Women site, - Safeguarding the Muslim Home from Evil-I

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There are many evils from which Muslim homes should be far removed.
The first evil that should be expelled from Muslim homes is Satan and his associates; Allaah The Exalted Says )what means(:}Indeed, Satan is an enemy to you; so take him as an enemy. He only invites his party to be among the companions of the Blaze.{]Quran 35:6[
One does not allow his enemies into his house, so how about our worst enemy who was the reason behind getting our father, Aadam, may Allaah exalt his mention, out of Paradise and who is determined to keep you away from it as well! You must keep Satan away from your home.
How do you keep him away? There are some things that keep Satan away, and others that attract him to your house.
Things to keep Satan away: Among the things that keep Satan away from your home are:
• Recitation of Chapter Al-Baqarah: The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:“Do not make your houses like graveyards. The devil runs away from the house in which the chapter of Al-Baqarah is recited.”]Muslim[
• Mentioning the Name of Allaah The Exalted: It was reported on the authority of Jaabir bin ‘Abdullaah, may Allaah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:“When a person enters his house and mentions the Name of Allaah The Exalted at the time of entering it and while eating, the devil says )addressing himself(, 'You have no place to spend the night ]in that home[ and no evening meal'; but when he enters without mentioning the Name of Allaah The Almighty, the devil would say )addressing himself(, 'You have found a place to spend the night', and when he does not mention the Name of Allaah The Exalted before eating, he i.e. the devil says )addressing himself(, 'You have found a place to spend the night and an evening meal'.”]Muslim[
Devils would find an apt habitat in the homes whose inhabitants forget to mention the Name of Allaah The Exalted, and this means that they would spend their nights in your home!
Therefore, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:“When a man enters his house, he should say: "Allaahumma inni Asaluka khayra al-mawlij wa khayra al-makhraj, bismillaahi walajna wa bismillaahi kharajna wa ‘ala rabbina tawakkalna]which means: O Allaah! I ask You for good both when entering and when leaving; in the name of Allaah we have entered, and in the name of Allaah we have gone out, and in Allaah our Lord we trust.[,and he should then greet his family )i.e. with Salaam(” ]Abu Daawood and At-Tabaraani[ ]Al-Albaani: Hasan by virtue of corroborating narrations[
• Performing various acts of worship: The devil can never be found where acts of worship are performed; the heart that is full of obedience to Allaah The Exalted and the mention of His Name cannot be a suitable place or a habitat for devils. Whenever they whisper to a pious Muslim, he would mention the Name of Allaah The Almighty and accordingly they would retreat and escape from him. Similarly, devils flee from homes where acts of worship are performed and where the Name of Allaah The Almighty is mentioned.
Dear Muslim, the more your home is devoid of performing acts of worship and mentioning the Name of Allaah The Almighty, the more the devil is likely to be present in it.
Things that attract Satan: Muslims should assign a great deal of care and attention to keep all that attracts devils away their home such as:
• Lying and falsehood: Allaah The Exalted Says )what means(:}Shall I inform you upon whom the devils descend?* They descend upon every sinful liar.{]Quran 26:221-222[ The home which witnesses lying, backbiting, tale-bearing, and slander is more likely to be appealing to devils.
• Impurity: Another thing that would draw devils is an impure and dirty home; since devils are filthy creatures they would be attracted to dirtiness and filthiness.
• Images and dogs: Devils are drawn to images, statues, and dogs. This is why devils may appear in the form of black dogs. Therefore, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, warned us about keeping dogs in Muslims homes.
