Fathwa - An item that involves Riba in PayPal and Alipay user agreement

Question
Assalamo alikom When I read PayPal and Alipay user aggrement I found
thoes items are not clear to me: PayPal 4.1 Balances. If you hold a
balance, PayPal will hold your funds in pooled accounts separate from
its corporate funds, and it will not use your funds for its operating
expenses or for any othercorporate purposes. PayPal will not
voluntarily make your funds available to its creditors in the event of
bankruptcy. You will not receive interest or other earnings on the
amounts in your balance. PayPal may receive interest on amounts that
PayPal holds on your behalf. Youagree to assign your rights to PayPal
for any interest derived from your funds. Alipay (Escrow) 9. General
Provisions 9.6 Alipay shallhave the right to assign this Agreement
(including all of our rights, titles, benefits, interests, and
obligationsand duties in this Agreement) to any of ouraffiliates and
to any successor in interest. Alipay may delegate certain of Alipay
rights and responsibilities under this Agreement to independent
contractors or other third parties. User may not assign, in whole or
part, this Agreement to any personor entity. So is this deal are Riba
(interest) ? kind regards
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that
MuhammadisHis slave and Messenger.
This condition is considered a forbidden Riba (usury and/or interest)
condition if the company deposits the balance of its customers in
Riba-based banks, and this is what appears fromthe question.
This company explicitly states that it receives interests from the
amounts deposited on behalf of the client. Under this agreement, the
client agrees to allocate to the company his rights in those interests
resulting from his balance (money deposited in the bank). Of course
these interests are not resulting from an Islamic Mudhaarabah or a
legitimate transaction whereas it is saved in a Riba-based bank as we
have mentioned. For more benefit on Mudhaarabah, please refer to Fatwa
148103.
The fact that the owner of the money does not take the interests
resulting from that for himself does not exempt him from sin, whether
hetakes the interest himself or that he leaves it to the company under
that condition.
Allaah Knows best.

Fathwa - Criteria of currency exchange online

Question
Assalam-u-Alaikum! I am doing Online E-currency Money Exchange
Businessand Brokery. Online E-currency exchange including these online
accounts or payment processor: Liberty Reserve, Payza & Paypal etc.
Liberty Reserve is an online e-currency account or payment processor
where we can send and receive money only but cannot deposit money
directly to our Liberty Reserve Account &cannot cashout directly from
Liberty Reserve Account to our bank account or credit or debitcard
instead we can contact any online international exchanger for cashout
money recommended by Liberty Reserve or a local exchanger living in
our country. Its mean, in bothcases, cashout and deposit money, we
must have to contact any exchanger whether it is international
exchanger or local exchanger of our country or any individual, and
both international and national exchanger will take some fees in order
to cashout or deposit your money to your BankAccount, Card or Western
Union etc as per request. This is Liberty Reserve Terms of Service.
Now, this is what I do: 1) For example: Dollar ($) rate inPakistan,
today is 100RS. Someone want to deposit$100 in his liberty
reserveaccount or want to purchase $100 of liberty reserve, he contact
me to buy and I have a local exchanger of liberty reserve, which sell
me 1 Dollar($) per 103RS ($ today is 100RS but he selling in 103RS by
making 3RS his profit, by considering all of his feesand taxes as he
deposit by some exchanger to hisliberty reserve account). Now, I
purchase $100 in 103 RS rate and sell to another party $100 in 106RS
rate, by making 3RS profit per Dollar($). Now, tell me is it profit
permissible for me? Can I continue my this exchange business? And
Ihave party, which can sellme daily $100 in 95RS and I can sell to
another party in 100RS by makingmy profit. So, Can I continue this?
Both parties seller and buyer know the current rates oftoday of
Dollar($). I am hardly waiting for my answer... Jazakallah
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad,
is His Slave and Messenger.
If the transaction of exchanging currencies and selling them for
eachother whether between you and the company or individuals adhered
to the Islamic guidelines, then there is no blame onyou regarding that
transaction and the profits you get from it. The most important of
such guidelines is that the exchange should takeplace in the same
meeting of concluding the contract hand-to-hand, physically or in a
non-physical way, and amongst its non-physical forms is what was
stated in the statement of the Islamic Fiqh Council:
"Among the non-physical forms of receiving the value that are
permissible are the following:
1- Transferring money into the agent's account in the following ways:
a. When it is deposited into the agent's account, directly or via wire transfer.
b. When the agent makesan immediate currency exchange contract with
the bank in case of buying one currency for another on behalf of the
agent.
c. When the bank – on the instructions of the agent – deducts a sum
ofmoney from another account in a different currency, whether it is in
the same bank or another bank, to the benefit of the agent or another
beneficiary. The banks should pay attention to ensuring that they act
in accordance with the principles of Islamic exchange. The delay in
transferring the money before the beneficiary is actually able to take
possession of it may be overlooked for the usual amount of time that
such transfers take in the banking system, but it is not permissible
for the beneficiary to dispose of the currency during this grace
period, until the bank transaction takes effect in the sense that it
becomes possible to actually receive that sum of money. [End quote]
Also, it is stipulated whenselling currency for the same currency to
be of equal amounts along with what we have stated that the exchange
must take place in the same meeting (i.e. being hand to hand).
However, if the currencies are different such as selling aDollar for
Rupee, then it is only stipulated that theexchange must take place in
the same meeting, and not be of equal amounts. Accordingly, there is
no blame on the company if it sells 1 Dollar for 103 Rupees rate, and
there is no blame on you if you sell 1 Dollar for 106 Rupees rate or
more, even if that is greater than its value in the market because the
most important thing is that the exchange takes place in the same
meeting if currencies are different. We have pointed out the
guidelines of dealing in currency exchange online in Fatwa 88034,
soplease refer to it.
Allaah Knows best.

Evolutionary claims aboutantibiotic resistance and immunity

Evolutionists propose that the resistance that bacteria develop
against antibiotics, and the immunity that some insects develop
against DDT are evidence for evolution. They claim that these are
examples of acquired resistance and immunity, brought about by
mutations thattook place in the living things exposed to these
substances.
In both bacteria and insects, these characteristics are not properties
that were subsequently acquired against DDT or antibiotics as a result
of mutations. Some of these living things possessed these
characteristics beforethe population as a whole was subjected to
antibiotics or DDT. Although considered a pro-evolutionistperiodical,
Scientific American, makes the following confession in its March 1998
issue: "Many bacteria possessed resistance genes even before
commercial antibiotics came into use. Scientists do not know exactly
why these genes evolved and were maintained."
As may be seen, genetic information that procures resistance had
existed prior to exposure to antibiotics and cannot be explained by
evolutionists; this proves the falsity of their claim.
The fact that resistant bacteria were present years before the
discovery of antibiotics is expressed inMedical Tribune, itself a
remarkable scientific publication, in its December 29, 1998 issue. The
article is concerned with an interesting event: In a study carried out
in 1986, the corpses of some sailors who fell sick and died during a
polar expedition in 1845 were found preserved in ice. Some common
19thcentury bacteria types were found in the corpses and when they
were tested, researchers were surprised to find that they were
resistant to many modern antibiotics that were not developed until the
20thcentury Ce.
It is a well-known fact in medical circles that this sort of
resistance was present in many bacteria populations prior to the
discovery of penicillin. Therefore, it is absolutely deceptive to
postulate the resistance of bacteria as an evolutionary development.
How, then, does the so-called process of "bacterialacquisition of
immunity" take place?
Resistance of Bacteria to Antibiotics
Bacteria have numerous variations within their types. Some of these
variations harbour the genetic information to be resistant to
different drugs, chemicals or other substances. When the bacteria as a
whole group are exposed to a certain type of drug, those that are not
resistant to that drug are destroyed whereas those that areresistant
survive and get the chance to reproduce more. The non-resistant
bacteria soon disappear from the population and are replaced by those
that are resistant, which then rapidly reproduce. Eventually we end up
with a bacterial colony made up only of individuals that are resistant
to that particular antibiotic and from then on, that particular
antibiotic becomes ineffective against this bacteria type. The crucial
point is that the bacteria are still the same bacteria and the species
is still the same species.
It is important to note here that, contrary to the claims of
evolutionists, there is no evolutionary process taking placein which
non-resistant bacteria mutate and convert into resistantbacteria
strains by being exposedto antibiotics and thus acquire new genetic
information. What istaking place is only a weeding-out of particular
bacteria variations from a population of resistant and non-resistant
variations that co-existed from the very beginning. This does not mark
the emergence of a new bacteria species: it is not "evolution". On the
contrary, one or more of the existing variationsdisappear, which is
quite the reverse process since genetic information is being lost.
Immunity of Insects to DDT
Another issue that evolutionists seek to distort and offer as evidence
for evolution is the seemingly "acquired" immunity of insects of DDT
that we mentioned earlier. This immunitydevelops in the same manner as
bacterial resistance does to antibiotics. Immunity to DDT can by no
means be said to have been"acquired" by individual members of the
insect population. Some of the insects were already immune to DDT.
After the discovery of DDT, insectsthat were exposed to this chemical
but did not have this inherent immunity were eliminated from the
population, which is to say, they became extinct. Those that were
immune-- and originally these were relatively few in the population --
increased in time. Eventually, the entire insect species became a
population whose members were all immune. When that happened, DDT
ceased to be effective against this species of insect. This phenomenon
is commonly, but misleadingly, referred to as "insects' acquisition of
immunity to DDT".
Evolutionist biologist Francisco Ayala admits this fact by saying:
"The genetic variants required forresistance to the most diverse kinds
of pesticides were apparently present in every one of the populations
exposed to these man-made compounds."
Being well aware that the majority of people do not have anopportunity
to learn about microbiology nor do researches in it, evolutionists
employ plain deceit where the issues of resistance and immunity are
concerned. They frequently bring up these examples as very important
evidence for evolution.It should be clear by now, that neither the
resistance of bacteria to antibiotics nor the immunity of insects to
DDT provides evidence for evolution. What theydo provide, are good
examples ofthe distortion and hoodwinking methods that evolutionists
have recoursed to in order to justify their theory.
To conclude, one clearly sees the falsehood the evolutionists are upon
and this leads to the fact that Allaah is the Creator of all things
and not evolution.

