There is no clean place to do wudoo’ and pray –should he delay prayer?

I work for an american company, I am the only muslim. there is no
clean place or feasible place to perform wadu during the day, and
there is no private place to perform salat.. Is it haram to wait until
I get home to perform Duhr and Asr salat.
Praise be to Allaah.
The Muslim has to understand the importance of prayer and the
necessity of observingprayer regularly at the appointed times,
fulfilling all the conditions and pillars and essential parts of the
prayer. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, As-Salaah (the prayer) is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours"
[al-Nisa' 4:103]
It was narrated that 'Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood said: I asked the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), "Which deed is most
beloved to Allaah?" He said, "Prayer performed on time." He said,
"Then what?" He said, "Honouring one's parents." He said, "Then
what?" He said, "Jihad for the sake of Allaah."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (504) and Muslim (85).
So it is not permissible forthe Muslim to delay his prayer beyond the
time it is due. Wudoo' does not require a clean place. Evenif we
assume that it does, the questioner could make sure that he has wudoo'
before coming to work and keep his wudoo' so that he can pray on time.
He has to offer prayer on time. Looking for a clean place where he can
perform the prayer is not too difficult. Prayer is valid in any place
on earthso long as it is clean and pure. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The earth has been made for me
a place of prayer and purification, so whenever the time of prayer
comes for any man of my ummah, let him pray." Narrated by al-Bukhaari,
335; Muslim, 521. Sharee'ah only excludes from that specific places in
which prayer is not valid, which include graveyards and bathrooms. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "All the
earth is a place of prostration apart from graveyards and bathrooms."
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 492; classedas saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh
Abi Dawood.
So the workplace may be a place of prayer if it is clean. If it is not
easy thenhe should look for somewhere else. Asking his bosses to
allocate a corner where he can pray is not something that is
difficult.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:
If he deliberately delays the prayer until the time is too short to
meet all the conditions and do all the essential parts of the prayer,
such as if there is some impure substance on him, or he is junub
anddelays the prayer so that if he does ghusl the time for prayer will
be over, then he has to purify himself first, but he is a sinner
because he is doingthe prayer at the wrong time. He should have
purified himself before the time became too short and prayed on
time.When he delays it, then he has to do what is required in the
right sequence even though he is a sinner because of his delaying it.
Sharh al-'Umdah, 4/58.
If he is unable to fulfil oneof the conditions of prayer being valid –
such as tahaarah (purity) – then he should pray on time and he is
exempted from this condition. It is not permissible to delay the
prayer until its time is over in order to fulfil that condition.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:
Because those who are obliged to pray when the time for prayer comes,
but are unable to fulfil one of its conditions or essential parts at
that moment, but will be able to do so after the time forprayer is
over, it is not permissible for them to delay the prayer until its
time is over. If this were permissible then the one who is unable to
purify himself, cover himself, bow or prostrate, or do any other
condition or essential part of the prayer would be allowed to delay
the prayer until he is able to do that, if he knows or thinks it most
likely that he will be able to do it. This is contrary tothe Qur'aan,
Sunnah and scholarly consensus, because sharee'ah's concern that the
prayer be performed on time is greater than its concern for any other
condition or essential part of prayer that cannot be done. Hence it is
not permissibleto delay the prayer until its time is over because
ofbeing unable to do some of the essential parts. When the time for
the obligatory prayer is too short and one cannot fulfilthe
conditions, then doingthe prayer on time takes precedence over the
conditions. There is only one time when fulfilling the conditions
takes precedence over the act itself, which is when the act becomes
obligatory towards the end of its time, such as when a sleeper wakes
up at the end of the time, in which case the prayer becomes obligatory
when he wakes up, and he must fulfil the conditions of prayer. The
applies if someone wakes up after the time for prayer is over.

And Allaah knows best.

Prophet Dawood and Sulaiman

Dawood (alayhis salam) and his son, Sulaiman (alayhis salam) were not
only prophets, but also kings of the people of Israel. They were both
known for their strength, wisdom, judgement, and devotion to Allah .
Before Dawood (alayhis salam) became king, Talut (Saul) was the king
of Israel. When he set out with his army to fight Jalut(Goliath) and
his forces, he tested his soldiers by telling them not to drink from a
river which they were crossing. Only a smallsip of water out of the
hand was allowed. But only a very few men passed the test. With that
small band of obedient soldiers, Talut prepared to meet the larger and
stronger army of Jalut. Themen put their faith in Allah, knowing that
size and numbers were no match for a steadfast faith in the power of
Allah. Dawood , who was a very young man in Talut's army, killed
Jalut. After that, Jalut's army fell apart,and the small band of
Israelites was victorious.
Dawood (alayhis salam) , besides being brave and wise, was known for
his wonderful voice, which he used to sing the praises of Allah. When
he sang, the mountains and valleys andall of nature seemed to join in.
It was to him that the holy book, Zabur, was given by Allah. It is a
book of songs praising Allah.
Allah also showed Dawood(alayhis salam) the art of making iron, so
that he was able to make suits of armor to protect his soldiers.
The prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم used to say, according to the
traditions of Sahih al-Bukhari (Vol. 4: 631), that the most beloved
fasting to Allah was that ofDawood (alayhis salam), who used to fast
on alternate days. And the most beloved prayer was that of Dawood
(alayhis salam). He would sleep thefirst half of the night; then he
would pray for one-third of the night, before going back to sleepfor
the remaining one-sixth of the night.
Dawood (alayhis salam) was a wise and just judge of disputes which
arose in his kingdom, but his son Prophet Sulaiman (alayhis salam)
surpassed him in the ability to provide a fair judgement.
In one tradition (Bukhari, Vol.4; 637), there were two women, each of
whom had a child. One child was stolen and devoured by a wolf. Each
woman claimed that it was the other woman's child who was taken.
Theybrought the case to Dawood (alayhis salam) and he judged that the
older woman should have the remaining child. Then they went to Prophet
Sulaiman (alayhis salam). He called for a knife, so that he could cut
the child in half and give half to each woman. But the younger woman,
who could not bear to see her child cut in half, cried out that the
child belonged to the other woman. Prophet Sulaiman (alayhis salam)
then gave the child to the younger woman.
In another story, referred to in the Quran (21: 78) a man's flock of
sheep strayed into a farmer's field at night, destroying the crops
that had been growing there. The case was brought before Dawood
(alayhis salam), who awarded the flock of sheep to the farmer as
restitution for damages. But Prophet Sulaiman (alayhis salam)
suggested another solution, which would repay the farmer without
ruining the herdsman. Prophet Sulaiman ruled that the farmer would
keep the sheep and use their milk and wool, until the herdsman had
restored the damaged field to its original condition. When that had
been done, the flock would be returned tothe herdsman.
Both Dawood (alayhis salam) and Sulaiman (alayhis salam), although
powerful and rich, never ceased to acknowledge that all their gifts
were from Allah. They remained obedient to Allah and usedtheir power
to follow Allah's will.
You can read about Dawood (alayhis salam) and Sulaiman (alayhis salam)
in the Quran 2:249-251; 21: 78-82; 34:/

1b] The spread of atheist ideology willreach its most severe level in the end times

1b
The End Times will be an age when prostitution spreads more than at
any time in the past, and shamelessly takes place all over the world.
The End Times will be an age when fraud, falsity, cheating, trickery
and giving false measure are most widespread across the world.
The End Times will be an age when murder is most widespread and
common. The prisons will be full of killers in the End Times.
The End Times will be an age when all forms of perversion, such as
homosexuality and incest,are openly practiced across the world. These
perversions will begin being regarded as normal,and even be supported.
In the End Times, all unlawful things will be regarded as lawful,
prostitution will be very popular, drinking alcohol and eating pork
will be seen as being up-to-date, countries' financial systems will be
based on interest, sexual deviationswill be regarded as normal,
unlawful foods will be popular, and people will be disparaged and
excluded for being punctilious about what is lawful and unlawful.
The use of drugs and alcohol will spread in the End Times, deaths will
occur because of this use and many families will suffer because of it.
People will blatantly denyAllah in the End Times. The unbelievers will
be united among themselvesand will openly seek support for their
struggle against religion. They will campaign against devout believers
and will receive support from various states and official institutions
in the course of that struggle.
In the End Times, atheists will spread such heretical ideologies as
Darwinism in order, in their own eyes, to prepare the ground for their
denial. They will portray these as scientific and deceive people in
order to turn them away from belief in Allah.
In the End Times, these heretical and bloody ideologies will be
protected by the laws of certain states, they will bepropagandized
across the world and disseminated by way of imposition.
The End Times will be the most heretical and disastrous age, when
people subjected to atheist ideologies openly slander believers, when
they subject them to falseaccusation and set traps for them, and when
they resort to all kinds of cunning trickery in order to prevent the
remembrance of the name of Almighty Allah.
The two holy personages of the End Times, the Prophet Jesus (as) and
Hazrat Mahdi (as), will be sent in order to restore belief in Allah in
this evil time. By the leave of our Almighty Lord, this will bea time
when all these perversions and corruptions will come to an end when we
live to see the Golden Age and when the moral values of Islam rule the
entire world/

