1] Are We Truly Believers?

1]
"So do not weaken and do not grieve, for you will indeed be superior
if you are truly believers." [Al-Quran 3:139]
This verse was revealed to the Messenger (salallahu'alayhe was salam)
by Allah The Almighty from above the Seven Heavens, soon after the
Muslims suffered a defeat in the Battle of Uhud and returned to
Al-Madinah dejected and downtrodden. It was revealed as an
encouragement to the believers after a victory that was in their
grasp, was snatched away from them and turned into a defeat. And why
should the Companions not have felt devastated at this defeat?
Seventy of the best human beings on Earth at the time were killed and
countless otherswere injured. Even the Messenger himself was
seriously wounded until blood flowed from his faceand he said in great
anguish whilst wiping the blood from his noble cheeks: "Allah's Wrath
is Great upon the people who besmeared His Messenger's face with
blood."
However, this defeat was only a temporary setback so that the
believers could reflect upon the reasons for the defeat, described
insuccessive verses of Surah Ali-Imran. The mistakes and sins of a few
believers had deprived the whole army of victory.
When Umar bin Al-Khattab (radiallahu 'anh) despatched the army of Saad
bin Abi Waqqas (radiallahu 'anh) to the Battle of Al-Qadisiyyah, he
advised him:
"Fear your sins more than you fear the enemy as your sins are more
dangerous to you than your enemy. We Muslims are only victorious over
our enemy because their sins outnumber ours, not for any other reason.
If oursins were equal to those ofour enemy, then they would defeat us
due to their superior numbers and resources."
And so Saad proceeded to fight the Persians and, sticking to the
advice of his leader, he imprisoned the alcoholic Abu Mahjan
Ath-Thaqafi lest his presence in the army delays the victory. Until,
Abu Mahjan lamented in his shackles and composedverses of poetry that
touched the wife of Saad to temporarily release himso that he could
participate in the battle with his brothers. Abu Mahjan thus went out
riding the horse of Saad (as Saad was bedridden with fever) and
performedunmatched feats of valour before returning to his cellin the
evening and wearing his shackles back by himself. This continued for
three days until, when Saad found out about the heroics of Abu
Mahjan, he untied his shackles with the words: "By Allah! I will never
imprison you again for drinking alcohol!" Uponthis, Abu Mahjan
replied, "By Allah! I will never again touch alcohol after this day!"
The army was victorious and Saad appointed the ascetic Companion
Salman Al-Farsi (radiallahu 'anh) asthe new ruler of Persia , who
lived on a meagre salary of one dirham per day.
Victory and defeat, gains and losses, and successes and setbacks are
not decided by money, resources, numbers or skills. Rather,they are
decided by the balance of obedience and disobedience of Allah The
Exalted. The more we obey Allah, both individually and collectively,
the more wehasten His Victory. The more we disobey Allah, the more we
delay the arrival of His Victory. One Muslim's sins can delay the
victory for everyone.
It is very easy to blame Bush and Blair, the 'West', the 'kuffar' or
simply 'them' for all our woes andworries. But it is not so easy to
look in the mirror and point the finger at ourselves.
Look at us and our pathetic state. We have abandoned Salah or we delay
it or rush through it. We are too stingy to give Zakah, let alone
optional charity. We prefer to go onholiday than to go for the
obligatory Hajj. We drink alcohol, we use and supplydrugs (Muslims are
amongst the biggest suppliers of drugs in the world today), we cohabit
outside wedlock, we steal, we cheat. We eat haram, earn haram and sell
haram. We beat our wives and force our daughters into marriages then
use Islam to justify it. We are quick to spend on fashion and luxuries
but slow to spend on orphans and the needy. We fail to utter a single
word, let alone raisea finger, when we see our fellow Muslims
imprisoned, tortured, house-arrested, extradited or slain for fear of
being 'linked' to them. We waste our lives watching television and
playing computer games then complain that we don't have enough time
tobecome better Muslims. We are too addicted to music to find time to
listento or memorise the Quran. We are too busy in fun and games to
fulfil our responsibilities as vicegerents on Allah's Earth. And after
all this (and more), we have the audacity to wonder why Allah's
Victory has not yet arrived. With our paltry state, we should more
likely expect Allah's Wrath and Punishment rather than His Victory.
:->

“and then they would weep.”

'Ataa. said:
'Umar ibn 'Abdul-'Aziz usedto gather the fuqahaa every night and they
would all remember death, the Day of Judgment and the Hereafter and
then they would weep.
Siyar a'laam an-Nubalaa'

and Allah returned back her sight.

Sa'd bin Ibraheem said:"Zinneerah was a roman slave and became a
muslimah. The mushrikeentortured her until she lost her sight because
of the severe torture. The mushrikeen said ' al laat and 'uzzah took
her sight '". She said, "I disbelieve in al-laat wal 'uzzah" and Allah
returned back her sight.
In another narration: "Abu Bakr radiallahu 'anh freed Zinneerah from
slavery and she lost her sight when she was freed. Quraysh said: 'It's
only laatand 'uzzah that took her sight'. She said, 'By Allah they
have lied, al-laat wal 'uzzah neither harm or benefit', and Allah
returned back her sight"
['Al-'Isabah fee tamyeez as-Sahabah', by Ibn hajar al-'Asqalani]

Afraid?

Samarkand says that the person who does one good deed should be weary
of four things (imagine what a person who commits a sin should be
afraid of!) :
*. The fear of not being accepted because Allah says:
'Allah only accepts from those who fear.' [Maidah:27]
*. The fear of showing off, for Allah says:
'They have been instructed to worship Allah sincerely; religion isfor
him Alone.' [Bayinah: 5]
*. The fear of preserving the good deed because Allah says:
'Whoever brings a good deed shall have ten times its reward.' [An`am: 160]
*. The fear of being deserted in performing good deeds, for Allah says:
'And my guidance cannotcome except from Allah, in Him I trust and unto
Him I repent' [Hud: 88]

Angels Making Du’a’ For YOU!

The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "The supplication of
a Muslim for his brother in his absence will certainly be answered.
Everytime he makes a supplication for good for his brother, the angel
appointed for this particular task says: `Ameen! May it be for you,
too'." [Muslim].
One of the scholars wrote "In this hadith there is a point of benefit
to be obtained and that is: if your du'a' is responded to because your
brother is absent from you, then we hope that the angel's du'a'for you
will also be responded to because you are absent from the angel!"
Thus, I ask you to make du'a' for the forgiveness ofmy many sins,
[those that are great and those that are small, the first and the
last, and those that are apparent and those that are hidden] and know
thatin return the noble angels will make the same du'a' for you .

Prophet Yusuf meets his brothers

As Prophet Yusuf (alayhis salam) had predicted, seven years of famine
followed seven years of good harvest, but the storehouses of Egypt
were full because of Prophet Yusuf's skillful management. People
fromall over flocked to Egypt tobuy grain during the famine. Among
them wereProphet Yusuf's (alayhis salam) brothers.
Prophet Yusuf (alayhis salam) knew his brothers at once but they did
not recognize him. He gave them the grain which theyhad come to buy
but warned them that they would get no more unless they brought a
brother of theirs to him from their father. They agreed that they
would try to convincetheir father to let them take their younger
brotherwith them the next time they came. Then Prophet Yusuf (alayhis
salam) had his servants put their money which they had used to
purchase the grainback into the saddlebags of their camels so that
they would find it when they returned home and would be sure to return
for more grain when they saw how generously Prophet Yusuf (alayhis
salam) had treated them.
Ya'qub (alayhis salam), who still felt deeply the loss of his son
Prophet Yusuf (alayhis salam), was reluctant to let the brothers take
his other young son. He made them pledge in the name of Allah that
they would bring him back home unless they were made physically
powerless to do so. He also cautioned themto enter the city in Egypt
by different gates, perhapsso they wouldn't look like a gang of
troublemakers. However, he knew that their fate depended on Allah's
will and no precautions could go against what was willed by Allah.
When the brothers had returned to Prophet Yusuf (alayhis salam) for
more provisions, Prophet Yusuf (alayhis salam) lodged his younger
brother with himself, and revealed his identity to him. But he hadto
think of a way in which to keep his younger brother with him when the
others returned home. Allah inspired him with thefollowing plan.
When the brothers' camelshad been loaded with grain, Prophet Yusuf
(alayhis salam) had a cup placed in his younger brother's saddlebag.
Then a cry was raised that someone had stolen the king's cup. The
brothers denied that they had stolen anything. When asked what should
happenif it were to prove otherwise, they said that they would hand
over the person in whose possession the cup was found. A search of the
saddlebags revealed the cup in the younger brother's bag. Then the
bigbrothers said that it wasn'treally surprising, because the boy's
brother (i.e. Prophet Yusuf (alayhis salam)) had also been a thief.
But still Prophet Yusuf (alayhis salam) did not reveal his identity to
them. The brothers asked that one of them be allowed to stay in the
younger brother's place, sothat their father would notgrieve, but
Prophet Yusuf (alayhis salam) replied thatit would be unjust to keep
back anyone except him inwhose possession the cup had been.
The brothers returned to their father with the story of the theft, and
his eyes turned white with grief from suppressing his sorrow. He sent
them away to search for ProphetYusuf (alayhis salam) and his brother,
so they returned to Prophet Yusuf (alayhis salam) and asked for more
grain, although they had but little money left. Then Prophet Yusuf
(alayhis salam) revealed his identity to them and forgave them and
asked Allah's forgiveness for all the wrong they had done to him and
his brother. Then he gave them his shirt to place over his father's
face to recover his sight. He told them to go home and return to Egypt
with all of their families.
Prophet Yusuf reunited with his family
As their caravan was leaving Egypt, Ya'qub (alayhis salam), still at
home, smelled the perfume of Prophet Yusuf (alayhis salam), but his
household said he was getting senile. When the caravan arrived home
withthe shirt, Ya'qub's (alayhis salam) sight was restored. Then the
entire family moved to Egypt. Prophet Yusuf (alayhis salam) raised his
parents up on the throne to sit with him and they all bowed down in
obedience to him. In this way, Prophet Yusuf's (alayhis salam)
childhood vision of the eleven planets and the sun and the moon
prostrating themselves before him came true. This is how the
Israelites came to settle in Egypt and lived there for many
generations. The entire story of Prophet Yusuf (alayhis salam) can be
found in Surah 12 of the Qur'an.

