Welcome to Islam, - * The West accuses Islam ofoppressing women

Share

In Islam, women have been given a high status which no past nation ever achieved and which no subsequent nation has been able to attain, because the honor that Islam gives to humanity, includes men and women equally. They are equal before the rulings of Allaah in this world and they will be equal with regard to His reward and punishment in the Hereafter.
Allaah says )what means(:"And indeed We have honored the Children of Adam."]Quran 17:70[
And )what means(:"There is a share for men and a share for women from what is left by parents and those nearest related."]Quran 4:7[
And )what means(:"And they )women( have rights )over their husbands as regards living expenses( similar )to those of their husbands( over them )as regards obedience and respect( to what is reasonable."]Quran 2:228[
And )what means(:"The believers, men and women, are Awliyaa' )helpers, supporters, friends, protectors( of one another."]Quran 9:71[
And )what means(:"And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honor. And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: 'My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was young'"]Quran17:23-24[
And Allaah says )what means(:"So their Lord accepted of them )their supplication and answered them(: ‘Never will I allow to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female.’"]Quran 3:195[
And )what means(:"Whoever works righteousness -- whether male or female -- while he )or she( is a true believer )of Islamic Monotheism( verily, to him We will give a good life )in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision(, and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do )i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter(."]Quran 16:97[
And )what means(:"And whoever does righteous good deeds, male or female, and is a )true( believer ]in the Oneness of Allaah )Muslim([, such will enter Paradise and not the least injustice, even to the size of a Naqeera )speck on the back of a date stone(, will be done to them."]Quran 4:124[
There is nothing in any other religion, nation or law that can compare to the honor, which a woman is granted in Islam. Roman civilization decreed that a woman was a slave who belonged to man, and had no rights at all. InRomea major gathering met to discuss the status of women, and decided that she was a being who had no soul, and that therefore she would not inherit life in the Hereafter, and that she was evil!
InAthens, women were regarded as chattels; they were bought and sold and were regarded as evil, the handiwork of the devil. The ancient laws ofIndiastate that disease, death, Hell, snake venom and fire were all better than woman. Her right to life came to an end when her husband's -- or master's -- life ended. When she saw her husband’s body burning she would throw herself into the flames; if she did not do so, she would be subject to curses.
With regard to women in Judaism, the ruling on her in the Old Testament is as follows: "So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly. I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains…" )Ecclesiastes 7:25-26 - New International Version(.
It is known that the Old Testament is venerated and believed by both Jews and Christians. This was the situation of woman in ancient times.
With regard to her situation in the Middle Ages and in modern times, this will be explained by the following: The Danish writer Wieth Kordsten explained the view of the Catholic Church towards women. He said: "During the Middle Ages, very little care was given to women, following the teaching of the Catholic Church which regarded woman as a second class creation."
InFrance, a council in 586 CE decided to research the status of women and whether they were to be counted as human or not. After some discussion, they decided that woman was human, but she was created to serve man. The 217th clause of the French law states the following: "A married woman -- even if her marriage is based on the condition of separating what belongs to her and what belongs to her husband -- is not permitted to give anything as a gift or to transfer any of her property or use it as collateral, or to take possession of anything whether in return for payment or otherwise, without her husband being a party to the contract or agreeing to it in writing."
InEngland, Henry VIII forbade English women to read the Bible. Until 1850 CE women were not counted as citizens, and until 1882 CE they did not have any personal rights. )Silsilat Maqaarinah al-Adyaan, by Dr. Ahmad Shalaby, vol. 3, p. 210-213(
As for contemporary woman in Europe,Americaand other industrial nations, she is a creature that is degraded and abused for commercial purposes!! She is a feature of advertising campaigns, where she takes off her clothes in order to advertise products on posters, and sells and displays her body according to the systems devised by men, so that she is no more than an object of pleasure for them.
In such societies, a woman is cared for only as long as she is able contribute something physically or mentally. When she becomes old and cannot give any more, society -- individuals and institutions alike -- forsake her and she lives alone in her house or in an old age institution.
Compare this -- and there is no comparison -- with the teachings of the Noble Quran, in which Allaah says )what means(:"The believers, men and women, are Awliya' )helpers, supporters, friends, protectors( of one another."]Quran 9:71[
And )what means(:"And they )women( have rights )over their husbands as regards living expenses( similar )to those of their husbands( over them )as regards obedience and respect( to what is reasonable."]Quran 2:228[
And )what means(:"And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honor. And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: 'My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was young'"]Quran17:23-24[
Since her Lord has honored her in this way, it is clear to all of humankind that Allaah Almighty has created a woman to be a mother, a wife, a daughter and a sister and prescribed certain laws which apply exclusively to women and not men.

Share

Welcome to Islam, - * Statements of Popes and Writers

Share

“I would prefer meeting Satan than meeting a woman.”
·“The woman is the door to Hell, the way to corruption, the scorpion's sting and the ally of Satan.”
In the 1484 CE Acquittal, Pope Innocent VIII announced that a woman and a human being were seemingly conflicting opposites.
Below are some statements of European philosophers and famous thinkers in the post-Renaissance era:
"If you see a woman, think not that you see a human being, not even a wild being, but what you see is Satan himself, and what you hear is the snake's whistle."]Saint Paul Fantair's recommendations to his disciples[
"The woman was created not only to be subjected to man, but also to endure his injustice."]Confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau[
"The woman is an animal which the man should beat, feed and detain."]Schopenhauer[
"No man thinks of a woman and then respects her; he either despises her or does not think of her seriously."]Otto Finger[
"Man could imagine himself without a woman; but a woman could hardly imagine herself without a man."]Julian Banda[
"The woman is a tool for laughter: a living statue of stupidity."]French writerLamennais[
"The woman is a relative being."]HistorianMichelet[
"They )the Christians( regarded kidnapping children to bring them up on monasticism among the acts that bring them closer to God. They used to escape from women even though they were their relatives, thinking that merely looking at the woman would make their deeds worthless."]Ma‘aawil Al-Hadm Wat-Tadmeer Fi An-Nasraaniyyah wa fi At-Tabsheerby Ibraaheem Sulaymaan Al-Jabhaan pp72-75[
"The woman has to cover her hair for she is not the image of God."]Ambrose in the 4thcentury CE[
'Woman distorts the image of man'
Tertullian, one of the leaders of early Christianity, said the following showing mankind the Christian view of woman,"She is the door through which Satan enters into man’s soul. She led him to eat from the unlawful tree, contradicted the law of God, and distorted the image of God, i.e. man."He was referring to the following statement of the Bible:"And Adam was not deceived, but the woman, because she was fully deceived, fell into transgression. But she will be delivered through childbearing, if she continues in faith and love and holiness with self-control."]Timothy I 2:14-15[
The Bible saysthrough the wordsof Moosa )Moses(, may Allaah exalt his mention, that because of their treachery against the Lord, plague afflicted the community:"Moses said to them, ‘Have you allowed all the women to live?Look, these people through the counsel of Balaam caused the Israelites to act treacherously against theLordin the matter of Peor – which resulted in the plague among the community of theLord!Now therefore kill every boy, and kill every woman who has had sexual intercourse with a man. But all the young women who have not had sexual intercourse with a man will be yours.’"]Numbers 31:15-18[
Chrysostom, one of the great devotees of Christianity, said about the woman,"She is an inevitable evil, an obsession to which man is predisposed by nature, a desired blight, a risk that endangers the family and house, a destructive sweetheart and a disaster plated and disguised."He was referring to statement of the Lord who sent His angel to say about her that she is evil itself:"Then a round lead cover was raised up, revealing a woman sitting inside the basket. He then said, ‘This woman represents wickedness,’ and he pushed her down into the basket and placed the lead cover on top."]Zechariah 5:7-8[
Now, consider the statement of Allaah The Almighty in His well-guarded Book, the Quran, which no falsehood approaches, announcing to all the world the freedom and humanity of the woman, and restoring dignity to her as being a source of tranquility, affection and mercy for man )which means(:}And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.{]Quran 30:21[
If the Bible, with its Old and New Testaments, holds the woman responsible for Aadam's )Adam’s( sin and for her coming out of Paradise to work and suffer, and makes even her giving birth to children an expiation of that sin, then how could one expect the followers of that religion to be kind to her?