1a] The spread of atheist ideology willreach its most severe level in the end times

1a
One hadith narratedfrom our Prophet (saas) reveals that Hazrat Mahdi
(as) will possess various attributes of the prophets of the past:
Imam Zayn al-Abidin (as) said:
"OUR QAIM [HAZRAT MAHDI (AS)] WILL RESEMBLE THE MESSENGERS OF ALLAH
INVARIOUS WAYS. HE WILL INDIVIDUALLY RESEMBLE THE PROPHETS NOAH (AS),
ABRAHAM (AS), MOSES (AS), JESUS (AS), JOB (AS) AND MUHAMMAD (SAAS) AND
THE OTHER PROPHETS.
He will resemble Noah (as) in being long-lived, Abraham (as) in his
birth being concealed and away from the public eye,Moses (as) in his
state of fear (in the intensity of the threats he faces; facing the
threats of beingkilled, plots, arrest, detention and exile), and in
his living apart (in constant concealment), Jesus (as) in people
constantly disputing over him (in some people saying, 'Hazrat Mahdi
[as] will come' and other saying, 'he will not.'), Job (as) in
maturing after being rescued from a great trouble (Hazrat Mahdi [as]
will suffer many difficulties, sicknesses and troubles, but, like the
Prophet Job [as], he will be freed from them by Allah's mercy) and
Muhammad (saas) in his appearing with a sword (Hazrat Mahdi [as] will
carry the sacred relics of our Prophet [saas], his holy standard,
sword and robe)." (Kamal'ud-Din p. 322, chapter 31. hadith 3)
"Imam Mahdi (Hazrat Mahdi [as]) possesses the forbearance of the
Prophet David (as) and the patience of the Prophet Job (as)."
(Kefaayah al-Asar, p. 43)
All the prophets have been tested by various difficulties, slanders
and sicknesses. All the prophets have been exposed to pressure and
traps from unbelievers. The unbelievers have tried to kill them and
called then "magicians" and even "mad." The pagans and immoral people
of the time said of the Prophet Muhammad (saas) that "He is quite mad"
(Surat al-Qalam, 51) . The Prophet Hud (as) was told, "we consider you
a fool and think youare a liar" (Surat Al-A'raf,66). The Prophet
Joseph (as) spent years in prison despite being completely innocent,
and the ProphetMoses (as) was called "a magician or a madman"(Surat
adh-Dhariyat, 39), while the Prophet Abraham (as) was cast into the
flames by the leading members of his tribe (Surat Al-Anbiya', 68).
As the Prophet (saas) says in the hadith, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be
exposedto the difficulties suffered by the prophets and all true
Muslims, will strive against the snares, corruption and slanders ofthe
unbelievers and will live a life full of hardship and suffering.
Hazrat Mahdi (as), sent by our Lord as the Qutb al-Azam, will come at
a time when atheist and Darwinist ideologies are widespread, and
protected and supported. As the information on the hadith of our
Prophet (saas) and the commentaries by great Islamic scholars reveal,
this period refers to the 1400s, according to the Islamic calendar, in
which we are living now. His preaching will be met with anger and
hatred from many quarters. The End Times will be full of difficulties
and suffering in a variety of ways.
However, there is no doubt that all the cunningtraps, plots and
slanders aimed at Hazrat Mahdi (as) and the believers with him will,
by Allah's leave, be completely ineffective. Allah promisesthat
believers will go through various tests. Thisis the law of Allah, that
Hehas ordained for believersever since the peoples of the past. The
snares set are auspicious and welcome for all those who sincerely
believe. As the unbelievers lay their cunning traps, believers know
that Allah sees all these plotters, that nobody can set a trap without
Allah's knowledge and that theseplots will never be made a reality.
As our Lord says in one verse, "Or do those who do bad actions imagine
they can outstrip Us? How bad their judgement is!" (Surat al-Ankabut,
4), it is impossible for those who wrong believers to be saved in the
Hereafter, even if they appear to enjoy a superiority in this world.
No matter how much irreligion spreads inthe End Times, no matter how
much people become swamped by Darwinism, no matter how degenerate and
terrifying the environment may seem, the ugly and disbelief-filled
system of the unbelievers will, by Allah'sleave, be defeated across
the world. Again by Allah's leave, the two holypersonages of the End
Times, the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as),will totally
eradicate this heretical mindset that currently dominates the world
and be instrumental in Islam achieving global dominion. By Allah's
leave, this lovely promise of our Lord's will come true in the century
we areliving in.
The End Times will be more terrible and difficult than any other periods:
The End Times will be an age when war is most widespread and takes
place across the world.
The End Times will be an age when degeneration and vice are most
widespread and assume
the ugliest forms.
:->

1] The spread of atheist ideology willreach its most severe level in the end times

1
Since wars, slaughter, immorality, prostitution and perversion of all
kindsserve the interests of various atheist, Darwinist and materialist
circles, they never want to see the irrational and illogical claims of
Darwinism exposed. They feel a greatanger and enmity toward and
counter-attack those who speak of the moral values of the Qur'an and
engage in an intellectual struggle against materialism and Darwinism.
That is because the spread of belief in Allah works against their own
worldlyinterests.
For that reason, the rapid spread in the End Times ofall forms of
immorality that support the Darwinist system is exceedingly important
forthose who espouse the Darwinist mindset. The Darwinist
dictatorship, which has established a false dominion across the world,
uses the Darwinist media in its monopoly forthat purpose. That is one
of the main reasons why there is no objection to the Darwinism imposed
inschools, universities, educational institutions, state institutions,
in scientific spheres and in all other professional groups and why not
a word of criticism of Darwinist ideology is heard. The reaction in
such places to the open speaking of the name of Allah, the struggle
waged by Darwinist propagandists and the prohibitions brought in
bythem are all on an amazing scale. As a requirement of their
ideology, Darwinists are the most important supporters and defenders
of atheism. Various bodiesmade up of Darwinists boast of being
atheist, and society currently regards this as quite normal. The
Darwinist media in various parts of the world can say the most
heedless things about religion and sacred matters, even in highly
conservative and religiouscountries. The media in question, which are
very powerful, are the main reason why atheists are able to reveal
themselves and find support and followers.
At the current moment, atheists are uniting and setting up
associations to defend their supposed rights, make use of all kinds of
scientific means and are allowed to appearand speak on all kinds of TV
channels, while devoutbelievers have to keep their belief in Allah and
religious observances quiet. This is another important fact that our
Holy Prophet (saas) reveals in the hadith about the End Times:
"The Hour will not be established until the name of Allah is not
spoken on Earth." (SahihMuslim; Tirmidhi)
Our Almighty Lord says that the majority of people strive to encourage
sin and that they are hostile toward those who live by the moral
values of the Qur'an:
You see many of them rushing to wrongdoing and enmity and acquiring
ill-gotten gains. What an evil thing they do! (Surat Al-Ma'ida, 62)
In this respect, the End Times are when believers will encounter the
most severe difficulties. Degeneration and the rapid spread of
irreligion, and people's powerful acceptance of these, have reached
astonishing dimensions. A great manypeople find living by the truths
of the Qur'an very odd but encourage the commission of all kinds
ofunlawful activity within their own degenerate systems. But the
consequences of irreligionare extraordinarily destructive. Societies
that have no fear of Allah haveto live cheek by jowl with murder,
slaughter, suicide,oppression and injustice. It is impossible in such
societies for concepts suchas pity, affection, compassion,
protectiveness, loyalty, tolerance, devotion, friendship and peace to
find any place. All human values have disappeared in a very short
space of time. Darwinist societies are ones that literally regard
themselves as made up of animals and that live under the oppression
that such a perspective imposes. Therefore, it is not surprising for
such societies that they live with degeneration, murder, oppression
and injustice.
Believers in such communities may of course encounter all kindsof
difficulty and injustice. Indeed, Hazrat Mahdi (as) who will appear in
these End Times we are living in, will also be subjected to intense
pressure and slanders from unbelievers.
Hazrat Mahdi (as) Will Be Subjected to the Traps and Slanders of the Unbelievers
Our Prophet (saas) has revealed in the hadith that in this difficult
climate of the End Times, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be slandered by the
unbelievers and have to struggle against difficulties. Like the
prophets, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be slandered and tested by various
hardships, difficulties and scourges, and will have tostand up to
snares set by unbelievers. What makes this struggle in the End Times
different to the times of the other prophets is that the degeneration
and irreligion in the End Timesare more widespread than ever before,
and can be felt right across the world. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will come at
a rather difficult time when there is a mass and systematic campaign
against belief inAllah.
:->

The Qur’an commands us to show affection and compassion to devout Jews and Christians