7a] Prophet Yusuf 2

7a]
When the king was told of this interpretation, he asked that Yusuf
(Alayhis salam) be brought to him from the prison. But Yusuf (Alayhis
salam) would not leave until his name had been cleared. The king
summoned all the women and they told him that Yusuf (Alayhis salam)
had done nothing wrong. The wife of the chief who had pursued Yusuf
(Alayhis salam) confessed that it was she who had been at fault. When
Yusuf (Alayhis salam) was released, he was relieved that everyone now
knew that he had done nothing deceitful. And he was grateful to Allah
for forgiving any evil thoughtswhich he might have had.
The king called Yusuf (Alayhis salam) to him, and, after they had
spokentogether for some time, the king was so impressed that he wanted
to bestow on Yusuf (Alayhis salam) a position of trust . Yusuf
suggested that he be placed in charge of all the storehouses in the
land, for he felt confident of his ability to administer them wisely.
Thus Allah rewarded Yusuf. He had risen from servantand prisoner to a
very powerful position in the land of Egypt.
To be continued.

7] Prophet Yusuf 2

7]
The Egyptian who bought Yusuf (Alayhis salam) from the caravan gave
him a position of responsibility in his household. As Yusuf (Alayhis
salam) grew to full manhood he became extremely handsome and the wife
of his master fell hopelessly in love with him. One day, when she was
alone in a room with him, she approached him with sinful intentions.
As he attempted to flee from the room to avoid her advances, she
grabbed his shirt from behind and tore it.
At the door of the room they ran into the master ofthe household, who
demanded to know what was happening. The wife accused Yusuf of chasing
her and Yusuf denied it. One of the members of thehousehold suggested
a way to determine who was telling the truth. If Yusuf's (Alayhis
salam) shirt was torn in the front, then the wife had been resisting
Yusuf (Alayhis salam). But if the shirt were torn in the back, thenthe
wife had been pursuing Yusuf (Alayhis salam). Since the shirt had been
torn from behind, Yusuf (Alayhis salam) was shown to be telling the
truth.
The master told him to take no further notice of the matter, and he
reprimanded his wife for having done something wrong.
Despite the husband's attempt to hush up the whole affair, gossip was
soon spreading throughout the city that the wife had fallen in love
with her servant. When she heard the malicious talk, the wife invited
all the women of the town toa meal and gave each of them a knife to
use. She then called Yusuf (Alayhis salam) into the room. All the
women were so overcome by the sight of the handsome young man that
they cut their hands with the knives which theyheld. In this way the
mistress of the house showed them why she hadsought Yusuf (Alayhis
salam) and she vowed thatif he did not yield to her wishes she would
have him imprisoned.
Yusuf (Alayhis salam) was an upright young man, and with the help of
Allah he had been able to resist the advances of any woman. But he
realized the weakness of his human nature and he knew that if so many
women were pursuing him, he might very well yield to temptation. And
so he prayed to Allah that he would rather be imprisoned than accept
any of their invitations, but he needed Allah's help to turn away
their attentions. And Allah heardhis plea and turned their attentions
from him.
But the men of the city, although acknowledging Yusuf's (Alayhis
salam) innocence, feared the commotion which his presence caused, and
thus decided to have him imprisoned. There Yusuf (Alayhis salam)
remained for several years.
Two other young men entered the prison at about the same time as Yusuf
(Alayhis salam). While in prison each of thetwo men had a dream. One
dreamed that he was pressing grapes; the other that he was carrying
breadon his head from which the birds were eating. Eachwas puzzled
about the meaning of his dream, andasked Yusuf (Alayhis salam) if he
could interpretit.
Yusuf (Alayhis salam) promised to interpret their dreams before their
next meal was brought to them, but while he had their attention, he
took advantage of the opportunity to perform some dawa. He told them
about the supremacy of Allah and about belief in the Hereafter. He
told them about the futility of worshipping gods other than Allah. He
told them ofthe right religion about which many people do notknow.
Only after he had given hismessage about Islam did he interpret the
dreams. He said that the man who had dreamed that he was pressing
grapes would be released and would be serving wine to his master,while
the other man would be executed and the birds would eat from off his
head. It happened as Yusuf (Alayhis salam) had foretold, and Yusuf
(Alayhis salam) asked the man who was released to mention Yusuf
(Alayhis salam) to his master, in order that Yusuf (Alayhis salam)
might also be released. But the man forgot and Yusuf (Alayhis salam)
stayed in prison for a few more years.
The king of Egypt then hada dream, in which he saw seven fat cattle
being devoured by seven lean cattle. He also saw seven green ears of
corn and seven withered ears. None of the chiefs in his court could
interpret the dream for him. At this point the king's servant, who had
been Yusuf's (Alayhis salam) cell mate, remembered Yusuf's (Alayhis
salam) ability to interpret the meaning of dreams. So he went to see
Yusuf (Alayhis salam) to ask about the dream.
Yusuf (Alayhis salam) explained that for seven years the crops would
be good, and that much of what had been harvested would be stored
away. Theseven good years would be followed by seven hard years in
which most of what had been stored would be consumed. After that
seven-year period of poor harvests, things would improve again.
:->

Prophet Yusuf 1

He was the son of Ya'qub (Alayhis salam) and the grandson of Ishaaq
(Alayhis salam). He was thenext to youngest of twelvesons and a
favorite of his father.
One day he had a dream inwhich eleven planets, the sun, and the moon
were bowing down in front of him. When his father learned of this
vision, he interpreted it as meaning that Allah would prefer Yusuf
(Alayhis salam), would teach him the interpretation of dreams , and
would perfect His grace upon him. But Ya'qub warned Yusuf (Alayhis
salam) not to tell the dream to his brothers, because they would be
extremely jealous and might wish to do harm to him.
The older brothers were indeed jealous of Yusuf (Alayhis salam) and
his younger brother. They decided that, with Yusuf (Alayhis salam) out
of the picture, their father would look upon the rest of themwith more
favor. Some wanted to kill him and some favored abandoning him in some
distant land. One of the brothers suggested leaving him in apit so
that some caravan would pick him up and carry him away. That was the
plot upon which they eventually agreed.
Yusuf's brothers went to their father and asked if they could take
Yusuf (Alayhis salam) out in the pastures with them on thefollowing
day, so that he could play and enjoy himself. At first Ya'qub (Alayhis
salam) dissented, because he feared that Yusuf (Alayhis salam) would
be devoured by a wolf. But the brothers assured him that the wolf
would not have a chance against so many of them. Finally Ya'qub agreed
to let Yusuf go with them.
The following day, the brothers led Yusuf (Alayhissalam) away and left
him in the bottom of a deep pit. Allah revealed to Yusuf(Alayhis
salam) at that time that one day he would tell them of this deed, when
the brothers would not recognize him. After the brothers had left
Yusuf (Alayhis salam) in the pit, a caravan came along and a
water-drawer was sent to look for water at the bottom of the pit. He
was delighted to find instead a healthy young man. Yusuf (Alayhis
salam)was taken away in the caravan to be sold into slavery. The
traders attached very little value to him and sold him for a very
small amount of money.
Meanwhile the brothers stained Yusuf's (Alayhis salam) shirt with the
bloodof some animal and returned, weeping and wailing, to their
father, concocting a story about how a wolf had, after all, managed to
slip past themand devour Yusuf . Their father recognized that their
grief was not sincere, and he prayed to Allah to help him bear his own
grief over the loss of Yusuf(Alayhis salam).
To be continued.