How children receive Ramadhaan

Laying down the book I looked up at Tessniem. "OK, so what are we
going to do this Ramadhaan?" Her cheerful face lit up. "Paint the
windows." Looking at my pretty white sheers I forced my head to nod.
"OK, what else do we do during Ramadhaan?" Omar jumped off the couch…
"Not eat, ah, I mean fast." "That's right, we fast for a whole month,"
said Tessniem, gently wrapping her arms around her chest and hugging
her self. "I love Ramadhaan, it's fun." Omar said, "Yea, it's great,
we get to choose whatever we want to break our fast with."
I could tell by his eyes that he was remembering steaming corn dogs
out of the oven dipped in ketchup with a glass of chocolate milk. "And
what makes that food taste so especially good?" I asked sitting upon
the couch. Omar raised his hand high into the air like he was in
class. "I know, I know," he screamed." Omar you can put your hand
down, we aren't in class now." Omar lowered his arm and smiled
"because we are doing it for Allaah and when we eat we remember
Allaah."
Tessniem jumped in, "and the poor people who don't have any food like
the ones in Somailia and Ba…" Omar turned toher, "you meanBosnia."
Tessniem looked up at Omar "yea Bas, that placeOmar said." Omar's head
lowered and his mouth's edges dipped down. Taking his hand. "What's
wrong Omar?" "I just remembered the stories about the Bosnians eating
grass because there was nothing to eat during the war." Breathing
deep, "yea, there is a lot to be thankful for." Tessniem walked up to
me with her shoulder raised close to her ears. "Remember that picture
of the Somalibaby on the ground and the vulture waiting for him to
die?" I did not even have to think back, the picture is forever seared
in my memory.
Placing my arms around Tessniem, I brought her close to me on the
couch.Omar scooted over to me and hugged my other arm. Looking at the
floor,he leaned his cheek against my arm. "Mama?"he whispered. I made
a soft hmm to let him knowI was listening. "Can we send them some
money so they can buy food?" Sitting up I smiled, "Yes, every year we
give them Zakaat."
Rubbing his eyes I could see his wheels spinning in his brain, got up
and ran to his bedroom. I thought for a minute he was going off to
cry. I could hear the closet door open and the soundof jingling down
the hallway. He quickly turned the corner and stopped abruptly in
frontof me holding out a plastic spice container filled with paper
riyals and change. With his facesolemn he moved it closer to me so I
could take it from him. "Omar, what do you want me to do with it?"
With puzzledexpression he looked at me like I was seriously confused.
"Mom… It's for the poor people, who don't have any food."
Taking the plastic container, I started slowly unscrewing the red lid.
"And how much do you want to give to them?" Omar scrunched up his face
and held out his right hand upward as if to say 'you still don't get
it?' He sighed heavily and took the container and dumped it onto my
lap. "All of it Mom!" I thought I should get into the concept of
percentages for Zakaat, but it just didn't seem appropriate.
Looking down on my lap,I knew he had been saving his money for a
Spiderman at Wonder World. I was getting ready to tell him about the
reward from Allaah when Tessniem appearedin the living room with her
spice container bank.Smiling she untwisted the red lid and dumped the
money on my lap too.Too touched for words, I hugged them. Looking
atthe money, Tessniem laid her hand on her cheek thinking. Softly she
whispered, "maybe it willbuy enough food for thatlittle boy so he can
get upand the vulture won't eathim."
Of course the most logicalthing to tell her is that the picture was
taken over two years ago and most probably the child never got up and
was never buried. But only Allaah knows what happened, and this little
girl needed to know that by the mercy she receivesfrom Allaah there
was still hope.

Keep the spirit of Ramadhaan alive all year

As we enter upon the month of Shawaal, let us not leave off the many
acts of worship we performed during the blessed month of Ramadhaan.
Ramadhaan, for most of us, was a time of renewal and reestablishment
of our commitment to Allaah and His religion.
We fasted, gave charity, read the Quran and performed the night
prayer. We avoided gossip, slander and every evil that would
invalidate our fasting. But now that Ramadhaan is over, the majority
of us, unfortunately, willput the Quran back on the shelves, will
suspend fasting untilnext year and will abandon the night prayer. This
is not the way it should be, because all of these acts of worship
carry rewards and are of benefit to us throughout the year, in
addition to the fact that there is no divine prescription limiting
them to Ramadhaan.
The Quran
It's sad, but true, that many of ushave fallen into the bad habit of
only reciting the Quran during the month of Ramadhaan. By doing this,
we cheat ourselves out of the abundant blessings that come from
reading the words of Allaah. Reading the Quran is the best way to
remember Allaah, it is a protection from the Satan and in it are cures
for what ails us. For Allaah says (what means):"O mankind, there has
come to you a protection from your Lord and a healing for what is in
your hearts and for those who believe,a guidance and a mercy."[Quran;
10:57]
The Messenger of Allaahsaid:"Whoever reads a letter of the Book of
Allaah (Quran) shall have a good deed (recorded for him orher) and
every good deed is increased a ten-fold (reward). I do not say that
Alif Laam Meem isone letter, but rather Alif is a letter, Laam is a
letter and Meem is a letter."[At-Tirmithi]
The Quran is also the best way fora servant to draw closer to his or
her Lord. Khabbaab Ibn Al-Aratsaid to a man: "Draw closer to Allaah as
much asyou can, andremember that you can do so by no means more
pleasing to Him than by His own Words (i.e. the Quran)."
The Night Prayer
Many of us passed the nights of the month of Ramadhaan, especially the
last ten, standing in prayer before Allaah. Just because Ramadhaan is
over, doesnot mean that Allaah does not see us now if we stand in the
night prayer. Allaah Says (what means):"Surely your Lord knows (O
Muhammad) that you stand (inprayer) two thirds of the night, or half
of it, or a third of it..."[Quran; 73:20]
The Messenger of Allaahsaid:"The best prayer, after the obligatory
prayer, is the night prayer."[Muslim]
The night prayer carries with it many blessings. For example,
Al-Hassanwas asked: "How is it that those who stay up at night have
the most attractive faces?" Hereplied, "Because they are on intimate
terms with The Merciful, and He adorns themwith some of His light."
And for those of us who feel that standing in the night prayer will
leave us tired and unable to go about our daily tasks in the morning,
we should consider the following words of Allaah's Prophet.
Hesaid:"When any of you sleeps, Satan ties three knots at the back of
his head. On each knot he repeats and exhalesthe following words, 'The
night islong, so stay asleep.' If you wake up and remember Allaah, one
knot is undone and if you perform ablution the second knot is undone
and if you pray, the third knot is undone, and youget up in the
morning full of energy and with a clear heart. Otherwise, you will get
up feelinglazy and with a muddled heart."[Al-Bukhaari]
Fasting
The Prophetsaid: "Whoever fasts a day in the way of Allaah, Allaah
will place between him and the Fire a trench like that between the
heavens and the earth." [At-Tirmithi]
Likewise, fasting wipes away the evils that arise out of person's
wealth, family or neighbor. Huthayfah Ibn Al-Yamaannarrated that the
Messenger of Allaahsaid:"The evils caused for a man through his
family, wealth and neighbor are expiated by prayer, fasting and
charity."[Al-Bukhaari]
The Prophetexplained to us that fasting protects us from our unlawful
desires, shields us from the hell fire and draws us closer to Allaah
and His Paradise. Healso encouraged us to fast at least three days
each month. The best days for this optional fastingare Mondays and
Thursdays, or the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth days of the
lunar month.
Charity
Allaah has blessed most of us to live relatively comfortable lives.
But there are Muslims all over theworld that find great difficulty in
attaining the most basic necessities of life. During Ramadhaan most of
us give in charity, but we forget to do so for the rest of the year.
Giving charity is of greater benefit to theone who gives it, than to
the one who receives it. It is a means of purifying our wealth,
increasing our faith and attaining righteousness. Allaah Says (what
means):"It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the
East or West, but it is righteousness to believe in Allaah, and the
Last Day, and the angels, and the Books, and the prophets and gives
wealth, in spite of love for it,to the kinsfolk,the orphans, the
needy, and to the wayfarer..."[Quran; 2:177]
Giving in charity also allows us to express our faith. To truly taste
the sweetness of faith, we must want for our brothers and sisterswhat
we want for ourselves. For the Prophetsaid:"None of you will have
faith until he likes for his (Muslim) brother what he likes for
himself."[Al-Bukhaari]
Clearly, fasting, praying during the night, reading the Book of Allaah
and giving charity should not be relegated to Ramadhaan alone. These
good deeds, and others like staying away from gossip and slander, are
all things we should do all the time. By keeping the spirit of
Ramadhaan alive throughout the year, we cansafeguard our religion and
will beable to seize many opportunities to earn the mercy and
blessings of Allaah.