Muslims believe in all the Prophets sent by Allah before our Prophet
(saas), and love and respect them all equally. Similarly,they also
harbor a profound love and respectfor those people who were genuinely
devoted to these true Prophets and who defended the truth with them.
Verses from the Qur'an referring to the peoples of the Prophets read
as follows:
You who believe! Be helpers of Allah as Jesus son of Maryam said to
the Disciples, 'Who will be my helpers to Allah?' The Disciples said,
'We will be the helpers of Allah.' One faction of thetribe of Israel
believed and the other disbelieved. So We supported those who believed
against their enemy and they becamevictorious. (Surat as-Saff,14)
... There is a community among the People of the Book who are upright.
They recite Allah's signs throughoutthe night, and they prostrate.
They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and enjoin the right and
forbid the wrong, and compete in doing good. They are among the
righteous. You will not be denied the reward for any goodthing you do.
Allah knows those who have taqwa [fear of Allah]. (Surah Al 'Imran,
113-115)
Because Muslims behave according to the Qur'an and the Sunna of our
Prophet (saas), they also love the People of the Book. They feel
affection for those who remained loyal to Allah's Prophets and the
mission imparted to them. It is for these reasons that there can be no
question of a Muslim who has faith in Allah andHis Book ever adopting
ananti-Semitic line. That is because it is wrong to be anti-Semitic,
in other words to harbor enmity toward devout Jews who obeyed the
Prophet Moses (as) and his mission. It is unlawful, according to the
Qur'an, to feel anger toward the People of Israel because they live by
the Torah sent down by Allah to them through the Prophet Moses (as).
Such amoral conception is unbecoming of Muslims.
What matters for us is theattitude of our Prophet (saas), who always
treated Jews believing in Allah in his own day with great
understanding and justice. The People of the Book were treated with
great compassion in the time of our Prophet (saas)and the four Caliphs
who followed. These people were watched over and protected, and their
rightspreserved with justice. Our Prophet (saas) both called on them
to convert to Islam but also treated them well and allowed them to
live by their own faith.
If according to the Qur'an, the attitude to be adopted toward the
People of the Book were one of hostility, then the first person to do
that would obviously have been our Prophet (saas) himself. The fact
is, however, that historic documents make it clear that in the time of
our Prophet (saas) and the Caliphs who came after him, devout Jews and
other People of the Book who sought shelter with Muslims, asked for
protection and did not fight against them were always treated in a
lovingand protective manner. (You can read more details from here. )
Allah clarifies this in these verses:
Allah does not forbid you from being good to those who have not fought
you in the religion or driven you from your homes, or from being just
towardsthem. Allah loves those who are just. (Surat al-Mumtahana, 8)
Those who believe and those who are Jews and the Sabaeans and the
Christians, all who believe in Allah and the Last Day and act rightly
will feel no fear and will know no sorrow. (Surat al-Ma'ida, 69)
It is for these reasons that, according to the verses of the Qur'an,
it is atheists, associaters that Muslims need to wage an intellectual
struggle against, both in the time of our Prophet (saas) and in the
present day, and not devout believers. Our Prophet (saas) never fought
devout Jews or Christians who believed inthe Oneness of Allah. The
Prophet (saas) and his companions only fought against atheists and
thosepagans and hypocrites who did all they could, physically and
psychologically, to harm Muslims and prevent the spread of the
religion and stop Muslims preaching.
Looking at the battles fought by our Prophet (saas), these were always
fought for defensive purposes. In other words, the Prophet (saas)
never embarked on war against those who did not declarewar on him, and
never continued fighting againstthose who wished to put a stop to it
or asked for terms. Our Prophet (saas) remained completely loyal to
the conditions regarding war revealed by Allah in the Qur'an. Allah
reveals this in the Qur'an on the subject:
Permission to fight is given to those who are fought against because
they have been wronged – truly Allah has the power to come to their
support – (Surat al-Hajj, 69)
But if they cease, Allah isEver-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat al-Baqara, 192)
... Do not fight them in the Masjid al-Haram until they fight you
there. But if they do fight you, then kill them... (Surat al-Baqara,
191)

Mullah Nasruddin

A neighbor who Nasruddin didn't like very much cameover to his
compound one day. The neighbor asked Nasruddin if he could borrow his
donkey. Nasruddin not wanting to lend his donkey to the neighbor he
didn't like told him, "I would love to loan you my donkey but only
yesterday my brother came from the next townto use it to carry his
wheat to the mill to be grounded. The donkey sadly is not here."
The neighbor was disappointed. But he thanked Nasruddin and began to walk away.
Just as he got a few steps away, Mullah Nasruddin's donkey, which was
in the back ofhis compound all the time, let out a big bray.
The neighbor turned to Nasruddin and said,"Mullah Sahib, I thought you
told me that your donkey was not here.
Mullah Nasruddin turned to the neighbor and said, "My friend, who are
you going to believe? Meor the donkey?
One day Nasruddin repaired tiles on theroof of his house. While
Nasruddin was working on the roof, a stranger knocked the door.
- What do you want? Nasruddin shouted out.
- Come down, replied stranger So I can tell it.
Nasruddin unwilling andslowly climbed down theladder.
- Well! replied Nasruddin,what was the important thing?
- Could you give little money to this poor old man? begged stranger.
Tired Nasruddin started to climb up the ladder and said,
- Follow me up to the roof.
When both Nasruddin and beggar were upside,on the roof, Nasruddin said,
- The answer is no!
Nasruddin opened abooth with a sign above it: Two Questions On Any
Subject Answered For Only 100 Silver Coins
A man who had two veryurgent questions handed over his money, saying:
- A hundred silver coins is rather expensive for two questions, isn't it?
- Yes, said Nasruddin, and the next question, please?

How is the fast of Dawood (peace be uponhim) observed, and howcan that be reconciled with the prohibition on fasting on Fridays?

I would like to know how to observe the fast of the Prophet of Allaah Dawood(peace be upon him). If hisfast – as is well known – means fasting one day and not the next, as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us, but it is forbidden to single out Fridays for fasting, then how can we fast alternate days? Is it that singling out a Friday for fasting was not forbidden at the time of Dawood (peace be upon him)?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly: It is narrated in al-Saheehayn from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr (mayAllaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best fasting is the fast of Dawood: he used to fast one day and not the next.” This statement does not contradict the fact that it is not allowed to fast on Fridays, becausethe prohibition on fasting on Fridays applies to one who singles out a Friday rather than any other day.But the one who observesthe fast of Dawood – fasting alternate days – is not singling out a Friday for fasting.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The hadeeth of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr (mayAllaah be pleased with him) indicates that if fasting on a Friday or Saturday coincides with a day one usually fasts, without intending to single that day out for fasting, then there is nothing wrong with it, because if he fasts alternate days, then that will coincide with some Fridays and Saturdays. Thus it becomes clear thatfasting on these days is not haraam. Otherwise the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have said: Fast one day and notthe next, so long as that (fasting) does not coincidewith a Friday or Saturday.
Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 6/476.
Secondly: With regard to your question about the ruling on singling out Friday for fasting in the law of Dawood (peace be upon him):
We do not know anythingabout the practical rulingsof the law of Dawood (peace be upon him) with regard to whether it was forbidden to fast on Fridays or other days. What we do know is that every Prophet has a law and a way, but their beliefwas one and the same, although their laws differed.
Allaah says (interpretationof the meaning):
“To each among you, We have prescribed a law anda clear way”
[al-Maa'idah 5:48]
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “The Prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is the same.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3259; Muslim, 2365.
What this hadeeth means is that the religion of the Prophets is one, which is Tawheed or belief in the Oneness of Allaah and that He alone is entitled to worship, even though their laws may differ. This is like brothers who have the same father but different mothers (which is what is meant by paternal brothers)./ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en

The Peacock and the Tortoise

ONCE upon a time a peacock and a tortoise became great friends. The peacock lived on a tree on the banks of the stream in which the tortoise had his home; and daily the peacock after he had a drink of water danced nearthe stream and displayed his gay plumage for the amusement of his friend. One unfortunate day, a bird-catcher who was on the prowl caught the peacock and was about taking him away to the market. The unhappy bird begged of his captor to allow him to bid his friend the tortoise good-bye, as itwould be the last time he would see him. The bird-catcher allowed him his prayer and took him tothe tortoise, who was greatly moved to see his friend a captive. The tortoise asked the bird-catcher to let the peacock go; but he laughed at the request, saying that was his means of livelihood. The tortoise then said, "If I make you a handsome present, will you let my friend go?""Certainly," answered the bird-catcher, that is all I want." Whereupon the tortoise dived into the water and in a few seconds came up with a handsome pearl, which, to the great astonishment of the bird-catcher, he handed to him. This was beyond his expectabons, and he let the peacock go immediately. A short time after, the avaricious man came back and told the tortoise that he thought he had not paid enough for the release of his friend, and threatened that, unless a match to that pearl was obtained for him, he would again catch the peacock. The tortoise, who had already advised his friend to betake himself to a distantjungle on being set free, was greatly enraged at thegreed of this man. "Well," said the tortoise, "if you insist on having another pearl like it, give it to me and I will fish you out an exact match for it." The cupidity of the bird-catcherprevented his reasoning that "one in the hand was equal to two in the bed of the stream," and he speedily gave the pearl to the wily tortoise, who swam out with it saying, "Iam no fool to take one and give two!" and forthwith disappeared, leaving the bird-catcher to be sorry ever after for his covetousness./ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en

He lost his wudoo’ whilst doing the prostration of forgetfulness (sujood al-sahw); what should he do?

