Dought & clear - • They lived under Communist rule and did not know anything about praying and fasting; do they have to make it up?.

I am a Muslim woman from Bulgaria. We were living under Communist rule
and we did not know anything about Islam; in fact many acts of worship
were banned. I did not know anything about Islam until I reached the
age of twenty, and after thatI began to adhere to thelaws of Allah.
My question is: do I haveto make up what I missed of prayer and fasting?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We praise Allah for saving you from unjust and oppressive communist
rule after it suppressed the Muslims for more than forty years, during
which mosques were destroyedand some were turned into museums, Islamic
schools were abolished and they strove to change Muslim names and wipe
out Muslim identity.
"but Allâh will not allow except that His Light should be perfected
even though the Kâfirûn (disbelievers) hate (it)" [al-Tawbah 9:32 –
interpretation of the meaning].
Communist rule, with its tyranny and oppression, ended in 1989, to the
great joy of the Muslims, who went back to their ancient mosques,
which they refurbished and renovated. They went back to teaching their
children Qur'aan and thehijab of Muslim women appeared again in the
streets. We ask Allah to bring the Muslims back to their religion in
the best way and to support them and grant them victory and defeat
their enemies.
Secondly:
A generation of Muslims grew up in Bulgaria under the oppression of
Communist rule and theydid not know anything about Islam apart from
the fact that they were Muslims. The communist regime prevented them
from learning Islam and even banned the import of the Holy Qur'aan and
Islamic books into Bulgaria.
Those who did not knowanything about the rulings of Islam and Islamic
worship and other duties are not obliged to make up any of those acts
of worship. If the Muslim was not able to acquire Islamic knowledge
and the rulings of sharee'ah did not reach him, then he isnot obliged
to do anything because Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation
of the meaning):
"Allâh burdens not a person beyond his scope"
[al-Baqarah 2:286].
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
There is no difference of opinion among the Muslims that if a person
was living in dar al-kufr (non-Muslim lands) and he believed but he
was unable to migrate (to a Muslim land), he is not obliged to observe
Islamic rituals and laws that he is unable to; rather he is only
obliged to do what he is able to. The same applies to matters
concerning which he did not know the rulings. If he did not know that
prayer was obligatory for him and he did not pray for a while, he does
not have to make up those prayers according to the more correct of the
two scholarly opinions. This is the view of Abu Haneefah and the
literalists, and it is one ofthe two views of the madhhab of Ahmad.
The same applies to all the other duties such as fasting the month of
Ramadan, paying zakaah, and so on.
If he did not know that alcohol is haraam and hedrank it, then he is
not to be subjected to the hadd punishment, according to Muslim
consensus. They only differed with regard to whether he has to make up
the prayers…
The basic issue with regard to all of this is: are the laws obligatory
for one who did not know them or is it the case that no one is under
any obligation until after he comes to know?
The correct view concerning this matter isthat there is no obligation
to adhere to a ruling unless there is the possibility of acquiring
knowledge thereof, and nothing hasto be made up if it was not known
that it is obligatory. It is proven inal-Saheehthat some ofthe
Sahaabah ate after dawn in Ramadan until they could tell the white
thread apart from the black thread, but the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) did not instruct them to make up those
fasts. Some of them usedto remain in a state of janaabah (impurity
following sexual activity or nocturnal emissions for which ghusl or
full ablution is required) for a while and not pray; they did not know
that itis permissible to pray with tayammum (dry ablution) – as
happened to Abu Dharr, 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab and 'Ammaar. But the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not instruct
anyof them to make up the prayers.
No doubt some Muslims in Makkah and in the wilderness continued to
pray facing towards Jerusalem until news reached them that that had
been abrogated (and the qiblah had been changed to the Ka'bah), but
they were not instructed to repeat those prayers. And there are many
similar examples. This reflects the principle that the early
generation and themajority of scholars followed, namely thatAllah
burdens not a person beyond his scope. Things are only obligatory when
one is able to do them, and thepunishment only applies when one fails
to do something that is enjoined or does something that is forbidden,
after proof has been established. End quote.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 19/225
Based on that, you do not have to make up anyof the acts of worship
that you did not know were obligatory.
Our advice to you is to focus on learning the rulings of Islam and
gaining understanding of the religion; try hard to learn Islam and
followit, and teach the next generation of Muslims, so that they will
be able to face the challenges that face all Muslims, andespecially in
your country.
We ask Allah to cause Islam and the Muslims to prevail.
And Allah knows best.

