faiths understand Him
differently.
Dr. Morey should know that as a scholar he has the academic obligation
to quote honestly. He should also know that as a follower of Jesus, on
whom be peace, he has an obligation to speak thetruth.

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How can you say that death is not theconsequence for sin whereas the Bible clearly teaches that it is?

The best way to understand this would be to study the story found in
the book of Genesis in the Holy Bible. Let us begin with a brief
outline of the story. We are told that God warned Adam that if he eats
from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he will surely die.
This was communicated also to Eve. The serpent, however, being
deceptive,promised Eve that they will not die from eating it.So she
ate the fruit, and gave also to her husband. As a result of eating the
fruit, they realized for the first time that they were naked, so they
covered themselves with fig leaves. When they heard the sound of God
walking in the garden in the cool of the day, they hid from Him among
the trees. He called out to them asking where they were and asked
whether they had eaten from the forbidden tree. Adam blamed Eve, and
Eve blamed the serpent. God then cursed all three of them. The serpent
shall henceforth crawl on its belly and eat dust. The woman shall
suffer in childbearing and remain under the domination of her husband.
The man shall have to sweat for his living until he returns to dust.
God then said: "The man has now become likeone of us, knowing good and
evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from
the tree of life and eat, and live forever." So God banished him from
the garden and placed a flaming sword to prevent access to the tree of
life (Condensed from Genesis 2:17 - 3:22).
Many people misunderstand this story to mean that physical death is a
consequence for sin. But the biblical scholars who are aware ofall its
implications explainotherwise. The Interpreter's One Volume Commentary
on the Bible explains that death here means separation from God, the
giver of "life" (p.6).
The reason for this other explanation is the obviousfact that in the
story Adam did not die. He livedon for 930 years (see Genesis 5:5).
And when God spoke of his eventual death, He mentioned it not as a
consequence of sin, but as a natural outcome of the fact that Adam was
created from dust - and to dust he must return (see Genesis 3:19).
When a few verses later itis stated that God deprived Adam in access
to the tree of life many people again conclude that because of sin
Adam was deprived of everlasting life. But this too is not what the
book of Genesis says. The story goes that once Adam gained knowledge
of good and evil, God was concerned that he may now gain eternal life
also (see Genesis 3:22). The Abingdon Bible Commentary explains
thatAdam was deprived of eternal life because he had already acquired
some power, namely knowledge, and God was concerned lest Adam should
acquire more, namely eternal life, and become a threat to God (see the
Abingdon Bible Commentary, p.223).
It is clear from the story that even if Adam was promised death he was
given a lesser penalty, and death must be taken as the maximum
possible penalty - that, obviously, was not given. Elsewhere in the
book of Genesis, when God killed certain men for their wickedness, it
meant instant death (see Genesis 38: 7, 10). But the death that comes
as the natural end to physical life is not a penalty for sin. It is
better to understand that God in His mercy gave a lesser penalty to
Adam than to suppose that God in His anger gave more penalties in
addition to what He stated initially. This is why Reverend W. K.
Lowther Clarke explained in his Bible commentary that God relented and
gave Adam alesser penalty (see the Concise Bible Commentary1952,
p.343). For the Qur'anic perspective on the Genesis story, see
question 17.

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Does the Qur'an havethe story of theFall ofMan as told inthe Bible? Are the storiessimilar or different?

They are similar in a basic outline, but different on a few important points.
First, let us consider the basic outline. Adam and Eve were placed in
a garden in a state of happiness. God instructed them to eat from any
treeexcept one tree. Eventually, they were deceived into eating from
the forbidden tree and their nakedness became apparent to them. God
then expelled them from the garden.
Now, the disagreements.
1. Neither book names thefruit, but the Bible alone calls it the tree
of knowledge of good andevil. The Qur'an does not call it such, but
teaches that humans are already inspired with the knowledge of good
and evil at creation in order toenable them to exercise choice between
good and evil. This knowledge did not come as a result of eating from
a forbidden tree.
2. The Bible says the deceiver was a serpent, but the Qur'an says it was Satan.
3. The Bible says that Adam was not deceived, but only Eve was
deceived; it says that Eve then gave the fruit to Adam and he ate. On
the other hand, more thanone Qur'anic passages mention that they were
both deceived. One passage specifically says that Satan approached
Adam and deceived him. The Qur'an does not singleout Eve for blame in
any passage.
4. The Bible says that when the couple heard thesound of God walking
in the garden in the cool of the day, they hid from him among the
trees. So God called out to Adam asking where he was, andasking if he
ate from the forbidden tree. On the other hand the Qur'an does not
depict God in limited human form. The Qur'an and the Bible both teach
that God knows everything always.
5. According to the Bible, when the couple was confronted with their
mistake, they blamed eachother, and Adam even blamed God becauseGod
gave him the womanwho gave him the fruit. According to the Qur'an they
did not pass the blame. Instead, both repented.
6. According to the Bible, God cursed them. According to the Qur'an,
God forgave them and guided them.
7. According to the Bible, they were driven out of the garden/

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Time for Imsaak (Starting the Fast) when the Calendar Times are Different

There are apparent discrepancies in the times of Salaat-ul Fajr stated
on the different timetablesdistributed by the various mosques of the
same town or city. Would it be a 'safer' practice if one was to follow
the earliest of those times for the purpose of Imsaak (abstaining from
eating, drinking, etc.)?
It is permissible to eat, drink, etc. until one is certain of the time
of Fajr (interpretation of the meaning): "…eat and drink until the
time wherethe 'white' and'black' thresholds of Al-Fajris evident to
you…" [Soorat-ul Baqarah]
So, this means it is permissible to continue eating and drinking
unless it is evident for onethat it is time for Fajr. Fajr can be
defined as the 'white' lightspreading across the horizon from the
eastern side. If one was unable to sight Al-Fajr and there was no one
else who could tell him about it through means such as raising the
Azaan (The call to prayers),then one should follow the timetable
that, according to the best of his knowledge, is the most accurate.
This accuracy is usually established through experience or by asking
experts or the earlier Muslim residents of the area.