Repentance (tawbah) when a sin involves the rights of another person

If the sin involves a rights of another person then what form should
repentance take?
The basis for the answer is the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon
him) who said: "He upon whom his brother has a right, be it of the
nature of money or honor, let him compensate for it before he is made
to compensate for it on a day when there will be neither dinar nor
dirham to deal with. Instead, if hehas a good deed in his account it
will be taken away from him and given to the person he had wronged.
And if he has nogood deed in his account, sins of the other person
will be taken from him and added to his account"(Bukhari).
Accordingly, therepentant can escape the questioning only by
eithergiving back the people wronged their due or seeking their
forgiveness. If they forgive, he need not worry, but if they do not,
then he must return their dues.

Repentance (tawbah) from accepting bribes

A man used to accept bribes. Then Allah guided him to righteousness.
What shall he do with what he used to earn as bribes?
There can be two situations. Either the bribes he used to accept were
from thosethat had been wronged who had to offer bribe as a means of
obtaining what was their right, in which case the repentant should
return them their amounts or articles or whatever. For what he took
from them is considered as having been taken by force or through
deceit. Or, the bribe was taken from an unjust (zalim) man like
hehimself was before repenting. (That is, someone who achieved
orattained things via bribes which were not his right.) This amount is
not be returned to him. Instead the repentant should spend it in a
charitable way, such as on the poor and the destitute. Likewise, he
must repent the harm he caused to people by giving their right away to
others who had no right to them, but rather obtained them via the use
of bribes.

What to do with forbidden items after having repented

I have repented. But in my possession are some of the forbidden things
such as musical instruments, cassettes, films etc. Is it permissible
for me to sell them, particularly since they are worth a large amount?
Sale of such banned articles is not permissible in Islam. The Prophet
(peace be upon him) said: "When Allah forbids a thing then He forbids
its price (as well). " (i.e., its sale/purchase/trading.) [Abu Dawood,
and it is sahih] Also you know wellthat whomever you sell it to will
use it in a forbidden act; thus, it is not permissible for you tosell
it to him as Allah has prohibited this in commanding us: "laa
ta-'aawanu ala al-ithmi wal-'udwaan." (a translation of the meaning
being 'do not assist one another in sins and enmity')
And no matter how much you lose in worldly wealth, have faith that
what is in store with Allahis worthier and longer lasting. He will
compensate you with His grace, and His favor and His generosity.

Does Allah answer myprayers?

We know that Allah answers all the prayers of the believers. This can
be in 4 ways:
1- Getting what we ask for!
2- Getting something as good or better!
3- Being spared somethingbad that would have happened otherwise.
4- Being rewarded on the day of Judgment with a much greater reward
than what we were asking for on earth.

Does Allah see us?

Allah sees us and knows everything about us. He knows us better than
we know ourselves. There is not a leaf on a tree that blows away, or
stays in its place except that He knows it. There is not a dry spot,
nor a wet spot, nor a grain in the depths of the earth except that
Allah knows it.

Can we see Allah?

Allah is not like the sun. Anyone can see the sun. But Allah is the
most beautiful. Nothing is as beautiful as Allah. Actually looking at
Allah is the greatest pleasure of the people in Paradise. This
pleasure Allah does not give anyone but the believers.

What does it mean tobelieve in Allah?

To believe in Allah means to believe in total perfection, and uniqueness.
It means to believe in His prophets because they are His, and He sent
them. We can not pick and choose. A Muslim must believe in all the
prophets of Allah.
It means to believe in the Angels! We must love them all. We cannot
hate an Angel say, for example, Michael to whom rain and the
vegetation of the Earthare attributed or Gabriel towhom revelation
(bringingdown the scriptures to the prophets) is attributed.
It means to believe in Allah's predestination of good and bad.
It means to believe in the last day: The day of Judgment.

Does Allah look like us?

No, Allah is perfect. Heis not like any of His creations. He has told
us that He has hands, eyes, a face, and feet, but all of these
attributes are befitting to His might and glory. A Muslim does not say
a single thing about Allah other than what Allah says about Himself.
Allah is Perfect and Unique.

Who is Allah?

Allah means God. It is a personal name, which Allah calls Himself in
the Quran. That is where it originates. It can also be found in an
Aramaic copy of the Bible, and even Christian Arabs say Allah.

Which Surah has the second most repeated ayah? and how many times is it repeated?

SURAH RAHMAN which is repeated31 times...!!
and ALLAH knows the best...!!

2a] Allah Is The Rich, You Are The Poor

2a]
Youhave forgotten that you will pass through the Siraat with the
intense Fireof Hell underneath you. You are unaware of the thrashing
that awaits you in your grave by the angels of Allah. Hot stones of
Jahannam for you to walk on, herbage bitter than aloes, foul putrid
meat to eat, your lips to becut by coarse scissors, getting trampled
under the feet of the people of Pharaoh, cutting your ownflesh from
the sides to eat it, scratching your chests and faces with brass nails
-all this awaits you if you do not pay the Zakah, if you fornicate,
devour usury, slander others, backbite, or malign people's honor.
This is just the grave, Hell is yet to come!
"…the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if theybut knew." (Quran: 68/33)

2] Allah Is The Rich, You Are The Poor:-http://aydnajimudeen.blogspot.com/

2]
This is a fact that none can escape, yet you go after the treasures of
the world and renounce the Lord of Truth.
"Know that the life of this world is but a play and a passing delight
and a beautiful show, and the (cause of) your boastful) vying with one
another, and (of your) greed for more and more wealth and children."
(Quran: 57/20)
Look at this world with the eyes of your heart, youwill find it ugly
and loathsome; look at it with your physical eyes and it will lure you
to the side and slaughter you.
Be content with whatever Allah has decreed for you. Fear Allah in your
innermost being. Implement His commands.Once your heart complies with
the Divine Decree, theLord of Truth will grant you from sources you
never imagined:
"And whosoever is conscious of Allah, He will make a way for him to
getout (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources)
he never could imagine. And whoever puts his trust in Allah, then He
will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Indeed
Allah has sent a measure for all things." (Quran: 65/2-3)
Beg of His mercy; turn to Him with a heart full of sincere repentance.
"O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance." (Quran: 66/8)
Stand before your Lord with humility, implore the Dispenser of Grace
by His Most Beautiful Names and Attributes of perfection. If He
fulfills your wish, increase in your gratitude and servitude to Him.
If Hedenies your request, then succumb to the Divine Decree of the
All-Wise witha submissive heart. Do not argue or object to His will.
Always remember:
"…Allah knows and you know not." (Quran: 24/19)
Allah disposes of everything as He wills, andcommands as He wills:
"He is not to be questioned about what Hedoes, though they are subject
to His questioning." (Quran: 21/23)
If wealth and happiness are destined for you, they will come to you at
their appointed time according to the Divine Decree of Allah, the Lord
of the heavens and the earth. Do not be greedy but be moderate because
you willreceive all that was written for you. If you do so, you will
earn the displeasure of the All Mighty, and lose all spiritual comfort
in this life. Maalik Ibn Deenaar once said: "If you want to acquire
true knowledge of Allah, the All Mighty, then consent to His
management and planning. Make not your mind and desire, passion or
will associates to Him."
O you of sound health but weak heart! Wake up and run to your Creator
with repentance on your tongue, tears in your eyes, and sincerity in
your heart.Cry before Him, before others cry for you. Make haste, O
heedless one!
"Has not the time come forthe hearts of those who believe to be
affected by Allah's Reminder…?" (Quran: 57/16)
Remove the veils of darkness that have corroded your heart. Adornit
with His fear and love.
Do you not fear the moment when you will stand before your Lord? There
will be no screen between Him and you, noran interpreter to translate
for you. And your Creator will question you. You will find nothing to
your left nor to your right but the blazing Fire of Hell. Do what the
Prophet of Allah advised you, if you truly fear Allah:
"…So let each of you protect himself against Hell-Fire, be it even
with half a date - and if he findsnot, then with a kind word."
You are the servant, He is the Master. Prayers come from you, answers
come from Him. Abstinence comes from you, protection comes from Him.
Repentance comes from you, acceptance comes from Him. Go towards him
walking, He will come to you running.
Make your deeds pure for His sake alone, and He will extend His mercy
to you. Upload His religion, and Hewill extend His bounty to you.
Follow the Sunnah of His beloved, and He will extend His love to you.
Look forward to your meeting with Allah. It will be very soon. Sooner
than you can imagine! Make preparations for this meeting. Get rid of
the love of this world from your heart; free it from everything other
than the Lord of Truth. Do not buy the world and pay with the
hereafter as a price. Donot sell the hereafter to acquire this world.
"…Shall We tell you who are the greatest losers in whatever they may
do? Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they
thought they were acquiring good by their deeds…" (Quran: 18/103-104)
The Most Wise did not create you to gratify your base desires and
passions, nor did He create you for fun, amusement, eating, drinking,
sleeping, or having sex!
"I have created the Jinns and the humans solely to worship Me." (Quran: 51/56)
But you are so heedless as if you have drunk the elixirof immortality.
You think that the Angel of Death will never squeeze your soul out of
your body?
:->