Dought & clear - There is no stipulation that Jumu‘ah prayer should be offered ina masjid or jaami‘.

One of my acquaintence comented that, Juma is only valid in a place
where all five daily prayers are being offered in congregation.
Praise be to Allaah.
There is no stipulation that Jumu'ah prayer should be offered in a
masjid or jaami' according to the majority of fuqaha' of the Hanafi,
Shaafa'i and Hanbali madhhabs, unlike the Maalikis.
It says in al-Bahr al-Raa'iq (2/162), which is a Hanafi book: The
words "and general permission" mean: The condition of it being valid
is that it should be done in the usual manner. So, for example,if a
ruler were to close the gates of the fortress and lead his family and
troops in offering Jumu'ah prayer, that is not valid. This is what it
says in al-Khulaasah. In al-Muheet it says that if he opens the gate
of his palace and gives the people permission to enter, it is valid
althoughit is makrooh, because he did not fulfil the rightof the
Jaami' mosque. End quote.
It says in Tarh al-Tathreeb (3/190): Our view (i.e., the Shaafa'i
madhhab) is that establishing Jumu'ah is not only to be done in the
mosque; rather it may be performed in an ordinary building. If they do
it in a place other than a mosque, the one who enters that place
should not pray during the khutbah, because there is no "greeting"
(2-rak'ah prayer upon entering) for it. End quote.
It says in al-Insaaf (2/378), which is a Hanbali book: With regard to
the words "it is permissible to performit in various buildings or
buildings that are on theedge of the wilderness", this is the view of
our madhhab and it is the view of most of the scholars of the madhhab,
many of whom stated it definitively. And it was said that it is not
permissible to perform itanywhere except in the jaami'. End quote.
With regard to the Maalikis, they stipulated that it must be performed
in the jaami', as stated above.
Khaleel al-Maaliki said concerning the conditions of Jumu'ah: [It
should be] in a jaami' that is built separately.
In al-Taaj wa'l-Ikleel (2/520) it says: "In the jaami'." Ibn Basheer
said: The jaami ' is one of the conditions of offering this prayer.
Ibn Rushd said: It is not validto establish Jumu'ah except in a
designated mosque. Al-Baaji said: One of the conditions is a mosque
that is built specifically for that purpose in the usual style of
mosques. End quote.
To sum up:
Jumu'ah prayer in the place mentioned is valid according to the
majority of scholars, if it is not possible to allocate a specific
place for the Muslims to pray and if they cannot go to the nearest
mosque or Islamic centre in which Jumu'ah prayer is offered.
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear - Is it prescribed not to do the prostration of forgetfulness in Jumu‘ah and Eid prayer?.

Dear brother i came to know from my father that prostration of
forgetfulness should notb done during friday salah and eid, how far is
it true i was going on searching it on ur website but i couldnt find
it please provide meif any evidence.
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
We have previously discussed the ruling on Eid prayer in the answers
to questions no. 48983and 49014.
In the answer to question no. 45456we stated that it is prescribed to
do the prostration of forgetfulness (sujood as-sahw) in naafil prayers
just as it is prescribed in obligatory prayers; it is exactly the
same. This is the view of the majority of scholars.
That is because the basicprinciple is that it is prescribed to do the
prostration of forgetfulness in prayer when there is the reasonfor
doing it, and the Lawgiver made no differentiation between obligatory
and naafil prayers in that regard.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The prostration of forgetfulness is prescribed in all prayers,both
naafil and obligatory, because of the general meaning of the hadeeths.
End quote from Majmoo'Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 30;13.
There is no disagreement that Jumu'ah prayer is obligatory, so the
requirement to compensate for mistakesby doing the prostrationof
forgetfulness in this prayer is more certain.
With regard to Eid prayer, whether we say it is obligatory or naafil,
it is like all other prayers; if a person makes a mistake he should
compensate for itby doing the prostrationof forgetfulness.
We have not found any one among the scholars, either the imams of the
four madhhabs or other leading fuqaha', who differentiate between the
prayers and Jumu'ahand Eid prayer, with regard to the prostration of
forgetfulness.
However, the well-known view amongst the later Hanafis is that it is
betternot to do the prostrationof forgetfulness in Jumu'ah and Eid
prayer if a large number of people are present, lest that confuse the
worshippers, although in principle they also do not differentiate in
the ruling on prostration of forgetfulness between obligatory and
naafil prayers; rather they thought it was better not to do it with a
large congregation for the reasons mentioned.
Burhaani ad-Deen al-Bukhaari al-Hanafi said in al-Muheet, 2/229:
It says in al-Asl: Making mistakes (or forgetting) in the Eid prayer,
Jumu'ah, obligatory and voluntary prayers is the same, because Jumu'ah
and Eid prayers are the same as other prayers with regard to what
mayspoil them, and they are the same with regard to what is required
as compensation, except that our shaykhs said: They should not do the
prostration of forgetfulness in Jumu'ahand Eid prayers, lest that
cause people to fall into confusion. End quote.
Abu Bakr al-Haddaadi said in al-Jawharah an-Nayyirah, 1/95:
Prostration of forgetfulness in Jumu'ah, Eid and obligatory prayers is
all the same; what is meant is that one should do theprostration of
forgetfulness in all prayers (if required). Butsome of the shaykhs
saidthat the imam should not do the prostration offorgetfulness in
Jumu'ahor Eid prayer lest he cause confusion to thosewho are far away
from the imam. End quote.
Ibn 'Aabideen said in al-Haashiyah, 2/157:
The favoured view among the later scholarsis that he should not do the
prostration of forgetfulness in Jumu'ahand Eid prayer, lest the
ignorant think that something has been added. This is what it says in
as-Siraaj and elsewhere. But that doesnot mean that it is not
permissible; rather it is better not to do it so that the people will
not become confused. End quote.
It is clear from the wordsof Ibn 'Aabideen and others that this
opinion is only well-known among the later Hanafis. As for the imams
of the madhhabs and the earlier scholars, this is not known from them;
rather what is well known from them is the opposite, as is clear
fromthe above. Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ash-Shaybaani, the companion of
Imam Abu Haneefah, the propagator of his madhhab and the faqeeh of
Iraq, said that the prostration of forgetfulness should be done (if
required) in the Eid prayer, Jumu ah and all other prayers.
Abu Sulaymaan al-Jawzjaani said: I said –i.e., to Muhammad ibn
al-Hasan – Do you think that the prostration of forgetfulness is the
samein the Eid prayer, Jumu'ah, and in the obligatory and
voluntaryprayers? He said: Yes.
Al-Mabsoot, 1/383
This is the correct view, which is in accordance with the opinion of
the majority of scholars. What was quoted above from the later Hanafis
is an opinion and juristic preference, but it is an opinion that is
superseded.
The correct view is what is stated above, that the prostration of
forgetfulness is prescribed in all prayers,whether obligatory or
naafil, if the reason for doing it is present. Thereis no
differentiation between Eid prayer, Jumu'ah prayer, or any other
prayer, whether obligatory or naafil.
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear - Why is Friday singled out for greatimportance?.