What happened before and after the birth of Prophet Muhammad

Some men of the city of Makka went on a trip to Syria. On the way they
met a monk. Four of theseMakkis decided to stop fora while to talk
with the monk.
In those days monks livedin places where there were very few people so
that they could have quiteto worship Allah. They also were people who
read books and knew many stories. Only a few Makkis knew about
reading. All they knew about was trade and enjoying themselves. They
knew they would hear interesting and entertaining stories from the
monk.
After talking for a while the monk asked the men," where are you from ?"
They answered, " we are from Makka.",
The monk then told them," Allah will send a prophetto Makka soon."
The four men continued on their journey thinking about the things the
monk had said. Each of them wished that the new prophet would be
hisown son.
Abdulmuttalib was asleepin Kaaba. He had a strangedream. He saw a tree
growing until it reached the sky. The tree had branches that spread to
the East and the West. It appeared that a very bright light was
shining on the tree. Abdulmutalib saw the Arabs and the non-Arabs bow
to the tree. The tree continued growing larger, higher, and brighter.
Then he sawsome people from Quraysh holding to the branches of the
tree, while other Qurayshis tried to chop down the tree. A very
handsome youth stopped them fromchopping down the tree. Abdulmuttalib
saw himself put his hand out to grab the tree, but he could not reach
it. He woke up from his sleep frightened.
Abdulmuttalib sat thinking of the dream andwhat it meant, but he could
not find an explanation for it. The next morning he went to the
priestess of the Quraysh to ask her to explain the dream. The Arabs
always asked the priest or priestess for the explanation of dreams.
When the priestess saw Abdulmuttalib, she saw sign of worry on his
face, so she asked, "why do you look so worried:"
Abdulmuttalib answered," I had a dream that frightened me." Then he
told her all about the dream.
When he finished, she said, "if your dream ever comes true, then one
of your sons will control the East and the West. All the people will
follow him."
Abdulmuttalib was pleased with what the priestess had told him. Later
when he met his son Abu Talib he told him about the dream and what
priestess had said. Then he said to his son, Abu Talib, " I hope you
arethe one the priestess meant in her explanation."
But the intended one was not Abu Talib. The one thepriestess mean was
the yet unborn grandson of Abdulmuttalib. Abdulmuttalib had grandson
named Abdullahwho was married to Amina, daughter of Wahb.Amina was
expecting a baby. Before the baby was born, Abdullah had gone on a
trading trip. He became ill on the trip and had died. Abdullah never
saw his son.
During her pregnancy, Amina felt no pain or discomfort. She had always
heard women complaining about the hardships of pregnancy, but she felt
very well. During these months Amina had many dreams. One night in a
dream she saw a light coming out of her. The light was shining on
castles of Syria.
Another night she heard avoice in her dream. The voice said, "Amina,
you are carrying the greatest man in the world. When you give birth,
give him the name, Muhammad and tell no one about this dream."
Amina woke up and looked around but there was no one in the room. She
tried to go to sleep again but she was still thinking about what she
had heard in the dream.
It was time for Amina's baby to be born. She gavebirth to a beautiful,
clean baby boy. Since the boy's father had died months earlier, Amina
sent the news to her son's grandfather, Abdulmuttalib. Abdulmuttalib
was sittingin the Kaaba when the news came. He was delighted. He went
to Amina and carried the boyhappily to the Kaaba. When he brought the
baby back to her, he said," I have named him Quthm."
Abdulmuttalib had a boy named Quthm but he had died when he was nine
years old. That made Abdulmuttalib very sad. So when Amina gave
birthto a boy, Abdulmuttalib wanted to name him afterthe dead boy.
Amina had to tell him, " I was ordered in a dream to call him
Muhammad." Abdulmuttalib picked up the baby, kissed him and said, " I
hope that my grandson, Muhammad, will be a great man."
On the seventh day after Mohammed's birth, Abdulmuttalib ordered
animals to be slaughteredand asked the people of Makka to come to a
feast. After everyone had eaten, Abdulmuttalib brought out his
grandson, Muhammad, to show the people. Everyone said thathe was such
a beautiful baby. The people also felt sad for the baby because he was
an orphan. His father had died before seeing him.....

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If there is no original sin, then why does everyone have to die? Isn't death the consequence of sin?

Muslims have a very positive view of life and death. Life on earth is
temporary. Death is the door through which one enters into everlasting
life. Muslims do not see death as something scary or frightful. Death
is the way one returns to Allah. God says in the Qur'an:
Say: The angel of death, who has been given charge of you, will carry
off your souls. Then to your Lord you shall all return (Qur'an 32:11).
Muslims hopeful of God's mercy look forward to theday when God will
address them as stated in the Qur'an:
O peaceful and fully satisfied soul, return to your Lord: you are
well-pleased (with your good end) and well-pleasing (in the sightof
your Lord). Join My (righteous) servants and enter my Paradise
(Qur'an89: 27-30).
Viewed in this way, death becomes a joy for the truebeliever. This
view of death was further explained in a saying of the Prophet, on
whom be peace. He said:
Allah loves to meet whoever loves to meet Him.
It is true that no one likes to die. But the prophet, onwhom be peace, said:
When death comes to a believer, he is given good news of the pleasure
of Allah and his gifts. There is then nothing dearer to him than what
is ahead ofhim. So he loves to meet Allah, and Allah loves to meet him
(This was reported by Bukhari and Muslim).
This positive view of death should not imply a negative view of life.
Life should be lived to its fullest, and believers should not wish for
an end to their lives. The prophet said; no believer should wish for
death, for,as long as there is life in you, if you are righteous,
perhaps you may increaseyour good deeds, and if you are sinful,
perhaps given time you may repent (reported by Bukhari).
God in His plan devised this earthly life as a temporary life. The
earth is a testing ground. Those who accept God's guidance in this
life will be given the abundance of God's grace in the next, the
everlasting life. When God decreed for humans to live on the earth, He
declared:
Henceforth there shall come to you guidance from Me now and again;
whoever will follow it shall have neither fear norsorrow, and whoever
will refuse to accept it and defy Our Revelation, they shall be doomed
to the Fire wherein they shall remain forever (Qur'an 2:38-39).
Again, God says that He"created life and death so that He may try you,
which of you is best in conduct" (Qur'an67:2).
God says further:
Indeed We created man from a mixed drop to try him and therefore We
made him capable of hearing and seeing. We showed him the way, whether
to be grateful or disbelieving (Qur'an 76:2-3; see also 90;8- 10).
In this life we should use our God-given faculties to learn and follow
God's message. The Qur'an says that those who end up being punished
for their sins will regret that they neither listened nor used their
brains when God's message had reached them (see Qur'an 67:10).
Incidentally, in the Qur'an it is not said that God warned Adam and
Eve of death if they ate from the forbidden tree. What God actually
said to them was that if they ate from the tree they would become
wrongdoers (see Qur'an 2:35). Given the Qur'anic viewpoint, there is
no reason to consider death as a consequence for sin.