1a] I Would Like to Repent, But!...http://aydnajimudeen.blogspot.com/

1a]
But, as the boy was walking an enemy took hold of him, tied him and
carried him away to the land of the enemies. There his master treated
him exactly in the opposite manner. So that whenever the boy
remembered his father and his treatment, his eyes swelled with tears,
and the heart with pain. He was in this condition of ill-treatment at
the hands of his enemies, when their caravan happened to pass by his
father's place again. As he looked around he found his father standing
nearby. He ran to him andthrew himself at him crying "My father! My
veryfather!". His master followed him and was trying to pull him away,
but the boy clung to his father, refusing to let him go. What do you
think of this father? Do you think he will abandon him to the enemy,
refusing to take back the child? If not,then what is your opinionof
the Lord whose love of His creation is greater than the love of a
father for his child? When a slave of His runs away from his enemies,
and throws himself at the threshold of His door, rolling down in dust
before him, saying: "O my Lord! Have mercy upon him who has no one to
show Mercy save You, no Helper save you, no refuge save You, no
Saviorsave You, I am Your slave,in Your need, dependent on You, beggar
at Your door, You are the refuge, with You is the shelter, there is
refuge but with You, nor escape from You except to You" then surely
the Lord is not going to turn him back empty handed.
Come along then. On to the good deeds, to virtuous living, in the
company of the righteous,steering yourself safe from deviations after
the right direction, and misguidance after guidance. And Allah is with
you./

1] I Would Like to Repent, But!...http://aydnajimudeen.blogspot.com/

1]
Dear brother! O slave of Allah! Allah has opened the door of
repentance, sowhy should you not enter? "Repentance has a door whose
span is the distance between East and West," says a hadith; (and in
another version "its span is the distance traveled in 70 years" ). "It
will not be closed until the sun rises from the West."
Listen to the call of Allah: "O My slaves! You sin morning and evening
and I forgive all your sins. So call on Me, I will forgive you all
your sins."
Allah extends His Hands inthe night to forgive the sinner of the day
and extends His Hands in the day to forgive the sinner of the night.
And He loves to hear excuses. So why don't you turn to Him?
How beautiful are the words of the repenting man who says: "I
beseechYou O Lord, in the name of Your honor, and (by) my ignominy
that You have mercy on me. I beseech You in the name of Your Strength
and my weaknesses. Your Self-sufficiency andmy dependence. To you I
submit my sinning, guilty forelock. You havemany slaves apart from me.
But I have no Mastersave you. There isn't anyrefuge but with You nor
escape from You except to You. I plead You O Lord, in the manner of
the pleading of a destitute, and entreat You in the manner of a
broken, downtrodden man. I beseech You in the manner of a blind man in
fear. This is a supplication, O Lord, from one whose head isbowed down
before your Majesty, whose nose is in the dust, whose eyes are filled
with tears and whose heart has submitted."
Consider this story:
It is reported by a trustworthy man of the past that as he was passing
through a street he saw the door of a house open. A woman came out
with a child who was crying and pleading while she was pushing him
out. She left him outside the house and slammed the door shut in his
face. The child left the door and walked a distance. Then he stopped,
looked about, began to think, and not finding any other place but his
own house where he could take shelter nor anyone who would care for
him as his mother would, he returned to his house dejected, sad. He
found the door shut. He sat at the sill, put his cheek on the
threshold and slept with tear marks on his cheeks. He was in this
state when the mother opened the door. When she saw him in this state
she could not control herself. She bent down, grabbed him to herbosom,
began to kiss him and say in tears: "Oh my boy! My dear child! My very
soul! Where were you? Didn't I tell you not to disobey me? Do my
bidding, and don't force me to punish you, while I hate to do that."
Then shecarried the child back and closed the door behind her.
That is the story of a mother and a child: the story of disobedience,
punishment, return, forgiveness and unbound love. But the Prophet,
salla Allah u alihi wa sallam, has told us that: "Allah loves His
creation more than a woman does her child." In fact, there is no
comparison between the love of a mother for her child and that of
Allah whose Mercy encompasses everything. Allah, azza wa jall, is
immensely pleased with aman when he repents andturns to Him. And we
shallnever be deprived of anything by a Lord who ismore pleased with
the repenting man, than that man..
"..who was traveling through an arid land. Hedismounted and took
shelter under a tree seeking some rest. He lay there with his beast,
loaded with food and water, at his side. But when he awoke, lo! The
beast was gone! He began to search for it frantically. He climbed a
hill but couldn't see a trace of it. He climbed another hill and still
no trace of it. Finally, when hunger and thirst overtook him, he said,
'Let me go back to the tree, and lay down thereuntil death overtakes
me.' So he went back to the tree, and lay there with eyes closed - in
total despair. And lo! As he opened his eyes and raised his head,
there the beast was, right before his very eyes, with all the food and
water loaded on it intact! He rushed to it and picked up its halter.
(Can you imagine his happiness) But lo! Allah is happier with a man
when he turns to Him seeking His forgiveness, than the man who found
his beast when he had lost all hopes."
Know it, my dear brother, that true repentance of every sin also
brings with it humility and devotion to Allah, and that pleading of a
penitent is very dear to Allah. So that what follows after repentance
is obedience of a greater degree to the extent that sometimes Satan
regrets that he enticed him into that sin at all. That is why you
willsee that those who repentbecome very much changed personalities.
Allah does not abandon a man who comes to Him a penitent. Compare the
situation with that of a father who used to look after his son with
great love and care, providing him with the best of clothing, food and
toys. Then one day the father sent him on an errand.
:->

Repentance (tawbah) from stealing--on returning items anonymously

I find it extremely difficultto go back to those whomI had stolen from, nor can I ever confess to them in order to gain their forgiveness. What shall I do?
It is not necessary for you to face the embarrassment of informing them yourself, or offering compensation in person. You can send their dues to them say, bymail, or through another person without revealing your identity. You can also place it in their sight without their knowledge, or say to them if you haveto go in person that"someone" - who doesn't like to reveal his name - says this is your property. In short, the important thing is to return to the people their property.

Repentance (tawbah) for a thief from stealing

How does a thief repent?
If what he has stolen is still in his possession it should be returned to the owner. If it has been used or disposed of, then an amount equivalent to its value should be returned to the owner--unless the owner is willing to forgive.

Repentance (tawbah) - on compensating for acts of worship deliberately neglected in the past

I have neglected many rights of Allah in the past, such as prayers,
fasts, and zakah. Am I required to repeat them or compensate for them?
As far as the five daily prayers are concerned, thepreferred opinion
is that the repetition or compensation (or what is known as qadaa' in
Arabic), is not obligatory for the reason that prayers are obligatory
at a particular time, and once that time has elapsed, there is no way
to offer them. However one ought to seek Allah's forgiveness and offer
as many nawafil (voluntary prayers) as possible.
As for fasting-yes, if a person was a Muslim at the time they became
obligatory and he did not fast, then their performance is required,
accompanied by feeding of a poor Muslim for everyday of fast that was
not observed during previous years. What is required is always a day
for a day-no more, no less.
Example 1: A person did not fast three days of Ramadan of the year
1400 A.H., and five days ofRamadan of the year 1401 A.H., all out of
negligence. He must now fast 8 days, and feed eightpoor Muslims in
compensation.
Example 2: A girl reached puberty in the Ramadan of the year 1400 A.H.
but out of shame and modesty did not inform anyone of her
menstruation, and, rather,continued fasting say for eight days of her
period. Thereafter, she repented. She would then be required to redo
eight days of fasting.
It may also be pointed out here that this is the predominant position.
A minority opinion is that the ruling for fasting is the same as that
for the prayers, i.e., there is no qadaa' (making up) for fasting in
the case of a person who did not fast and did not have a valid reason
for not fasting.
As for he who did not offer the obligatory zakah, it is necessary for
arepentant to them for all previous unpaid years, forit is, from one
angle, Allah's right, while from another, the poor people'sright.