I want to know why Friday Prayer is important and Different then other ?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, chose Friday to be the best of
days before Him, and He singled it out for major events and great
qualities, which are the reason why Muslims are obliged to venerate
this day and take it as one oftheir Eids or festivals in which Allah
has prescribed rituals that He has not prescribed for other days.
On our website we have previously quoted a great deal of evidence
tosupport this view, whichyou can see in the answers to the
followingquestions: 9211, 12309and 13692
Secondly:
Moreover, Jumu'ah prayer has a particular virtue and great qualities
through the barakah (blessing) of this great day.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Jumu'ah prayer is singled out from among all the other obligatory
prayers for having particular characteristicsthat are not found in
other prayers, including the fact that it is offered in congregation,
has a minimum number of worshippers required in order for it to be
valid, the iqaamah is a condition of its being valid, one must not be
travelling in order for it to be obligatory, and therecitation is done
out loud.
There is an emphasis on its imortance the like of which is not
mentioned for other prayers except 'Asr prayer. In the four Sunans it
is narrated in the hadeeth of Abu'l-Ja'dad-Dumari – who was a
Companion – that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) said: "Whoever misses three Jumu'ahs out of heedlessness,
Allah will place a seal on his heart."
End quote from Zaad al-Ma'aad, 1/384-385.
The Prophet's Sunnah also singles out Jumu'ah prayer by encouraging
believers to do ghusl for it and to wear perfume (for men only). It is
also strongly encouraged to come early for the prayer and there is a
great deal of reward for walking to the prayer. Concerning these
specialcharacteristics, Sa'eed ibn Mansoor narrated from Na'eem ibn
'Abdullah al-Mujammir that 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased
with him) issuedinstructions that the mosque of Madinah be perfumed
with incense every Friday at midday, as was narrated by Ibn al-Qayyim
in Zaad al-Ma'aad, 1/370.
Thirdly:
The main reason for venerating Friday prayeris because of the divine
decree that singled out this prayer and this day for special virtues.
This isone of the manifestations of Allah's Lordship (ruboobiyyah), as
He alone singles out for veneration whateverHe Wills of His creation
and whatever times and places He chooses. He is the One Who does
whatever He wills for reasons that He, may He be glorified, knows.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is the only One Who has the
power to create and to choose from among His creation. Allah, may He
be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): "And your Lord
creates whatsoever He wills and chooses" [al-Qasas 28:68]. If you
ponder this creation, you will realize that this choosing and singling
out are proof of His Lordship and Oneness, and of the perfection of
His wisdom, knowledge and might; that He is Allah, besides Whom there
is no other god, and He has no partner who can create as He creates,
or choose as He chooses, or control as Hecontrols. This choice,
control and singling out,the effects of which are evident in this
world, are among the greatest signs of His Lordship andthe greatest
testimony to His Oneness, the perfection of His attributes and the
truthfulness of His Messengers.
End quote from Zaad al-Ma'aad, 1/40-43
Al-'Allaamah Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) also stated
that this singling out and choice are indicative of the inherent
virtue of the thing chosen, for which Allah blessed this time. By His
knowledge and wisdom, Allah may grantto a certain place, time or
person that which qualifies it to be chosen by Allah and favoured
above others.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This concept may not be understood by the one who regards all
individuals, deeds, times and places as equal, and claims that there
is nothing inherent that makes one thing better than another, and that
precedence is given to some things over others for no reason. This
view is invalid for more than forty reasons that I have listed
elsewhere. It is sufficient, in order to understand the falsenessof
this view and how corrupt it is, to note that Allah, may He be
glorified and exalted, refuted this false view when He said
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And when there comes to them a sign (from Allah) they say: 'We shall
not believe until we receive the like of that which the Messengers
ofAllah had received.' Allahknows best with whom to place His Message"
[al-An'aam 6:124].
"Allah knows best with whom to place His Message" means: not everyone
is qualified or fit to convey His Message; rather the Message has
those who are suited to conveying it and it cannot befit anybut these
people; Allah knows better than you who these people are. If all
individuals were equal -- as these people claim -- there could
havebeen no argument against them in this verse.
Similarly, Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Thus We have tried some of them with others, that they might say: 'Is
it these (poor believers) that Allah has favoured from amongst us?'
Does not Allah knowbest those who are grateful?"
[al-An'aam 6:53].
What is meant is: Allah knows best who will give thanks for His
blessings, so He singles them out for His bounty from among those who
will not be grateful to Him. Not everyone is fit to thank Him or to
receive His blessings andbe singled out for this honour. Those
individuals and places and so on that Allah chooses have some inherent
qualities that are not found in other people and places, and itis for
that reason that Allah chose them, gave them precedence because of
those virtues and selected them. This is His creation and His choice.
"And your Lord creates whatsoever He wills and chooses" [al-Qasas
28:68]. Allah does not choose anything and give it precedence except
for a reason that led to it being singled out and given precedence.
Yes, He is the One Who created this reason, as He is the One Who
created it then chose it after creating it.
End quote from Zaad al-Ma'aad, 1/53-54
To sum up, all the characteristics of this great prayer are by the
grace of Allah, may He beglorified and exalted, to His slaves. He
chose it by His decree and singled it out for His bounty and
blessings, thus it attained this great importance in this worldand in
the Hereafter.
And Allah knows best.

Story of Strong Faith: I want to buy a Miracle

A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a 'Glass Jelly Jar' from
its hiding place in the closet.
Little girl poured the change out on the floor and counted it
carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No
chance here for mistakes.
Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap,
she slipped out the back doorand made her way to 6 blocks to Rashid's
Drug Store with the big Red Indian Chief sign above the door. Little
girl waited patiently for the Pharmacist to give her some attention
but he was too busy at this moment. Little girl (Tasneem) twisted her
feet to make a scuffing noise; Nothing. She cleared her throat with
the most disgusting sound she could muster; No good. Finally she took
a coin from her Jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!
"And what do you want?"the Pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of
voice. "I'm talking to my brother from Lahore whom I haven't seen in
ages," he said without waiting for a reply to his question.
"Well, I want to buy an mmm..."
The Pharmacist stared back in the same annoyed tone.
"He's really; really sick.... and I want to buy a miracle."
"I beg your pardon?" saidthe Pharmacist.
"My brother name is Aslam and he has something bad growing inside his
head and my Daddy says only a miraclecan save my brother now. So how
much does a miracle cost?"
"We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help
you," the Pharmacist said, softening a little.
"Listen, I have the money to pay for miracle. If it isn't enough, I
will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs?"
The Pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man from Lahore. He
stooped down and asked the littlegirl, "What kind of a miracle does
your brother need?"
"I don't know," Tasneem replied with her eyes welling up. "I just know
he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy
can't pay for it, so I want to use my money."
"How much do you have?" asked the man from Lahore.
"Ten and half rupees. Andit's all the money I have, but I can get some
more if I need to."
"Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man. "Ten and half rupees - the
exact price of a miracle for your littlebrother."
He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her
hand and said: "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother
and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the miracle you need."
That well dressed man from Lahore was Dr. Ashraf Beg, a surgeon
specializing in Neuro-Surgery. The operation was completed free of
charge and it wasn't longuntil Aslam was home again and doing well.
Mom and Dad were happily talking about thechain of events that had led
them to this place.
"That Surgery," her Mom whispered. "Was a real miracle. I wonder how
much it would have cost?"
Tasneem smiled. She knew exactly how much a miraclecost ... Ten and
half rupees ...plus the faith of a little girl.
Noble Qur'an says:"And when I am ill, it is He Whocures me."(26:80)
And mom also knew exactly how much a miracle cost ... selfless
devotion to their profession by doctors likeAshraf Beg ...
Noble Qur'an says: "Thosewho before them, had homes (in Medina) and
had adopted the Faith; they show their selfless love and affection to
those (Muslims) who came to them for refuge, and they entertain no
desire in their hearts for things they give out (to the needy), but
give them preference over themselves, even though poverty was their
(own lot). And those saved from the covetousness of their own souls, -
they are the ones that achieveprosperity." (59:9)

Islam and Self-Judgment and Self-Control

Ayatulla Agha Haji Mirza Mahdi Pooya says this state of cautiousness
and precaution is Taqwa, the highest form of God mindedness.
Self-Judgment is to call oneself to account every day regarding the
good deeds and wrongdoings. If the scale of acts of obedience
overweighs that of acts of disobedience, we must thank Allah (SWT),
lest wemust discipline ourselves.
Self-Control stands for protecting oneself against breach of the
obligatory religious rites and the commitment of the forbidden.
It is necessary for the rational to train himself on self-judgment and
self-control, since all human souls are susceptible to evil. If
theyare neglected, they go away from the right, but if they are
controlled by means of guidance, they shine with virtues:
"... And (I swear) by the soul and that (Power) which designed it and
inspired it with knowledge of evil and piety, those who purify their
souls will certainly have everlasting happiness and those whocorrupt
their souls will certainly be deprived of happiness." Noble Qur'an
(91:7-10)
Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw) said: "Before you do a matter that you
intend, you should investigate its end result; if it is good, you then
should keep on. If not, you should not do it."
Imam Ali (as) related: When he received the warriors that he had
appointed for a campaign, Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw) said to them:
"Welcome to the people who performed successfully the minor Jihad.
Their mission now is to perform completely the major Jihad. The major
Jihad is self-control. The best form of Jihad isto strive one's
desires and whims."
Self-Confidence that gavehim the power:
A business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out.
Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He
sat on the Park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save
his company from bankruptcy.
Suddenly an old man appeared before him. "I can see that something
istroubling you," he said. After listening to the executive's woes,
the old man said, "I believe I can help you." He asked the man his
name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying, "Take
this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay
me back at that time." Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he
had come.
The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by
John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world! "I can
erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized. But instead, the
executive decided to put the un-cashed check in his safe. Just knowing
it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his
business, he thought.
With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended termsof
payment. He closed several big sales. Within afew months, he was out
of debt and making money once again. Exactly one year later, he
returned to the park withthe un-cashed check. At the agreed-upon time,
the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back
the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and
grabbed the old man.
"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried. "I hope he hasn't been
botheringyou. He's always escapingfrom the rest home and telling
people he's John D. Rockefeller." And she led the old man away by the
arm. The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long
he had been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had
half a million dollars behind him.
Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that
had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that
gavehim the power to achieveanything he went after.