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You said that every child of Adam is a sinner. Does that mean we are born with sin?

No. Muslims believe that every child is born in a pure, natural state.
Left totheir own, children will grow up instinctively seeking the one
true God, Allah. However, environmental influences and parents turn a
child away from the pure, natural state. A saying of the prophet, on
whom be peace and the blessings ofGod, confirms this. It says that
each child is born in anatural state just as, for example a baby
animal is born without any brand on its body; then the owner brands it
with his own mark. Similarly, parents too would give a newborn their
own religious identity (see Sahih al-Bukhari, Arabic-English, vol.8,
no.597 and Sahib Muslim, Eng. Trans. vol 4, no. 6423).
The saying "every child of Adam is a sinner" means that every human
being isa sinner, sin being an inevitable outcome of a fallible human
nature. No matter how righteous a person is, he or she may at times
disobey God through ignorance or forgetfulness. The prophet, on whom
be peace, meant to emphasize that the best person is the one who seeks
forgiveness for his or her sins. Furthermore, he said that one who
repents from sin is like one without sin. God says in the Qur'an that
He will replace the evil deeds with good for those who repent,
believe, and do righteous deeds (see Qur'an 25:70).
Another saying of the prophet indicates that God actually intended
that humans will be a species that commit sins so they can turn to Him
and He would forgive them (see Sahih Muslim, Eng. Trans., vol.4, nos.
6620-2). This is a much better explanation than the popular conception
according to which God atfirst sees that humans are good, then God
discovers that they are wicked and so, being sorry that He made them
in the first place, God eventually decides to wipe them off the face
of the earth; but then he changes His mind again and lets them
eventually procreate and fill the earth although they are still sinful
as ever. The better explanation is that God knew in advance that we
would sin, and we turned out just the way God planned. God does not
discover new things - He knows everything always.
So, simply put, the Islamicbelief is that people are not born in sin
but they will eventually commit sins for which they shouldsincerely
repent, and God will wipe out their sins. People do not inherit
sins.Sin is something you do wrong. You couldn't have done anything
before youwere born, therefore you were born without sin. The Qur'an
teaches that God does not hold us responsible for what others did
before we were born, and no innocent person would carry the guilt of
another (see Qur'an 4:111; 6:164). This coincides with our own sense
of justice. No one considers it right to blame children for the sins
of their ancestors, or to punish the innocent so that the guilty may
go free.

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If God is loving, kind, and merciful, why would He punish anyone in Hell?

Due to a slight misunderstanding, many people see this as an
unresolvable contradiction. This question has troubled them to the
point of driving them away from religion altogether. The
misunderstanding begins with the assumption that God loves everyone,
even sinners. Then it becomes difficult to explain why God would
punish sinners.Some people attempt to explain their way around this by
saying that God loves the sinner but hates the sin. This explanation
would have been good enough if God would punish the sin and save the
sinner. Instead, God will punish the sinner, so the problem remains.
To survey the problem a little further, consider the following quote
from Matthew's Gospel: You have heard that it was said, 'Love your
neighbor and hate your enemy.' ButI tell you: Love your enemies . . .
(Matthew 5:43-44).
Now, this passage indicates that it is a good thing to love one's
enemies. It follows, then, that God, being infinitely good, must love
His enemies too. But then, why would He punish them? Why, for example,
would God torment some of His creatures day and night for ever and
ever in a lake of burning sulphur if He loves them? (see Revelation
20:10)
The Qur'an resolves this problem by indicating quite clearly that
although God is full of loving kindness He does not love sinners who
refuse to change. We know from the Qur'an that Allah does not like the
following categories of people:
� mischief makers
� treacherous ingrates
� proud people
� prodigals
� rejecters of God's message.
It presents, therefore, no difficulty in the mind of a Muslim if God
punishes such people. On the other hand, it makes more sense that God
will not treat the good and bad in the same manner. Therefore we must
all try our best to do what pleases God, and seek His forgiveness for
our failings. The Qur'an tells us that Allah loves the following
categories of people:
� those who do good
� those who repent for their sins
� those who keep themselves clean
� those who fulfil their pledges and are consciousof Allah
� those who are steadfast on the right path
� those who trust in Allah.
Let us therefore ask God to make us deserving of His infinite love.

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Learn from this man, he is the best

When Mu'aawiyah ibn al-Hakam al-Salami came to Madeenah from the
desert, he did not know that it was forbidden to speak during the
salaah. He relates: "Whilst I was praying behind the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), a man sneezed, so
I said 'Yarhamuk Allaah (may Allaah have mercy on you).' The people
glared at me, so I said, 'May my mother lose me! What is wrong with
you that you are looking at me?' They began to slap their thighs with
their hands, and when I saw that they were indicating that I should be
quiet, I stoppedtalking (i.e., I nearly wanted to answer them back,
but I controlled myself and kept quiet).
When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) had finished praying - may my father and mother be sacrificed for
him, I have never seena better teacher than him before or since - he
did not scold me or hit me or put me to shame. He just said, 'This
prayer should contain nothing of the speech of men; it is only tasbeeh
and takbeer and recitation of the Qur'aan.'"Source: Saheeh Muslim,
'Abd al-Baaqi edn., no. 537.
May Allah give us the beautiful qualities of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

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When to Start Ordering the Young to Fast