Ruling on praying on clothes that have got cathairs on them

I have a few cats at home and because of that, someof my clothes
happen to have their fur on it(whether I realize it or not).A friend
told me that her religious teacher told her that if we pray when
theres more than 3 cat furon our clothes, our prayer would not be
accepted. Is there any sources (Quran/hadith) talking about this?
Praise be to Allah.
Cats are pure (taahir) and not impure (najis), because of the report
narrated by Abu Dawood (75), at-Tirmidhi (92), an-Nasaa'i (68) and Ibn
Maajah (367) from Kabshah bint Ka'b ibn Maalik, that Abu Qataadahcame
in when she had prepared water for Abu Qataadah to do wudoo'. Acat
came and drank from the water, and he tilted the vessel for it so that
it could drink. Kabshah said: He saw me looking at himand said: Do you
find it strange, O daughter of mybrother? The Messenger of Allaah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "They (cats) are not
impure, they are of those who go around amongst you."
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood and elsewhere.
At-Tirmidhi said, commenting on it:
This is a saheeh hasan hadeeth, and this is the opinion of most of the
scholars of the Companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him), and of the Taabi'eenand those who came afterthem,
such as ash-Shaafa'i, Ahmad and Ishaaq. They did not see anything
wrong with water that a cat has drunkfrom.
End quote.
As-San'aani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: In this explanation
there is an indication that Allah has made them like servants in that
they are very close to the people of the household and spend a lot of
time with them. Therefore Allah has made things easy for His slaves by
ordaining that cats are not impure, so as to avoid hardship. The
hadeeth indicates that cats and water that they have drunk from are
pure (taahir)
End quote from Subul as-Salaam, 1/24
If water from which a cat has drunk is pure, then it is more apt that
its hair should be pure too. Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on
him) said:
In the case of all animals, the ruling on their skin, hair, sweat,
tears and saliva is the same as the ruling on water from which it has
drunk, with regard to whether it is pure or impure.
End quote from al-Mughni, 1/46
In fact the correct view is that the hair of all animals, whether they
may be eaten or not, is pure (taahir), as was stated by Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him).
All hair, feathers and woolare pure (taahir), whether they are from
the hide of an animal whose flesh may be eaten or an animal whose
flesh may not be eaten, and whether the animal is alive or dead. This
is the scholarly view that is most correct.
End quote from Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 21/38
He also said:
The way hair lives is comparable to the way plants live, and not the
way animals live; it develops, it is nourishes and grows like plants
thathave no senses and cannot move by free will. It does not die when
the animal dies, therefore it does not become impure (najis) when the
animal dies.
End quote. Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 21/98
It is well known that cats move a great deal, coming and going, so
there can be no doubt that some of their hair is shed, because of
their moving about in the house and rubbing against the furniture and
so on. We know nothing about the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) takingprecautions to avoid it or instructing others to do
so, in addition to the fact that he said, "They are notimpure." Thus
it is known from the above that cat hairs are pure (taahir) andthat it
does not matter if some of their hairs get onto your clothes, whether
that happens when you are praying or otherwise.
With regard to the teacher saying that if anyone prays with more than
three cat hairs on their clothes, their prayer will not be accepted,
this is an unacceptable statement, because there is no evidence for
it. Rather the evidence is to the contrary, as stated above.
But we should draw your attention to the fact that keeping cats in the
house may lead to transmission of some diseases, according to what
Allah wills, so it is essential to take precautions in that regard and
pay attention to the necessary measures.
And Allah knows best.

Does Allaah accept a person’s repentance every time he sins and repents, even if he does that many times?

For how long does Allaah forgive a person's sin? If he repents and
seeks forgiveness from his sin, then goes and commits the same sin
again, then he seeks forgiveness again then commits the same sin
again, and so on – does Allaah forgive him or does that means that he
is not sincere towards Allaah, especially if he repeats that sin after
a short while, but he does not stop seeking forgiveness?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Allaah says (interpretationof the meaning):
"And those who, when they have committed Faahishah (illegal sexual
intercourse) or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allaah and ask
forgiveness for their sins; — and none can forgive sins but Allaah —
and do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while they know.
136. For such, the reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens
with rivers flowing underneath(Paradise), wherein they shall abide
forever. How excellent is this reward for the doers (who do righteous
deeds accordingto Allaah's Orders)"
[Aal 'Imraan 3:135-136]
Ibn Katheer said:
The words "and do not persist in what (wrong) they have done" mean:
they repent from their sins and quickly turn to Allaah, and they do
not persist in their sin, rather they give it up, and if theydo that
again they repent to Him.
Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 1/408.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: I heard theProphet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: "A person committed a sin and
said: 'My Lord, I have sinned; forgive me.' His Lord said: 'Is My
slave acknowledging that he has a Lord Who forgives sins and punishes
for them? I have forgiven My slave.' Then as much time passed as
Allaah willed, then he committed a sin and said, 'My Lord, I have
sinned; forgive me.' His Lord said: 'Is My slave acknowledging that he
has a Lord Who forgives sins and punishes for them? I have forgiven
Myslave.' Then as much time passed as Allaah willed, then he committed
a sin and said, 'My Lord, I have sinned; forgive me.' His Lord said:
'Is My slave acknowledging that he has a Lord Who forgives sins and
punishes for them? I have forgiven My slave,' – three times…"
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 7507; Muslim, 2758.
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) included this hadeeth under
the heading: "Acceptance of repentancefrom sins even if the sins and
repentance happen repeatedly."
He said in his Sharh:
We have already discussed this issue at the beginning of the Book of
Repentance. These ahaadeeth clearly point tothat, and even if the sin
is repeated a hundred timesor a thousand times or more, and he repents
each time, his repentance will be accepted and his sin will be erased.
And if he repents once from them all, his repentance will be valid.
Sharh Muslim, 17.75.
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali said:
'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Azeez said: O people, whoever commits a sin, let
him seek the forgiveness of Allaah and repent, and if he repeats it,
let him seek the forgiveness of Allaah and repent, and if he repeats
it, let him seek the forgiveness of Allaah and repent, for it is like
chains around the neck of man, and doom lies in persisting in it.
What this means is that a person will inevitably commit the sins that
it is decreed he will commit, as the Prophet (peace andblessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "The son of Adam's share of zina is decreed
for him, and he will inevitably come to that…" But Allaah has given
him a way out fromthe sins that he falls into and He erases them by
means of repentance and seeking forgiveness. If he does that then he
will escape from the evil of sin, but if he persists in hissin he will
be doomed.
Jaami' al-'Uloom al-Hakam, 1/165.
Although Allaah hates sin and warns of punishment for it, He does not
want His slaves to despair of Hismercy. He likes the sinner to seek
His forgiveness and repent to Him, but the Shaytaan likes it
whendespair fills a person's heart and prevents him from repenting and
turning to Allaah.
It was said to al-Hasan al-Basri: Would not any one of us feel ashamed
before his Lord to seek forgiveness from his sin then go back to it,
then seek forgiveness then go back to it? He said: The Shaytaan would
like you to feel that way; never give up seeking forgiveness/