What should one do if one makes a mistake (such as forgetting to
recite Rabbigfirli between the two sajdas) in Sajdah Sahw ? Also what
should one do if ones wudhu gets lost during the SajsahSahw (such as
when sitting between the two sajsas)?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
What is prescribed in the prostration of forgetfulness is to say in
itand between the two prostrations what one says in prostration during
prayer, so you should say tasbeeh whilst prostratingand say Rabb
ighfir li (Lord forgive me) between the two prostrations. But if you
forget any of that, you do not have to do another prostration for
forgetfulness, so that it does not become an endless cycle.
It says in al-Sharh al-Kabeer (1/700) about matters for which no
prostration is required: It is not prescribed to do theprostration of
forgetfulness in the funeral prayer, because there is no prostration
in this prayer, so how could you do a prostration to make up for a
mistake in this case; or in the prostration of recitation, or in the
prostration of forgetfulness. This was stated by Ahmad. And because
there is consensus narrated by Ishaaq, because it would become an
endless cycle. So if he forgets somethingafter doing the prostration
of forgetfulness, he should not prostrate again for that reason. And
Allah knows best. End quote.
It says something similar in Mataalib Ooli al-Nuha (1/507).
To sum up: if a person forgets something during the prostration of
forgetfulness, he does nothave to do anything else, and his prayer is
valid.
Secondly:
If a person loses his wudoo' during the prostration of forgetfulness,
the matter is subject to further discussion:
1. If he prostrated before the salaam, his prayer is rendered
invalid,because saying the tasleem at the end of the prayer is a
pillar or essential part of prayer, and he broke his wudoo' before
doing this essentialpart.
2. If he had said the salaam at the end of his prayer, and he only
had the prostration of forgetfulness to do, then he lost his wudoo
during it or before he did it, then his prayer is valid and he does
not have to do anything else, because theprostration is making up for
a mistake in the prayer, and it is not rendered invalid by missing it.
It says in Kashshaaf al-Qinaa' (1/409): If a person forgets the
prostration of forgetfulness until he starts another prayer, then he
remembers it, he should make it up when he says the salaam, if a long
time has not passed. But if a long time has passed, he should not do
this prostration, because it is done to complete a prayer, so it
should not bedone after a long time haspassed. Or if he has left the
masjid he does not have to do this prostration; and the sameapplies if
he loses his wudoo' -- and his prayer is valid.
And Allah knows best.

Ruling on prayer if one omits some obligatory parts out of ignorance or forgetfulness

If a person makes a mistake in adhkaar that are obligatory in the
prayer, such as the dhikr when sitting between thetwo prostrations and
in the tashahhud – the first part of it – what is the ruling on his
prayer if he forgot or was unaware (that it is obligatory)? What about
previous prayers in which he made this mistake and does he have t o
repeat them?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The dhikr that comes between the two prostrations is one of the
Sunnahs of the prayer andis not obligatory. This has been discussed
previouslyin the answer to question no. 130981
Based on that, if a person omits it deliberately or out of ignorance,
that does not render his prayerinvalid and he does not have to do
anything. If he forgot it although he usually does it, it is mustahabb
for him to do the two prostrations of forgetfulness before the salaam.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy onhim)
said: If a person omits one of the mustahabb words or actions out of
forgetfulness and he usually does it, then it is prescribed for him to
prostrate (the prostration of forgetfulness) to make up for this
omission that affected the perfection of the prayer but was not
anomission of something obligatory, because of thegeneral meaning of
the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in
the hadeeth, "For every mistake there are two prostrations"– narrated
by Abu Dawood; it is a hasan hadeeth. In Saheeh Muslim it says: "If
one of you forgets, let him prostrate twice." As this is general in
meaning, if he omits a Sunnah that he does not usually do, then it is
not Sunnah for him toprostrate, because it never occurred to him to do
it.
End quote from ash-Sharhal-Mumti' 'ala Zaad al-Mustaqni', 3/333, 334
Secondly:
The first Tashahhud is oneof the obligatory parts of the prayer
although it is not one of the pillars or essential parts, as was
explained previously in the answer to question no. 34570
If someone omits this obligatory part deliberately, his prayer is
rendered invalid, as you will see in the answer to question no. 9897 .
If someone omits it becausehe forgot, then he has to do the
prostration of forgetfulness before the salaam. If someone omits it
because he is unaware of the ruling on it, he doesnot have to do
anything, because the one who is unaware is excused.
The evidence for the obligatory parts of the prayer being waived in
the case of forgetfulness, and that the prostration of forgetfulness
is required in this case, is the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (795)
and Muslim (570) from 'Abdullah ibn Buhaynah (may Allah be pleased
with him), according to which the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) led them in praying Zuhr, then he stood up after
thefirst two rak'ahs and did not sit, and the people got up with him.
When hehad finished the prayer and the people were waiting for him to
say thetasleem, he said takbeer whilst sitting and prostrated twice
before saying the salaam, then he said the salaam.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allahhave mercy on him) said, concerning one who
omitted the obligatory part deliberately: His prayer is rendered
invalid.But if he omitted it by mistake, he should do the prostration
of forgetfulness before he says the salaam, because of the report
narrated by 'Abdullah ibn Maalik ibn Buhaynah -- and he quoted the
hadeeth. Thus this idea is proven, and byanalogy we apply the same
principle to all the obligatory parts (of the prayer).

And Allah knows best.

By mistake he said when bowing, “Subhaana rabbiy al-a‘la”

Sometimes during the prayer on the rukoo instead od saying "subhanRabi
azim " i say "subhan Rabi 'ala " , but i notice it before finishing
the saying or sometimes afterthe saying and i corect , the same happen
to me during the sujood i say the opposite and also between the two
prostrations ? do i have todo the prostrations of forgetfulness ? if
yes after or before?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
If a person forgets and says when bowing "Subhaana rabbiy al-a'la" by
mistake, or he says when prostrating, "Subhaana rabbiy al-'azeem", it
is one of two scenarios:
(i) He remembersthat he did not say the dhikr in the
right place, in which case he should say "Subhaan rabbiy al-'azeem"
before rising from bowing, and he should say when prostrating
"Subhaana rabbiy al-a'la" before he sits up.
In this case he does not have to do the prostrationof forgetfulness,
because he did not omit something that is obligatory; rather it is
mustahabb for him to do the prostration of forgetfulness, because he
did not say the dhikr in the right place.
(ii) He does not remember that he did notsay the dhikr in
the right place until after rising from bowing or prostration.
In this case he has to do the prostration of forgetfulness because he
omitted something obligatory.
In this case the prostration should come before the salaam.
We have previously discussed this issue in the answer to question no. 7743
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy onhim) said: If a person
says a prescribed phrase in the wrong place, it is prescribed for him
to do the prostration of forgetfulness, such as if hesays "Subhaana
rabbiy al-a'la" whilst bowing, then he remembers and says "Subhaana
rabbiy al-'azeem" In this case, he said a phrase that is prescribed,
namely "Subhaana rabbiy al-a'la", but it is prescribed to say
"Subhaana rabbiy al-a'la" when prostrating. So if he says it when
bowing, we say: You said something that is prescribed in the wrong
place, so doing theprostration (of forgetfulness) is Sunnah inyour
case.
End quote from ash-Sharhal-Mumti', 3/359
Shaykh Ibn Jibreen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If he says a
prescribed phrase in the wrong place by mistake, itdoes not invalidate
the prayer… so if he recites Qur'aan when he is sittingor recites the
Tashahhud when he is standing, or hesays "Subhaana rabbiy al-a'la"
whilst bowing or "Subhaana rabbiy al-'azeem" whilst prostrating, i.e.,
he does something that is Sunnah in the wrong place even though it is
prescribed, then it is Sunnah for him to do the prostration of
forgetfulness, but it is not obligatory, because these phrases all
come under the heading of adhkaar al-salaat (dhikrs recited during the
prayer), so the prayer is not invalidated by doing so. End quote from
Sharh Akhdar al-Mukhtasaraat
Secondly:
If the worshipper was praying behind an imam and did any of the things
mentioned above, then heshould do the prostration of forgetfulness at
the end of his prayer, if he joined the prayer late. If he offered the
entire prayer from the beginning with the imam,then he should say the
salaam with the imam and he does not have to do the prostration of
forgetfulness.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy onhim) said: If one who is
praying behind an imam makes a mistake in his prayer, and he did not
join the prayer late, i.e., hedid all the rak'ahs with the imam, such
as if he forgot to say "Subhaana rabbiy al-'azeem" when bowing, he
does not haveto do the prostration of forgetfulness, because theimam
has borne it for him. But if we assume that the one who prayed behind
the imam made a mistake that caused one of the rak'ahs to be
invalidated, such as if he forgot to recite al-Faatihah, then in this
case, when the imam saysthe salaam, he has to stand up and do the
rak'ah that was invalidated because of his mistake, then he should
recite the tashahhud, say the salaam and do the prostration of
forgetfulness after the salaam.
But if the one who prays behind the imam makes amistake in his prayer
and he joined the prayer late, then he should do the prostration of
forgetfulness, whether hismistake came when he was praying with the
imam or after he stood upto complete what he had missed, because if he
prostrates he will not be going against his imam, because his imam
will have already finished his prayer.