Perseverance, Persistenceand Determination Story - Never Give Up(Perseverance in Islam)

In 1867, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an
idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long
Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought
that this was an impossible feat and told John Roebling toforget the
idea. It just could not be done. It wasnot practical. It had neverbeen
done before.
John Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this
bridge.He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart
that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone
else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his
son Washington Roebling, an up and coming engineer,that the bridge in
fact could be built.
Working together for thefirst time, the father and son developed
concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could
be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness
of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew andbegan to
build their dream bridge.
The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a
tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington
Roebling was injured andleft with a certain amount of brain
damage,which resulted in him notbeing able to walk or talkor even
move.
"We told them so. Crazy men and their crazy dreams. It's foolish to
chase wild visions."
Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project
should be scrapped since the John Roebling were the only ones who knew
how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington
Roebling was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to
complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.
Washington Roebling tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to
some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay
on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through
the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and
he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just
a moment.
It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an
idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to
make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of
communication with his wife Emily.
Washington Roebling touched his wife's arm with that finger,
indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then
heused the same method oftapping her arm to tell the engineers what to
do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
For 13 years Washington Roebling tapped out his instructions with his
finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed in
1883.Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands inall its glory as a
tribute tothe triumph of one man'sindomitable spirit and
hisdetermination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a
tribute to the engineers and their team work, andto their faith in a
man who was considered madby half the world. It stands too as a
tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long
years patiently decoded the messages of her husbandWashington Roebling
and told the engineers what to do.
Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude
that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible
goal.
Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles
seemvery small in comparison to what many others have to face. The
Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be
realized with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds
are.
Even the most distant dream can be realized with persistence and determination.

Jihad in Islam: The Cage Bird's Escape(Story of Heroism, Jihad Story, Struggle Stories)

Once upon a time, there was a bird in a cage who sang for her merchant
owner. He took delight inher song day and night, and was so fond of
her that he served her water in a golden dish. Before he left for a
business trip,he asked the bird if she had a wish: "I will go through
the forest whereyou were born, past the birds of your old
neighborhood. What message should I take forthem?"
The bird said, "Tell them Isit full of sorrow in a cage singing my
captive song. Day and night, my heart is full of grief. I hope it will
not be long before I see my friends again and fly freely through the
trees. Bring me a message from the lovely forest, that will set my
heart at ease. Oh, I yearn for my Beloved, to fly with Him, and spread
my wings. Until then there is no joy for me, and I am cut off from all
of life's sweet things."
The merchant travelled on his donkey through the dense forest. He
listened to the melodies of many birds. When the merchant reached the
forest where his bird came from, he stopped, pushed his hood back, and
said, "O you birds! Greetings to you all from my pretty bird locked in
her cage. She sends tidings of her love to you and wants to tell of
her plight. She asks for a reply that will ease her heart.
My love for her keeps hercaptive with bars all around her. She wants
tojoin her beloved and singher songs through the airwith a free heart,
but I would miss her beautiful songs and cannot let her go."
All the birds listened to the merchant's words. Suddenly one bird
shrieked and fell from a tree brunch to the ground. The merchant froze
to the spot where he stood. Nothing could astound him more than this
did. One bird had fallen down dead!
The merchant continued on to the city and traded his goods. At last he
returned to his home. He did not know what to tellhis bird when she
asked what message he had brought. He stood beforeher cage and said,
"Oh, nothing to speak of no, no,"
The bird cried, "I must know at once."
I do not know what happened," said the merchant. "I told them your
message. Then, one of them fell down dead."
Suddenly the merchant's bird let out a terrible shriek and fell on her
head to the bottom of the cage.
The merchant was horrified. He wept in despair, "Oh, what have I
done?" He cried, "What Have I done? Now my life means nothing. My
moonhas gone and so has my sun. Now my own bird is dead."
Merchant opened the cage door, reached in, and took her into his hands
gently and carefully. "I will have to bury her now," he said;"poor
thing is dead."
Suddenly, the moment hehad lifted the bird out of the cage, she
swooped up, flew out of the window and landed on the nearest roof
slope. She turned to him and said, gratefully, "Thank you, merchant
master, for delivering my message. That bird's reply instructed me how
to win my freedom. All I had to do was to be dead. I gained my freedom
when I chose to die."
"So now I fly to my beloved who waits for me. Good-bye, good-bye, my
master no longer.""My bird was wise; she taught me secret," the
merchant reflected.
Moral:If you want to be with the ones you love, you must be ready to
give up everything, even life itself. And then, by Allah (SWT), you
will win your heart's desire.