Mullah Nasruddin

As Nasruddin emerged form the mosque after prayers, a beggar sitting
on the street solicited alms. The following conversation followed:
- Are you extravagant? asked Nasruddin.
- Yes Nasruddin. replied the beggar.
- Do you like sitting around drinking coffee and smoking? asked Nasruddin.
- Yes. replied the beggar.
- I suppose you like to goto the baths everyday? asked Nasruddin.
- Yes. replied the beggar.
- ... And maybe amuse yourself, even, by drinking with friends? asked Nasruddin.
- Yes I like all those things. replied the beggar.
- Tut, Tut, said Nasruddin, and gave hima gold piece.
A few yards farther on. another beggar who hadoverheard the
conversation begged for alms also.
- Are you extravagant? asked Nasruddin.
- No, Nasruddin replied second beggar.
- Do you like sitting around drinking coffee and smoking? asked Nasruddin.
- No. replied second beggar.
- I suppose you like to goto the baths everyday? asked Nasruddin.
- No. replied second beggar.
- ... And maybe amuse yourself, even, by drinking with friends? asked Nasruddin.
- No, I want to only live meagerly and to pray. replied second beggar.
Whereupon the Nasruddin gave him a small copper coin.
- But why, wailed secondbeggar, do you give me, an economical and pious
man, a penny, when you give that extravagant fellow a sovereign?
Ah my friend, replied Nasruddin, his needs are greater than yours.
One day Nasruddin went to a banquet. As he was dressed rather
shabbily, no one let him in. So he ran home, put on his best robe and
fur coat and returned. Immediately, the host came over, greeted him
and ushered him to the head of an elaborate banquet table. When the
food was served, Nasruddin took some soup with spoon and pushed it to
the his fur coat and said, - Eat my fur coat, eat! It's obvious that
you're the real guest of honor today, not me!
One hot day, Nasruddin was taking it easy in the shade of a walnut
tree. After a time, he started eying speculatively, the huge pumpkins
growingon vines and the small walnuts growing on a majestic tree.
- Sometimes I just can't understand the ways of God! he mused. Just
fancy letting tinny walnuts grow on so majestic a tree and
hugepumpkins on the delicate vines!
Just then a walnut snapped off and fell smack on Mullah Nasruddin's
bald head. He got up at once and lifting up his hands and face to
heavens in supplication, said:
- Oh, my God! Forgive myquestioning your ways! You are all-wise. Where
would I have been now, if pumpkins grew on trees!

Did you know......... some interesting facts

A zebra is white with black stripes.
All the planets in our solar systemrotate anticlockwise, except Venus.
It is the only planet that rotates clockwise.
Hummingbirds are the only animal that can also fly backwards.
Insects do not make noises with their voices. The noise of bees,
mosquitoes and other buzzing insects is caused by rapidly moving their
wings.
The cockroach is the fastest animal on 6 legs covering a meter a second.
The word "listen" contains the same letters as the word "silent".
The only 2 animals that can see behind itself without turning it's
head are the rabbit and the parrot.
A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.
India invented the Number System. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
The whip makes a cracking sound because its tip moves faster than the
speed of sound.
A hippopotamus can run faster than a man.
India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history.
'Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia' is the fear of long words.
Didaskaleinophobia is the fear of going to school.
Phobatrivaphobia is a fear of trivia about phobias !!
It is impossible to lick your elbow.( We know you gonna try this !!! )
A snail can sleep for 3 years. ( wow, lucky chap eh ? )
The names of the continents all end with the same letter with which they start
In 1883 the explosion of the volcano Krakatoa put so much dust into
the earth's atmosphere that sunsets appeared green and the moon
appeared blue around the world for almost two years.
"Almost" is the longest word in the English language with all the
letters in alphabetical order.
Twenty-Four-Karat Gold is not pure gold since there is a small amount
of copper in it. Absolutelypure gold is so soft that it can be molded
with the hands.
Electricity doesn't move through a wire but through a field aroundthe wire.
Do you know the names of the three wise monkeys? They are: Mizaru (See
no evil), Mikazaru (Hear no evil), and Mazaru (Say no evil ).

Tongue Twisters

it is a phrase orsentence which is hard to speakfast, usually because
of alliteration or a sequence of nearly similar sounds. It helps
develop speech skills & helps in speech therapy.
To get the full effect of a tonguetwister you should try to repeatit
several times, as quickly as possible, without stumbling or
mispronouncing.
TONGUE TWISTER POEMS ANIMATED TONGUE TWISTERS A TONGUE TWISTER GAME
Here are some cool English Tongue Twisters, have fun ! Repeat them a few times !
A good cook could cook as much cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies
I saw a saw that could out saw any other saw I ever saw.
Betty Botter bought some butter, but she said "this butter's bitter! But a bit
of better butter will but make my butter better" So she bought some better
butter, better than the bitter butter, and it made her butter better so 'twas
better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter! -
sent inby Nick ( warwickschool )
Black bug bit a big black bear. Butwhere is the big black bear that
the big black bug bit?
A big bug bit the little beetle but the little beetle bit the big bug back.
If you understand, say"understand".
If you don't understand, say"don't understand".
But if you understand and say"don't understand".
How do I understand that you understand? Understand!
I thought, I thought of thinking of thanking you.
RED BULB BLUE BULB RED BULB BLUE BULB sent by geethag (UAE)
"RED BLOOD BLUE BLOOD" sent by SANGEETHA GOPAL FUJAIRAH, U.A.E
I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish, but if you wish the wish the
witch wishes, I won't wish the wish you wish to wish.
if a sledering snail went down a slippery slide would a snail slederor
slide down the slide - By S.Walton
bubble bobble, bubble bobble, bubble bobble
These thousand tricky tongue twisters trip thrillingly off the tongue .
Sounding by sound is a sound method of sounding sounds.
Lala Gope Gappungam Das. sent by
Vishal Jain..(Mumbai)

What is to be said in sujood al-shukr (prostration of gratitude)?

What is to be said in sujood al-shukr (prostration of gratitude)?
Praise be to Allaah.
There is no specific du'aa' narrated in the ahaadeethfor sujood
al-shukr, hence the scholars said that what is to be said in sujood
al-shukr is the same tasbeeh and du'aa' as are said when prostrating
in prayer. So one should say Subhaana Rabbiy al-A'laa (Glory be to my
Lord Most High), Allaahumma laka sajadtu wa bika aamantu wa laka
aslamtu, sajada wajhi lillahi khalaqahu wa sawwarahu wa shaqqa sam'ahu
wa basarahu, tabaaraka Allaah ahsan ul-khaaliqeen (O Allaah, unto You
I prostrate, in You I believe and to You I submit. My face has
prostrated to the One who created and formed it, and gave it hearing
andsight. Blessed be Allaah, the best of creators). Thenhe should make
du'aa' as he likes.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: the description,
rulings and conditions of sujood al-shukr are the same as those for
sujood al-tilaawah (prostration required when reciting certain verses
of Qur'aan). (al-Mughni, 2/372). And he said concerning
sujoodal-tilaawah: he should sayin this prostration what he says in
the prostration during prayer. (al-Mughni,2/362).
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: "Sujood
al-shukr is done in response to a calamity that is averted or a
blessing which come to a person. It is like sujood al-tilaawah outside
prayer. Some of the scholars said that wudoo' and takbeer is required,
and some said that only the first takbeer is required. Then he should
fall down in prostration, and make du'aa' after saying "Subhaana
Rabbiy al-A'laa (Glory be to my Lord Most High)."
(Fataawa Islamiyyah, 1/205)
And Allaah knows best. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our
Prophet Muhammad.