The young is told to start praying when they are seven year old and
they are to be punished for notperforming prayer when they ten,
according to Sunnah. Does the same rule apply for fasting?
The young boy is ordered to fast when he reaches the age of 7 is if he
is physically capable of bearing it. (Some Muslim scholars that he
should bephysically reprimanded if he does not fast by the age of 10,
which is the same rule that is applied to prayer; refer to Al Mughni
3/90). The boy will get a reward for fasting and his parents will get
a reward for teaching him well and guiding him to that whichis good.
Al Rubayyi' bint Mu'awwadh (may Allaah be pleased with her) said about
fasting 'Aashouraa' at the time when it was mandatory to fast it and
not voluntary: we used tomake our young boys fast, and we made them
atoy made out of wool. If one of the boys cried [wanting] food, we
wouldgive him [the toy to distract him] until it was time to break the
fast." (AlBukhari Fath # 1960). (Ashouraa is the tenth dayof the month
of Muharram. Although fasting this day is now voluntary the majority
of Muslims usually fast.) Some people are quite lenient and lax when
it comes to making their children fast. A situation may even arise
where theyoung child feels enthusiastic and chooses to fast and is
physically capable of doing so, then his father or mother orderhim to
break his fast claiming that it is out of sympathy. Little do they
know that real sympathy is in stressing the importance of fasting and
teaching the child about it. Allaah said in Surat ul-Tahreem
(interpretation of the meaning): "O you who believe! Ward yourselves
and your families off froma fire (Hell) whose fuel is of men and
stones, over which are appointed angels stern and severe, who do not
disobey the commands they receive from Allaah, and execute that which
they are commanded." We must pay extra attention to theyoung girl when
she first starts fasting after she reaches puberty. There is a
possibility that she will fast while she has her period (the first
time) out of shame or shyness, and end up not making up thedays later
on.

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The ‘iddah of a divorcedwoman who is pregnant

A man had an argument with his wife and told her,"You are divorced."
She swore at him so he kickedher in the stomach and pushed her down
the stairs. She was five months pregnant and she lost the baby. Then
he regretted it and went to her family's house to take her back. Her
father askedme for advice and I asked him to wait until I consulted
one of the 'ulama' (scholars) because maybe her 'iddah ended when she
miscarried. What is the ruling on that?
Praise be to Allaah.
The scholars are agreed that the 'iddah of a divorced woman who is
pregnant ends when the pregnancy ends, because Allaah says
(interpretationof the meaning):
"And for those who are pregnant (whether they are divorced or their
husbands are dead), their 'Iddah (prescribed period) is until they lay
down their burden"
[al-Talaaq 65:4]
They are also agreed that if a woman miscarries a foetus in which
human features are apparent, her'iddah ends at that point. (al-Mughni
11/229). The human features start to appear after eighty days, and are
usually very clear by ninety days.
Based on this, if a womanmiscarries in the fifth month of pregnancy,
her 'iddah ends at that point, according to all the scholars, and her
husbandhas no right to take her back after her 'iddah has ended.
But he may make a new marriage contract with her if he wants to, but
that has to be with her approval and in the presence of her wali
(guardian) and two witnesses, and with a dowry (mahr).
There are two things which this man who caused this miscarriage has to do.
1 – He has to expiate for killing by mistake, which is by freeing a
believing slave; if he cannot do thatthen he must fast for two
consecutive months, because Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"and whosoever kills a believer by mistake, (it is ordained that) he
must set free a believing slave and a compensation (blood money, i.e.
Diya) be given to the deceased'sfamily unless they remit it…
And whoso finds this (the penance of freeing a slave) beyond his
means, he must fast for two consecutive months in order to seek
repentance from Allaah. And Allaah is Ever All-Knowing, All-Wise"
[al-Nisa' 4:92]
2 – He must also pay the diyah (blood money) for the foetus, which is
one-tenth of the diyah forthe mother. The diyah for a Muslim woman is
fifty camels, which is equivalent in modern terms to 60, 000 Saudi
Riyals. So the father must pay 6,000 riyals or its equivalent in
another currency to the heirs of the foetus, and it should be shared
out among them as if the foetus had died and left that behind, but the
father does not inherit anything, because the killer does not inherit
from the one whom he killed. Ibn Qudaamah said:"If the person who
causedthe miscarriage was the father of the foetus or oneof the other
heirs, then hemust give a slave and we have stated above that the
equivalent is to pay 6,000 Saudi riyals or an equal amount in another
currency and he does not inherit anything of that, and he should free
a slave. This is the view of al-Zuhri, al-Shaafa'i and others."
(al-Mughni, 12/81).
And Allaah knows best. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our
Prophet Muhammad.

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The Great number of inhabitants

"And most of the people are not believers even though you take great
care in this respect."
[Yusuf, 12: 103]
Abu Hurairah (radiAllahu anhu) narrated: "The Prophet (salAllahu
alayhi wasalam) said, 'The first man to be called on the Day of
Resurrection will be Adam, who will be shown his descendants. And it
will be said to them, "This is your father, Adam." Adam will say,
[responding to the call],"Labbayk wa sa'dayk." Then Allah will say [to
Adam], "Bring forth from your descendants the delegations of the
Fire." He will say, "O Lord, how many should I bring?" Allah will
answer, "From every hundred, ninety-nine.'"
The companions said, 'O Messenger of Allah, if ninety-nine out of
every one hundred of us are brought forth , then what will remain of
us?' The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) stated, 'My nation among
other nations is like a white hairon a black bull.'"
[Sahih al-Bukhari]

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The Effects upon thePresent World

Abu Hurairah (radiAllahu anhu) narrated that the Messenger of Allah
(salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said: "The Hellfire complained to its Lord,
saying, 'O my Lord, my different parts eat each other up.' So Allah
allowed it to take two breaths - one in the winter and the other in
the summer. This is [the cause pf] the severe heat and the bitter cold
you experience.'"
[Sahih al-Bukhari]
Ibn Umar (radiAllahu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi
wasalam) said: "Fever is from the breath of the Hellfire; so cool it
with water."
[Sahih al-Bukhari]
Abu Dharr (radiAllahu anhu) narrated: "While the Prophet (salAllahu
alayhi wasalam) was on a journey, he said [regarding the performance
of the thuhr prayer], 'Wait until it gets cooler.' He said the same
thing again until the shade of the hillocks extended, and then he
said, 'Delay the [thuhr] prayer until it gets cooler, for the severity
of heat is from the breath of Hell.'" (thuhr period is just before
'Asr)
[Sahih al-Bukhari]