Biographies - Imam Bukhari

Who is not aware of HadhratImam Bukhari(R.A) and his kitaab 'Saheehul- Bukhari'?
However in this present day, the majority of Muslims use his kitaab to
refer to whenever in need of a supporting reference for their actions
or deeds without the knowledge of the lifeof the great author.
The famous and respected Muhaddith,Imam Bukhari's (R.A) genealogy is
as follows: Mohammed Ibn Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn Mugheera Ibn
Bardizbah.
His father Ismail was a well-known and famous Muhaddith in his time
and had been blessed with the chance of being in the company of Imam
Malik, Hammad Ibn Zaid and also Abdullah Ibn Mubarak (R.A.).
Imam Bukhari(R.A) was born on the blessed day of Friday 13 Shawwaal
194 (A.H). He had lost the use of his eyes in the early stages of his
childhood. However, due to the pious and lengthy prayers of his mother
his eyesight was returned miraculously. The news had reached his
mother through a dream in which Hadhrat Ibrahim (A.S) had appeared and
said, "Due to your bountiful and sacred prayers Allah Ta'alaa has
returned the eyesight of your son."
The dream was proven tobe true in the morning.
Ismail the father of Imam Bukhari (R.A) had died in Imam Bukhari's
childhood, leaving him inthe care of his mother where he was nourished
with love and care. At theage of sixteen after having memorized the
compiled books of Imam Waki and Abdullah Ibn Mubarak, he performed Haj
with his elder brotherand mother. After the completion of Haj Imam
Bukhari remained in Makkahfor a further two years and upon reaching
the age of eighteen headed for Medinah, andspent his nights next to
the grave of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallamcompiling the books
of 'Qadhaayas-Sahaabah Wat-Taabi'een' and 'Taareekhul-Kabeer' withthe
moonlight as a meansof lighting.
Imam Bukhari (R.A) traveled a great deal in order to expand his
knowledge. He made twotrips to Syria and Egypt and stayed six years in
Arabia. He also happenedto return to Kufa, Baghdad and Basra four
times and at times remained there for a period of five years. Also at
Haj season he used to return to Makkah.
Imam Bukhari ( R.A) first started listening and learning ahaadeeth in
205 A.H., and after profiting from the Ulamaa of his town he started
his travels in 210 A.H. There are a great number of teachers from whom
Imam Bukhari (R.A) actually gained his much respected knowledge. It
has been known to be said by Imam Bukhari (R..A) himself that, "I have
written ahaadeeth from 1080 different people all of whom were
scholars." However, he profited most from Ishaq Ibn Rahway and Ali Ibn
Madeeni (R.A). Imam Bukhari (R.A) has narrated ahaadeeth fromUlamaa of
five different categories. He has also narrated ahaadeeth fromhis
students believing in the fact that no person shall be titled a
scholar ofahaadeeth until he has narrated from his elders, youngsters
and contemporaries.
Imam Bukhari (R.A) also had a vast amount of students. It has been
stated that approximately 9 000 people were privileged to sit in his
lessons wherehe taught his Kitab 'Sahih-Ul-Bukhari'. There were
travelers amongst these from all corners of the world in order to
jointhese pious sittings and to be honoured with a glimpse of the
knowledge that he held and which never failed toastonish anybody.
Memory
Imam Bukhari's (R.A) memory was considered to be inhuman, for as soon
as the praying of a hadith would finish Imam Bukhari (R.A) would
repeat it orally. It has been known that in his childhood he had
memorized 2 000 ahaadeeth.
There is one spectacular incident which took place in Baghdad when
Imam Bukhari (R.A) took up temporary residence there. The people
having heard of his many accomplishments, and the attributes which
were issued to him, decided to test him so as to make him prove
himself to them. In order to do that they chose onehundred different
ahaadeeth and changing the testimonials and the text of the ahaadeeth
they were then recited by ten people to Imam Bukhari (R.A).
There was a crowd of gathered people from within and outside the city
to witness the outcome of such a test. When the ahaadeeth were recited
Imam Bukhari (R.A) replied to all in one manner, "Not to my
knowledge." However, after the completion of all the ahaadeeth Imam
Bukhari(R.A) repeated each text and testimonial which had been changed
followed by the correct text and testimonial, suchwas the memory of
ImamBukhari (R.A).
Abstinence
His abstinence was also an attribute which was incomparable and
undauntless. He had beenleft a considerable amount of wealth by his
father however, due to his generosity he spent it all in the path of
Allah so that at the end he had been left with no money forcing him to
spend his day on one or two almonds.