A Muslim home should be deemed far above immoral and obscene songs: This purifies the home and makes a righteous one. In fact, such obscene songs are tools that Satan uses to lure people. Allaah The Exalted informed us of this fact and warned us against this evil in the verse that reads )what means(:}And incite ]to senselessness[ whoever you can among them with your voice and assault them with your horses and foot soldiers and become a partner in their wealth and their children and promise them." But Satan does not promise them except delusion.{]Quran 17:64[
Some scholars elaborated on that verse clarifying that Satan’s voice here refers to singing and musical instruments ]flute[; therefore, such immoral songs are prohibited.
Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And of the people is he who buys the amusement of speech to mislead ]others[ from the way of Allaah without knowledge and who takes it in ridicule. Those will have a humiliating punishment.{]Quran 31:6[ Ibn Mas‘ood, may Allaah be pleased with him, was asked about this verse and said, “By Allaah,}the amusement of speech{is singing”. Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, “It means singing and buying a singer’s services.” ]Ibn Abu Shaybah[
Ibraaheem, may Allaah have mercy upon him, narrated that ‘Abdullaah bin Mas‘ood, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, “Singing implants and fosters hypocrisy in one’s heart.” ]Al-Bayhaqi[
Indeed, it is a tangible reality in our society; one can easily see for himself such people who suffer from music-mania and have a morbid fascination with listening to immoral songs. Dear Muslim, notice how often such people recite the Noble Quran? Do they enjoy reciting it? Are their hearts softened by it?
Indeed, the Quran is the word of Allaah The Exalted while such songs are the words of the devil, and the two opposites can never co-exist in one’s heart.
‘Abdur-Rahmaan bin Ghanm Al-Ash‘ari reported on the authority of Abu ‘Aamir, or Abu Maalik, Al-Ash‘ari, may Allaah be pleased with them all, that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:"From among my followers there will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk ]for men[, the drinking of alcoholic drinks, and the use of musical instruments, as lawful. Some of them will stay near the side of a mountain and in the evening their shepherd will come to them with their sheep, when a poor comes to them asking for something ]charity[, but they would ]refuse to give him any and would[ say to him, 'Return to us tomorrow.' Allaah The Almighty will destroy them during the night and will let the mountain fall on them, and He will transform others into monkeys and pigs and they will remain so until the Day of Resurrection."]Al-Bukhaari[ Such people would render adultery, men wearing silk, drinking alcohol, and musical instruments as allowable.
Dear Muslim, what do you think of such a heart that is full of love for these immoral songs and the temptations of various types of music? Do you think that such a heart would endure Jihaad )sacrifice for the sake of Allaah(? Do you think that a ‘dancing’ nation would be capable of freeing its occupied sacred places? By Allaah, no!
The Arabs fought in 1967 while singing Umm Kulthoom’s songs )a famous Egyptian female singer( and they faced an awful defeat. On the other hand, the Afghans have fought while reciting ‘Allaahu Akbar’ ]which means: Allaah is the Greatest[ and ‘La Ilaaha illa Allaah’ ]which means: none is truly worthy of worship but Allaah[; they triumphed over the great empire of Communism despite the fact that all what they possessed were mere primitive weapons! So contemplate the difference between the two wars.
A nation that has been robbed of its lands, has been humiliated, and is weak enough to let others make its own decisions, such as the Jewish board or what may be called the ‘Council of International Injustice’, should not be dancing; such repulsive attitudes are for dissolute people. In fact, such immoral and obscene songs suit those who have indulged themselves in promiscuity and various worldly pleasures. Whereas serious people, who are determined to restore their occupied lands, given that what was taken by force can only be restored by force, are not among those who are fond of trivialities and blameworthy humor; they render their homes free of such immoral and obscene songs that are aired whether on T.V, radio, or any other device.