Share

Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * The green dome in Madeenah: its history and theruling on its construction and on leavingit as it is

Share

The green dome in Madeenah: its history and the ruling on its construction and on leaving it as it is.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The history of the green dome
The dome over the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) dates back to the seventh century AH. It was built during the reign of Sultan Qalawoon, and at first it was the colour of wood, then it became white, then blue, then green, and it has remained green until the present.
Professor ‘Ali Haafiz (may Allaah preserve him) said:
There was no dome over the sacred chamber. There was in the roof of the mosque above the chamber a waist-high enclosure of brick to distinguish the location of the chamber from the rest of the mosque’s roof.
Sultaan Qalawoon al-Saalihi was the first one to build a dome over the chamber. He did that in 678 AH. It was square at the bottom and octagonal at the top, made of wood, and built on top of the pillars that surrounded the chamber. Planks of wood were nailed to it, over which plates of lead were placed, and the brick enclosure was replaced with one made of wood.
The dome was refurbished at the time of al-Naasir Hasan ibn Muhammad Qalawoon, then the leaden plates slipped, but they were fixed and refurbished at the time of al-Ashraf Sha’baan ibn Husayn ibn Muhammad in 765 AH. It fell into disrepair and was renovated at the time of Sultaan Qayit Bey in 881 AH.
The chamber and dome were burned in the fire that swept through the Prophet’s mosque in 886 AH. During the reign of Sultaan Qayit Bey the dome was rebuilt, in 887 AH, and strong pillars to support it were built in the floor of the mosque, and they were built of bricks to the correct height. After the dome had been built in the manner described above, cracks appeared in its upper part. When it proved impossible to refurbish it, the Sultaan Qayit Bey ordered that the upper part be demolished and rebuilt strongly using white plaster. So it was built solidly in 892 AH.
In 1253 AH, an order was issued by the Ottoman Sultan ‘Abd al-Hameed to paint the dome green. He was the first one to colour it green, and the colour has been renewed whenever necessary until the present.
It became known as the green dome after it was painted green. It was previously known as the white dome or the fragrant dome or the blue dome. End quote.
Fusool min Tareekh al-Madeenah al-Munawwarahby ‘Ali Haafiz (p. 127, 128).
Secondly:
Rulings thereon
The scholars, both in the past and in modern times, criticized the building of this dome and its being given a colour. All of that is because of what they know of sharee’ah closing many doors for fear of falling into shirk.
These scholars include the following:
1 – al-San’aani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inTa-theer al-I’tiqaad:
If you say: A great dome has been built over the grave of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), costing a great deal of money, I say: This is in fact great ignorance of the situation, because this dome was not built by him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or by his Sahaabah or by those who followed them, or by those who followed the Taabi’een, or by the scholars and imams of the ummah. Rather this dome was built over his grave (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on the orders of one of the later kings of Egypt, namely the Sultan Qalawoon al-Saalihi who is known as King Mansoor, in 678 AH, and was mentioned inTahqeeq al-Nasrah bi Talkhees Ma’aalim Dar al-Hijrah. These are things that were done on the orders of the state and not on the basis of shar’i evidence. End quote.
2 – The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas were asked:
There are those who take the building of the green dome over the Prophet’s grave in the Prophet’s Mosque as evidence that it is permissible to build domes over other graves, such as those of the righteous and others. Is this argument correct or what should our response to them be?
They replied:
It is not correct to quote the fact that people built a dome over the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as evidence that it is permissible to build domes over the graves of the righteous dead and others, because those people’s building a dome over his grave (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was haraam and those who did it sinned thereby, because they went against what is proven in a report from Abu’l-Hayaaj al-Asadi who said: ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) said to me: Shall I not send you on the same mission as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent me? Do not leave any image without erasing it or any high grave without levelling it.
And it was narrated that Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade plastering over graves, or sitting on them or building over them. Both reports were narrated by Muslim in hisSaheeh. So it is not correct for anyone to quote the haraam action of some people as evidence that it is permissible to do similar haraam actions, because it is not permissible to go against the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) by citing the words or actions of anyone else. And because he is the one who conveyed the command from Allaah, and he is the one who is to be obeyed, and we must beware of going against his commands, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):“And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) gives you, take it; and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it)” [al-Hashr 59:7].
And there are other verses which enjoin obedience to Allaah and to His Messenger. And because building up graves and erecting domes over them are means that lead to associating their occupants with Allaah, and the means that lead to shirk must be blocked. End quote.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Qa’ood.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah(9/83, 84)
3 – The scholars of the Standing Committee also said:
There is no proof in the fact that a dome was set up over the Prophet’s grave for those who take it as an excuse for building domes of the graves of the awliya’ (“saints”) and righteous people, because the building of a dome over his grave was not done on his instructions and was not done by any of his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them), or by the Taabi’een, or by any of the imams of guidance in the early generations whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) testified were good. Rather it was done by people of bid’ah (innovation). It was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected.” And it was proven that ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said to Abu’l-Hayaaj: Shall I not send you on the same mission as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent me? Do not leave any image without erasing it or any high grave without levelling it. Narrated by Muslim. As it is not proven that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) built a dome over his grave, and it is not proven from any of the leading imams; rather what is proven shows that to be an invalid action, and no Muslim should feel any attachment to the action of innovators who built a dome over the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). End quote.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azzez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Qa’ood
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah(2/264, 265).
4 – Shaykh Shams al-Deen al-Afghaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
al-‘Allaamah al-Khajandi (1379 AH) said, discussing the history of the green dome that was built over the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and explaining that it is an innovation that was done by some sultans and ignorant persons who erred and made a mistake, and that it is contrary to the clear saheeh ahaadeeth and reflects ignorance of the Sunnah, and that they went to extremes and imitated the Christians who are confused and misguided:
It should be noted that until the year 678 AH, there was no dome over the chamber which contains the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), rather it was built by the king al-Zaahir al-Mansoor Qalawoon al-Saalihi in that year (678 AH), when this dome was built.
I say: He did that because he had seen in Egypt and Syria the adorned churches of the Christians, so he imitated them out of ignorance of the command and Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as al-Waleed imitated them by adorning the mosque, as was mentioned in Wafa’ al-Wafa’.
It should be noted that undoubtedly this action of Qalawoon was contrary to the saheeh ahaadeeth of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but ignorance is a great calamity and exaggeration in love and veneration is a real disaster, and imitation of foreigners is a fatal disease. We seek refuge with Allaah from ignorance and exaggeration and imitation of foreigners. End quote.
Juhood ‘Ulama’ al-Hanafiyyah fi Ibtaal ‘Aqaa’id al-Qubooriyyah(3/1660-1662).
Thirdly:
The reason why it has not been demolished:
The scholars have explained the shar’i rulings concerning the building of this dome and its obvious effects on the followers of bid’ah’ who have developed an attachment to this structure and its colour, and they praise and venerate it a great deal in their poetry and writings. Now it is up to the authorities to implement these fatwas, and this is nothing to do with the scholars.
The reason why it is not demolished is so as to ward off fitnah and for fear that it may lead to chaos among the ordinary people and the ignorant. Unfortunately the ordinary people have only reached this level of veneration towards this dome because of the leadership of misguided scholars and imams of innovation. They are the ones who incite the ordinary people against the land of the Two Holy Sanctuaries and its ‘aqeedah and its manhaj. They are very upset about many actions that are in accordance with sharee’ah in our view and contrary to innovation in their view.
Whatever the case, the shar’i ruling is quite clear, and the fact that this dome has not been demolished does not mean that it is permissible to build it or any dome over any grave, no matter what grave it is.
Shaykh Saalih al-‘Usaymi (may Allaah preserve him) said:
The fact that this dome has remained for eight centuries does not mean that it has become permissible, and being silent about it does not indicate approval of it or that it is permissible. Rather the Muslim authorities should remove it and put it back as it was at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). They should remove the dome and the adornments and engravings that are found in the mosques, above all the Prophet’s Mosque, so long as that will not lead to an even greater fitnah. If it would lead to an even greater fitnah, then the ruler should postpone the matter until he finds an opportunity for that. End quote.
Bida’ al-Quboor, Anwaa’uha wa ahkaamuha(p. 253).
And Allaah knows best.