HOW FAR BACK DO TRACES OF MAN GO? WHY DO THESE NOT SUPPORT EVOLUTION?

3.6-million-year-old human footprints found in Laetoli, Tanzania.WE
need to turn to the fossil record to find an answer to the question of
when man appearedon Earth. This record shows thatman goes back
millions of years.These discoveries consist of skeletons and skulls,
and the remains of people who lived at various times. One of the
oldest traces of man are the "footprints" found by the famous
palaentologist Mary Leakey in 1977 in Tanzania's Laetoli region.
These remains caused a great furore in the world of science. Research
indicated that these footprints were in a 3.6-million-year-old layer.
Russell Tuttle, who saw the footprints, wrote:
A small barefoot Homo sapiens could have made them... In all
discernible morphological features, the feet of the individuals that
made the trails are indistinguishable from thoseof modern humans.1
Impartial examinations of the footprints revealed their real owners.
In reality, these footprints consisted of 20 fossilized footprints of
a 10-year-old modern human and 27 footprints of an even younger one.
Such famous paleoanthropologists as Don Johnson and Tim White, who
examined the prints found by Mary Leakey, corroborated that
conclusion. White revealed his thoughts by saying:
Make no mistake about it,... Theyare like modern human footprints. If
one were left in thesand of a California beach today, and a four-year
old were asked what it was, he would instantly say that somebody had
walked there. He wouldn't be able to tellit from a hundred other
prints on the beach, nor would you.2
These footprints sparked an important debate among evolutionists. That
was because for them to accept that these were human footprints would
mean that the imaginary progression they had drawn up from ape to man
could no longer be maintained. However, at this point dogmatic
evolutionist logic once again showed its face. Most evolutionist
scientists once more abandoned science for the sake of their
prejudices. They claimed that the footprints found at Laetoli were
those of an ape-like creature. Russell Tuttle, who was one of the
evolutionists defending this claim, wrote:
In sum, the 3.5 million-year-old footprint traits at Laetoli site G
resemble those of habitually unshod modern humans. None of their
features suggest that the Laetoli hominids were less capable bipeds
than we are. If the G footprints were not known to be so old, we would
readily conclude that there weremade by a member of our genusHomo...
In any case, we should shelve the loose assumption that the Laetoli
footprints were made by Lucy's kind, Australopithecus afarensis.3
The remains of a 1.7-million-year-old stone hut
Another of the oldest remains todo with man was the ruins of a stone
hut found in the Olduvai Gorge region by Louis Leakey in the 1970s.
The remains of the hut were found in a layer 1.7 million years old. It
is known that structures of this kind, of which similar examples are
still used in Africa in the present day,could only be built by Homo
sapiens, in other words modern man. The significance of the remains is
that they reveal that man lived at the same time as the so-called
ape-like creatures that evolutionists portray as his ancestors.
A 2.3 million-year-old modern human jaw found in the Hadar region of
Ethiopia was very important from the point of view of showing that
modern man had existed on the Earth much longer that evolutionists
expected.4
One of the oldest and most perfect human fossils is KNM-WT1500, also
known as the "Turkana Child" skeleton. The 1.6 million-year-old fossil
is described by the evolutionist Donald Johanson in these terms:
He was tall and thin, in body shape and limb proportions resembling
present-day equatorial Africans. Despite his youth, the boy's limb
nearly matched the mean measurements for white North American adult
males.5
It is confirmed that the fossil was that of a 12-year-old boy, who
would have been 1.83 metres tall in adolescence. The American
paleoanthropologist Alan Walker said that he doubted that "the average
pathologist could tell the difference between the fossil skeleton and
that of a modern human." Concerning the skull, Walker wrote that he
laughed when he saw it because "it looked so much like a
Neanderthal."6
In its December 1997 edition, Discover, one of the most popular
evolutionist magazines, placed an 800,000-year-old human face on its
cover, alongside a headline taken from evolutionists' surprised
statement, "Is this the face of our past?"One of the human fossils
that has attracted the most attentionwas one found in Spain in 1995.
The fossil in question was uncovered in a cave called Gran Dolina in
the Atapuerca region ofSpain by three Spanish paleoanthropologists
from the University of Madrid. The fossil revealed the face of an
11-year-old boy who looked entirely like modern man. Yet, it had been
800,000 years since the child died. This fossil even shook the
convictions of Juan Luis Arsuaga Ferreras, who lead the Gran Dolina
excavation. Ferreras said:
We expected something big, something large, something inflated-you
know, something primitive… Our expectation of an800,000-year-old boy
was something like Turkana Boy. Andwhat we found was a totally modern
face.... To me this is most spectacular-these are the kinds of things
that shake you. Finding something totally unexpected like that. Not
findingfossils; finding fossils is unexpected too, and it's okay. But
the most spectacular thing is finding something you thought belonged
to the present, in the past. It's like finding something like-like a
tape recorder in Gran Dolina. That would be very surprising. We don't
expect cassettes and tape recorders in the Lower Pleistocene. Finding
a modern face 800,000 years ago-it's the same thing. We were very
surprised when we saw it.7
As we have seen, fossil discoveries give the lie to the claim of "the
evolution of man." This claim is presented by some media organizations
as if it werea proven fact, whereas all that actually exist are
fictitious theories. In fact, evolutionist scientists accept this, and
admit that the claim of "the evolution of man" lacks any scientific
evidence.
For instance, by saying, "We appear suddenly in the fossil record" the
evolutionist paleontologists C. A. Villie, E. P. Solomon and P. W.
Davis admit that man emerged all of a sudden, in other words with no
evolutionary ancestor.8
Mark Collard and Bernard Wood, two evolutionist anthropologists were
forced to say, "existing phylogenetic hypotheses about human evolution
are unlikely to be reliable." in an article they wrotein 2000.9

The Unique Artistry Of Fruits And Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables spring from the same soil and are watered with
the same water, yet they come in a dazzling variety. When we consider
the multitude of different tastes andsmells of fruits and vegetables,
the question of how such a variety ever came about in the first place
comes to mind. What causes this miscellany of the tastes and
fragrances of grapes, melons, kiwis, pineapples and the like, using
the same water and minerals for centuries on end, yet without ever
mixing them up with each other and without ever getting them confused?
Allah gives them theirmatchless tastes and appearances.

Both animals and humans obtain the energy they need to survive through
nutrition which is produced by plants. In other words, plants have
been created as a blessing to benefit all living things. Most of these
blessings have been designed especially for humans. Let's take a look
at our surroundings, at what we eat, and then think. First let's look
atthe bone-dry stalk and very thin roots of a grape vine. This
bone-dry structure, one that seems so fragile that it could be broken
with the slightest pull, can produce dozens of kilos of juicy grapes
whose color, smell and taste have been designed especially to give
pleasure to man. Now let's think about watermelons. This juicy fruit,
which again comes out of dry soil, develops precisely in the season
when people begin to feel the need for it, that is, in summer. Let's
think about the marvelous smell of the melon that has been provided
since it first came into existence, without any deterioration in its
quality, and about its famous taste. When fragrances are produced in
factories, people use complex quality controls and take great pains to
produce a uniform odor that mimics nature; but there is no need for
quality checks to preserve the natural odor of fruits.

In addition to their enticing smells,each fruit also contains
ingredients that are suitable to the season. In winter, for example,
we have tangerines and oranges, which are full of vitamin C and
energy. Vegetablesalso possess any and all kinds of vitamins and
minerals that livingthings may need.

