Ramadan Articles - A program for the Blessed Month of Ramadan

Question:
In the Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Ever Merciful
Praise be to Allaah and may His blessings and peace be upon His Messenger.
Dear brothers, I greet youwith the greeting of Islam: Assalaamu Alaykum,
Allaah The Almighty Says)what means(: }The month of Ramadan ]is that[
in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for the people and clear
proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights ]the new moon of[
the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on ajourney - then
an equal number of other days. Allaah Intends for you ease and does
not intendfor you hardship and]wants[ for you to complete the period
and to glorify Allaah for that]to[ which He has guided you; and
perhaps you will be grateful.{ ]Quran 2: 185[
I am a member of a Da'wah committee at a Masjid. I have been entrusted
with setting a program for how to spend the last ten nights of Ramadan
in worship. The night starts from 11:00 pm to 4:00 am. I want my
Muslim brothersto benefit me with their suggestions and thus I
consulted this blessed website. I ask Allaah The Almighty to help us
devote all our deeds to His sake and to accept them.
I want to make two tables, one for the even-numbered days: 22,24, 26,
28 and another for the odd-numbered days: 21, 23, 25 and 29.
A question may arise: Why should there be twotables? The answer is
that the efforts in worship during the odd nights should be greater.It
was reported from the Messenger of Allaahthat the Night of Al-Qadr is
sought during the odd nights. Another question may arise: Why is the
27th night of Ramadan not included within the odd-numbered nights? The
answer is that we want a specific program for this night. It was
reported that it is most likely the Night of Al-Qadr.
Please advise and do not deprive yourselves of thisgreat reward,
especially during the blessed month of Ramadan, the month of mercy,
forgiveness, admittance to Paradise, and salvation from Hell.
May Allaah bless and reward you!
Answer:
In the Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Ever Merciful
Dear brother, Assalaamu 'Alaykum,
For the righteous deeds to be accepted by Allaah The Almighty, the
most important two conditions are dedicating these deeds solely for
the sake of Allaah The Almighty and keenness to follow the example and
guidance ofthe Prophet. This means that the accepted righteous deed is
that which is dedicated to Allaah The Almighty and is done according
to the guidance of the Prophet. This is the way the righteous
predecessors understood the verse in which Allaah The Almighty Says
)what means(: }]He[ who created death and life to test you ]as to[
which of you is best in deed.{ ]Quran 67: 2[ Allaah The Almighty did
not say, "to test you ]as to[ which of you is more in deed." What
counts here is the quality of deeds. So, little deeds will be enough
for you provided that you offer them with full sincerity to Allaah The
Almighty. The best deed is that which is the most sincereand the
soundest. On the other hand, when one is able to do many righteous
deeds while fulfilling sincerity and compliance with the guidance of
the Prophetthis is actually a great and praiseworthy achievement.
There is no doubt that a person gets more active when he is with
others who are active. Therefore, the wise Sharee'ah )Islamic
legislation( made the religious obligations communal. When these
religious obligations are communal, they are performed easily. Prayer
is performed in congregation, one performs Hajj along with his Muslim
brothers, all the people fast together, one is strengthened by his
brothers when performing Jihaad, etc. Thus, we hope that your benefit
will be great through this congregation. You should focus on teaching
sincerity, being mindful of Allaah The Almighty as well as other
topics on self-purification.
We hope that the program dedicates some moments to seclusion when each
one stays alone in order to reckon himself and renew his repentance.
We also hope that you often repeat the Hadeeth)narration( in which the
Prophetsays:"Intentions are what count in deeds." This Hadeeth is a
criterion for the inner deeds. Also, there is the Hadeeth in which the
Prophetsaid: "Whoever does something )of worship( away from our
matter, it will be rejected." The lastHadeeth is a criterion for
apparent deeds.
We hope that the program includes the following:
1- Lessons and lecturesfor scholars. That is because knowledge
precedes action and one scholar is harder for the devil than a
thousand devoted worshippers.
2- Keenness to perform the obligatory acts of worship and taking
care of that. Allaah The Almighty does not accept the voluntary act of
worship unless the obligatory one is done.