Share

Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Du’as Between Adhan and Iqamah

Share

I would like to know what to say (du’aa) before the adhan (call to prayer) and iqaamah (final call to prayer) and after the adaan and iqaamah.
Praise be to Allah.
1 – With regard to du’a before the adhan, there is no du’a to be recited before the adhan as far as I know. If this time is singled out for any type of du’a, this is a reprehensible innovation (bid’ah). But if it is done by coincidence and accidentally then there is nothing wrong with it.
2 – With regard to before the iqamah, when the muezzin (caller to prayer) is about to start the iqamah, we know of no specific words to be recited at this time. Doing so when there is no solid shar’i (religious legal)evidence is a reprehensible innovation (bid’ah).
3 – With regard to the time between the adhan and iqamah, du’a is encouraged at this time and it is mustahabb (preferred).
It was narrated that Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Du’a is not rejected between the adhan and iqamah, so engage in du’a (supplication).”
(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 212; Abu Dawood, 437; Ahmad, 12174 – this version narrated by him. Classed as saheeh by al-Albani inSaheeh Abi Dawood, 489).
There is a specific du’a to be narrated immediately after the adhan:
It was narrated from Jabir ibn ‘Abd-Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever says when he hears the call to prayer: ‘Allahumma Rabba hadhihi’l-da’wat il-tammah wa’l-salat il-qaimah, ati Muhammadan il waseelata wa’l-fadeelah, wab’athhu maqaman mahmoodan illadhi wa’adtah(O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and the prayer to be offered, grant Muhammad the privilege (of intercession) and also the eminence, and resurrect him to the praised position that You have promised),’ my intercession for him will be permitted on the Day of Resurrection.”
(Narrated by al-Bukhari, 589).
4 – With regard to du’a after the iqamah, we know of no evidence for this. If any specific du’a is made in the absence of any sound evidence, it is an innovation (bid’ah).
5 – With regard to du’a at the time of the adhan, it is Sunnah to repeat what the muezzin is saying, except when he says “Hayya ‘ala’l-salah, hayya ‘ala’l-falah(Come to prayer, come to success),” when you should say ‘La hawla wa la quwwata illa Billah(there is no power and no strength except with Allah).”
It was narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “If the muezzin says ‘Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar’and one of you says, ‘Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar’; then he says ‘Ashhadu an la ilaha ill-Allah’and you say ‘Ashhadu an la ilaha ill-Allah’; then he says, ‘Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasool Allah’ and you say, ‘Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasool Allah’; then he says, ‘Hayya ‘ala’l-salah’ and you say ‘La hawla wa la quwwata illa Billah’; then he says, ‘Hayya ‘ala’l-falah’ and you say ‘La hawla wa la quwwata illa Billah’; then he says, ‘Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar’ and you say, ‘Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar’; then he says ‘La ilaha ill-Allah’ and you say, ‘La ilaha ill-Allah’from the heart, you will enter Paradise.”
(Narrated by Muslim, 385).
6 – With regard to saying du’a at the time of the iqamah, some scholars regard it as being like the adhan, so it is mustahabb to repeat the words. Other scholars do not regard it as mustahabb, because of the weakness of the hadeeth which speaks of repeating the words of the iqamah. These scholars include al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraheem, inal-Fatawa, 2/136, and al-Shaykh al-‘Uthaymeen inal-Sharh al-Mumti’, 2/84.
It is a mistake to say “Aqamaha Allah wa adamaha Allah” when the muezzin says “Qad qamat il-salah,” because the hadeeth narrated concerning this is da’eef (weak).
It was narrated from Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) or from one of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) began to recite the iqamah and when he said, “Qad qamat il-salah,” the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Aqamaha Allah wa adamaha Allaah.” And he said concerning the rest of the iqamah something like what is mentioned in the hadeeth of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) about the adhan.
(Narrated by Abu Dawood, 528. This hadeeth was classed as da’eef (weak) by al-Hafiz ibn Hajar inal-Talkhees al-Habeer, 1/211)
And Allah knows best.