By thinking in this manner, we could examine in turn all the plants
present in nature. And at the end of this examination, we would have
learned that the plants around us have been especially designed for
human beings and all other creatures, inother words they have been
created. Allah, Who is the Lord of the worlds, has brought into
existence all nutrition for living things and has created them in such
a way that the taste, smell and use of each one of them is wonderfully
varied. This reveals His might and matchless artistry in creation. He
informs us of thisin the Qur'an:
And also the things of varying colors He has created for you in the
earth. There is certainly a Sign in that for people who pay heed.
(Surat an-Nahl, 13)

THE REWARDS FOR THOSE WHO FEAR ALLAH

They are given joyful tidings whilst on Earth
As for those people who lead their lives on Earth without fearful
awareness of Allah, we will examine below, in the light of the Qur'an,
the inexplicable fears they experience and the awesome severity of
Allah's majesty. Those, on the other hand, who fear Allah and are
cautious, will, in direct contrast, attain in the Hereafter total
security from all types of fear and lead their lives under Allah's
protection and grace. Those truebelievers who throughout their lives
have felt a deep foreboding at the prospect of the Fire when the Day
of Judgment arrives, willbe kept far away from every kindof fear and
will be absolutely safe. Whilst Allah gives these glad tidings in the
Qur'an, on theLast Day He will address His servants and announce many
more glad tidings:
"My servants, you will feel no fear today; you will know no sorrow."
As for those who believed in Our Signs and became Muslims: "Enter the
Garden, you and your wives, delighting in your joy."
Platters and cups of gold will passed around among them andthey will
have there all that theirhearts desire and their eyes find delight in.
You will remain in it timelessly, for ever.
"That is the Garden you will inherit for what you did."
"There will be many fruits in it for you to eat." (Surat az-Zuhkruf: 68-73)
In other Qur'anic verses, Allah will give these glad tidings through
the mediation of his angels, which will be without a doubt an
incredible joy for believers who so intensely hope for the Garden:
The angels descend on those who say, "Our Lord is Allah," andthen go
straight: "Do not fear and do not grieve but rejoice in the Garden you
have been promised. We are your protectors in the life of this world
and the Hereafter. You will have there all that your selves could wish
for. You will have there everything you demand. Hospitality from One
who is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Surah Fussilat: 30-32)
The Qur'an stresses that these glad tidings, which last for eternity
and are full of goodness, will be attained by those who truly believed
during their lives on Earth.
A beautiful life
The lives of those who do not believe in Allah, who do not fear him
and who do not behave cautiously will, in keeping with the punishment
they deserve, bedeprived of the abundance and blessings reserved for
believers:
If only the people of the cities had believed and guarded against
evil, We would have opened up to them blessings from heaven and Earth.
But theydenied the truth soWe seized them for what they earned. (Surat
al-A'raf: 96)
However, those who believe in Allah with fearful awareness, and have
shown good character in their conduct, will be given glad tidings in
the life Hereafter of Heaven, and in this world will benefit in the
best possible manner from Allah's kindness and abundance:
Anyone who acts rightly, male or female, being a believer, We will
give them a good life and We will recompense them according to the
best of what they did. (Surat an-Nahl: 97)
Similar to the way in which the infinite punishment of the
disbelievers begins whilst on Earth, for cautious, true believers, the
promised infinite goodness will also begin to manifest. As a result of
abundance and beauty being amongst the foremost features of the
Garden, Allah will provide His beloved, fearful servants with a taste
of these blessings during their lives on Earth in order to increase
their longing and desires for the Garden.
By the same token, Allah will protect the believers from every form of
anxiety and distress during their lives because of their adherence to
His commands and prohibitions, because of their living according to
His religion and, most importantly, because of their constant reliance
on Him, their patience, and their longing for the Hereafter. Instead
of distress, Allah causes to descendupon their hearts a feeling of
peace and security. In every act of worship or good conduct, big or
small, they are aware that Allah is watching them and, thatthe
recording angels record it allin the book of their deeds, hence, they
experience a tranquillity that is brought about by the knowledge that
in the Hereafter they will be rewarded for it all.
On the other hand, however, there is another point that should not be
forgotten: the world is a place of trial. Most certainly, a true
believer could be confronted with various hardships and crises.
However, whatever the situation, for a believer who fears Allah these
difficulties turn out to be a mercy and a reward. A good example of
this is the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (as) who, having been accused of
lying andin spite of being on the point of being thrown into the fire
by hispeople, he did not make even the slightest compromise in his
beliefs or waver in his submission or in his trust in Allah.
Without doubt being burnt alive is a terrible punishment but in the
case of Prophet Ibrahim (as) Allah had ordered the fire to be
"coolness and peace" for him and it did not cause him any pain or
suffering. Distress, harm and misfortune are a punishment or warning
which occur only as a result of a person's own incorrect manner and
bad behavior:"Any disaster that strikes you is through what your own
hands have earned…" (Surat ash-Shura: 30).
Otherwise, for a sincere believer who fears Allah to the best of his
ability and who is constantly mindful of Allah's approval in
hisconduct, punishment is not an issue.
All the hardships which true believers experience in this world are
confronted as tests which only enhance the respect and fearful
awareness they have towards Allah, as well as further increasing their
desire for the Garden. A true believer is aware that these hardships
are createdfor him as a trial and a learning experience, and as
opportunitiesfor displaying good conduct, exercising patience and as
long as he relies on Allah, as an opportunity for reward in the
Hereafter. The Qur'an mentions the particular quality of being able to
view all events as an opportunity, in connection with those who truly
believe and whoare fearfully aware of Allah:
When those who fear Allah are asked, "What has your Lord sentdown?"
their reply is, "Good!" There is good in this world for those who do
good, and the abode of the Hereafter is even better. How wonderful is
the abode of the righteous [who fear Allah]. (Surat an-Nahl: 30)
The death of a true believer whohas lived on Earth in righteousness
will be good and easy, his afterlife will commencewith the welcoming
of angels, and its continuation will be the comfort and ease that
awaits every true believer.
An everlasting life in the Garden
But those who fear their Lord will have Gardens with rivers flowing
under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever: hospitality from
Allah. What is with Allah is better for those who are truly good.
(Surah Al 'Imran: 198)
What is the Garden promised to the righteous [who fear Allah] like? It
has rivers flowing under it and its foodstuffs and cool shade never
fail. That is the finalfate of the righteous [who fear Allah]. But the
final fate of the disbelievers is the Fire. (Surat ar-Ra'd: 35)
Believers who fear an encounter with the infinite punishment of Hell,
and who are mindful of not rebelling against Allah, will gain the
reward of those who fear and act cautiously as Allah has promised, and
they will be sent to enter their eternal home:
And those who feared their Lordwill be driven to the Garden in
companies and when they arrivethere, finding its gates open, its
custodians will say to them, "Peace be upon you! You have done well so
enter it timelessly, for ever." They will say, "Praise be to Allah Who
has fulfilled His promise to us and made us the inheritors of this
land, letting ussettle in the Garden wherever we want. How excellent
is the wage of those who work!" (Surat az-Zumar: 73-74)
For the true believers who enter the Garden, the most joyful surprise
and the greatest sourceof happiness and excitement above all else,
will be a verbal salutation from Allah:
"Peace!" A word from a Merciful Lord. (Surah Ya Sin: 58)
Allah will address the true believers in the Garden as follows:
My devotees, you will feel no fear today; you will know no sorrow.
(Surat az-Zukhruf: 68)
Allah, Who created mankind, is more aware than we are of what we would
enjoy most as a reward for having believed in Him, and these very
things are what will await the believers in the Garden. Hence, the
immense blessings of the Garden and the wonders it contains lie far
beyond the scope of human imagination. Infinite blessings will be
offered to believers the likes of which no eyes have ever seen and no
ear has ever heard; for the rest of eternity everything they encounter
will meet with their every desire:
… They will have whatever they wish for with their Lord. That is the
great favor. (Surat ash-Shura: 22)
The Qur'an describes every aspect of everlasting life for the
believers in the Garden, such as their places of residence, their
clothing, their spouses, the beauty of the surroundings, the
foodstuffs and various other delights that await them.
In one Qur'anic verse the eternal lives led by those who fear Allah
and the terrifying end to be faced by those who do not fear Allah are
compared:
An image of the Garden which ispromised to the righteous [whofear
Allah]: in it there are rivers of water which will never spoil and
rivers of milk whose taste will never change and rivers of wine,
delightful to all who drinkit, and rivers of honey of undiluted
purity; in it they will have fruit of every kind and forgiveness from
their Lord. Is that like those who will be in the Fire timelessly, for
ever, withboiling water to drink which lacerates their bowels? (Surah
Muhammad: 15)
There is no doubt that someone who is conscious and aware needs only
to reflect on the scenario for a moment in order for both hope in and
fear of Allah to intensify.
The greatest reward: Allah's eternal satisfaction with them
Allah has promised the men andwomen of the believers Gardenswith
rivers flowing under them, remaining in them timelessly, for ever, and
fine dwellings in the Gardens of Eden. And Allah's good pleasure is
even greater. That is the great victory. (Surat at-Tawba, 72)
The greatest spiritual pleasure experienced by believers when they
enter the Garden is the reality that from that moment on Allah is
pleased with them, that He loves them, that He will never punish them,
and that they will be His friends for eternity. To have gained Allah's
approval will be the source of a joy and happiness infinitely superior
to any earthly comparison. Allah's pleasure is what brings the
ultimate sweetness to the blessings of the Garden. Although the
rewards of the Garden are wonderful in themselves, what is more
delightful still is the joy of being affirmed by The Lord of all the
Worlds as being worthy of receiving His kindness. The Qur'an states:
O self at rest and at peace, return to your Lord, well-pleasing and
well-pleased! Enter among My servants! Enter My Garden. (Surat
al-Fajr: 27-30)