PUBLISHER M.NajimudeeN-India

Women site, - Safeguarding the Muslim Home from Evil - II

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Obscene magazines and evil and poisonous newspapers: Indeed, a Muslim home should be free of such evils, and among the evils of our time are obscene magazines and newspapers. You should also not let your children read obscene magazines. Their ultimate aim is to exploit people’s desires selfishly to their own advantages. Their main focus is to deform and distort the woman’s image and render her a cheap commodity. If such immoral magazines seek to increase their sales, they simply depict a woman on the cover. Alas, the poor oppressed woman has been diminished into a mere means of propaganda! Indeed, Islam has honored women, raised their status, and rendered them precious gems and well-preserved pearls.
Such hazardous magazines and newspapers imbue careless people with evil; they might appear favorable to you, but they are extremely poisonous and perilous evils.
TV: Another such evil are romantic serials that lure Muslim youth into committing sins and are means that would eventually lead them to adultery. Dear Muslim, be extremely cautious and watchful against allowing your children to watch such immoral serials as they are an evil that would lure their hearts.
Muslim parents should not allow their children to watch cartoons too much unless they are Islamic cartoons. In fact, many Muslim families are quite lax regarding this issue taking it rather lightly to let their children watch damaging cartoons; they contain what deforms the Islamic beliefs, distorts morals and ruins the values of the heedless children. Dear Muslim, you can see it clearly as you watch any of these cartoons; you would easily notice the blasphemy, the deformation of morals and the distortion of values in most of these cartoons. Unfortunately, parents are rather negligent regarding this issue allowing their children to watch cartoons because they appeal to them and keep them busy so they do not play in the house. In fact, it is better for your child to play in the house than watch what would deform their Islamic beliefs, distort their morals and ruin their values.
Nowadays alternatives are available to replace such evil. One such alternative are Islamic websites that offer material addressing kids, like "Boys & Girls" of Islamweb: kids.islamweb.net/. It is sites that provides safe educational and entertaining material for kids.
Images and statues: Indeed, this is a fundamental and vital issue in Islam; images were the reason behind the first act of Shirk )polytheism( on earth and the first act of committing deviation regarding the Oneness of Allaah The Almighty. Therefore, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, warned us about this issue; Muslim, may Allaah have mercy upon him, narrated, 'We were with Masrooq at the house of Yasaar bin Numayr. Masrooq saw statues on his terrace and said, "I heard 'Abdullaah saying that he heard the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, saying:"The people who will receive the severest punishment from Allaah will be the image makers )i.e. those who make the like of the creation of Allaah(."]Al-Bukhaari[
Moreover, Abul-Hayyaaj Al-Asadi, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that ‘Ali, may Allaah be pleased with him, said to him, ‘Should I not urge you to do the same as the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, urged me? Do not leave a statue without obliterating it or a high grave without leveling it.” ]Muslim[
Notice, dear Muslim, that he said, ‘Do not leave an image without obliterating it’, and this can be done by obliterating the faces on the images and not just separating the head from the body as some people think; since were the faces in an image to be obliterated, the people in it would not be identified. Dear Muslim, do not be lax concerning obliterating the images to the best of your abilities. Statues are more likely to tempt people ]lure them into Shirk i.e., associating partners with Allaah The Almighty[ as they ]really[ resemble living creatures, and so they are forbidden. ‘Ubayd bin ‘Abdullaah reported on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbaas and Abu Talhah, may Allaah be pleased with them, that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:"Angels do not enter a house wherein there is a dog or an image )of a living creature i.e. a human being or an animal(."]Al-Bukhaari[
Alas, people nowadays have a morbid fascination with images, whether on clothes, in cars, on the furniture, and on the walls of their houses and offices and sometimes with the aim of glorifying them. In fact, this is a greater peril since it might eventually lead to Shirk i.e., associating partners with Allaah The Almighty. Were you to buy your children clothes, you would notice that most of them have images imprinted on them. Dear Muslim, you should examine the clothes before buying them for there might be forbidden images on them. Indeed, if Muslims boycotted such clothes with images, the merchants would be forced to sell image-free clothes and accordingly clothing factories would have to do the same and make image-free clothes. In fact, those who are quite familiar with this field would know that factories make the products according to the market demand; if the merchants demanded clothes with certain features and qualities, they would make them. Dear Muslim merchants, fear Allaah The Almighty and do not commit sins and cause others to commit sins as well and bear in mind that whoever causes Muslims to commit a sin, will be held accountable for his sin and for the sins of those who committed it as well.
Swearing or insulting, cursing, obscene and vulgar language: Indeed, a Muslim home should be deemed far above using such repulsive language. Parents should be cautious about letting their children hear such obscene and vulgar language; innocent as they are, children repeat whatever they hear. Were the child to hear swearing, cursing, and obscene language, he would use that language as well. Whereas if the child hears the Name of Allaah The Exalted, Tahleel i.e., ‘La ilaaha illa Allaah’ ]which means: none is worthy of worship except Allaah[, Tasbeeh i.e., ‘Subhaana Allaah’ ]which means: all praise is due to Allaah[, Takbeer i.e., ‘Allaahu Akbar’ ]which means: Allaah is the Greatest[, indeed, the child would grow up repeating them. It was narrated on the authority of ‘Abdullaah, may Allaah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:"A believer is not a slanderer nor a curser nor foul mouthed nor obscene."]Ibn Hibbaan[ ]Saheeh[