Share

For children, - Hijab for Muslim Men: Lower your Gaze?(Male Hijab, Beautiful Stories for Muslim Men)

Share

"There was a companion of ours in Glasgow who became ill and was hospitalized. He was admitted for three days and on the fourth day the attendant nurse said, "Marry me".
He [the brother in Glasgow] asked, "Why? I am a Muslim, you and I cannot become companions."
She said, "I will become Muslim".
"What's the reason?" it was asked.
She said, "In all my time that I have served in hospitals, except you, I have never seen a man lower his gaze in front of a woman. In my life you are the first person who lowers his gaze when seeing a woman. I come, and you close your eyes. Such great modesty can be taught by none other than a true religion."
The protection of one's gaze entered Islam in her. She testified to the Oneness of Allah (SWT) and became a Muslim. They both got married. By now, the same woman was and is the means of bringing so many other girls and women into Islam.
In a Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (saw) is reported as having said: "And the eyes commit zina (adultery). Their zina is gazing."
The Prophet Muhammad (saw) commanded Imam Ali (as) said: "Ali! Do not look once after another, for the first look is for you (since it happens accidentally) while the second is against you."

Share

Discover Islam, - * The world of Islam

Share

A fifth of humankind follows Islam, the fastest growing and perhaps most misunderstood religion on earth. Faced with a secular modern world, Muslims are turning anew to the roots of their faith.
Borne aloft five times a day, fromShanghaitoChicago,JakartatoTimbuktu, Islam's call to prayer stirs the soul of devout Muslims everywhere. Whether cast from metal loudspeakers over teeming city streets or lifted as the murmured song of camel drivers kneeling in the sand, it begins with the same Arabic phrase Muslims have used for nearly 1400 years, Islam's melodic paean to the Creator: "Allaahu Akbar -- God is Great."
Some 1.3 billion human beings -- one person in five -- heed Islam's call in the modern world, embracing the religion at a rate that makes it the fastest growing on Earth, with 80 percent of believers now outside the Arab world.
The term Islam, is an Arabic word meaning "submission to God," with its etymological roots firmly planted in "salaam", or peace.
Muslims revere all Prophets of God, including Moses and Jesus, may Allaah exalt their mention, and regard the books revealed to these prophets – Torah and Injeel -- as an integral part of their tradition. They disagree with Christians about the divinity of Jesus, may Allaah exalt his mention, but honor him as an especially esteemed Messenger from God. The ultimate Messenger for Muslims is the Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam )may Allaah exalt his mention(.
Born about 570 CE at Makkah, Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was an orphan raised by his grandfather and uncle. He grew up to be a modest and respected businessman who rejected the widespread polytheism of his day and turned to the One God.
At about age 40, Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, retreated to a cave in the mountains outside Makkah to meditate. There, he was visited by the archangel Gabriel, who began reciting to him the Word of God. Until his death 23 years later, Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, passed along these revelations to a growing band of followers, including many who wrote down the words or committed them to memory.
These verses became the Quran, or "recitation," the literal Word of God and confirmation of the real Jewish and Christian Scriptures.
The Quran consists of 114 chapters, and covers everything from the nature of God )Compassionate and Merciful( to laws governing the mundane affairs of men. Among its commands are )what mean(:"Do not usurp one another's property by unjust means"and"Do not kill anyone which God has forbidden."
The Quran is also a source of the pure Arabic language memorized by Muslim school children and recited by Muslim adults on every important occasion.
One of the five pillars of Islam, along with the two testimonies of faith )Shahaadah(, prayer )Salaah(, fasting the month of Ramadan )Sawm(, charity )Zakaah(, the pilgrimage )Hajj( is required of all who can manage it at least once in a lifetime.
By the time the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, passed away in 632 CE, Islam was established throughout the Arabian Peninsula, bringing peace and unity to the tribes for the first time in memory. Within a century of his death the armies of Islam, empowered by faith, had conquered a vast swathe of territory -- stretching fromIndiato the Atlantic coasts ofSpainandPortugal, including North Africa and theMiddle East.
This Islamic world built on the intellectual achievements of other civilizations, sponsoring an explosion of learning unparalleled until the Renaissance.
At a time when Europe was languishing in the early Middle Ages, Muslim scholars and thinkers were giving the world a great center of Islamic learning )Al-Azhar inCairo( and refining everything -- from architecture to the use of numbers. At the same time, seagoing Muslim traders were spreading the faith to southern Asia,Chinaand the east coast ofAfrica.
Flourishing by the end of the first millennium, the realm of Islam was tested as western Europe, spurred by its contact with the Islamic near East, awoke and lashed out, launching a series of armed Crusades to wrest Jerusalem from Muslim control.
Though fragmented and initially overcome, Muslims rallied to ultimately defeat the invading Christian armies, whose blood-soaked legacy -- the indiscriminate killing of thousands of innocent Muslim and Christian Arabs, and the Jews of Jerusalem -- lives on in the minds of people to this day.
As Europe rose to glory during the Renaissance and beyond, the Islamic world continued to thrive after the creation of theOttoman Empirein the late 1200s CE. This powerful state fell at the end of World War I, resulting in the subdivision of its mostly Muslim lands into the Middle Eastern countries we know today.
Although a few Muslim nations are wealthy from oil resources, most are poor and increasingly demoralized by their position in the world. Disaffected and disenfranchised, many people in these societies are turning to Islam to assert their identity and reclaim power over their own lives.
In addition many Muslims, especially in the Arab world, are angry at theUnited States’ continued support ofIsrael, the war and the economic sanctions against ‘Iraq, which are widely perceived to have hit the people of ‘Iraq-- who are fellow Muslims -- right between the eyes.
For most of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims, Islam is a way of life, a discipline based on looking at the world through the eyes of faith.
"Islam gave me something that was lacking in my life," says Jennifer Calvo of Washington, DC.
Calvo is 28 and looks as if she just stepped out of a painting by Botticelli, with aquiline features and striking blue eyes, set off by a white head scarf tucked neatly into her full-length robe. Calvo was raised Catholic and works as a registered nurse.
Two years ago, as people have done for 1,400 years, Jennifer became a Muslim by simply declaring the words: "Laa ilaaha illallaah, Muhammad Rasoolullaah” )There is none worthy of being worshipped except Allaah )God(, and Muhammad is His Messenger(."
"Everything is so much simpler now," she said. "It's just me and God. For the first time in my life I'm at peace."
For Calvo and most Muslims on Earth, that is what Islam's call to prayer represents. Kneeling to God five times a day, in unison, facing Makkah from wherever they happen to be, they find peace in an act of surrender.