Using artificial intelligence

Question
Salam Alaikom
Is learning and using artificial intelligence haram ? some part of it
try to simulate how a human brain works like artificial neural
networksto learn over time and became more efficient at a certain
programmed task. May Allah reward you.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad,
is His Slave and Messenger.
Amongst the important basic rules and principles of the Islamic
religion is that all things are permissible except what involves an
Islamic prohibition. Allaah The Almighty says (what means):
·{It is He who created foryou all of that which is on the earth.} [Quran 2:29]
·{And He has subjected toyou whatever is in the heavens and whatever
is on the earth - all from Him. Indeed in that are signs for a people
who give thought.} [Quran 45:13]
Islam came to make humans happy and prescribed everything that
benefits them. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with using such
technologies that you have called artificial intelligence to make
machines help in fulfilling some of the interests of people. Amongst
them are the robot technologies; so it is permissible to manufacture
them and use them in every Islamically lawful matter that benefits
people.
Allaah Knows best.

Fathwa - Advertising on ebay in presence of Riba ads on the same page

Question
Many days ago, I sent a question to you, which is not answered until
now. Please tell me if u received it or not, because I am waiting now
for a month for it, before I tried it in German, but nothing happened.
Here is the question again. I discovered, that if I sell something by
ebay, thereis on my ebay article side directly under 'payment options'
an advertisement for interest (advertisement of a bank for loans with
interest). Since ALLAH hates interest and has forbidden it, my
questionis the following. In this case, is it allowed anyhow to sell
by ebay? Because of uploading my articles, I allure customers on my
ebay account. So I call the customers attention to this advertisement
too. Or am I innocent, becauseebay turns it up against my will? Asking
ebay to remove this advertising was of no avail. This question is a
further attempt to get an answer. I have been trying, about four
times, to get an answer from islamweb German department for this
question since many month, but till today without any response. SoI
asked somebody to translate my question in English. I do not want to
be impatient or ill mannered, but I hope foran early answer, because
this is an urgent questionand I do not want to act without being sure
if it ishalal or not.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad,
is His Slave and Messenger.
As long as the stated advertisement of the website is not related to
you or to your advertisement and it is just put on the page of the
website, then there isno blame on you becauseof it; because your
relationship with the website is lawful, then there is no blame on you
regarding advertising on it.
Allaah Knows best.

Fathwa - Buying a car through a finance company

Question
I would like to buy a car through a finance company paying a down
payment and rest will be in 36 months installments. My question is,
there will be an interest calculation on this deal. Hence the car
company tied up a deal with a certain finance company, i will not able
to go for any other finance company. Moreover, i also working in the
same car company and the company is giving a staff discount onthis
deal and that amount will be higher than the total interest. pls.
clarify.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that
MuhammadisHis slave and Messenger.
If the finance company owns the car first and thecar becomes in its
possession before it sells it to you and the company does not set a
condition that you will be fined in case of delay in payment, then it
is permissible for you to deal with it, but if the company only pays
the price on your behalf to the car company and then it gets the price
from you with interest, then this is Riba (interest and/or usury)
which is forbidden.
For more benefit on purchasing by installment and its conditions and
the permissible and impermissible method of buying by installment,
Allaah Knows best.

Belief in the Hereafter

Belief in the Hereafter is one of the six pillars of Islamic belief
required of a Muslim in order to complete his faith. The
Prophetinformed us about events of the Ghayb (those beyond human
perception) which will occur after death. This fundamental belief is
only completed when one has firm faith in his heart in all those
matters about which the Prophetinformed us.
Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa'ah (mainstream Muslims) believe in all of these
events, whereas the people of innovation refuse to accept events such
as the questioning in the grave, the bliss andthe trials of the grave,
the punishment in the grave, the passing over the Siraat (the Bridge
set over Hell), and the settingof the scales. The reason for their
denial is that, in their estimation, these matters cannot be proven by
mere intellect. Since they consider their intellect to be the judge
over everything, they do not believe in matters which are beyond their
comprehension.
Materialists refuse to believe in anything which they do not feel.
Our answer to this attitude is that our inability to sense the
existence of certain things does not justify our denial of the very
existence of those things. Certitude through news from an authentic
personis as good as the certitude by seeing and feeling. Since the
honesty of Prophet Muhammadin conveying the Divine Message revealed to
him has been established for us, we-believers- firmly believe in
everything hetold about the unseen,including the Hereafter. Belief in
the hereafter entails the following:
(A) Belief in Events of the Grave
Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa'ah believe in the trial of the grave. TheArabic
word for trial is 'Fitnah', which linguistically means to place gold
in fire in orderto remove its impurities; this word was thus later
used in the sense of testing and trying.
The Quranic evidence concerning this issue is inthe following verse in
which Almighty Allaah describes the punishmentof the people of Fir'awn
(Pharaoh); He, the Most Exalted, Says (what means):"The Fire: they are
exposed to it morning and evening. And the Day the Hour appears [it
will be said]: 'Make the people of Pharaoh enter the severest
punishment.'"[Quran 40:46]
Also, the Prophetsaid:"The grave is either a garden from the Gardens
ofParadise, or a pit from the pits of Hell."[At-Tirmithi]
(B) Events of the Day of Judgement
After the duration of this earth is over, Allaah will command
Israafeel [the Angel in charge of blowing the Trumpet] to blow it. At
the first blowing, all the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth
will fall unconscious, except those for whom Allaah Wills otherwise.
Then, the earth will be flattened and the mountains will be made into
floating sand dunes. In short, everything will occur that Allaah has
informed us about in His book, especially in chapters 81 and 82 of
theNoble Quran.
Then Allaah will command the skies to pour rain. This rain will
resemble the sperm of men. People will then be resurrected from their
graves. This process will start from their vertebral column. The
entire body of a person decays after his death except the lower end of
the vertebral column. This process of resurrection will continue until
they are transformed back into their original shape and bodies.Allaah
will then command Israafeel to blow the Trumpet for the second time,
upon which people will rise from their graves alive. The disbelievers
and the hypocrites will then be regretful and will say (what
means):"…Woe to us! Who has raised us up from our sleeping
place?"[Quran: 36:52] Whereas the believers will say (what
means):"…This is what the Most Merciful had promised, and the
Messengers spoke the truth."[Quran 36:52]
Then angels will drive all of them naked, uncircumcised, and
barefooted to the place of Hashr (Gathering).
The first one to be dressed on that Day will be Prophet Ibraaheem. At
the place of Gathering, the sun will descend close to the heads of
people, and their sweat will engulf them. It will be up to the ankles
of some of them, up to the knees of others,up to the chests of others,
and up to the necks of others. The level of their sweat will be in
accordance with their deeds.
Some people on that Day will be sheltered by the shade of the Throne
of Allaah. When the conditions become unbearable for people, and the
despair increasesgreatly, people will ask Allaah to allow His
messengers and prophetsto intercede on their behalf and save them from
their distress. Every messenger and prophet will direct the people to
the prophet who came after him, until they come to our Prophet
Muhammad. He will respond by saying that he is the appropriate person
for it. He will intercede for them, which will result in the beginning
of Judgement.
C- The Balances
The balances will then beerected, and the deeds will be weighed. These
balances will be real and will have pans and needles. Allaah, the
Exalted and Glorified, willgive the deeds of the creatures a material
existence that will have weight. The good deeds will be placed in one
pan and the evil deeds in the other, as Allaah informs us in the Quran
by Saying(what means):"And We shall set up balances of justice on the
Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in
anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring
it. And Sufficient are We to take account."[Quran 21:47]
D-The Records
This will be followed by the disclosure of the record of deeds. He who
will receive his record in his right hand will have an easy reckoning.
He will return to his family in happiness. However, he who will
receive his record from behind and in his left hand will seek death on
that Day, as he will be thrust into the Hellfire. He will be full of
regrets on that Day and will wish that he were not handed his record
or that he had not known about it. Allaah Says (what means):"Then as
for him who is given his record in hisright hand. He will be judged
with an easy account. And return to his people in happiness. But asfor
he who is given his record behind his back. He will cry out for
destruction. And [enter to] burn in a Blaze."[Quran 84:7-12]
All the events that are bound to occur after death and on the Last
Day, like reward and punishment,ParadiseandHell, the Reckoning and
other events are mentioned in detail in the Divine revelations and in
narrations from the prophets. They are also available in the knowledge
which the Prophethas left us as his inheritance; whoever wishes to
seek it will findit.