3- Moderation in worship, for Allaah The Almighty never gets
tired)of giving reward( but you will get tired )of excessive worship(.
Thus, the Prophetadvised us: "Perform such acts that you are capable
of doing."
4- Keeping some acts of obedience hidden as asecret between the
slave and his Lord.
5- Intensifying the act of seeking forgiveness, especially after
performing the righteousdeed. This is to avoid self-conceit.
6- Diversifying the actsof obedience: It is not necessary to
spend the whole night in prayer. Rather, these nights are allocated
for different types of righteous deeds.
7- Being acquainted with the degrees of deeds. The best thing
theProphetas well as the former Prophets, may Allaah exalt their
mention, said is: "La Ilaaha Illa Allaah )there is no god worthy of
worship except Allaah(," and the most beloved speech to Allaah
is,"Subaan Allaah wa bihamdih, subhaan Allaah Al-'Atheem)glorified is
Allaah and praise is due to Him, glorified is Allaah The Great(".
8- Keeping away from sins and acts of disobedience as well as
lowering the gaze. Giving up sins is easier than repenting.
I cannot conceal my happiness at your keenness, care, organization and
order and would like to welcome you to our website. We ask Allaah The
Almighty to benefit Islam and Muslims with you. May Allaah accept our
fast and Qiyaam.
May Allaah grant us success.

Ramadan Articles - What After Ramadan?

Ramadanis a level playing field wherein people compete with each other
in good deedsand benevolence. During this blessed month, souls are
trained in virtue and accustomed to dignity, they learn to disdain
vices, sins and acquire all good attributes.
Whoever witnesses this month without gaining any of its rewards is
indeed poor, and nothing cripples him other than negligence, laziness,
procrastination, and false hopes.
However, what is appalling is to see some of those who were guided to
do good deedsand take provisions from virtues during this monthhastily
destroying what they had built, and replacing good with evil. This is
a gross mistake and shameful act in the true sense of the word and no
remorse or apology will revoke it when you stand in front of your One
Lord.
Bishrwas asked about people who only become diligent during the month
ofRamadanand he said, "They are abominable people, because they only
knowAllaahThe Almighty during the month ofRamadan. The truly righteous
people are those who worshipAllaahThe Almighty diligently throughout
thewhole year."
Ash-Shibli, mayAllaahhave mercy upon him, was asked, "Which is
better:Sha'baanor Rajab?" His answer was, "Be a worshipper of Allaah
The Almighty rather than a worshipperofSha'baan."
'Aa'ishahwas asked, 'Did the Messenger of Allaahchoose some special
days )for fasting(?' She replied, 'No, but he used to be regular
)constant( )in his service of worshipping(.' The Prophetalso never
performed more than eleven Rak'ahs)units of prayer( whether
inRamadanor at any other time of the year.
We sincerely invite such people out of fear for them to reconsider
their lifestyle and to review themselves and think about their
condition before it is too late. We advise them not to allow
appearances, their strength, health and youth to deceive them. That is
because all of this is nothing but a mirage that one may see as water,
but once he reaches it, he finds nothing. Health will be followed by
sickness, youth will be followed byold age, and strength
willeventually turn into weakness.
So, wake up and pay attention! Life is short even if it seems long,
andhappiness will end no matter how long it lasts.
Such people should know that perseverance and adherence to the right
path as well as obedience to Allaah The Almighty is one of the
greatest signs of acceptance of one's gooddeeds. Allaah The Almighty
Says )what means(:}And worship your Lord until there comes to you the
certainty )death(.{]Quran15:99[
Consequently, the souls should remain adherent to the right and guided
path just as they were during the month ofRamadan. Guidance is not
confined to certain times and acts of worship, and obedience
toAllaahThe Almighty is not limited to the month ofRamadan.
Al-Hasan Al-Basrisaid, "Allaah has not set an end for the believer's
work other than death." Then he recited:}And worship your Lord until
there comes to you the certainty )death(.{]Quran 15:99[
Indeed,Ramadanhas ended but you still have several renewed seasons for
worship. The five daily prayers are among the highest and best good
deeds and prayer isthe first thing about which one would be asked on
the Day of Judgment when he stands in front ofAllaahThe Almighty.