Share

Discover Islam, - * The revolutionary role of Islam – I

Share

As a result of ignorance the evil known as the worship of natural phenomena was born in human society. Man attributed divinity to mere creatures. He began to worship all the things in the world, holding them to be gods. Owing to this intellectual aberration, idolatry became a rooted feature of human civilization. Not even the coming of thousands of Prophets and reformers could bring about any change in this state of affairs, in the practical sense. The rejection of the Prophets brought down on the deniers the chastisement of God, butshirk)idolatry( could never be wiped out from society. Then God Almighty took it upon Himself to intervene. One major manifestation of this Divine intervention in human history was the emergence of the Prophet Muhammad, salallaahu alayhi wa sallam. An American encyclopedia has very appropriately described his coming as having “changed the course of human history.”
French historian, Henri Pirenne, has expressed it thus: ‘Islam changed the face of the globe. The traditional order of history was overthrown.”
The Quran, in defining the objective of the divine intervention, has this to say )what means(:"It is He that has sent forth His Prophet with guidance and the true faith, so that he may exalt it above all religions. God is the All-sufficient witness."]Quran 48:28[
This has found expression in ahadithrecorded in Saheeh Al-Bukhaari:"He will not depart from this world as God has decreed, unless and until these people are brought to the straight path."
This shows that, for the Prophets of the past, may Allah exalt their mention, communication alone was required, whereas for the Prophet Muhammad, salallaahu alayhi wa sallam, not just communication but also implementation was required.
The task of the earlier prophets was completed with the full communication of the message to the people. But the Divine plan in sending the Prophet Muhammad, salallaahu alayhi wa sallam, to the world was to bring about a practical revolution. His message could not, therefore, remain at the theoretical stage.
It being beyond human capacity to make the end result a certainty, how was the Prophet’s, salallaahu alayhi wa sallam, message to be translated into reality? It all became possible due to the special Divine succor extended to the Prophet, salallaahu alayhi wa sallam, by God Almighty. This took the form of a Divine plan which had two basic aspects to it: one, to provide the Prophet, salallaahu alayhi wa sallam, with a powerful and trustworthy team, and the other to significantly weaken the enemies of monotheism by means of a special strategy, so that the Prophet, salallaahu alayhi wa sallam, and his companions, may Allaah be pleased with them, could easily dominate their opponents.
The first part of this Divine plan was brought to completion in the form of the settlement of Ismaa’eel, son of Prophet Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt their mention, in the unpopulated desert of Arabia, two thousand five hundred years ago. At that time it was a totally isolated place situated far from the centres of civilization. There, a community was raised by Ismaaeel ibn Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt their mention, trained in the desert atmosphere where there was nothing save nature. As a natural result of this unadulterated atmosphere, )free from all man-made pollution,( the human qualities of the inhabitants of the desert were fully preserved. It was like a vast natural training camp. It took more than two thousand years to evolve a nation of such high calibre as to be called a “nation of heroes” by a western scholar. In the history of the Arabs, this nation is known as the Ismaailites. Despite religious perversion having set in, so distinguished were they in human values—thanks to their particular training—that they had no peers among those who came before or after them.
The Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, one of the distinguished members of the Banu Ismaa’eel, struggled for about thirteen years in Makkah and ten years in Madeenah. Ultimately, more than one hundred thousand people believed in him and joined his mission. Each and every one of his companions, may Allaah be pleased with them, possessed a strong and dependable character. In this way, the Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, in an exceptional way, secured a team by which he could bring the message of the Prophets, may exalt their mention, to fruition—taking the prophetic mission from the theoretical stage of ideology to the practical stage of revolution.
The next part of this Divine plan consisted of weakening these anti-monotheism forces so considerably that the last Prophet might subjugate them and usher in the desired revolution in the very first generation itself. To achieve this end, the Arabian tribes remained engaged for a long period of time in bloody, internecine warfare. Consequently, when the Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, was sent to the world, the idolatrous tribes of Arabia, having so weakened themselves, could not continue their resistance for long. This enabled the Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, to overcome Arabia and root out idolatry completely within a short period of time.
In those days there were two great empires outside of Arabia. These empires kept the major parts of Asia and Africa under their full control. Their power was so great that the Arabs could not even have dreamed of overcoming them. Despite this extremely out of proportion difference, how did it become possible for the Arabs of the very first generation, to conquer both these empires—the Sassanid and Roman—in such a decisive way as to crush them absolutely, resulting in the dominance of monotheism over idolatry throughout this region? This miracle became a reality owing to a special Divine strategy, which is paralleled by the case of the Romans:
Allaah Almighty Says what means:"The Romans have been defeated in a neighbouring land. But after their defeat they shall themselves gain victory within a few years."]Quran, 30:1-3[
History shows that from 602 to 628 A.D., extremely extraordinary events took place between these two great empires.
First, the royal families in the respective countries clashed internally with one another, and in consequence, many individuals of great political worth were killed. In fact, these feuds gave a death blow to these empires, shaking them to the very roots. Subsequently, certain factors led to the destructive collision of these empires with one another. First the armies of the Sassanid empire crossed the border of the Roman empire to attack it. Circumstances proved favourable and they succeeded to the extent that the Roman Emperor Heraclius decided to flee from his Palace in Constantinople. But again, events took a new turn. Heraclius regained his lost confidence and after making full preparations, attacked the Sassanid empire, destroyed their armed forces and penetrated right into the heart of Jerusalem.
These civil wars, lasting for about twenty five years, considerably weakened both these empires. Therefore, during the pious caliphate when the Arab forces entered the Roman and Sassanid empires, they managed to advance with great speed.