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Ali's Sacrifice -- details at:- http://aydnajimudeen.blogspot.com/

"There! I found the moon," exclaimed six yearold Ali to his father.
"Where?" asked Ali�s ten year old brother, Abdullah.
"See that big tree? Its right next to it," replied Ali.
The boys were trying to sight the new moon for the beginning of the
Islamic month of Zulhijjah.Eid would be ten days from the day they saw
the new moon.
"Oh, I see it now," said Abdullah.
"Daddy, can we go tomorrow to buy a goat?"asked Ali.
"Sure, we�ll go tomorrow after the Zuhr prayer," replied their father.
The next day, all of the boys got in to the car with their father.
They were going to the neighboring hills to buy a goat to slaughter on
the day of Eid in commemoration of what Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham),
alayhi salam, did.
"We�re going to bring thegoat home this time," saidtheir father, "so
you will have to take care of it andfeed it. You can also play with
it."
"Yahoo! I�ll take care of it," said Ali, "I�ll even teach it tricks!"
The boys and their father finally found a goat and took it home. The
next day, Ali woke up early long before the time he used to wake up.
He washed and dressed, thenwent outside to play withthe goat. His
brothers Usman and Abdullah werealready outside playing with the goat.
"Assalamu alaikum," they said together.
"Wa-alaikum as salam," replied Ali.
"We have decided that wewill take turns to feed thegoat. Everyone will
take care of the goat for one day. You can be the first one to feed
him," said Abdullah.
"Okay," said Ali, "where is the food?"
"Right here," replied Abdullah, pointing to the food hidden in a corner.
"Make sure, you give him enough water and hay," said Usman.
Ali then called the goat. The goat came to him obediently and ate the
food. Then he drank a little water.
The boys kept on taking turns until the Eid day. Many times they took
it for walks around their neighborhood. One time, as Abdullah was
getting out of his house to go for the Maghrib prayer, the goat
followed him. Abdullah then had to force the goat back into the
backyard, which the goat resisted very much. The boys started liking
the goat very much.
After the Eid prayer, on the Eid day, the family returned home. It was
time to slaughter the goat.
"D-d-daddy, why are you going to k-k-kill the goat?" asked Ali, who
wasnearly crying, as his fathersharpened his knife.
"We have to kill him, because Allah has orderedus to," came the
reply,"Every Eid-ul-Adha, Muslims all over the world, who can afford,
slaughter a goat, sheep, lamb, cow, or camel. Prophet Ibrahim, alayhi
salam, was ordered by Allah to slaughter his son as a test. He was
about to do that because it was Allah�s order, but then Allah provided
him with aram to slaughter, and Ibrahim, alayhi salam, slaughtered
that. As a commemoration of that great sacrifice, Muslims are asked to
slaughter an animal. You will also be slaughtering an animal when you
grow up."
Ali did not reply but rather watched his father as he slaughtered the
goat. Then he ran into thehouse, because he could not stand watching
the goat die.
Abdullah went after him and explained everything to him again that his
father had said before. Ali finally understood, but he still seemed
sad.
The boys then helped their father in doing the rest of the work. As he
kept thinking about it, Ali realized he had just learned the
word"sacrifice" now: you give up something you love for a higher
purpose. He had become happy now because he knew they had killed the
goat because Allah had commanded them to do so. Then he skipped into
his house and started helping his mother clear up the meat.

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Learn from this man, he is the best

When Mu'aawiyah ibn al-Hakam al-Salami came to Madeenah from the
desert, he did not know that it was forbidden to speak during the
salaah. He relates: "Whilst I was praying behind the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), a man sneezed, so
I said 'Yarhamuk Allaah (may Allaah have mercy on you).' The people
glared at me, so I said, 'May my mother lose me! What is wrong with
you that you are looking at me?' They began to slap their thighs with
their hands, and when I saw that they were indicating that I should be
quiet, I stoppedtalking (i.e., I nearly wanted to answer them back,
but I controlled myself and kept quiet).
When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) had finished praying - may my father and mother be sacrificed for
him, I have never seena better teacher than him before or since - he
did not scold me or hit me or put me to shame. He just said, 'This
prayer should contain nothing of the speech of men; it is only tasbeeh
and takbeer and recitation of the Qur'aan.'"Source: Saheeh Muslim,
'Abd al-Baaqi edn., no. 537.
May Allah give us the beautiful qualities of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

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786. Alhamdulillaah/

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We are extremly rich, yet we don't know it! - detail at :- http://aydnajimudeen.blogspot.com/

Once a person came to a Shaikh (Islamic scholar) and complained to him
about his own poverty, saying that he was in great distress and would
prefer death to such a life.The Shaikh said to him,"Are you willing to
have your eyes taken out in exchange for ten thousand Dirhams (silver
coins)." He replied"Certainly not." The Shaikh said "Would you like to
have your tongue plucked out and get ten thousand Dirhams in return?"
The man said, "Ofcourse not." The Shaikh said, "Would you agree
tohaving both your hands and feet cut off in return for twenty
thousand Dirhams." The man said that he would not. The Shaikh asked
"Are you willing to be made a mad man and get ten thousand Dirhams in
return?" The man said that he was not willing. Atthis, the Shaikh said
to him, "Are you not ashamed of yourself? You admit that Allah Ta'ala
has granted you so many precious gifts, the value whereof, in your own
estimation, exceeds fifty thousand Dirhams (counting only a few
gifts,by way of illustration) andyet you complain of poverty!"
Source: "Fadhail-e-Sadaqaa Part II", translated by Prof. Abdul Karim.
The value of the above mentioned gifts can be fully understood when
welose them. Let us be more thankful to our Lord.

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The amazing feet - detail at :->http://aydnajimudeen.blogspot.com/

I have heard the following story from an Islamic Scholar. Hopefully,
it will be beneficial for all of us.
When a child is born, he or she usually gets some characteristics and
features from his or her parents or from other family members from the
past. For example, our eyes, ears, nose or some other organs of the
body may resemble that of our parents or forefathers. There was a
group of people in Arabia who had the knowledge of this particular
science, that is they could tell who the baby resembles. When Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) was still a baby, his
grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, took him to his lap and was greeting
those who came for Pilgrimage (Hajj). That specific group of people
was also present and while going around the Kabah they would stare
atthe feet of young ProphetMuhammad (SAW). After going around few
times, they came to Abdul Muttalib and said that they have never seen
any other baby whose feet resemble the feet of Prophet Ibrahim (AS).
Onlythe feet of young ProphetMuhammad (SAW) resemble them. The
footprint of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) is preserved and placed beside
Kabah.