If the fast ofRamadanhasended, then you have thevoluntary fasts and
occasions such as the six days ofShawwaal, Mondays and Thursdays, the
white days, the tenth day of Muharram, the Day of 'Arafah, and so on.
If the night prayer of Ramadan has ended, you should know that the
night prayer can be offered every night:}They used to sleep but little
of the night{]Quran 51:17[
If the time ofZakaat Al-Fitrhas ended, then there is the
obligatoryZakaahin addition to thecountless ways of giving voluntary
charity.
Dear Muslim brother, youshould know that one of the attributes of the
slaves ofAllaahThe Almighty is that they perform their good deeds
constantly, asAllaahThe Almighty Says)what means(:
*.}Those who are constant in their prayer{]Quran 70:23[
*.}And they who carefullymaintain their prayers -{]Quran 23:9[
If you aspire to know how to save yourself from this trap and how to
perform good deeds regularly, you have to do the following:
1- You must be sincerelyand strongly determined to do good deeds
constantly under all circumstances and conditions. This requires
keeping away from weakness and laziness. That is why the Prophet,,
used to seek refuge withAllaahThe Almighty from inability and
laziness, given their dire consequences. Hence, you should seek the
help ofAllaahThe Almighty and move ahead.
2- Moderation is very important, and you should never
overburdenyourself, as the Prophet,, said:"Do such deeds as you can do
easily, as Allaah will not get tired)of giving rewards( until you get
bored and tired)of performing religious deeds(."]Al-Bukhaari
andMuslim[
You should remember that there are blessings in perseverance. For
example, whoever reads aJuz')portion( of the Quran every day will
readthe whole Quran in one month, and whoever observes fast for three
days every month will be rewarded as if he had observed fast
throughoutthe whole year. Likewise,whoever observes
twelvevoluntaryRak'ahsevery day,AllaahThe Almighty will build a house
for himin Paradise, and so on.
3- You should know thatit is unacceptable for whoever observes a
good deed to abandon it.It was narrated that 'Abdullaah ibn 'Amr ibn
Al-'Aassaid, "The Messenger of Allaah,, said to me:'O 'Abdullaah! Do
not be like so-and-so; he used to get up at night )for voluntary
prayer( but abandoned itlater.'']Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
4- Dear brother, remember what our righteous predecessors used to
do. 'Aa'ishahsaid that whenever our beloved Prophet Muhammad,, missed
the night prayer because of illness or sleep, he would pray twelve
Rak'ahs the next day.]Muslim[
The Prophet,, also once missed 'Itikaaf)staying in seclusion( andhe
made up for it in Shawwaal. Abu Hurayrahsaid that the Messenger of
Allaah,, said to Bilaal,:"'O Bilaal, tell me about the most hopeful
act )i.e., one which you deem the most rewarding with Allaah( you have
done since you accepted Islam because I heard the sound of the steps
of your shoes in front of mein Paradise.' Bilaalsaid, 'I do not
consider any act more hopeful than that whenever I make ablution )or
take a bath( in any hour of the night or day, I would immediately
perform prayer for as long as was destined for me to
pray.''']Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
However, the most amazing thing is what 'Ali ibn Abi Taalib,, used to
do in response tothe advice of the Prophet,, when he once visited him
and found him sleeping with his wife Faatimah,,)daughter of the
Prophet,(. 'Alisaid,"The Prophetplaced his leg between me and
Faatimahand taught us what to say when we go to bed, saying:'When you
go to your bed recitethirty-three times Subhanallaah )Glory be to
Allaah(, thirty-three times Alhamdulillaah )All praise is for Allaah(,
and forty-three times Allaah-u-Akbar )Allaah is The Greatest(.' 'Ali
added'By Allaah, I never left this practice for the rest of my life.'