He never took advantage from the generosity of any king or ruler,
although many occasionsarose. Once he fell ill and when his urine was
tested, the results showed that he had not consumed curry for a long
time. Upon questioning he said, "I have not consumed curryfor the last
forty years.
The Governor of Bukhara made a special request for Imam Bukhari (R.A)
tomake daily visits to his home in order to teach his children. Imam
Bukhari (R.A) declined stating that, "I give greater respect to
knowledge rather than to people, for it is they who are in need of the
knowledge and it is they who should seek it."
Upon hearing this the Governor was further annoyed by Imam Bukhari's
(R.A) answer and made a second request that Imam Bukhari (R.A) make a
special arrangement to teach his children alone without anyone else
being present which was also refused by Imam Bukhari (R.A). The
Governor was infuriated by the second refusal andordered Imam Bukhari
(R.A) out of Bukhara. The people of Samarqand hearing of this quickly
issued an invitation to Imam Bukhari (R.A) to come to their town.
However, there was also a difference of opinion within the people of
Samarqand which forced Imam Bukhari (R.A) to turn towards Khartang.
It was here that he spent the month of Ramadaan and in the month of
Shawwaal headed towards Samarqand, where death found him whilst he was
traveling. Imam Bukhari died in themonth of Shawwaal 256 A.H., at the
age of 62.
(To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.)
Writings
There are a number of books compiled by Imam Bukhari (R.A) however,
Bukhari Shareef has gained great esteem and a high status in the
learning and praying of ahaadeeth.
A specific date has not been known as to when he had started the
writing of Bukhari Shareef, however, we do know that after he had
finished he had shown the manuscript to his teachers Imam Ahmad Ibn
Hanbal (R.A) for approval who died in 241A.H, along with Ibnul-Madeeni
who died in 234A.H, and lastly Ibn Maeen who passed away in 233 A.H.
It has also been recorded that it took the noble writer a period of 16
years to gather the ahaadeeth and to write Bukhari Shareef which sets
the date back to 217 A.H, as the year in which he started the
compilation; Imam Bukhari (R.A) being merely 23 years of age.
Before Imam Bukhari (R.A) had started to collect ahaadeeth there had
actually been quite afew published books of ahaadeeth in which Imam
Bukhari (R.A) foundahaadeeth of both weak and strong testimonials,
which gave him the idea to compile such a kitaab containing ahaadeeth
of only strong testimonials. Ishaaq Ibn Rahway (R.A) agreed to this
idea whichstrengthened Imam Bukhari's (R.A) decision.
Imam Bukhari (R.A) states, "There was once a time during one of our
sessions when my teacher Ishaaq Ibn Rahway remarked it would be
appreciated if someone could collect ahaadeeth which held strong and
reliable testimonials and write them in the form of a kitaab." This
inspired Imam Bukhari (R.A) which was later strengthened by a dreamin
which Imam Bukhari (R.A) was positioned in front of the Prophet
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallamwith a fan in one hand toaid him in ridding
the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam of all flies which would rest
upon him. Upon waking, Imam Bukhari (R.A) visited several interpreters
for an appropriate interpretation. They all answered that it meant he
would in future cleanse the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallamof all
lies spoken by the people through narrating misunderstood ahaadeeth.
This gave Imam Bukhari (R.A) great comfort and strength once he
started the writing of his kitab Al-Jame-ul-Sahih. The complete name
of the kitaab is 'Al-Jame-ul-Sahih-al-Musnad-min-ahaadeethe-Rasulillah
Sallallahu AlaihiWasallam-wa-sunanihi-wa-Ayyaamihi,' which means a
collected versionof ahaadeeth in the form of a kitaab which relates to
us the sayings, actions and the life of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam.
Imam Bukhari (R.A) had taken great care in writing the ahaadeeth and
choosing those which met the standards and conditions which he set to
find ahaadeeth with only strong testimonials which included only
reliable and trustworthy testifiers. He spent 16 years in writing the
kitaab, altering it a total of three times. Allaamah Ayni (R.A.)
reports of Ibn Tahir's remark that Imam Bukhari had written
Sahih-ul-Bukhari in his hometown Bukhara. Ibn Bujair however, relates
that he had started his compiling in Makkah, and some have reported of
seeing him in Basra. There is still another differing remark made by
others who comment on seeing him in Madinahto write his kitaab.
However, we find Imam Bukhari (R.A) relating himself that he wrote
Sahih-ul-Bukhari in Masjid-e-Haraam.