List of ahaadeeth aboutthe prostrations of recitation

What is the evidence for the prostrations of recitation in the Holy Qur'aan?.
Praise be to Allaah.
1. The sajdah (prostration) in al-A'raaf. The marfoo' hadeeth
fromAbu'l-Darda' is da'eef (weak); the mawqoof hadeeth from Ibn 'Umar
and Ibn 'Abbaas is saheeh and was narrated by 'Abd al-Razzaaq. The
scholars are unanimously agreed on the prostration in this soorah, as
it says in Tafseer Ibn Katheer.
2. The sajdah in al-Ra'd. The hadeeth is mawqoof from Ibn 'Umar
and Ibn 'Abbaas, saheeh in 'Abd al-Razzaaq.
3. The sajdah in al-Nahl.The hadeeth is mawqoof from 'Umar ibn
al-Khattaab, saheeh in al-Bukhaari. He prostratedwhen reciting this
soorah when he was delivering a khutbah to the people on the minbar,
but on the following Friday he did not prostrate, and said: "Whoever
prostrates has done right and whoever does not prostrate, there is no
sin on him." And (thehadeeth) is mawqoof from Ibn 'Umar and Ibn
'Abbaas, saheeh in 'Abd al-Razzaaq.
4. The sajdah in al-Isra'. The hadeeth is mawqoof from Ibn 'Umar
and Ibn 'Abbaas, saheeh in 'Abd al-Razzaaq.
5. The sajdah in Maryam. It is mawqoof from Ibn 'Umar and Ibn
'Abbaas in 'Abd al-Razzaaq, and Ibn Katheer narrated that there was
consensus concerning it.
6. The two sajdahs in al-Hajj. The hadeeth for the first
prostration is maqwoof from Ibn 'Umar and Ibn 'Abbaas, saheeh in 'Abd
al-Razzaaq. The hadeeth of the two sajdahs is marfoo' from 'Amr ibn
al-'Aas, with some weakness in it, but it has corroborating evidence
in the hadeeth of 'Uqbah ibn 'Aamir and Khaalid ibn Ma'daan; and it is
mawqoof from 'Umar,his son 'Abd-Allaah, Abu'l-Darda' and Abu Moosa
al-Ash'ari, saheeh. Ishaaq said: I have the people forseventy years
doing two prostrations in Soorat al-Hajj.
7. The sajdah in al-Furqaan. The hadeeth ismawqoof from Ibn 'Umar
and Ibn 'Abbaas, saheeh in 'Abd al-Razzaaq.
8. The sajdah in al-Naml. The hadeeth is mawqoof from Ibn 'Umar
and Ibn 'Abbaas, saheeh in 'Abd al-Razzaaq.
9. The sajdah in Alif-Laam-Meem tanzeel (al-Sajdah). The hadeeth
ismawqoof from Ibn 'Umar and Ibn 'Abbaas, saheeh in 'Abd al-Razzaaq.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that on Fridays the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite in Fajr prayer
Alif-laam-meem tanzeel (al-Sajdah).Saheeh in al-Bukhaari. It says in
al-Fath: I have not seen in any report a clear statement that he
prostrated, except in Kitaab al-Sharee'ah wherethis was mentioned. He
said: In its isnaad are some who are subject to further scrutiny. And
he said: In al-Sagheer, al-Tabaraani quotes the hadeeth of 'Ali as
marfoo' and he said: But there is some weakness in its isnaad.
10. The sajdah in Saad. Its hadeeth is marfoo',
saheeh in al-Bukhaari.
11. The sajdah in Fussilat. Its hadeeth is
mawqoof fromIbn 'Umar and Ibn 'Abbaas, saheeh in 'Abd al-Razzaaq.
12. The sajdah in al-Najm. Its hadeeth is
marfoo', saheeh in al-Bukhaari.
13. The sajdah in al-Inshiqaaq. Its hadeeth is
marfoo', saheeh in Muslim.
14. The sajdah in al-'Alaq. Its hadeeth is
marfoo', saheeh in Muslim.
Note:
Al-Muwaffaq [Ibn Qudaamah] stated in al-Kaafi (1/206) that the verses
in which there is a prostration are confirmed by consensus except the
sajdahs of al-Mufassal [from Soorat Qaf to the end of the Qur'aan],
and the second sajdah in Soorat al-Hajj.

It is not prescribed to do a single prostration for the sake of du’aa’

Some people, when they want to offer du'aa' after praying, prostrate
and offer du'aa' whilst prostrating. Is this prostration Sunnah?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Islam does not prescribe drawing close to Allaah bymeans of
prostration unless the prostration is in the prayer (salaah) or for a
specific reason, such as prostration of forgetfulness (sujood al-sahw,
if a mistake is made in the prayer), or prostration of recitation
(sujood al-tilaawah, required when reading certain verses of the
Qur'aan), or the prostration of gratitude (sujood al-shukr).
As for prostration for the sake of du'aa', there is nothing in
sharee'ah to indicate that it is permissible or mustahabb. Rather what
is proven from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him)
in many mutawaatir hadeeths is that he used to raise his hands in
du'aa', and he encouragedothers to do so. He said: "Your Lord, may He
be blessed and exalted, is characterized by modesty and generosity,
and He is so Kind to His slave that, ifHis slave raises his hands to
Him, He does not let him take them back empty." Narrated by Abu Dawood
(1488); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh Abi Dawood.
So prostrating for the sake of du'aa' is an innovation, because the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) did not do it, and
because it is forsaking theSunnah that the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allaah be upon him) encouraged, which is raising the hands in
du'aa'.
These scholars denouncedthis single prostration andforbade it. It was
mentioned by Abu Shaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) in his book
al-Baa'ith 'ala Inkaaral-Bida' wa'l-Hawaadith (p. 62, 63) and he said:
Imam al-Haramayn Abu'l-Ma'aali said: The author ofal-Taqreeb mentioned
from some of his companions that if a man submits to Allaah and
prostrates for no reason, he may do that, and I have not seen this
except with him. My Shaykh regarded that as makrooh, and objected
strongly to anyone who did that. He said: this is my view.
Abu Haamid al-Ghazali said: Shaykh Abu Muhammad (may Allaah have mercy
on him) objected strongly to the one who did that, and thisis the
correct view. He said in Kitaab al-Nadhr: No one was of the view that
prostration on its own becomes obligatory if one makes a vow to do
that, because it is not an act of worship for which there is a reason,
such as recitation (i.e., prostration of recitation).
Imam al-Haramayn said: My Shaykh was of the definite opinion that
prostration on its own does not become obligatory if one makes a vow
to do that, even though the reciter of the Qur'aan may prostrate, but
prostration on its ownfor no reason is not an actof worship according
to the correct view.
The author of al-Tatimmah said: Some people have the habit of
prostrating after they finish the prayer and saying du'aa' whilst
doingso. He said: We know of no basis for this prostration and it was
notnarrated from the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of
Allaah be upon him) or from his Companions. It is better to offer
du'aa' during the prayer, because of the reports that have been
narrated concerning that. And Allaah knows best.
I (Abu Shaamah) say: The fact that prostration is an act of worship
within prayer does not necessarily mean that it isan act of worship
outside of prayer, like bowing. Al-Faqeeh Abu Muhammad said: Islam
does not say that one may draw close to Allaah by doing a single
prostration for which there is no reason.

What should the personpraying behind an imam do if he recites a verse in which there is asajdah (prostration)?

What should I do if I recite a soorah in which there is a sajdah when
I am praying behind an imam?.
Praise be to Allaah.
You should not prostrate, because following the imam is obligatory and
the prostration of recitation is Sunnah. If a person is praying behind
an imam, it is not permissible for him to prostrate, and if he
prostrates deliberately although he knows that that is not
permissible, then his prayer becomes invalid.

Is it permissible to stick to tasbeeh and dhikr instead of sujood al tilaawah (prostration of recitation)?

Is it permissible to limit oneself to saying tasbeeh (Subhaan Allaah
wa'l-hamdu Lillaah wa laailaaha ill-Allaah wa laa hawla wa laa quwwata
illa Billaah - Glory be to Allah and praise be to Allah and there is
no God but Allah and there is no power and no strength except in
Allah) four timesinstead of doing the prostration of recitation?
Because it is said that if you come to a verse in which there is a
sajdah (prostration), instead of prostrating you can say the tasbeeh
mentioned above. Is there any basis or evidence for this?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The fuqaha' are agreed that the prostration of recitation is
prescribed, because of the verses and hadeeths that are narrated
concerning that. When the Muslim comes to a verse in which there is a
sajdah, it is prescribedfor him to prostrate, whether that is in
prayer or outside of prayer. Muslim narrated in his Saheeh (81) that
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "When the son of
Adam recites a verse of prostration and prostrates, the Shaytaan
withdraws, weeping and saying: Woe unto him – according to the report
of Abu Kurayb: Woe unto me– the son of Adam was commanded to prostrate
and he prostrated, so Paradise will be his; I was commanded to
prostrate and I refused, so Hell is mine."
So it is essential for him toprostrate and it is not valid to recite
tasbeeh or any other dhikr instead ofthat; rather this is an
innovation which should be denounced.
It was narrated that 'Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said:
The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
said: "Whoever introduces into this matter of ours anything that is
not part of it will have it rejected." Agreed upon.
Al-Nawawi said:
This hadeeth represents an important principle of Islam, and it is an
example of the concise speech of the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him), for it clearly rejects every innovation and
fabrication. End quote.
And the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "you
must adhere to my Sunnah and the way of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.
Hold on to it and cling fast to it. And beware of newly-invented
matters, for every newly-invented matter is an innovation and every
innovation is a going astray." Narrated byAbu Dawood (4607) and
classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (mayAllah have mercy on him) was asked about some
of them saying, "We hear and obey, Your forgiveness Our Lord, and to
You is our destiny" when not doing the prostration for a verse of
prostration because one isnot in a state of purity or is unable to
prostrate.
He replied: There is no basis for that and it cannot take the place of
the prostration; rather that is makrooh to do that, because nothing
concerning that was narrated. End quote.
Al-Fataawa al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kubra, 1/194
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy onhim) was asked: When
weread the Book of Allah and we come to a sajdah, and we are in a
place other than the mosque or prayer room, such as the school and the
like, we say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah,
lahu'l-mulk wa lahu'l-hamd wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadeer (there is
nogod but Allaah alone, withno partner or associate. His is the
Dominion and toHim be praise, and He is able to do all things) four
times. Is that permissible or not? If it is not permissible, what
should we do?
He replied:
When the reader comes to a verse of prostration, if he is in a place
where he can prostrate, then it ismustahabb for him to prostrate, but
it is not obligatory according to the more correct opinion, because it
is proven that 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with him)
recited a verse of prostration when he was delivering the khutbah on a
Friday, and he came down (from the minbar) and prostrated, then he
recited it on the following Friday and did not prostrate, and he
said:Allah has not enjoined us to prostrate unless we want to. And
when he didnot prostrate, he did not say something instead of
prostrating, because that is an innovation. The evidence that is that
Zayd ibn Thaabit recited Soorat al-Najm in the presence ofthe Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and he did not prostrate,
and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not
teach him to say anything instead of prostrating.