And Allah knows best.

We cannot be certain that the name of the Angel of Death is Azraa’eel

Is there any evidence to show that the name of the Angel of Death is Azraa’eel?.
Praise be to Allaah.
It is widely assumed that the name of the Angel of Death is Azraa’eel, but there is nothing in the Qur’aan or saheeh Sunnahof the Prophet (peace andblessings of Allaah be upon him) to indicate thatthis is his name. Rather this is narrated in some reports which may be from among the Israa’eeliyyaat (reports from Jewish sources).
Based on this, we cannot be certain whether this is his name or not. So we cannot affirm that the name of the Angel of Death is Azraa’eel, nor canwe deny it. Rather we should refer this matter toAllaah and call him as Allaah calls him, the ‘Angel of Death”. Allaah says (interpretation of themeaning):
“Say: The angel of death, who is set over you, will take your souls. Then you shall be brought to your Lord”
[al-Sajdah 32:11]
But the name of the Angelof Death is not given in the Qur’aan or in the saheeh ahaadeeth. His name is mentioned in some reports as Azraa’eel,but Allaah knows best.
Allaah says (interpretationof the meaning):
“Say: The angel of death, who is set over you, will take your souls. Then you shall be brought to your Lord”
[al-Sajdah 32:11]
Al-Sindi said: There is no marfoo’ hadeeth [one thatcan be traced back to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] which mentions his name.
Al-Manaawi said in Fayd al-Qadeer (3/32), after stating that the Angel of Death is known by the name ‘Azraa’eel: I have never seen anyreport giving his name as such.
Shaykh al-Albaani said in his comment on the words of al-Tahhaawi, “We believe in the Angel of Death who is appointed to take the souls of all creatures”:
This (“the Angel of Death”) is what he is called in the Qur’aan. Withregard to the name ‘Azraa’eel which is widely known among the people,there is no basis for this, rather it comes from the Israa’eeliyyaat.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:
“The Angel of Death” is well known by the name ‘Azraa’eel, but this is not correct, rather this was narrated from Jewish sources. So we should not believe in this name, and we should call the one who is appointed over death “the Angel of Death,” as Allaah called him in the verse (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say: The angel of death, who is set over you, will take your souls. Then you shall be brought to your Lord”

And Allaah knows best./ - - - :-> Transtors: 1.http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/lowres.asp 2.http://translate.google.com/m?twu=1&hl=en&vi=m&sl=auto&tl=en

Wind carried the man to where he belonged

Once the angel of death (Hadrat Izra'il) appeared in the form of human
being in the court of Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him) and gazed
continously at a person present there for some time. When the angel of
death vanished, that person asked Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon
him): "Who was that person?" He told him that that was the angel of
death. He remarked: "The angel of death had gazed at me in such a
manner asif he had determined to take my life." Prophet Sulaiman
(peace be upon him) asked him: "What doyou want?" He requested him to
drop him in India. Prophet Sulaiman commanded the air to carry him up
and drop him in India. Consequently the air carried him to India
(which was very far from where he was). The angel of death came to
Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him). He asked him "Why did you fix
your gaze at that person?" Angel of death told: "I wondered that the
Almighty Allah had commanded me to take the life of this personin
India whereas he is sitting here in your presence."

Good news for the poor people

Once, Abu Dardaa (RA) was sitting in company with his students when
his wife came and said to him, "You are sitting here with your
students and we haven't got a pinch of flour left with us in the
house." Abu Dardaa (RA) said to her, "Good lady, before us there is a
valley hard to travel (The Day of Judgement) and only suchpeople can
traverse it successfully who travel light." Hearing this, his wife
went away, satisfied with the reply, and did not complain any more
about her needs. Abu Dardaa (RA) once said,"We have food and the rich
also have food; we wear clothes and the rich also wear clothes. The
richpeople possess wealth, which exceeds their requirements, and they
just see it without using it. We can also look at wealth (possessed by
others) without using it. We are equal in this respect, but the rich
will be required to render an account, on the Day of Resurrection, for
holding extra wealth in their possession. We are free from Reckoning,
for, we have nothing in our possession.

The Qur’an with vowel points has not changed until our day

Allah stated in the verses that the Qur'an is unchangeable:
...THERE IS NO CHANGINGTHE WORDS OF Allah... (Surat al-An'am, 34)
The Words of your Lord are perfect in truthfulness and justice. NO ONE
CAN CHANGE HIS WORDS. He isthe All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. (Surat
al-An'am, 115)
IT IS WE WHO HAVE SENTDOWN THE REMINDER AND WE WHO WILL PRESERVE IT.
(Surat al-Hijr,9)
It is truly a noble Qur'an in a WELL PROTECTED Book. (Surat al-Waqi'a, 77-78)
FALSEHOOD CAN NOT REACH IT FROM BEFORE ITOR BEHIND IT – it is a
revelation from One Who is All-Wise, Praiseworthy. (Surah Fussilat,
42)
As our Lord reveals in the verses above the Qur'an will remain
unchanged. The Qur'an has not survived to our day merely in written
form. Inthe time of our Prophet (saas) there were hafidhs learning the
Qur'an by heart. Consequently the Qur'an with vowel points in our day
was prepared in a way convenient to the memorization of the Hafidhs of
the time. The Qur'an memorized by the Hafidhs of the time of our our
Prophet (saas) is exactly the same as the Qur'an in our day
insha'Allah.

1a. There is a great secret in the difficulttests undergone by the Prophets

1a
the Prophet Job (as) displayed fortitude in the face of sickness and
physical difficulties, the Prophet Aaron (as) sought to win over a
pagan people who rejected him, the Prophet John (as) was martyred by
the deniers of his time and the Prophet Jesus (as) strove against the
snares of the hypocrites. These holy prophets wereall subjected to
great tests. The Muslims who followed the prophets also confronted
similar difficulties. People who came to believe after seeing the
proofs that Allah bestowed on the Prophet Moses (as) did so even in
the knowledge that Pharaoh would cut off their opposite hands and feet
and then kill them. The companions of our Prophet (saas) strove
against the deniers who forced them from their lands, inflicted
unbelievable tortures on them and even chose to martyr them. Believers
have been faced by severetests when cast into the flames by a society
of non-believers. Almighty Allah describes the situation of believers
cast into the flames as follows in verses:
Cursed be the Companions of the Pit –
The fire well stocked with fuel –
When they were seated right beside it
Witnessing what they did to the believers.
The only reason they punished them was because they believed in Allah,
the Almighty, the All-Praiseworthy –
Him to whom the Kingdom of the heavensand the earth belongs. Allah is
Witness of all things.
Those who persecute men and women of the believers, and then do not
repent, will have thepunishment of Hell, will have the punishment of
the Burning. (Surat al-Buruj, 4-10)
Of course Almighty Allah is He who creates, with a special creation,
prophets and believers and those believers who warn their communities,
who turn toHim, who love Him above all and live for Him alone. He has
created them for paradise. But they are nevertheless tested in the
life of this world. There is a secret behind this. The test and the
difficulties involved in it are a sign ofsuperiority, love,
self-sacrifice and a genuine and sincere love of Allah. The prophets
addto their own beauty with the fortitude, honesty, self-sacrifice,
loyalty, devotion and moral virtuethey display. These moral virtues,
which make themone of the most valuable elements of paradise, are a
superior and worthy fortitude in the face of difficulty and submission
to Allah. Almighty Allah has prepared this difficult environment of
the test inorder for us and even them to witness their devotion and
love to Him.There is no doubt that Almighty Allah always supports and
protects believers and is always bytheir side. That is why it isso
valuable for believers to know this and display fortitude in difficult
environments. The prophets and those believers who follow them will
certainly enjoy eternal life in the hereafter and the finest reward
for this excellent fortitude. Almighty Allah reveals in verses:
Such people will be repaid for their steadfastness with the Highest
Paradise, wherethey will meet with welcome and with 'Peace'. They will
remain in it timelessly, for ever. What an excellent lodging and
abode! (Surat al-Furqan, 75-76)