PUBLISHER M.NajimudeeN-India

Women site, - What a Strong Personality She Has!

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All praise is due to Allaah The Almighty who exalted some women with strength of personality and therewith they surpassed peaks; and humiliated others with the opposite )weakness of personality( and therewith they hovered over mean vices. While some people are raised ]by this characteristic[ to the highest gardens, others laugh a little and then are cut off by fire and they go around between it and scalding water, heated to the utmost degree. The first group is promised to be rewarded as in the verse in which Allaah The Exalted Says )what means(:}Is the reward for good ]anything[ but good?{]Quran 55: 60[ Indeed, there is a great difference between the two groups.
Strength of personality is a characteristic that is loved by the heart. Many aspire to attain this characteristic, but only very few achieve their desire. If strength of personality is a characteristic of perfection for men, it is for women more precious than wealth and more beautiful than beauty itself.
However, what is this characteristic? How should it be? Such a characteristic is attained when you are firm and stable like the firmly established mountains. The question is now: on what should one be firm and stable? Here is the point where disorder occurs and mistakes are made. Imagine that a girl is told that poison extends age and brings forth happiness and she, therefore, asks for a cup of poison to drink. We stop her, warn her and offer her advice. However, she picks up the cup before everyone, shows stubbornness, and drinks it. We advise her but she declines ]to accept the advice[ and says, "I am free." She then goes to an extreme in stubbornness, drinks more and shortly thereafter falls dead.
Is she not the one who wrongs herself?
Do we say that this state of stability and firmness means strength of personality? No, by Allaah, it is not. This actually features instability and a perverted mentality. So, now we agree that not all forms of stability and firmness mean strength of personality. Strength of personality is not realized by obstinacy or argument and shouting like children. Allaah The Exalted Says )what means(:}Whoever desires honor ]through power[ - then to Allaah belongs all honor.{]Quran 35: 10[ Rather, strength of personality occurs when a girl or woman seeks through that firmness the highest of all wishes and desires. She is not satisfied with a price that is less than a garden in Paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth.
What a strong personality Aasiyah, the wife of Fir'awn )Pharaoh( had! Contemplate and think! Her husband was the foremost of all people in disbelieving in Allaah The Almighty. Nevertheless, this did not prevent her from being one of the dearest humans to Him. There are many weak women who lose the satisfaction of their Lord for the sake of their husbands. There are many women who go to sorcerers to satisfy their husbands, commit polytheistic actions and disbelieve in what was revealed to their Prophet, Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. In a Hadeeth )narration(, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said:"Whoever goes to a soothsayer or diviner and believes in what he says, has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad."
There are many women who wear clothes that are hateful to Allaah The Almighty and they do so to satisfy their husbands. What a weak mind and what a weak personality! Look at the reward of the wisdom of Aasiyah which was made perfect by Allaah The Almighty. Who determines the woman's position in this religion? Are they the secularists? Are they the dissolute women? Nay, the one who decides the woman's position is the Lord of The Worlds Who ordained this religion. However, who is that woman who deserves this honorable position by her Lord The Almighty? That is because most women are in Hell. Why? Is this because Islam wronged them? No, by Allaah! Allaah The Exalted Says )what means(:}And Allaah wronged them not, but they had been wronging themselves.{]Quran 16: 33[

PUBLISHER M.NajimudeeN-India