A man asked him, 'Even on the night of the Battle of Siffeen?' He
said, 'Yes, I observed this even on the night of Siffeen.'"]Al-Haakim:
Saheeh[
If you contemplate over this narration, you will be amazed at the
keenness and persistenceon doing good deeds even at times of war and
bloodshed. None of thesedistracted him from implementing the advice of
the Prophet,, regarding what he should say upon going tobed. Such
stories and narrations should make you persist in doing good deeds and
attempting to imitate therighteous predecessors and following their
path.

Ramadan Articles - The Benefits Of Obedience, During and After Ramadan

People cannot remain exactly as they were during the blessed
monthofRamadan, in terms of their regularity and steadfastness in
performing certain acts of worship. On the other hand, they must not
stop doing good deeds completely and forsake all virtue just
becauseRamadanis over. It is injudicious to suddenly abandon
everything and stop performing all goods deeds. Therefore, one should
not abandon fasting,Qiyaam)optional night prayers(, recitation of the
Quran, supplication and so on. One needs to perform these deeds, even
if it is on a less regular basis. If a slave of Allaah The Almighty is
accustomed to performing certain acts of worship and is compelled to
stop doing them due to travel or sickness, then Allaah The Almighty
will continue to reward him for these deeds, even if he does not
perform them, because he used to perform them frequently.The Prophet,,
said:"If a slave becomes sick, Allaah says to the honorable recording
angels: `Record for my slave the same )good( deeds until I either take
his soul )i.e., cause him todie( or grant him health)i.e., cure him
from his sickness(."This indicates the benefit of constantly being
engaged in acts of obedience and worship.
Continuing to be upon obedience to Allaah The Almighty is a reason for
one to be granted a good end, as the Prophet,, said:"If Allaah wills
good for one of His slaves, He uses him."He was asked,"Howdoes He use
him?"He,, replied:"He )i.e., Allaah( enables him )i.e., the slave( to
perform a righteous deed before his death, and then takeshis soul
whilst he is in that state."Thus, we should ensure being in a state of
obedience and worship at all times. Moreover, the reward of being
virtuous is greater at times when most people are heedless, as well as
in harsh times. There is a great concept that we must always bearin
mind: worship must bethe essence of our lives, it is not an incidental
matter, or a temporary one that is limited or restricted to a certain
time or place.
Those who enteredRamadanupon disobedience and departed upon
disobedience did not get any benefit fromRamadanwhatsoever. This is a
serious and dangerous matter because when describingthe hypocrites,
Allaah TheAlmighty says )what means(:}"And when theycome to you, they
say: 'We believe.' But they have entered with disbelief ]in their
hearts[,and they have certainly left with it. And Allaah is most
knowing of what they were concealing."{]Quran 3: 61[
Commenting on this verse, Imaam Ibn Katheer,said,"The hypocrites
entered into the presence of the Prophetand heard what he hade to say,
yet, they left upon the same state of disbelief, so the admonition did
not yield any fruits with them."
Therefore, anyone who departs fromRamadanwithout having improved in
the least is the one being addressed in this verse. Those who begin
the month whilst on disobedience and return to it as soon as it ends,
or are even more disobedient afterwards, did not benefit from the
month; they did not repent and refrain from sinning, nor did they show
regret for their sins. It is as if the month was a temporary stage for
them, after which their evil lifestyles continued. The question here
is: did these people truly worship Allaah The Almighty during this
month as is His due to be worshipped? and did they obey Allaah The
Almighty, to begin with, during this month and fulfil His due rights?
It is a pity that an adulterer, or one who is used to consuming
intoxicants, or dealing inRibaa, resumes his regular behaviour and
actions as soon asRamadanis over. The same goes for those who waste
their time in gatherings of useless talk, or who take holidays that
have many things objectionable about them.
Some people mistakenly believe that the deeds they might have
performed duringRamadanare enough to expiate their sins for the
remaining eleven monthsof the year; they thus easily disobey Allaah
The Almighty before and afterRamadan. How can they guarantee the
acceptance of their deeds duringRamadantobegin with? How do theyknow
that Allaah The Almighty did not reject all their deeds, let alone
forgive their sins?