1. There is a great secret in the difficulttests undergone by the Prophets

1.
Almighty Allah of course knows that all the prophets He created were
pure believers possessed of lofty moral values; it is He Who created
them with a true depth and pure faith. Yet despite being our Lord's
chosen, superior and honored servants, the prophets were still
subjected to difficult tests all through their lives. Difficulties are
a great means whereby people could witness theirhonesty and adopt
their moral values as role models, for the prophets to improve their
closenessto and love of Allah, and for their goodness to increase many
times over in the Hereafter.
This climate of testing is described by means of thestories related in
the Qur'an. When he came to the sea, pursued by Pharaoh's army, the
Prophet Moses (as) saw no apparent way of escape. Those who failed to
properly appreciate theinfinite might of Allah said, "We are trapped,"
but as revealed in verses the Prophet Moses (as) said "Never! My Lord
is with me and He will guide me." (Surat ash-Shuara', 62)
Throughout that difficult time when he was imprisoned in the belly of
the fish, the Prophet Jonah (as) constantly turned to Allah and, as
revealed in a verse, "...called out (to the Lord) in absolute
despair." (Surat al-Qalam,47) The Prophet Jonah (as), who sincerely
turned to Allah during this difficult test, was rescued from the belly
of the fish through our Lord's mercy and compassion, and was then sent
to a communityas their prophet. This difficult test of the Prophet
Jonah is described as follows in the Qur'an:
Jonah too was one of the Messengers.
When he ran away to the fully laden ship
and cast lots and lost.
Then the fish devoured him and he was to blame.
Had it not been that he was a man who glorified Allah,
he would have remained inside its bellyuntil the Day they are raised again.
So We cast him up onto the beach and he was sick;
and We caused a gourd tree to grow over him.
We sent him to a hundred thousand or even more.
They believed and so We gave them enjoyment for a time.
(Surat as-Saffat, 139-148)
When our holy Prophet (saas) was attacked by the pagans on two sides
together with his community there appeared to be no escape.This was
the day of a most difficult test. At the same time, it was a very
special test in which true believers with a genuine faith in Allah,
Who trustedin Allah's help with all their hearts, and who trusted in
and embraced Him, could remain strong and expect His help. As ordained
by Allah, those who were unable to properly appreciate Him and the
hypocrites lost hope of His mercy and began dreaming up false ideas of
their own. Our All-Mighty Lord described this difficult climate in
another verse:
When they came at you from above you and below you, when your eyes
rolled and your hearts rose to your throats, and you thought unworthy
thoughts about Allah, atthat point the believers were tested and
severely shaken.
When hypocrites and people with sickness in their hearts said, 'What
Allah and His Messengerpromised us was mere delusion.' and a group of
them said, 'People of Yathrib, Your position is untenable so return!'
some of them asked the Prophet to excuse them,saying, 'Our houses are
exposed,' when they were not exposed; it was merely that they wanted
to run away. (Surat al-Ahzab, 10-13)
In this difficult climate, our Prophet (saas) and the pure believers
with him hoped for Allah's helpand support and placed their trust in
Him, saw that this had been promised by our AlmightyLord and gave
thanks. Almighty Allah reveals in a verse:
When the believers saw the Confederates they said: 'This is what Allah
and His Messenger promised us. Allah and His Messenger told us the
truth.' It only increased them in faith and in submission. (Surat
al-Ahzab, 22)
As our Lord reveals in a later verse; "Allah made it unnecessary for
the believers to fight. Allah is Most Strong, Almighty." (Surat
al-Ahzab, 25)
The Prophet Yusuf (as) also underwent many great tests and hardships
in his life. The way he wasfalsely accused and left in a dungeon for
years are ofcourse very difficult tests. But there is no doubt thatone
of the greatest tests he faced, and bore bravelyand happily for
Allah's approval, is the way he was thrown into a well byhis brothers
at an early age and waited in the darkness to be rescued. If a caravan
had not passed by during his time in the well, if the people in it had
not decided to draw water from the well, then he would have gone
through a martyrdom lasting several days. Thereis no doubt that
everything happens by Allah's Will, however. Allah created Prophet
Yusuf (as) as a worthy, superior and holy prophetand also ordained his
salvation in the finest manner in destiny.
The Prophet Lot (as) alsostruggled against the pressure from a heretical people,
:->

The question Darwinism and materialism will never be able to answer: what is the origin of life?

(The following is an excerpt from the book titled Origins of Life*, by
Hugh Ross ** and Fazale Rana *** )
Currently scientists stand no closer to understanding life's beginning
than they did when Stanley Miller conducted his first experiments
fifty years ago. Though some scientists assert that the research is in
its infancy, significant resources have been brought to bear on the
origin of life question over the past five decades. To date, no real
answers have emerged. Rather, a misguided approach has essentially
stalled the research program.
Best-selling author Paul Davies makes this point inhis book The Fifth Miracle:
When I set out to write this book, I was convincedthat science was
close to wrapping up the mystery of life's origin… Having spent a year
or two researching in the field, I am now of the opinion that there
remains a hugegulf in our understanding… This gulf in understanding is
not merely ignorance about certain technical details; itis a major
conceptual lacuna. (Paul Davies, The Fifth Miracle:The Searchfor the
Origin and Meaning of Life (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999), pp.
17-18)
Davies' statements likely surprise most people, including scientists.
From popular media reports, one would think researchers have all but
finalized the explanation for life's beginning. But such is not the
case.
Davies explains why this mismatch persists between public perception
and stark reality:
Many investigators feel uneasy about stating in public that the origin
of life is a mystery, even though behind closed doors they freely
admit that they are baffled. There seems to be two reasons for their
unease. First, they feel it opens the door to religious …..
explanations. Second, they worry that a frank admission of ignorance
will undermine funding. (Davies, pp.17-18)
So scientists are keeping quiet and searching for new directions in
which to proceed. Their behind-the-scenes frustration became evident
(to these authors) at the combined meetings of the International
Society for the Study of the Origin of Life and the International
Conference on the Origin of Life, held both in 1999 at the University
of California, San Diego, and in 2002 in Oaxaca, Mexico (hereafter
referred to as ISSOL 1999 or ISSOL 2002). This joint scientific
meeting, held every three years, attracts leading origin of life
investigators from around the world and serves as a platform for them
to share and discuss their latest findings.
The atmosphere at such gatherings typically crackles with anticipation
as participants gather to hear about new discoveries and
breakthroughs. However, at both of these last two ISSOL events, a grim
mood laced with desperation prevailed. Participants acknowledged that
some fifty years of well-funded investigation have led to one
barricade after another. The old intractable problems remain as new
ones cometo light. (Fazale R. Rana, "Origin-of-Life Predictions Face
Off: Evolution vs Biblical Creation," Facts for Faith 6 (Q2 2001),
pp.41-47)
…..Origin of life researchers cannot identify any location on
primordial Earth suitable for production of prebioticmolecules. Those
studyingthe problems cannot explain how the uniform "handedness"
(homochirality) of amino acids, nucleotids, and sugars could emerge in
any so-called prebiotic soup.
Data from the geological, geochemical, and fossil records all place
impossible constraints on naturalistic scenarios. Life arose rapidly
and early in Earth's history - as soon asEarth could possible support
it. Origin of life researchers recognize thatlife had no more than
tens of millions of years to emerge. Life also appeared under
amazingly harsh conditions - conditions that would not allow life to
survive, let alone originate.
Earth's first life was complex chemically… Consistent with this.
Investigators have discovered that life in its most minimal form
requires an astonishing number of proteins that must be spatially and
temporally organized within the cell.
Many [under the leadership of militant atheist Richard Dawkins
converted to the Space Religion ] now speculate that life may have
originated somewhere other than on Earth.

Hazrat Maryam (mari)

Hazrat Maryam `s (Alayhas-Salam) respectable parents are Hazrat Emraan
and Hazrat Hannah. In her old age, Hazrat Hannah (Alayhas-Salam) was
expecting a child. With the birth of a son in mind, she made an oath
to Allah that the childto be born would be freed from all worldly
affairs and specially dedicated to Allah's service. Almighty Allah
blessed her with a daughter, who was to be the mother of Hazrat Isa
(Peace Be Upon Him), Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam), the chosen one
among the women.
The Holy Quraan says:
Behold! When the wife of Imraan said: " O my Lord! Ido dedicate unto
Thee what is in my womb for Thy service. So accept this of me; for
thou Hearest and Knowest all things. " When she delivered, she said: "
O my Lord! Behold! Iam delivered of a female child ! " (Surah
Ale-Emraan:35-36)
Hazrat Maryam's (Alayhas-Salam) Childhood
Thus Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam) was born. She could not be devoted
to temple service as her mother had intended, due to being a female.
This was under the Mosaic Law at the time. However, as the new born
was marked out for a special destiny tobe the mother of the
miracle-child Hazrat Isa Peace Be Upon Him, she was accepted for the
service of Almighty Allah.
Hazrat Maryam's (Alayhas-Salam) Miracle
Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam) grew up under Allah's special
protection. Her sustenance came from Allah, and her upbringing was
indeed a pure one.
The Holy Quraan, most beautifully testifies this childhood miracle of
Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam):
" Right graciously did her Lord accept her, He made her grow in purity
and beauty, to the care of Zakariyya (Alayhis-Salaam)was she assigned,
every time he (Zakariyya) entered (her) chamber to see her, he found
her supplied with sustenance. He said: "O Maryam! Whence (comes) this
to you? " She said: " From Allah. For Allah provides sustenance to
whom He pleases without measure. " (Surah Ale-Emraan:37)
Hazrat Zakariyya Peace Be Upon Him looked after Hazrat Maryam
(Alayhas-Salam) whilst she was in the service of Allah.
Birth of Hazrat Isa Peace Be Upon Him
So Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam) grew up in a very pious religious
environment, always remaining busy in the worship of her Creator
Almighty Allah. Then followed the miraculous birth of Hazrat Isa Peace
Be Upon Him.
Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam), the mother of Hazrat Isa Peace Be Upon
Him was unique, in that she gave birth to a son by a special miracle,
without the intervention of the customary physical means.This of
course does not mean that she was more than human, any more than her
son was more than inhuman. She had as much need to pray to Almighty
Allah as anyone else.
May Almighty Allah give usall the true and proper understanding of
Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam).