Share

Discover Islam, - * The universal Da’wah of Islam

Share

The Da’wah of the Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was not restricted to a particular time or place, rather it was a universal Da’wah; one to last until the end of time.
There is much evidence to substantiate this and some wonderful examples can be found in the Quran. Allaah clarifies the timeless prophetic role of Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in the following verses )which mean(:
"And We have not sent you )O Muhammad( except as a giver of glad tidings and as a warner to all mankind."]Quran 34:28[
"Say )O Muhammad(: 'O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allaah."]Quran 7:158[
"Blessed be He Who sent down the criterion )of right and wrong, i.e., this Quran( to His slave )Muhammad( that he may be a Warner to the 'Aalameen )mankind and Jinn(."]Quran 25:1[
There is a Hadeeth in which the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:"I have been given superiority over the other Prophets in six respects: I have been given words which are concise but comprehensive in meaning; I have been helped by terror )in the hearts of enemies(; spoils have been made lawful to me; the earth has been made for me clean and a place of worship; I have been sent to all of mankind and the line of Prophets is closed with me."]Muslim[
The proof that the Da’wah )call( of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was also for the Jinn is manifested in the statement of Allaah Almighty )which means(:"And )remember( when We sent towards you )O Muhammad ( Nafran )three to ten persons( of the Jinns, )quietly( listening to the Quran. When they stood in the presence thereof, they said: 'Listen in silence!' And when it was finished, they returned to their people, as warners. They said: 'O our people! Verily, we have heard a Book )this Quran( sent down after Moses, confirming what came before it, it guides to the truth and to a Straight Path )i.e., Islam(. O our people, respond )with obedience( to Allaah's caller, and believe in him )i.e., believe in that which Muhammad has brought from Allaah and follow him(. He )Allaah( will forgive you of your sins, and will save you from a painful torment )i.e., Hell-fire(.'"]Quran 46: 29-31[
Thus, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, spread his Da’wah outside of his own people, and indeed, outside the Arab world entirely. The introduction of Islamic Da’wah spread globally after a truce was made with the Quraysh in the treaty of Hudaybiyyah. He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, sent messengers and wrote letters to the various kings of his time. The first of these messengers according to Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy upon him, was ‘Amr ibn ‘Umayyah ad-Dimry, may Allaah be pleased with him, who was sent to Negus, King of Abyssinia )Ethiopia(. He carried a letter, rather an invitation, which stated: "Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allaah, and that we associate no partners with Him; and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allaah. Then, if they turn away, say: "Bear witness that we are Muslims.”
Thus, the king and whoever was with him believed in the message.
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, also sent ‘Abdullaah ibn Huthayfah, may Allaah be pleased with him, to Chosroes, ruler of Persia, with a letter that stated: "In the name of Allaah, the Beneficent, the Most Merciful, from Muhammad, Messenger of Allaah to Chosroes, Shah of Persia. Peace be upon those who follow the truth, who believe in Allaah and His Prophet and who testify that there is no divinity but Allaah and that Muhammad is His Messenger. I call you with the Call of Allaah, because I am His Messenger, sent that I may give warning to him who is living, and that the Word )charge( may be justified against the disbelievers, that if they do not accept His Message, they must live with the consequence. Become Muslim and you will be safe. If you refuse, then upon you is the sin of the Magians."
When Chosroes read this, he tore the letter up, so the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "May Allaah also tear up his kingdom."
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, also wrote a letter to Heraclius, the ruler of the Byzantine, in which he said: "In the name of Allaah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. This letter is from Muhammad the slave of Allaah and His Messenger to Heraclius, the ruler of the Byzantine. Peace be upon those who follow the right path. Furthermore, I invite you to Islam and if you become a Muslim you will be safe, and Allaah will double your reward, and if you reject this invitation of Islam you will be committing a sin by misguiding your subjects. And I recite to you Allaah's statement )which means(:"Say )O Muhammad(: 'O people of the Scripture: Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allaah, and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allaah.’ Then, if they turn away, say: ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’"]Quran 3:64[
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, similarly sent numerous messages to other kings, each conveying an identical meaning as those above.
These letters re-affirm an understood reality – that Islam is a universal religion, for all creation. Thus, it was a duty upon the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, to convey the pure message of Islam, calling everyone he knew, by every means available at that time with beautiful preaching in its purest form.

Share

Menstruation and Post-Natal bleeding, - Dought& clear, - * The discharge which is passed continuously by a woman does not have any effect on the fast

Share

Please tell me if a transparent fluid like water is excreted which becomes white coloured after drying is our fast and prayer valid? is ghusl farz on us or not.please please tell me because i pass this thing alot and find it on my underwear and i do ghusl 2 or 3 times a day to make my fast and prayer valid.plz tell me whatis this and what should i do.
Praise be to Allaah.
This kind of discharge is passed a great deal by women. It is taahir (pure) and not naajis (impure), and there is no need to do ghusl because of it. All it does is invalidate wudoo’.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about it and he replied:
After researching the matter, it seems to me that the discharge that is passed by women, if it does not come from the bladder but rather from the womb, then it is taahir…
This is the ruling on this discharge with regard to tahaarah (purity) – it is taahir and does not make the clothes or the body naajis.
With regard to wudoo’, the ruling is that it invalidates wudoo’, unless it is continual, in which case it does not invalidate wudoo’, but the woman should not do wudoo’ for each prayer until after the time for the prayer has begun, and she has to use a pad.
But if it starts and stops, and it usually stops at the time of prayer, then she should delay the prayer until the time when it stops, so long as there is no fear that the time for prayer will end. If she fears that she will miss the prayer, then she should do wudoo, use a pad and pray. It makes no difference if there is a little or a lot, because it is all coming from the front passage so a little or a lot invalidates wudoo’.
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 11/284
Using a pad means placing a piece of rag or cotton etc in the vagina so that less of this discharge will come out, and to prevent it getting on to the clothes or body.
Based on this, there is no need to do ghusl because of this discharge, and it does not affect the fast. With regard to prayer, wudoo’ must be done for each prayer after the time for the prayer has begun, if the flow is continual.
And Allaah knows best.

Share

Menstruation and Post-Natal bleeding, - Dought& clear, - * She gets a sticky white discharge before her period and a week afterwards

Share

One or two days before my period comes, I get a sticky white discharge, and again a week after the period ends. What is the ruling on praying and fasting on these days? Do I have to repeat wudoo’ for minor impurity only or for major impurity?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
This sticky white substance comes under the same ruling as other secretions, and is subject to further discussion.
If it is continuous, then it comes under the same ruling as urinary incontinence, so you have to do wudoo’ for each prayer after the time for it begins, and these discharges will not matter after that, even if that happens during prayer.
If it is not continuous, then there is a difference of opinion as to whether it invalidates wudoo’. The majority of scholars are of the view that it does invalidate wudoo’, but some of the scholars are of the view that it does not invalidate it, because there is no evidence to that effect. But to be on the safe side, one should follow the view of the majority.
Secondly:
This discharge is taahir (pure) according to the most correct view, so there is no need to wash them off one’s clothes. This is the view of Abu Haneefah and Ahmad, and it is one of the two views narrated from al-Shaafa’i, and was regarded as correct by al-Nawawi.
This view was also favoured by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen. (May Allaah have mercy on them all.)
He said inal-Sharh al-Mumti’(1/329): If these discharges come from the vagina, then they are taahir (pure), because they are not waste products of food or drink, so they are not urine. The basic principle is there is no najaasah (impurity) unless evidence is established to that effect. And if a man has intercourse with his wife, he does not have to wash his penis or his garment if anything gets onto them; if it were naajis (impure) then that would imply that maniy (semen) would become naajis, as he result of being contaminated with it. End quote.
See alsoal-Majmoo’(1/406);al-Mughni(2/88).
Thirdly:
These discharges do not affect the fast.
To sum up: you may fast and pray, and you should do wudoo’ when these discharges come, unless they are continuous and last all day, in which case you should do wudoo’ for each obligatory prayer when the time for it begins, and you can pray with this wudoo’ whatever naafil prayers you wish, until the time for the prayer for which you did wudoo’ ends.
And Allaah knows best.