There are more serious matters as well, such as people eating during
thedays ofRamadan)i.e. breaking their fast( to please, for example,
the disbelievers at their workplaces. Others have sexual intercourse
with their spouses during the daytime, which is one of the worst ways
of breaking a fast. Its expiation is that the person who does it
should free a slave – a very severe punishment –and if he cannot find
a slave, or is financially unable to free one, then he must fast for
two consecutive months, and if he is physically unable to do so, then
he must feed sixty poor or needy people. It is bad enough to have
sexual intercourse with one's own spouse during the daytime inRamadan,
so how would the case be, if it were adultery, fornication or sodomy?
So, who are the real winners afterRamadan? Allaah The Almighty Says)what means(:
·}"…So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted into Paradise
has attained ]his desire[..."{]Quran 3: 185[
·"Not equal are the companions of the Fire and the companions of
Paradise. The companions of Paradise –they are the attainers of
success."]Quran 59: 20[
Allaah The Almighty also Says regarding the dwellers of Paradise)what
means(:"For them will be gardens beneath which rivers flow. That is
the great attainment."]Quran 85: 11[
Indeed, this is true success and real victory.

Dought & clear - Permissibility of Ambiguity and Definitionof Necessity.

When is deliberate ambiguity valid? If that is in cases of necessity
only, then what is the definition of necessity in this case?
Praise be to Allah.
The Arabic word tawriyah [translated here as deliberate ambiguity]
means to conceal something.
Allah says (interpretationof the meaning):
"Then Allah sent a crow who scratched the ground to show him how to
hide [yuwaari] the dead body of his brother. He (the murderer) said:
"Woe to me! Am I not even able to be as this crow and tohide the dead
body of my brother?" Then he became one of those who regretted" [5:31]
"O Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover
yourselves (screen your private parts – yuwaari saw'aatikum) and as an
adornment; and the raiment of righteousness, that is better. Such are
among the Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs,
revelations, etc.) of Allaah, that they may remember (i.e. leave
falsehood and follow truth)"
[al-A'raaf 7:26]
With regard to the meaning in sharee'ah (religious) terminology, it
refers to someone who says something thatmay appear to have one
meaning to the listener but the speaker intends something different
thatmay be understood fromthese words. For example, he says, "I do not
have a dirham in my pocket," and that is understood to mean thathe
does not have any money at all, when whathe means is that he doesnot
have a dirham but he may have a dinar, for example. This is called
ambiguity or dissembling.
Deliberate ambiguity is regarded as a legitimate solution for avoiding
difficult situations that a person may find himself in when someone
asks him about something, and he does not want to tell the truth on
the one hand, and does not wantto lie, on the other.
Deliberate ambiguity is permissible if it is necessary or if it serves
ashar'i (religious) interest, but it is not appropriate to do it a
great deal so that it becomes a habit, or to use it to gain something
wrongfully or to deprivesomeone of his rights.
Al-Nawawi said:
The scholars said: If that is needed to serve some legitimate shar'i
interest that outweighs the concern about misleading the person towhom
you are speaking,or it is needed for a reason that cannot be achieved
without lying, then there is nothing wrong with using deliberate
ambiguity as an acceptable alternative. But if there is no interest to
be served and no pressing need, then it is makrooh (disliked), but is
not haram (impermissible). Ifit is a means of taking something
wrongfully ordepriving someone of their rights, then it is haram in
that case. This is the guideline in this matter. Al-Adhkaar.
Some scholars were of the view that it is haram to resort to
deliberate ambiguity if there is no reason or need to do so. This was
the view favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have
mercy on him). See al-Ikhtiyaaraat.
There are situations in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) taught that we may use deliberate ambiguity, for
example:
If a man loses his wudoo(ablution) whilst prayingin congregation, what
should he do in this embarrassing situation?
The answer is that he should place his hand over his nose and leave.
The evidence for that is the report narrated from'Aishah (may Allah be
pleased with her) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "If anyone of you breaks
hiswudoo whilst praying, let him hold his nose andleave." Sunan Abi
Dawood.