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Why does the Qur'an agree with the Bible in some things and disagree in other things?

The Bible is an important means by which people had access to God's
message for thousands of years. It contains many truths from God.
Throughout history many prophets were sent by God to guide humankind.
The Qur'an teaches that prophets were sent to every people to call
them to shun false gods and worship only the one trueGod. Some of the
truths which those prophets taught are recorded in theBible. A seeker
of truth cannot deny those truths.
The Bible has had more impact on western civilization than any
otherbook. The Bible's emphasis on the belief in the one and only God
has helped millions of people to turn away from worshipping idols and
other false gods. Famous commandments like 'you shall not murder' have
become universal principles. Many of the Bible's moral principles have
helped to convert some of the worst people into compassionate, good
citizens.
Obviously, if the Qur'an were to disagree with these moral and
theological truths the Qur'an would have to teach the opposite of
truth. This the Qur'an doesnot do. Where the Bible is true the Qur'an
is also true, since they agree on many fundamental truths.This
agreement, however,does not mean that one book copied out of another
as some individuals are quick to conclude. This we have already
demonstrated in our answer to Question 6. The reason the Qur'an agrees
with the truths in the Bible is that those truths and the Qur'anic
passages all come from the same source, namely God. Since He alone
revealed the Qur'an and all the truths of the Bible, it is only
logical that the truth will be one, regardless in which book it is
found.
When the Qur'an disagrees with the Bible itis also for a reason. The
Qur'an was revealed at a time when people knew the art of writing, and
so designated scribes were able to write down the revelation
immediately toensure its preservation in written form. At the time
people were also accustomed to memorizing eloquent compositions. With
God's help they began a practiceof memorizing the Qur'an,thus ensuring
its preservation also in the hearts of millions of believers
throughout history. Due to these two preservation methods, theQur'an
available all over the world today is the same in its original
language whether you buy a copy in Canada, Australia, or China.
Therefore the Qur'an can be trusted in its entirety, and a believer
can confidently say, "All of it isfrom our Lord" as the Qur'an states
in 3:7. God has promised that He will safeguard the book (Qur'an
15:9). He further says that no falsehood can get into the Qur'an
(Qur'an 41:42). He tells us that He sent the Qur'an to confirm the
truth of what is in the previous scriptures and also to expose the
errors that crept into those scriptures(Qur'an 5:48). So one reason
the Qur'an differs from the Bible can be understood best in light of
the transmission history of the two books.
Another type of differencebetween the two books pertains to the
specific instructions that God gave. God always gives instructions
which are suitable for the varying conditions of human life. Some of
the instructions in the Bible, were meant for a particular historical
circumstance, and are therefore no longer applicable. Since the Qur'an
is newer, it contains God's latest instructions which are
stillapplicable to our present conditions, and which provide the best
solution for some of life's most pressing problems today.

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hadees

The Mother of the Believers, Juwairiyah bint Al-Harith reported that
theProphet (sallAllahu 'alyhi wasallam) came out from my apartment in
the morning as I was busy in performing Dhikr after Fajr(the dawn
prayer). He came back in the forenoonand found me sitting there. The
Prophet (sallAllahu 'alyhi wasallam)said," Are you still in the same
position as I left you?" I replied in the affirmative. Thereupon
theProphet (sallAllahu 'alyhi wasallam) said,
•►"I recited four phrases three times after I had left you. If these
are to be weighed against all you have recited since morning, these
will be heavier. These are:
Subhan-Allah Wa bihamdihi, 'adada khalqihi,wa rida-a nafsihi, wa
zinatah 'arshihi, wa midada kalimatihi
(Allah is free from imperfection and I begin with His praise, as many
times as the number of Hiscreatures, in accordance with His Good
Pleasure, equal to the ink that may be used in recording the words
(for His Praise)."
(Muslim 4/2090) —

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Breaking the Fast and Maghrib (Sunset) Prayer

Some Muslims have exaggerate about breaking their fast to the point
that they miss the Magrib prayer( after eatingdates comes the soup and
juice and so on).
What is your advice with regard to such behavior?
If the meal is put in front of a person without his own intention
being to miss the congregational prayer, then he can eat and drink,
even if he misses the congregational prayer, based on the statement of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "If the meal
is served and the prayer starts, begin with the meal." (Bukhari
narrated it, #631.)
As for putting a large portion of food out purposely to miss the
congregational prayer, thisis the wrong approach andincorrect
behavior. The correct thing is for a Muslim to take a lot of food
unsuspectedly, thereby making him miss the congregational prayer, but
he still gets the bigger reward. Then what is the sunnah? The sunnah
is what is reported on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) "that he used to break the fast before he prayed with fresh
dates, if there were no fresh dates then with dry dates, and if there
were no dry dates, then he sipped from water." (At-Tirmidhi narrated
it and others. He stated it was hasan, gharibhadith. Also Al Albanni
declared it hasan in Sahih Al Jama #4995.)

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Buy a kingdom for aglass of water

Once Sheikh Ibne Sammak(may Allah have mercy onhim) paid a visit to a
king.It so chanced that, when the Sheikh greeted him, the king was
holding a glass of water in his hand.He said to the Sheikh,"Give me a
word of advice." The Sheikh said,"Suppose you could have this glass of
water only at the cost of your entire kingdom and you have to choose
between dying of thirst or giving your kingdom away, which onewould
you prefer?" The king replied, "I would naturally prefer a glass of
water and part with my entire kingdom." The Sheikh said, "Then, I do
not understand why anyone should take joy in a kingdom which is
worthonly a glass of water."
Source: "Fadhail-e-Sadaqaa Part II", translated by Prof. Abdul Karim.
These incidents show thateach one of us has been granted by Allah such
precious gifts, the value whereof cannot be determined in terms of
millions and billions of dollars.