Share

Menstruation and Post-Natal bleeding, - Dought& clear, - * Does a menstruatingwoman have to change her clothes once her period ends?

Share

Does a menstruating woman have to change her clothes after her period ends, if no blood or najaasah (impurity) has gotten on them?.
Praise be to Allaah.
She does not have to do that, because menses does not make the body naajis (impure); rather menstrual blood only makes naajis what it touches. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined women, if any menstrual blood gets on their clothes, to wash them and pray in their garments.

Share

For children, - Hejab Stories: Science Behind the Veil (Hijab, Hejab)(Beautiful Stories for Muslim Women)

Share

There are number of health and moral benefits that wearing the veil (Hijab, Hejab) can provide. The moral duty of wearing the veil (Hijab, Hejab) in Islam is an often discussed topic among Muslim women. However, little has been written about scientific reasons that the veil (Hijab, Hejab) is beneficial for society. There are, in fact, a number of health benefits that wearing the veil can provide, as well as many behavioral science studies that suggest that the veil (Hijab, Hejab) is the best attire (clothes) for women.
Protecting the head is very important from a health perspective. Results Of medical tests show that 40-60% of body heat is lost through the head, so persons wearing head coverings during cold months are protected about fifty-percent more than those who do not. Chinese and Muslim medical texts take this concept even further. In the Hua Di Nei Jing (The Yellow Emperor's Classic on Internal Medicine), wind is said to cause sudden changes within the body and shaking, swaying and other movements that potentially upset the body's equilibrium; thus, creating bad health.
These texts attribute the common cold to wind elements entering the body and causing the typical symptoms of sneezing and a Runny nose. In the traditional Islamic medical texts of Al-Jawziyya, we can find numerous references to the "four elements" of fire, water, air and earth and how these affect the body in adverse ways. In particular, we are advised to stay away from drafts and protect our heads in wind, breezes, drafts and cold weather.
All outdoor workers should wear some sort of head covering:
For this reason, protecting the head is even more important in warm weather. V.G. Rocine, a prominent brain research specialist, has found that brain Phosphorus melts at 108 degrees; a temperature that can be easily reached if one stays under the hot sun for any length of time without a head covering. When this happens, irreversible brain damage, memory loss and loss of some brain functions can result. Although this example is extreme, Brain damage can still be measured in small degrees from frequent exposure to and overheating of the head. Bernard Jensen, a naturopath and chiropractor states that this is because the brain runs on the mineral phosphorus, which is very affected by heat.
Hygienic Purposes:
All public should wear a veil (Hijab, Hejab) or head-covering workers serving society to ensure cleanliness and purity. Workers in a number of professions wear "veils" - nurses, fast food workers, and deli Counter workers, restaurant workers and servers, doctors, health care providers and many more. In fact, when we compare the number of workers who cover their heads to the number who do not, we find that more people probably cover their heads than do not.
Female Psychological Balance:
Covering the hair can also have a beneficial effect on the female psyche as well. Studies of women being interviewed for jobs show that there is a high correlation between what they wear and their perceptions of how successful they will be in their interviews. There are many more examples of how what we wear can influence how we act.
Wearing a veil (Hijab, Hejab) can serve to remind women of their religious duties and behavioral expectations. It can also serve as a reminder to women that we are not only individuals, but also representatives and diplomats of our "Ummah."

Share

Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * How was prayer first prescribed?

Share

I have heard that during the early years of islam, muslims were told to perform 40 prayers a day, but this was cut down by 5 each time ALLAH (S.W.T) knew this was unachievable by majority of muslims until their were only 5 salat a day were left. is this because ALLAH (S.W.T) has shown us mercy?.
Praise be to Allaah.
What you have heard about the prayer is not correct. The correct version is that Allaah initially – on the night of the Mi’raaj when our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was taken up into heaven – enjoined fifty prayers to be performed night and day. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) kept asking his Lord to reduce it until it became five prayers to be offered night and day. But Allaah decreed the reward of fifty prayers for these five, so whoever prays five prayers will receive the reward of fifty prayers.
It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik said: Abu Dharr narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The roof of my house was split open when I was in Makkah, and Jibreel (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came down and split open my chest and washed it with Zamzam water. Then he brought a golden vessel filled with wisdom and faith and poured it into my chest, then he sealed it. Then he took me by the hand and ascended with me into the lowest heaven. When I reached the lowest heaven Jibreel said to the gatekeeper, ‘Open up!’ He said, ‘Who is this?’ He said, ‘Jibreel.’ He said, ‘Is there anyone with you?’ He said, ‘Yes, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is with me.’ He said, ‘Has his mission begun?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ And when it was opened we went up into the lowest heaven… Then Allaah enjoined upon my ummah fifty prayers, and I came back until I passed by Moosa who said, ‘What has Allaah enjoined upon your ummah?’ I said, ‘He has enjoined fifty prayers.’ He said, ‘Go back to your Lord, for your ummah will not be able to bear that.’ So I went back and He reduced it. Then I came back to Moosa and said, ‘He has reduced it.’ He said, ‘Go back to your Lord, for your ummah will not be able to bear that.’ So I went back and He reduced it further. Then I came back to Moosa and said, ‘He has reduced it further.’ He said, ‘Go back to your Lord, for your ummah will not be able to bear that.’ So I went back and He said, ‘(The prayers) are five but (the reward) is fifty. The Sentence that comes from Me cannot be changed [cf. Qaaf 50:29].’ Then I went back to Moosa and he said, ‘Go back to your Lord.’ But I said, ‘I feel shy before my Lord.’…”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 342; Muslim, 163
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said:
What is meant is that they are five with regard to what is to be done, but they are fifty with regard to the reward.
Fath al-Baari, 1/463
And Allaah knows best.

Share

Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * He became Muslimat the time of prayer; should he make up what came before it?