Prophet Ibrahim (2)

As you may recall, most of the people at the time of Ibrahim (alayhis
salam) were idol worshippers. There were very few people who heeded
the words of Ibrahim (alayhis salam). One of the people who did follow
in the way of Allah was his wife, Sarah. She and Ibrahim (alayhis
salam) had been married for many years but did not have any children.
As they became more elderly, it seemed apparent that they would never
have a family. Sarah therefore gave Ibrahim (alayhis salam) her
slavewoman, Hajra, as a wife, in the hopes that she would be able to
bear a child for him. Ibrahim (alayhis salam) prayed for a righteous
son and his prayer was answered. To him and Hajra was born the son
Ismail (alayhis salam).
Ismail (alayhis salam) grew up strong in the belief of Allah. When he
had become old enough tohave become helpful, Ibrahim (alayhis salam)
saw in a vision from Allah that he was to sacrifice his son. You can
imagine how heavy-hearted he was at the thought of giving up that
long-awaited son. Buthe never thought to go against the command of
Allah. He went to his son and told him of the vision and asked him
what he thought of it. Now Ismail (alayhis salam), although very
young, never hesitated. If it was Allah's will, he said, he would go
along with it.
Ibrahim (alayhis salam) and Ismail (alayhis salam) prepared for the
sacrifice and just as Ibrahim (alayhis salam) was about to perform it,
Allah intervened. Allah provided a ram for sacrifice in place of
Ismail (alayhis salam), for Ibrahim (alayhis salam)and Ismail (alayhis
salam) had passed the test of faith which Allah had set for them.
Some time later, the angels who were being sent to Lut (alayhis salam)
stopped at Ibrahim's (alayhis salam) home. When he saw the two
strangers, he roasted a calfin order to entertain them.When he saw
that they didnot eat, he mistrusted and feared them. But they told him
not to be afraid. Sarahwas there and she laughedwhen they told her she
would have a son. She couldn't believe it. She wasan old woman and her
husband an old man. They told her not to wonder at Allah's decree, for
he can do all things.
Ibrahim (alayhis salam), too, couldn't believe his ears when they told
him that he would father another son endowed with wisdom. He asked
themessengers how they could say such a thing when he was such an old
man. But they assured himthat they were telling the truth.
Just as the angels had foretold, a son was born toSarah and Ibrahim
(alayhissalam). He was named Ishaaq (alayhis salam) and he later
became the father of Yaqub (alayhis salam). Itis from Ishaaq (alayhis
salam) that the children of Israel trace their roots.
It is from Ismail (alayhis salam), Ibrahim's (alayhis salam)
first-born son, that the people of Arabia trace their lineage. Thus
can twopeoples, the Jews and the Arabs, trace their beginnings back to
a single ancestor, Ibrahim (alayhis salam), the father of Ismail
(alayhis salam) and Ishaaq (alayhis salam).
You can read about Ibrahim (alayhis salam) and his sons in the
following surat of the Qur'an 11:69-76, 15:51-56,and 37: 99-111.

Prophet Ibrahim (1)

Prophet Ibrahim as a role model
We often see the term "role model" in newspapers and magazines. It
refers to someone who leads the sort of life that you would like to
live. Many of us choose our favorite sports star or film star as our
role model because we are impressed by the glitter and flair of these
wealthy people. However, if we stopped to think about what kind of
lives the starsreally lead, perhaps we would have second thoughts
about our choice of role model. How many of these stars have never
known or have forgotten Allah in their quest for fame and riches! How
often are they consumed by hate, envy, violence, drugs and other
evils! Whoreally wants that kind of life? Certainly not we Muslims.
The Qur'an tells us that theprophets should be our role models, and
Prophet Ibrahim (alayhis salam) in particular is frequently mentioned.
He was obedient to Allah, upright, and he did not worship any god but
Allah. He turned away from those who worshipped idols, even from his
own father. He was grateful to Allah for the blessings which were
bestowed on him. Hewas rewarded with good in this world and he is
among the righteous in the hereafter.
Prophet Ibrahim's call
Prophet Ibrahim 's (alayhis salam) father, Azer, was a stone carver.
He carved theimages of the idols which his people worshipped. Prophet
Ibrahim (alayhis salam) grew up in an atmosphere of paganism, in which
Allah was just one of many gods worshipped by his people. But Allah
chose Ibrahim (alayhis salam) to be His prophet. Prophet Ibrahim
(alayhis salam) saw a star when it rose and called upon it as his
lord, but when it set he realized that it was powerless. He called
upon the moon when it rose in the sky, but it too disappeared as
itset. Then he decided to worship the sun when it rose, but even the
sun with all its brilliance had to set each evening. It wasat this
point that Prophet Ibrahim (alayhis salam) was ready to acknowledgethe
supremacy of the Creator of all the heavenly bodies, the Lord of all
creation, and a being without equal and withoutpartners. He tried
unsuccessfully to persuadehis father and his people to discard the
useless idolsand to submit themselves wholly to Allah. He promised his
father that he would pray for forgiveness for him, and since he had
promised, he did pray. But we are told in the Qur'an that we should
shun pagans and we should not pray for them (Qur'an 9:113-114).
Prophet Ibrahim (alayhis salam) asked his people why they worshipped
those idols which they themselves had made, instead of the true God
who had created everything and everybody.The people answered that they
worshipped the idols because their fathers had done so. One day, when
noone was about, Prophet Ibrahim (alayhis salam) took his right hand
and smashed the idols to pieces, all except the biggest. The people
came running, asking who had destroyed their gods. Prophet Ibrahim
(alayhis salam) pointed to the big god and said, "He did it. Why don't
you ask them?" But of course those fragments of stone were not able to
speak and the people knew in their hearts that the big stone could not
have destroyed them. So Prophet Ibrahim (alayhis salam) asked, "Why do
you worship these powerless rocks instead of Allah who is all
powerful?" Then the people were very angry and they seized Prophet
Ibrahim (alayhis salam) and threw him into a blazing fire. But Allah
was with Prophet Ibrahim (alayhis salam) and made the blaze feel cool
to him. Prophet Ibrahim (alayhis salam) emerged from the fire
unharmed.
In Arabia at the time of the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),
threereligious groups claimed ancestry to the prophet Ibrahim (alayhis
salam). They were the Christians, the Jews, and the pagan
idol-worshippers. But the religion of Ibrahim (alayhissalam) was none
of these three. His religion was truly that of Islam , a total
submission to the will of Allah. It is he who should serve as our role
model, a man of unswerving faith introubled times.
You can read about Prophet Ibrahim (alayhis salam) as a role model
andabout his disputes over the idols in the following suras of the
Qur'an: 2:130, 135, 258; 3:67; 6:74-83; 16:120-123; 19:41-50;
21:51-71; 26:70-82; 37:83-98; 60:4-6.

Allah Will Protect Me

Once Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was taking rest under a tree
when he was returning from an expedition and hung his sword from the
tree. A Non-Muslim person came quietly, took hold of the sword and,
addressing the Prophet said to him:"O Muhammad! now who will save you
from my hand?" The Prophet heard it, rose up from his seat and said:
"Allah will save me." Hearing the name of Allah, he was overawed and
the sword slipped from his hand. The Prophet rose up from his place,
took the sword into his hand and questioned him: "Now who will save
you from my hand?" He felt sorry and begged apology. The Prophet
forgave him. He was so impressed by this kindnessthat he embraced
Islam. He then went to his tribesmen and expressed that he never found
a manbetter than Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Source: "The Miracles of the Prophet" by Shaikh Ahmed S. Dehalvi; also
related in Bukhari and other sources with slight variations.
Related to the protection of the Prophet Muhammad, Allah has mentioned
in the Quran "OApostle! proclaim the message which has been sent to
you from your Lord. If you do not do it, you would not have fulfilled
and proclaimed this mission. And Allah willdefend you against men who
mean mischief. For Allah guides not those who reject faith." (Al
Quran5:67).
( Love for Muhammad PBUH is the basic teaching of Islam.)... Islam is
not terrorism nor backwordness, but Islam isteachings of
peace."Ashadunna La illaha illallahu Wa Ashadunna Muhammadan Wa
Rasuluhu." "I bear witness that there is no god, but Allah, and
Muhammad is His Last Messenger."