Before he actually placed a hadith in his compilation he used to
perform ghusl and prayed to Allah through two rakah nafl prayers
asking for guidance. Imam Bukhari ( R.A) worked such that only after
being completely satisfied with the hadith in question did he give it
a place in his kitaab. Due to this great care which was taken, the
people were heard to say that the ahaadeeth which Imam Bukhari (R.A)
has narrated have been so carefully phrased and with such precision
that it is felt Imam Bukhari (R.A) had heard the ahaadeeth directly
through the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
Abu Zaid Marwazi reportsthat I was once asleep in between the 'Black
stone'and 'Maqaam-e-Ibrahim' when the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallamappeared in my dream he stated, "O Abu Zaid! For how long
shall you teach Imam Shafi's (R.A) kitaab ? When shall you start the
teaching of my kitaab ?"
I questioned, "O Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam! Which kitaab is
yours?" He replied, "Mohammed Ibn Ismail's Al-Jame-ul-Sahih."
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (R.A) reports that Imam Bukhari (R.A) has kept it of
utmost importance to only narrate ahaadeeth of a strong testimonial
which can be proven by the name of the kitaab. However, along with
this Imam Bukhari (R.A) also made an effort to explainall points which
are difficult to understand, which is the reason why he has given a
plentiful host of meanings for one sentence which may include a word
that is in reality difficult to understand. Imam Bukhari (R.A) has
included within his kitaab the art of narrating ahaadeeth which have
been dividedinto eight different chapters. These chapters contain
subjects which have been sub-titled and are famous for the ingenious
way in which they have been phrased.
Imam Bukhari (R.A) has imposed conditions which all narrators and
testifiers must meet before the hadith can be selected. One condition
requires that all testifiers must have a strong memory.
There are also restrictions made upon this condition :
1. All the Muhadditheen who possess great knowledge of ahaadeethmust
agree upon the testifiers' in question ability to learn and memorize,
along with hisreporting techniques.
2. The testimonial must be complete without any missing testifiers.
3. If there are two different narrators of a hadith related to them
bya Sahaabi then the hadith shall be given a high stage in rank.
However, if only one narrator can be found and the testimonial proves
to be a strong onethen this shall be accepted without any doubts.
Allaamah Nawawi (R.A) relates that all scholars inIslam have agreed
that Sahih-ul-Bukhari has earnestly gained the reward of being the
mostauthentic after the Holy Qur'an.
Sahih-ul-Bukhari consists of 7 275 ahaadeeth including those ahaadeeth
which have been repeated. However,should the repeated ahaadeeth be
excluded then the total number of ahaadeeth will be 4,000.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar counted the ahaadeeth and concluded that there was7
397 where the ahaadeeth have been passed down from the Prophet
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam directly and with the narrations of Sahabah
or Tabi'een etc.; procuring a total of 9 407ahaadeeth in all. Although
after excluding the repetitions he found 2 353 narrations of the
Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam and 160 sayings of the respected
Sahabah totaling to 2 513narrations in all.
Bukhari Shareef has beenset apart from other compilations, gaining a
distinctive honour due tothe following reasons :
1. Whilst Imam Bukhari (R.A) was engaged in the writing of Bukhari
Shareef, if the need aroseto stop work for a periodof time, then he
would continue his work only after writing 'Bismillah' which is the
reason why 'Bismillah' has been foundto be written in between in many
places.
2. At the end of all chapters Imam Bukhari (R.A) has concluded by use
of a word within the sentence so as to give one a point to ponder upon
and hopefully so that one becomes more aware of the primary objective
of life. e.g. afterthe first chapter he has included a word which
brings one to think of their short life in this world and of their
death.His intention is that one reads Kitaabe-Bukhari with death in
mind.
3. Imam Bukhari (R.A) haspaid great attention towards the beginning
and ending his kitaab with an appropriate hadith. For the first hadith
narrated within the kitaab is based upon intention which gives one the
opportunity to be sincere with himself as to what he intends to gain
from studying the words of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallamwhich
have been narrated throughout the kitaab. Also the last chapter which
Imam Bukhari (R.A) has chosen to end his kitaab with is
'Kitaab-ul-Tauheed' which gives one a whole host of words which may be
said in order to praise the oneness of Allah; for it is this which is
believedto be the sole aid for all humans when they shall find
themselves in the unbearable position of being reckoned for their sins
on the Day of Judgment.
Hadhrat Shaikh Moulana MuhammadZakariyya (R.A) has summed up the above
in these words," Imam Bukhari (R.A) has commenced his kitaab with the
hadeeth ' Innamal Aamaal….' and concluded it with 'Kalimataan.