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The Keepers of Hell

"Those in the Fire will say to the keepers of Hell, 'Pray to your Lord
to lighten for us the penalty for a day (at least).' They will say,
'Did there not come to you your messengers with clear signs?' They
will say, 'Yes.'They will reply, 'Then prayas you like. But the
prayerof those without faith is not but in error.'"
[Ghafir, 40: 49-50]
"O you who believe, save yourselves and your families from a fire
whosefuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels, stern
and severe, and who do not disobey Allah in what He orders them and
who do precisely what they are commanded."
[at-Tahreem, 66: 6]
"Over it are nineteen. And We have not made the guardians of the Fire
except angels. And We have made their number only as a trial for the
unbelievers - in order thatthe People of the Book may be certain and
that the believers may increase in faith, and so that the People of
the Book and the believers would not doubt, and that those in whose
hearts is a disease and theunbelievers would say, 'What example does
Allahintend by this?' Thus doesAllah leave to stray whomhe pleases and
guides whom He pleases. And none can know the soldiers of your Lord
except He. And this is nothing other than a warning to mankind."
[Muddaththir, 74: 30-31]
"They will cry out, 'O Malik, let your Lord put anend to us.' He will
say,"Surely, you will stay (as you are).'"
[adh-Dhukhrub, 43: 77]
Samurah (radiAllahu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi
wasalam) said: "Last nightI saw [in a dream] two men coming to me. One
of them said, 'The one who lights the fire is Malik, the gatekeeper of
Hell; I am Jibreel, and this is Mika'eel.'"
[Sahih al-Bukhari]
Ibn Abbas (radiAllahu anhu) related: "The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi
wasalam) said, 'On the night of my ascent to Heaven. I saw Musa (who
was a tall, brown, curly-haired man) as if he was one of the men of
the Shan'awah tribe. Then I saw 'Isa, a man of medium height, of
moderate complexion inclined to the red and white colors, and of lank
hair. I also saw Malik, the gatekeeper of the Hellfire.'"
[Muslim]

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The Names of Hell-Fire

Jahannam:
"Truly Jahannam (the Hellfire) is lying in wait."
[an-Naba, 78: 21]
Latha:
"By no means! For it is Latha (the fire of Hell) burning away right to
theskull."
[Ma'arij, 70: 15-16]
Al-Hutamah:
(Crusher which Smashes or Breaks to Pieces):
"By no means! He will certainly be thrown into al-Hutamah. And what
will make you understandwhat al-Hutamah is? It is the fire of Allah,
kindled to a blaze, which mounts right to the hearts."
[al Humazah, 104: 4-7]
Sa'eer (the Burning Fire):
"�a group in Paradise and a group in Sa'eer."
[ash-Shura, 42: 7]
Saqar:
"Soon will I cast him into Saqar. And what will explain to you what
Saqaris? It permits nothing to endure and it leaves nothing alone,
darkening and changing the color of man."
[al Muddaththir, 74: 26-29]
Al-Jaheem (The Fierce Fire):
"And al-Jaheem will be brought out before those straying in evil."
[ash-Shu'ara, 26: 91]
Al-Hawiyah (The Pit)
"But he whose scales are light - his home will be a pit. And what will
make you understand what thatis? (It is) a fire, blazing fiercely."
[al Qar'iah, 101: 8-11]

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We are all invited tothe feast

The Prophet of Allah (Muhammad, peace be upon him) was shown a
heavenly visitant (in a dream) and it was said to him: Let your eyes
sleep and your ears hear and your heart perceive. He (the Prophet)
said: My eyes slept, my ears heard and my heart perceived. He (the
Prophet) said: It was said to me: The master built a house, arranged
feast and sent someone to issue invitations. He who responded to the
host entered the house, ate thefeast and the master was well-pleased
with him. Hewho did not respond to the host neither entered the house
nor ate the feast and the master was annoyed with him. He explained:
Allah is the Master; Muhammad is onewho extends invitation; the house
is al-Islam and the feast is Paradise.
Source: Al-Tirmidhi Hadith161. Narrated by Rabi'ah al-Jurashi,
transmitted by Darimi.
Let us strive hard to live and die with iman (faith). Remember to make
dua often for all the Muslims who are suffering all over the world.
Say ameen to the following: Ya Allah, forgive our sins, make us better
Muslims and destory or guide those who bring oppression to this world.
Remember, weshouldn't look only towards the sky to see the help of
Allah come down. It won't come down until we look into ourselves and
change ourselves to the way that Allah and His Messenger loves.

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The ideal president

Once Omar ibn al Khattab [ra] hired a work horse forsome business. On
the way to his destination, the cloth that was hanging on his shoulder
fell off while he was occupied in reciting the Qur'an. Omar [ra] did
not notice this until someone drew his attention to it after he had
left the place where the cloth had fallen. Omar [ra] dismounted the
horse andasked the man to guard it.He returned on foot to that place
and brought back his cloth. Upon returning to the work horse, the man
who brought this cloth to Omar's attention asked him two questions.
The first was why he returned on foot instead of riding the horse.
Omar'sreply was that because the horse was not his, andits lease
contract did not include that he would return on it if his dress
felloff in way; So, he feared itwould be dishonesty if he returned on
back of the mare. Then the man asked him the second question, "Why
didn't youorder me to bring it to you while you stay on horseback at
your place?" Omar replied, "Have I got any authority over you to order
you to perform any of my own business?" MashaAllah. These are the
actions of Omar ibn al Khattab [ra], the second khalifah of the Muslim
Ummah.

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What he paid for the shade he enjoyed

Ibnul Muqaffa (may Allah have mercy on him) used to sit frequently in
the shadow of his neighbour'swall. He came to know that the neighbour
was inheavy debt and was about to sell his house to pay the debt. He
said that he always enjoyed the shadow of the neighbour's wall and did
not pay anything for that;so, he presented to the neighbour the price
of his house and told him that, since he had received the price, he
should not sell it.Source: "Fadhail-e-Sadaqaa Part I" translated by
Prof. Abdul Karim.
Let us be good to our neighbours. The best way to treat them would be
tobring them closer to Allah in a humble manner.