Share

If a person becomes Muslim at the time of prayer, does he have to make up what came before it?.
Praise be to Allaah.
He does not have to make up what came before it, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease (from disbelief), their past will be forgiven”
[al-Anfaal 8:38].
i.e., if they give up their kufr and become Muslim, then Allaah will forgive them their previous sins, whether these were sins of neglecting obligatory duties or doing haraam acts. But he must offer the prayer at the time of which he became Muslim, if there remained enough time to do one rak’ah or more, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever catches up with a rak’ah of the prayer has caught up with the prayer.”
As for the prayers that came before, he does not have to make them up, such as if he became Muslim after ‘Asr, he has to make up ‘Asr, but he does not have to make up Zuhr, because the time for it had ended. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him).

Share

Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Times when it is forbidden to pray

Share

Can you please tell me what are the forbidden times of prayers in a day.
Praise be to Allaah.
There are times when it is forbidden to pray. They are as follows:
From dawn until sunrise
From sunrise until the sun has risen to the height of a spear above the horizon; nowadays this is regarded as equivalent to twelve minutes after sunrise, but to be on the safe side one should make it a quarter of an hour.
When the sun is overhead at noon, until it has passed its zenith
From ‘Asr prayer until sunset
When the sun starts to set until it is completely set
These times may be summed up more briefly as follows:
From dawn until the sun has risen to the height of a spear
When it is directly overhead at noon until it has passed its zenith
From ‘Asr prayer until the sun has set completely.
When we say from dawn, we mean that one should not offer voluntary prayers after the adhaan of Fajr except the Sunnah of Fajr. This is the view of the Hanbalis. The Shaafa’is are of the view that the prohibition has to do with Fajr prayer itself, so it is not forbidden to offer voluntary prayers between the adhaan and iqaamah, rather it is forbidden to offer voluntary prayers after offering the obligatory prayer of Fajr.
This is the more correct view, but one should not offer any voluntary prayer after dawn apart from the two Sunnah rak’ahs of Fajr, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) only prayed two brief rak’ahs after dawn had broken.
Seeal-Sharh al-Mumti’by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 4/160.
This is indicated by the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (547) and Muslim (1367) from Ibn ‘Abbaas, who said: Some trustworthy men bore witness in my presence, the most trustworthy of whom in my view was ‘Umar, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade praying after Fajr until the sun had risen and after ‘Asr until the sun had set.”
Al-Bukhaari (548) and Muslim (1371) narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When the top edge of the sun has risen, then delay praying until it has risen above the horizon, and when the lower part of the sun has set, delay praying until it is fully set.”
Al-Bukhaari (551) narrated that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “There is no prayer after Fajr until the sun has risen fully, and no prayer after ‘Asr until the sun has set.”
Muslim (1373) narrated that ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir al-Juhani said: “There are three times at which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade us to pray or to bury our dead: when the sun has clearly started to rise until it is fully risen, when it is directly overhead at midday until it has passed its zenith, and when the sun starts to set until it has fully set.”
And Allaah knows best.

Share

Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * How was prayer first prescribed?

Share

I have heard that during the early years of islam, muslims were told to perform 40 prayers a day, but this was cut down by 5 each time ALLAH (S.W.T) knew this was unachievable by majority of muslims until their were only 5 salat a day were left. is this because ALLAH (S.W.T) has shown us mercy?.
Praise be to Allaah.
What you have heard about the prayer is not correct. The correct version is that Allaah initially – on the night of the Mi’raaj when our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was taken up into heaven – enjoined fifty prayers to be performed night and day. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) kept asking his Lord to reduce it until it became five prayers to be offered night and day. But Allaah decreed the reward of fifty prayers for these five, so whoever prays five prayers will receive the reward of fifty prayers.
It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik said: Abu Dharr narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The roof of my house was split open when I was in Makkah, and Jibreel (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came down and split open my chest and washed it with Zamzam water. Then he brought a golden vessel filled with wisdom and faith and poured it into my chest, then he sealed it. Then he took me by the hand and ascended with me into the lowest heaven. When I reached the lowest heaven Jibreel said to the gatekeeper, ‘Open up!’ He said, ‘Who is this?’ He said, ‘Jibreel.’ He said, ‘Is there anyone with you?’ He said, ‘Yes, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is with me.’ He said, ‘Has his mission begun?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ And when it was opened we went up into the lowest heaven… Then Allaah enjoined upon my ummah fifty prayers, and I came back until I passed by Moosa who said, ‘What has Allaah enjoined upon your ummah?’ I said, ‘He has enjoined fifty prayers.’ He said, ‘Go back to your Lord, for your ummah will not be able to bear that.’ So I went back and He reduced it. Then I came back to Moosa and said, ‘He has reduced it.’ He said, ‘Go back to your Lord, for your ummah will not be able to bear that.’ So I went back and He reduced it further. Then I came back to Moosa and said, ‘He has reduced it further.’ He said, ‘Go back to your Lord, for your ummah will not be able to bear that.’ So I went back and He said, ‘(The prayers) are five but (the reward) is fifty. The Sentence that comes from Me cannot be changed [cf. Qaaf 50:29].’ Then I went back to Moosa and he said, ‘Go back to your Lord.’ But I said, ‘I feel shy before my Lord.’…”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 342; Muslim, 163
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said:
What is meant is that they are five with regard to what is to be done, but they are fifty with regard to the reward.
Fath al-Baari, 1/463
And Allaah knows best.

Share

For children, - Hijab Stories: Flower and Pearl(Beautiful Stories for Muslim Women)

Share

One day, a brilliantly beautiful and fragrant flower with attractive colors met a pearl that lives far in the bottom of the sea and has none of these characteristics. Both got acquainted with each other.
The flower said: "Our family is large; roses and daisies are members of the family. And there are many other species that are various and countless; each has a distinctive scent, appearance etc."
Suddenly, a tinge of distress appeared on the flower. "Nothing accounts for sorrow in your talk; so why are depressed?" The pearl asked.
"Human beings deal with us carelessly; they slight us. They don't grow us for our sake but to get pleasure from our fragrance and beautiful appearance. They throw us on the street or in the garbage can after we are dispossessed of the most valuable properties; brilliance and fragrance."
The flower sighed. And then the flower said to the pearl: "Speak to me about your life! How do you live? How do you feel it? You are buried in the bottom of the sea."
The pearl answered: "Although I have none of your distinctive colors and sweet scents, humans think I am precious. They do the impossible to procure me. They go on long journeys, dive deep in the seas searching for me. You might be astounded to know that the further I lay, the more beautiful and brilliant I become.
That's what upraises my value in their thought. I live in a thick shell isolated in the dark seas. However, I'm happy and proud to be in a safe zone far from wanton and mischievous hands and still the humans consider me highly valuable."
Do you know what the flower and the pearl symbolize?
Think, Think, Think...
You will find that: The flower is the unveiled woman (who shows her charms) and the pearl is the veiled woman (who conceals her beauties).

Share