And Allaah knows best.

Ruling on eating chicken that was fed hormones or ground meat

Does the meat of chicken grown by giving steroids ishalal evenif it is slaughtered correctly?
Praise be to Allaah.
If the manufactured food or medicines did not contain anything harmful or impure (najis), there is nothing wrong with eating chickens to whom they were fed, if they havebeen slaughtered in the proper shar'i manner by a Muslim or a kitaabi (i.e., Jew or Christian).
But if the feed or medicine is harmful to man, and willmake him sick, for example, it is haraam to feed them to chickens and to eat those chickens, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"and do not throw yourselves into destruction"
[al-Baqarah 2:195].
And the Prophet (blessingsand peace of Allah be uponhim) said: "There should be neither harming not reciprocating harm." Narrated by Ibn Maajah (2431) and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Irwa' al-Ghaleel (896).
If the feed is naajis (impure), such as meat from animals that died without being slaughteredproperly (maytah) or blood and so on, that may be put in the feed, then the matter is subject to further discussion.
Is most of the feed is madefrom those impure substances or from taahir (pure) things such as grains and the like?
If most of the feed is pure, it is permissible to eat it, and there is nothing wrong with that.
But if most of its feed is naajis (impure) -- this is what the scholars call "an animal that feeds on filth" -- it is not permissible to eat unless it has been detained and fed with taahir food that will make its meat good.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said in al-Sharh al-Mumti' (11/298):
The animal that feeds on filth is one whose food is mostly impure (najaasah).
There are two scholarly views concerning this: one view is that it is haraam because it has been nourished by impure matter that has an effect on its meat.
The other view is that it is halaal. This is based on theidea that impure things become pure when they undergo a transformation. They said: The impurity that it ate has been transformed into blood, flesh and the like that grows in the body, so it is taahir. End quote.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:
The Prophet (blessings andpeace of Allah be upon him) forbade the milk of an animal that feeds on filth or impurity, but if the animal is detained until it becomes pure, then it is halaal according to Muslimconsensus, because before that the effect of the impurity could be seen in its milk, eggs and sweat, so it gave off a rotten and evil stench. Once that is removed, it becomes taahir (pure). If the ruling is established for a reason, it ceases to apply once that reason is no longer present.

And Allah knows best.

Prophet Ismail and hisFather

After Ismail's (alayhis salam) mother had died, Ibrahim came to see
his family whom he had left near Zam-zam. Ismail (alayhis salam) was
not at home when Ibrahim (alayhis salam) arrived, buthis wife was. She
did not know who Ibrahim (alayhis salam) was. When Ibrahim (alayhis
salam) asked her about how they were managing, she started complaining
abouthow difficult life was and how poor they were. Ibrahim (alayhis
salam) told her to give her husband greetings from him and to tell him
to change the threshold of the gate to his house.
When Ismail (alayhis salam) returned, he sensedthat something unusual
had happened and he asked his wife if anyone had been there. Then she
told him what had happened and what Ibrahim (alayhis salam) had said
to her. Ismail (alayhis salam) told her that the stranger had beenhis
father, and that he had ordered Ismail to divorce her.
How did Ismail (alayhis salam) know what Ibrahim (alayhis salam) was
talking about? A threshold is the sill of a door or gate, the part
that one steps on when one enters a house. If the threshold is rotten,
the house is not strong. Ismail's (alayhis salam) wife was the rotten
threshold because of her whining, complaining ways. Had she remained
asIsmail's (alayhis salam) wife, his entire household would have been
weakened. The wife, as mother of a man's children, is the foundation
of his family for many generations to come, and she must be made of
goodmaterial in order to fulfill her purpose well.
Sometime after Ismail (alayhis salam) had taken another wife, his
father Ibrahim (alayhis salam) again came visiting and again found no
one but the wife at home. However, this time when he asked her how
they were doing, she cheerfully answered that they were prospering and
she gave thanks to Allah for all their blessings. She offered Ibrahim
(alayhis salam) meat and water, and he asked for Allah's blessing on
all their meat and water. When he left, he told her to give his
regardsto her husband and to tell him to keep the threshold of his
gate.
When Ismail (alayhis salam) returned home he asked if anyone had
visited. She told him all about the nice old man and the piece of
advice he had given in his message to Ismail (alayhis salam). From
this message Ismail (alayhis salam) knew that his father approved of
the new wife and had advised Ismail (alayhis salam) to keep her with
him.
Again some time had passed when Ibrahim (alayhis salam) wished to see
his son. He found Ismail (alayhis salam) sharpening his arrows at the
Zam-zam well, and they exchanged a warm father-son greeting. This time
Allah had given Ibrahim (alayhis salam) an order and Ibrahim
(alayhissalam) needed Ismail's (alayhis salam) help to fulfill it.
Ismail (alayhis salam) agreed immediately to help, before he even knew
whatwas required of him. Allah had ordered Ibrahim (alayhis salam) to
build a house on the hillock where Ismail (alayhis salam) had been
left as a baby with his mother, a place which was higher than the land
surrounding it. And so it was that Ibrahim (alayhis salam) and Ismail
(alayhis salam) built the Ka'ba. Ismail (alayhis salam) brought the
stones and Ibrahim (alayhis salam) put them in place. When the walls
became too high, Ibrahim (alayhis salam) stood on a rock and Ismail
(alayhis salam) handed the stones up to him. As they worked they kept
repeating: "Our Lord! Accept this service from us, for Thou art the
All-Hearing, the All-Knowing." (al-Qur'an 2:127). That is how the
Ka'ba came to be built.
You can read about Ismail (alayhis salam) and his father in Sahih
al-Bukhari IV: 583-584 and in the Qur'an 2:125-129.

Nasruddin

Nasruddin used to stand in the street on market-days, to be pointed
out as an idiot. No matter how often people offered hima large and a
small coin, he always chose the smaller piece. One day a kindly man
said to him:
- Nasruddin, you should take the bigger coin. Then you will have more
money and people will no longer be able to make a laughing stock
ofyou.
- That may be true, said Nasruddin, but if I always take the larger,
people will stop offering me money to prove that I am more idiotic
than they are. Then I would have no money at all.
As Nasruddin emerged form the mosque after prayers, a beggar sitting
on the street solicited alms. The following conversation followed:
- Are you extravagant? asked Nasruddin.
- Yes Nasruddin. replied the beggar.
- Do you like sitting around drinking coffee and smoking? asked Nasruddin.
- Yes. replied the beggar.
- I suppose you like to goto the baths everyday? asked Nasruddin.
- Yes. replied the beggar.
- ... And maybe amuse yourself, even, by drinking with friends? asked Nasruddin.
- Yes I like all those things. replied the beggar.
- Tut, Tut, said Nasruddin, and gave hima gold piece.
A few yards farther on. another beggar who hadoverheard the
conversation begged for alms also.
- Are you extravagant? asked Nasruddin.
- No, Nasruddin replied second beggar.
- Do you like sitting around drinking coffee and smoking? asked Nasruddin.
- No. replied second beggar.
- I suppose you like to goto the baths everyday? asked Nasruddin.
- No. replied second beggar.
- ... And maybe amuse yourself, even, by drinking with friends? asked Nasruddin.
- No, I want to only live meagerly and to pray. replied second beggar.
Whereupon the Nasruddin gave him a small copper coin.
- But why, wailed secondbeggar, do you give me, an economical and pious
man, a penny, when you give that extravagant fellow a sovereign?
Ah my friend, replied Nasruddin, his needs are greater than yours.
One day Nasruddin went to a banquet. As he was dressed rather
shabbily, no one let him in. So he ran home, put on his best robe and
fur coat and returned. Immediately, the host came over, greeted him
and ushered him to the head of an elaborate banquet table. When the
food was served, Nasruddin took some soup with spoon and pushed it to
the his fur coat and said, - Eat my fur coat, eat! It's obvious that
you're the real guest of honor today, not me!