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The ‘iddah of a divorcedwoman who is pregnant

A man had an argument with his wife and told her,"You are divorced."
She swore at him so he kickedher in the stomach and pushed her down
the stairs. She was five months pregnant and she lost the baby. Then
he regretted it and went to her family's house to take her back. Her
father askedme for advice and I asked him to wait until I consulted
one of the 'ulama' (scholars) because maybe her 'iddah ended when she
miscarried. What is the ruling on that?
Praise be to Allaah.
The scholars are agreed that the 'iddah of a divorced woman who is
pregnant ends when the pregnancy ends, because Allaah says
(interpretationof the meaning):
"And for those who are pregnant (whether they are divorced or their
husbands are dead), their 'Iddah (prescribed period) is until they lay
down their burden"
[al-Talaaq 65:4]
They are also agreed that if a woman miscarries a foetus in which
human features are apparent, her'iddah ends at that point. (al-Mughni
11/229). The human features start to appear after eighty days, and are
usually very clear by ninety days.
Based on this, if a womanmiscarries in the fifth month of pregnancy,
her 'iddah ends at that point, according to all the scholars, and her
husbandhas no right to take her back after her 'iddah has ended.
But he may make a new marriage contract with her if he wants to, but
that has to be with her approval and in the presence of her wali
(guardian) and two witnesses, and with a dowry (mahr).
There are two things which this man who caused this miscarriage has to do.
1 – He has to expiate for killing by mistake, which is by freeing a
believing slave; if he cannot do thatthen he must fast for two
consecutive months, because Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"and whosoever kills a believer by mistake, (it is ordained that) he
must set free a believing slave and a compensation (blood money, i.e.
Diya) be given to the deceased'sfamily unless they remit it…
And whoso finds this (the penance of freeing a slave) beyond his
means, he must fast for two consecutive months in order to seek
repentance from Allaah. And Allaah is Ever All-Knowing, All-Wise"
[al-Nisa' 4:92]
2 – He must also pay the diyah (blood money) for the foetus, which is
one-tenth of the diyah forthe mother. The diyah for a Muslim woman is
fifty camels, which is equivalent in modern terms to 60, 000 Saudi
Riyals. So the father must pay 6,000 riyals or its equivalent in
another currency to the heirs of the foetus, and it should be shared
out among them as if the foetus had died and left that behind, but the
father does not inherit anything, because the killer does not inherit
from the one whom he killed. Ibn Qudaamah said:"If the person who
causedthe miscarriage was the father of the foetus or oneof the other
heirs, then hemust give a slave and we have stated above that the
equivalent is to pay 6,000 Saudi riyals or an equal amount in another
currency and he does not inherit anything of that, and he should free
a slave. This is the view of al-Zuhri, al-Shaafa'i and others."
(al-Mughni, 12/81).
And Allaah knows best. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our
Prophet Muhammad.

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Where does Waswaas( bad thoughts) come from in Ramadaan

If bad dreams are from the Shayateen, but the Shayateen are chained
during Ramadhan, then how is it that we have bad dreams during
Ramadhan?
Praise be to Allaah.
Not all shayateen are chained. Only the leaders or the strong ones are
chained, which means they could not do in Ramadan the things they used
to do throughout the year. Let it also be known to you that alqareen,
who is the resident shaytan, never leaves you no matter where you go.
Also there is the evil within every one of us. Therefor, all of these
factors promote theevil which we see during Ramadan, yet it is
certainly less than outsideRamadan.

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His grandmother is sick and is unconscious; does she have to offer expiation for not fasting?

My grandmother has beensick for nearly a year and a half; she is not
aware of her surroundings and does not speak and does not ask for
food, but when we give her food, she eats. Sometimes she knows who is
speaking toher (which is rare), but she does not tell us what she
wants from us (she does not say: "I want a bath, may Allaah bless
you"). She is sleeping on abed without moving, and her children help
her to move. I want to ask aboutfasting and prayer; shouldwe pay
fidyah on her behalf and do we have to do anything for the time that
is past?.
Praise be to Allaah.
If a person reaches a stage of senility and feeble-mindedness, loses
his or her mental capacity and is no longer aware, the obligations of
fasting and prayer are waived, and he does not have to offer
expiation, because one of the conditions of being accountable is that
one should be of sound mind.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The Pen
has been lifted from three: from the sleeping person until he wakes
up, from the minor until he grows up, and from the insane person until
he comes to his senses." Narrated by Abu Dawood (4403), al-Tirmidhi
(1423),al-Nasaa'i (3432), Ibn Majaah (2041). Abu Dawood said: It was
narrated by Ibn Jurayj from al-Qaasim ibn Yazeed from 'Ali (may Allaah
be pleased with him) from the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him). He added "andthe senile".
This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh Abi Dawood.
It says in 'Awn al-Ma'bood: Senility refers to when the mind becomes
no longer sound because of old age. What is meant here is the old man
has lost his mind because of old age. The elderly person may become
confused and losehis power of discernment,which means that he is
nolonger qualified to be regarded as accountable, but he cannot be
called insane. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Fasting is
not obligatory unless certain conditions are met: (i) being of sound
mind; (ii) being an adult; (iii) being a Muslim; (iv) being able to do
it; (v) being resident (i.e., not travelling); (vi) being free of
menses or nifaas (post-partum bleeding), in the case of women.
With regard to the first, being of sound mind – theopposite is loss of
reason, whether it is due to insanity or senility, meaning old age, or
an accident which causes a person to lose consciousness and
feeling.Such a person does not have to do anything, because he is no
longer ofsound mind. Based on this, this elderly person who has
reached the stage of senility does not have to fast or feed the poor,
because he is not of sound mind. End quote from Liqa' al-Baab
al-Maftooh (4/220).
With regard to the past, if she was in this state, and was not aware
and could not understand anything, then she does not have tofast or
offer expiation.
If she was aware and could understand, but shedid not fast because she
was sick, then one of two scenarios must apply:
1. If at that time she was hoping to recover from her sickness,
but the sickness continued, then she does not have to do anything,
because what she had to do was make up the fasts when she recovered,
but she did notrecover.
2. If at that time there was no hope of recovery, then she should
offer expiation for each day, which is feeding one poorperson, half a
saa' of the local staple food. If she did not offer this expiation,
then you must offer it now from her wealth.
We ask Allaah to heal her and make her well, and toguide and help you.
And Allaah knows best.

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