Punishment of a Liar

Narrated Anas: There was a Christian who embraced Islam and read
Surat-al-Baqara and Al-Imran, and he used to write (the revelations)
for the Prophet. Later on he returned to Christianity again and he
used to say:"Muhammad knows nothing but what I have written for him."
Then Allah caused him to die, and the people buried him,but in the
morning they saw that the earth had thrown his body out. They said,
"This is the act of Muhammad and his companions. They dug the grave of
our companion and took his body out of itbecause he had run away from
them." They again dug the grave deeply for him, but in the morning
they again saw that the earth had thrown his bodyout. They said, "This
is an act of Muhammad and his companions. They dug the grave of our
companion and threw his body outside it, for he had run away from
them." They dug the grave for him as deep as they could, but in the
morning they again saw that the earth had thrown his body out. So they
believed that what had befallen him was not done by human beings and
had to leave him thrown (on the ground).
Source: Sahih Al Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 56, Number 814.
( Love for Muhammad PBUH is the basic teaching of Islam.)... Islam is
not terrorism nor backwordness, but Islam isteachings of
peace."Ashadunna La illaha illallahu Wa Ashadunna Muhammadan Wa
Rasuluhu." "I bear witness that there is no god, but Allah, and
Muhammad is His Last Messenger."

Should he send blessings on the angels in the tashahhud?

Is it permissible to send blessings on the angels in the tashahhud as
I send blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him)?.
Praise be to Allaah.
In the answer to question no. 105330 we stated thatit is prescribed to
send blessings on the angels.
But in the tashahhud doing that is not prescribed, because what must
be done is to recite only that which was proven from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), without adding anything
to it.
Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan was asked: Should blessings be sent on the
angels in the tashahhud as they are sent on the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him)?
He replied:
No, the blessings that are mentioned in the tashahhud should be
limited only to that whichis narrated, but when we say al-salaamu
'alayna wa'ala 'ibaad-Allaah al-saaliheen (may peace be upon us and
upon all the righteous slaves of Allaah), that includes every
righteous slave in heaven and on earth, which includes the angels.

People of Imân and Piety Readily Accept the Truth

Allâh says,
"That home of the Hereafter (i.e. Paradise), We shall assign to those
who rebel not against the truth with pride and oppression in the land
nor do mischief by committing crimes. And the good end is for the
pious." (Al-Qasas 28:83)
Fellow Muslims! A scholar among our righteous predecessors wrote a
letter to a brother of his in which he asked him for admonition and
advice on an issue. The scholar wrotehim the following reply:
"To proceed, if Allâh is with you who are you then afraid of? And if
Allâh is against you, who is he unto him you can fix your hope? Bye."
Dear brethren! This short statement is a great admonition, a strong
reminder and a brilliant word. Allâh's care for His slave supersedes
all other cares; and with the care of Allâh, the slave is in no need
of the care of others. The special divine care means protection and
support. Allâh tells us about those who deserve this protection when
He says,
"Truly, Allâh is with those who fear Him (keep their duty unto Him),
and those who are good-doers." (An-Nahl 16:128)
May Allâh include us among the pious and the righteous. May He guide
usto the path of His sincere slaves and keep us away from causes of
His wrath and punishment.

People of Imân and Piety Readily Accept the Truth

All praise is due to Allâh, Lord of all the worlds. Peace and
blessings of Allâh be upon the Messenger, his household and
companions.
O you who believe! Fear Allâh as He should be feared and work towards
your salvation tomorrow on,
"The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, except him who
brings to Allâh a clean heart." (Ash-Shu'arâ 26:88-89)
And
"The Day when man shall remember what he strove for." (An-Nâzi'ât 79:35)
Fellow Muslims! It is part of a Muslim's magnanimity, nobility and
good manners to always seek for and surrender to the truth out of
desire for the pleasure of Allâh and out of fear of falling into the
abyss of arrogance. The Messenger of Allâh said,
"Whoever has the weight of mustard seed of pride inhis heart will not
enter Paradise."
A man said,
"[What about] a person who likes his clothes to be fine and his shoes
to be fine."
The Prophet responded,
"Verily, Allâh is beautiful and He loves beauty. Pride is disregard
for the truth and contempt for people." (Al-Bukhârî and Muslim)
Disregard for the truth is to reject it. And contempt for people is to
scorn themand show them all forms of arrogance either through words or
deeds.
Rejecting the truth also implies denying it, hating it and turning
away from it, as former people who were punished had done. The
punishment of Allâh came to them in their homes and what happened to
them becamea lesson for others. Allâh says,
"And never an Ayah (sign) comes to them from the Ayât (proofs,
evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of their Lord,
but that they have been turning away from it. Indeed, they rejected
the truth (the Qur'ân andMuhammad (peace be upon him)) when it came to
them, but there will come to them the news of that (the torment) which
they used to mock at. Have they not seen how manya generation before
them We have destroyedwhom We had established on the earth such as We
have not established you? And Wepoured out on them rain from the sky
in abundance, and made the rivers flow under them. Yet We destroyed
them for their sins, and created after them other generations."
(Al-An'âm 6:4-6)
Allâh also says,
"Indeed We have brought the truth (Muhammad (peace be upon him) with
the Qur'ân), to you, but mostof you have a hatred for the truth."
(Az-Zukhruf 43:78)
As for those who have faith and fear Allâh, their most prominent
characteristic is acceptanceof the truth, submitting to it and calling
others unto it. That is why they are thewisest of all people and the
most knowledgeable of the causes of happiness,victory and success.
Wisdom is the lost property of a believer; he takes hold of it
wherever he finds it. Refraining fromrejecting the truth is safetyfrom
being in the same group with the erroneous and deniers of the signs of
Allâh. It is also the safety from sharing in the consequences of their
rejection of the truth as a result of their arrogance inthe land.
You will notice that those who fear Allâh have habituated themselves
on accepting the truth irrespective of the person from whom the truth
comes. Hence you find them accepting the truth from children, ignorant
and enemies. This is the opinion of eminent scholars like Qâdî 'Iyâd
andothers.
Another noble quality of those who fear Allâh is that when anyone of
themdebated with someone, hesupplicated secretly for his opponent to
Allâh to strengthen his opponent, make him reach at the truth and let
the truth come from him. An example of this is Imâm Ash-Shâfi'î who
used to say,
"Whenever I argued with someone, I always wished that Allâh show the
truth through him."
Brethren in faith! The God-fearing Muslim treats his brother as gently
as he can. He lowers his voice when he speaks with him, he guards his
tongue and hands from attacking his honour and never harms him with
any form. He always bears in mind the saying of the Messenger ofAllâh
that goes thus,
"A Muslim should neither be slanderer nor a curser, nor an immodest nor foul."
And his saying,
"A Muslim is someone from whose hand and tongue the Muslims are safe."
(Al-Bukhârî and Muslim)
He also abstains from useless argument and he fears the malice and
hatred that quarrelling leads to. In this regard he follows the
Prophet's admonition that goes thus,
"I guarantee a house in the surroundings of Paradise for a man who
avoids quarrelling even if he were in the right." (Abû Dâwûd)
And his saying,
"No nation went astray after they had been on guidance except that
they were afflicted with quarrelling and deprived of (fruitful)
actions." (Ahmad and At-Tirmidhî)
In short, sincerity of purpose and an intention to arrive at the truth
is thegoal. The Muslim must beware of promoting his personal ego and
showing that he is better than other. He should also treat all people
with compassion and wish them well.

Struggles benefit - The man who wanted to help the butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared.
He sat and watched the butterfly for several hoursas it struggled to
force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making
any progress.It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and
it could go no further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He tooka pair of scissors
and snipped off the remainingbit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily. But it hada swollen body and
small,shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that,at
any moment, the wingswould enlarge and expand to be able to support
the body, which would contract in time.
Neither happened! In fact,the butterfly spent the rest of its life
crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.It never was
able to fly.
What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that
the restricting cocoon andthe struggle required for the butterfly to
get through the tiny opening were Allah's way of forcing fluid from
the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for
flight once it achieved its freedom fromthe cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If Allah
allowed us to go through our liveswithout any obstacles, it would
cripple us.
We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never "fly"!
I asked for Strength.........
And Allah gave me Difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom.........
And Allah gave me Problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity.........
And Allah gave me Brain and Brawn to work.
I asked for Courage.........
And Allah gave me Dangerto overcome.
I asked for Love..........
And Allah gave me Troubled people to help.
I asked for Favours.........
And Allah gave me Opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted ........
I received everything I needed!
"So blessed be Allah, the best of creators!"
Sura The Believer (23) verse 14