Al-Teebi said: The command to hold his nose is so that it will look as
if he has a nosebleed. This is not a lie, rather it is a kind of
ambiguity. This concession is granted so that the Shaytan will
nottrick him into staying put because of feeling embarrassed in front
of people.
Mirqaah al-Mafaateeh Sharh Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh.
This is a kind of ambiguity that is permitted, so as to avoidany
embarrassment and so that whoever sees him leaving will think that he
has a nosebleed.
Similarly If a Muslim faces a difficult situationwhere he needs to say
what is against the truthin order to protect himself or someone whois
innocent, or to save himself from serious trouble, is there a way for
him to escape the situation without lying or falling into sin?
Yes, there is a legal way and a permissible escapethat one can make
use of if necessary. It is equivocation or indirectness in speech.
Imam al-Bukhaari (may Allah have mercy on him) entitled a chapter of
his Saheeh: "Indirect speech is a safe way to avoid a lie". (Saheeh
al-Bukhari, Kitaab al-Adab (Book of Manners)).
Equivocation means saying something which has a closer meaning that
the hearer will understand, but it also has a remote meaning which
what is actually meant and is linguistically correct. Thecondition for
this is that whatever is said should not present a truth as falsity
and vice versa. The following are examples of such statements used by
the salaf (pious predecessors) and early imams (religious leaders),
and collected by Imam Ibn al-Qayyim in his book Ighaathat al-Lahfaan:
It was reported about Hammad (may Allah havemercy on him), if someone
came that he did not want to sit with, he would say as if in pain: "My
tooth, my tooth!" Then the boring person whom he did notlike would
leave him alone.
Imam Sufyan Al-Thawri was brought to the khaleefah al-Mahdi, wholiked
him, but when he wanted to leave, the khaleefah told him he had to
stay. Al-Thawri swore that he would come back. He then went out,
leaving his shoes at the door. After some time he came back,took his
shoes and went away. The khaleefah asked about him, and was told that
he had sworn to come back, so he had come back and taken his shoes.
Imam Ahmad was in his house, and some of his students, including
al-Mirwadhi, were with him. Someone came along, asking for al-Mirwadhi
from outside the house, but Imam Ahmad did not want him to go out, so
he said: "Al-Mirwadhi is not here, what would hebe doing here?" whilst
putting his finger in the palm of his other hand, and the person
outside could not see what he was doing.
Other examples of equivocation or indirectness in speech include the following:
If someone asks you whether you have seen so-and-so, and you are
afraid that if you tell the questioner about him this would lead to
harm, you can say "ma ra aytuhu", meaning that you have not cut his
lung, because this is a correct meaning in Arabic ["ma ra aytuhu"
usually means "I have not seen him," but can also mean "I have not cut
his lung"]; or you could deny having seen him, referring in your heart
to a specific time and place where you have not seen him. If someone
asks you to swear an oath that you will never speak to so-and-so, you
could say,"Wallaahi lan ukallumahu", meaning that you will not wound
him, because "kalam" can also mean "wound" in Arabic [as well as
"speech"]. Similarly, if a person is forced to utter words of kufr
(disbelief) and is told to deny Allah, it is permissible for him to
say "Kafartu bi'l-laahi", meaning "I denounce the playboy" [which
sounds the same as the phrase meaning "Ideny Allah."]
(Ighaathat al-Lahfaan byIbn al-Qayyim. See also the section on
equivocation (ma'aareed) in Al-Adaab al-Shar'iyyah by Ibn Muflih).
However, one should be cautious that the use of such statements is
restricted only to situations of great difficulty, otherwise:
Excessive use of it may lead to lying.
One may lose good friends, because they would always be in doubt as to
what is meant.
If the person to whom such a statement is givencomes to know that the
reality was different from what he was told, and he was not aware that
the person was engaging in deliberate ambiguity or equivocation, he
would consider that person to be a liar. This goes against the
principle of protecting one's honour by not giving people cause to
doubt one's integrity.
The person who uses such a technique frequently may become proud of
his ability to take advantage of people.
End quote. From Madha taf'al fi'l-haalaat al-aatiyah (What to do inthe
following situations)?
And Allah knows best.