Married life between extravagance and stinginess

The following are phrases often heard from one spouse about theother:
"My husband is stingy"; "My husband does not buy me mynecessities";
"My husband gives money to his family and does notgive me anything";
"My wife exaggerates in her spending"; "My wife does not care about
saving, nor does she care how hard I work"; "My wife asks for too many
things," and so on.
It is difficult to find a household without such problems; the husband
accuses the wife of exaggerating in her expenditure and she accuses
him of being miserly; this leads to fights and disturbs married life,
and could, in some cases, lead to divorce and the complete destruction
of the family structure.
This problem, in all cases, occurs due to the lack of understanding of
the rights that each spouse has upon the other. One of the greatest
rights of the wife upon her husband is that he provides for her, and
his spending and providing for her is considered Islamically to be one
of the best ways that he could spend in charity; this includes food,
drink, clothing, housing and anything else a wife might need to
maintain her strength and live a normal life.
Allaah informs us that it is the duty of men to provide for their
wives, and this is one of the reasons men were made superiorto women,
as Allaah Says (what means):"Men are in charge of women by [right of]
what Allaah has given one over the other and what they spend [for
maintenance] from their wealth…"[Quran 4: 34]
There are many evidences from the Quran, the Sunnah and the consensus
of the Muslim scholarsproving that it is mandatory upon a man to
provide for his wife. In the Quran, Allaah Says (what means):"…And
upon the father is their [i.e. the mothers'] provision and their
clothing according to what is acceptable. No person is charged with
more than hiscapacity…"[Quran 2: 233]
There are many narrations in the Sunnah proving the obligation upon
the man to provide for his wife, children and anyone else who lives
under his guardianship,such as:
· Jaabir Ibn 'Abdullaahnarrated that the Prophetsaid in his Farewell
Pilgrimage:"Fear Allaah and treat women kindly - they are like
captives in your hands. You have been entrusted with them and are
ableto enjoy them based on the contract you have conducted. Their
right upon you is that you should treat them well in the matter of
food and clothing."[Muslim]
· `Amr Ibn Al-Ahwas Al-Jushamireported that he had heard the
Prophetsaying on his Farewell Pilgrimage, after praising and
glorifying Allaah andadmonishing the people:"Fear Allaah and treat
women kindly - they are like captives in your hands. If they become
rebellious in their behaviour, then do not share their beds and beat
them lightly; but if they return to obedience then you do not have
recourse to anything else against them. You have rights over your
wives and they have their rights over you. Your right is that they
shall not permit anyone you dislike to enter your home, and their
right is that you should treat them well in the matter of food and
clothing."[At-Tirmithi]
· Mu`aawiyah Ibn Haydahreported: "I asked the Messenger of Allaah"What
right can any wife demand of her husband?'' Hereplied:"Give her food
when you eat, clothe her when you clothe yourself, do not strike her
on the face, and do not revile her or separate from her except within
the house."[Abu Daawood] Imaam Al-Khattaabi, may Allaah have mercy
upon, himsaid: "This proves the obligation of spending on wives and
providing clothing for them, but it should be in accordance to the
ability of the husband. The Prophetmade this mandatorywhether the
husband is present or travelling, and if he is unable to, then it
remains a debt on him which he must repay whenever he returns."
· Wahbsaid: "One of the servants of 'Abdullaah Ibn 'Umarsaid to him
(i.e., to Ibn 'Umar): `I plan to stay here in Jerusalem for a month.`
So Ibn 'Umar enquired: `Did you leave enough to sustain your family
during your absence?` He replied: `No`, so Ibn 'Umarsaid: `Go back and
give them what will suffice them during your absencebecause I heard
the Prophetsay:"Neglecting one's own dependents is reason enough for a
man to be committing a sin."[Abu Daawood] In the narration of this
story found in the book of Imaam Muslimthe Messenger of
Allaahsaid:"Itisenough sin for a person to hold back the due of one
whose provision is in his hand."
· Abu Hurayrahsaid: "I heard the Prophetsay:"It is far better for you
to take your rope, go to the mountains, (cut some firewood), carry it
on your back, sell it and thereby save your face (from shame) than beg
from people, regardless of whether they give to you or refuse you. The
upper hand is better than thelower one (i.e., the spending hand is
better than the receiving hand); and begin (charity) with those who
are under your care."It was asked: `Who are those thatare under my
care?' Hereplied:"Your wife and those (others) under your
guardianship."[Muslim]
Imaam Ibn Qudaamah, Imaam Ibn Al-Munthir and othershave said: "It is
the consensus of the Muslim scholars that spending on the wife is
mandatory upon the husband, unless the wife is disobedient."
The abovementioned texts prove that it is mandatory for one to provide
for his family and household and care for them. There are many
prophetic narrations indicating the virtue ofspending and providing
for one's family and household, such as the narration of Abu Moosaa
Al-Ansaariwho reported that the Messenger of Allaahsaid:"Whenever one
spends something in charity on his family, sincerely for the sake of
Allaah, he will be rewarded for it"[Al-Bukhaari]
Imaam Ibn Hajrsaid: "Providing for and spending on one's family is
mandatory even though it is referred to as charity in the texts; the
reason for it being referred to as charity is so that people will not
mistakenly think that they will not attain reward for spending in such
a way. Allaah clarified this so that people will not spend in charity
externally until they have sufficedtheir own household and encouraged
them by calling it charity."
Sa`d Ibn Maalikreported that Messenger of Allaahsaid to him:"You will
not spend anything in charity for the sake ofAllaah except that you
will be rewarded for it; even the morsel of food which you feed your
wife."[Al-Bukhaari & Muslim]
Abu Hurayrahreported: "The Messenger of Allaahsaid:"(of the following
types of expenditure): A Deenaar (i.e., a gold unit of currency) which
you spend in Allaah's way, or to free aslave, or as a charity you give
to aneedy person, or to support your family, the one yielding the
greatest reward is that which you spend on your family."[Muslim]
Ka'b Ibn 'Ajrahnarrated: "TheProphetonce passed by a group of his
Companions and saw one of them working hard while the rest of them
were saying: `It would have been rewarding if this hard work was
exerted for the sake of Allaah.' Sothe Prophetremarked:"If he has gone
out of his house striving to provide for his young children, then it
is considered as for the sake of Allaah; and if he has gone out
striving to provide for his old parents, then it is considered as for
the sake of Allaah; and if he has gone out striving in order to
suffice himselffrom having to ask others for money, then it is
considered as for the sake of Allaah; but if he has gone out (for the
sake of) boasting and showing off to others, then it is considered as
(going out) for the sake of Satan."[At-Tabaraani]
Our righteous Salafunderstood this obligation very well and it
reflected in their statements, such as the saying ofthe devout Imaam
'Abdullaah IbnAl-Mubaarakwhen he said: "Nothing can equal this in
other forms of spending - even spending in Jihaad for the sake
ofAllaah."
On the other hand, the wife has to realise that her husband is only
obliged to spend according to his ability and financial condition, as
Allaah Says (what means):"Let a man of wealth spend from his wealth,
and he whose provision is restricted — let him spend from what Allaah
has given him. Allaah does not charge a soul except [according to]
what He has given it. Allaah will bring about, after hardship, ease
[i.e. relief]."[Quran 65: 7]
Therefore, she has no right to overburden her husband with difficult
demands, because this contradicts the kindness that spouses should
have with each other. Additionally, Allaah warns us against excessive
spending, saying (what means):"Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of
the devils, and ever has Satan been tohis Lord ungrateful."[Quran 17:
27]
The wife should take into consideration the financial condition of her
husband and be conservative in her spending and demands; she should
sacrifice certain requests lest she might cause her husband emotional
anguish.
Conversely,the husband should not be stingy if Allaah provides him
with wealth; he should not deprive his wife of what other women of her
social status have of adornment, clothing and so forth, according to
his ability; he should also never remind her of what he is doing for
her. The husband should also know that financial inability can be made
upfor by kind words to the wife. When Allaah mentioned kindnessto
kinfolks, He highlighted how those who do not have financial ability
should behave and speak, saying (what means):"And if you [must] turn
away from them [i.e. the needy] awaiting mercy from your Lord which
you expect, thenspeak to them a gentle word."[Quran 17: 28]
Imaam Ibn Katheersaid, commenting upon this verse: "Meaning, when
one's relatives orothers whom he is commanded to support ask for help
while onehas nothing to give them, then he should promise them while
being kind and gentle in tone that when Allaah provides for him, he
will give to them."
Finally, both spouses should remember that kind words and good manners
make the other forget the hardships and tight financial situation they
are in, and help them endure patiently.