The manners of welcoming the new-bornchild in Islam

Children are a source of delight and an adornment for the world
granted by Allaah to their parents. They give vigor to the hearts, joy
to the souls and pleasure to the eyes. They are thefruit from whom
good is to be hoped for when they frequently supplicate. "My Lord,
have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small. "
They are the ones in every nation upon whom hope for the future lies,
and they are the youth of tomorrow upon whose shouldersthe call to
Islam is carried. IndeedIslam has elevated the status of children and
has laid down manners for their treatment through different stages,
which start with the manners of welcoming the new born child.
Our Prophet was a living example, educating, cultivating the Muslims
upon the practices ofIslam, teaching them how to worship their Lord in
the best of ways. But a number of Muslims have strayed from his pure
teachings and have substituted that which is gold for that which is
worthless.
Encouragement to have children:
Allaah, Almighty, Says (what means): "…So now, have relationswith them
and seek that which Allaah has decreed for you…" [Quran 2: 187]
The Prophet said: "Marry the loving and fertile because through you, I
will compete with the nations for superiority in numbers." [Abu
Daawood, Ahmadand Ibn Hibbaan]
It is important that the parents bring up their children upon
righteousness, so that the parents will benefit from them during their
lives and after their death.
What has preceded applies equally to both boys and girls, and indeed
Islam has encouragedthe bringing up of girls, and Allaah c
ondemns those that are distressed at the birth of a girl. The
Messenger said: "Whoever takes care of two girls until they reach
adulthood - he and I will come together on the Day of Resurrection
(like this) - and he interlaced his two fingers." [Muslim]
Giving the good news of the birth:
The near of kin who are anxiouslywaiting should be informed so that
they can stop worrying and congratulate the parents and s
upplicate for the baby. Allaah mentions this good news being conveyed
to a number of His Prophets, such as Zakariyyaa' of his son Yahyaa,
may Allaah exalt their mention. Allaah Says (what means): " So the
angels called him while he was standing in prayer in the chamber,
'Indeed, Allaah gives you good tidings of John, confirming a word from
Allaah and [who will be] honorable, abstaining [from women], and a
prophet from among the righteous'." [Quran 3: 39]
Calling the Athaan in the ear of the newborn:
The first practice to do is to call the Athaan in the ear of the
baby,so that the first words that the baby hears is the name of
Allaah, and the Kalimah (There is no god but Allaah, Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allaah).
It is to be called immediately after the birth, or very soon
afterwards as he did with his grandson Al-Hasan, as is related by Abu
Raafi' who said: "I saw theProphet call the Athaan in theear of
Al-Hasan Ibn 'Ali when his mother Faatimah gave birth to him." [Ahmad,
At-Tirmithi and Abu Daawood]
It should be given with its usual wording in a voice which is audible
to the baby, not so loudlythat it risks harm to the baby or alarms it.
The Sunnah has not specified as to which ear it should be given,
however the Messenger of Allaah used to love to do good actions
starting from the right, so it would be more appropriate to give the
Athaan in the right ear.
The Tahneek:
This means to softening or chewing a date and then rubbingthe palate
of the new-born with it just after the birth or soon after. This is
done by putting a piece of the softened date on the finger and rubbing
it from left to right in the mouth of the baby.
Ibn Hajr said: "if one is not able to find a dry date, then a fresh
date should be used, and if that is not available then anything
sweet."
It is not essential to chew the date rather it may be softened in any way.
It is done by the father or the mother or anyone from the people of
knowledge whose supplication is hoped would be accepted. So he should
perform Tahneek and supplicate for the child as was the practice of
the Companions .
Imaam An-Nawawi said: "Scholars are agreed upon the recommendation of
performing Tahneek upon the baby after its birth ." [Sharh Saheeh
Muslim]
Aa'ishah reported: " New-born children used to be brought to the
Messenger of Allaah and he would supplicate for blessings for them,
and rub a chewed date upon their palate ." [Muslim]
Naming the child:
The baby may be named on the day of its birth, third day, or later on
the seventh day or past the seventh day, as this is what is clear
after study of all the evidences from the Sunnah.
It is the father or the mother who choose the name for the baby. If
they differ amongst themselves then it is the father who has the
choice, he may name it himself or give his wife the right to choose.
The fact that this is the right of the father is shown by the
principle that the child is ascribed and attributed tothe father, as
Allaah Says (what means): "Call them by [the namesof] their fathers;
it is more just in the sight of Allaah…" [Quran 33: 5]
It is also allowed for the parents to allow others to name the child,
since our Prophet used to name some of the children of his Companions
.
The name should carry a good and praiseworthy meaning as theMessenger
said: "On the Day of Resurrection, you will be calledby your names and
your fathers' names, so make your names good." [Abu Daawood]
It is recommended to call oneselfAbdullaah (a servant of Allaah) or
the servant of any of the names of Allaah. Then it is recommended to
name a child after a Prophet, due to the Hadeeth: "Call yourselves by
the names of the Prophets." [Abu Daawood]
And the hadeeth: "A son was born to me this night and I calledhim
after my forefather Ibraheem ." [Muslim]
Then it is recommended to name the child after any pious person in the
hope that it will become like him/her. Then it is recommended to name
by any name which has good meaning.
It is forbidden to name a child with a name that denote servitude to
other than Allaah, for example Abd An-Nabi, Abd Ar-Rasool etc., just
as it is forbidden to name them with names that are particular to the
non-Muslims like George, Michael,Susan, etc.
The names of tyrants and evil personalities should be avoided such as
Pharaoh, Qaroon, Abu Lahab etc. Likewise it is disliked to name with
the names of the chapters of the Quran like 'Taa Haa' or 'Yaa Seen' as
is reported from Imaam Maalik and others. There is no authentic
Hadeeth which ascribes the above two as being names of the Prophet .
The 'Aqeeqah:
After the seventh day of the arrival of the new-born, as a formof
welcome for it and to give thanks to the One who gave the blessings,
it is prescribed to slaughter a sheep. The Messenger said: "Every
child is in pledge for it's 'Aqeeqah which is sacrificed for it on its
seventh day, and it is named on it, and its head is shaved." [Abu
Daawood and At-Tirmidhi]
If the new-born is a boy then twosheep are to be sacrificed, and if it
is a girl then one sheep. This is the position of the majority of the
scholars and Companions . The Prophet said: "For the boy two equal
sheep, and for the girl, a single sheep." [Ahmad and At-Tirmithi]
The sacrifice is done by the fatheror a close relative, for our
Prophet performed the 'Aqeeqah for his two grandsons. It is also
obligatory to mention the name of Allaah over it while sacrificing,
and if a close relative is performing the 'Aqeeqah then he adds, 'this
'Aqeeqah is the 'Aqeeqah of so and so' mentioning the name of the
person on whose behalf he is performing the 'Aqeeqah, as is reported
in a Hadeeth related by Al-Bayhaqi.
Shaving the baby's head:
On the seventh day after the birth, the head of the baby should be
shaved. So when Al-Hasan was born, the Prophet told his daughter,
Faatima : "Shave his head and give the weight of his hair in silver to
the poor." [Ahmad, At-Tabaraani and Al-Bayhaqi]
It is not permissible to shave a part of the head and leave a part, as
this was prohibited by the Messenger as reported by Al-Bukhaari.
The shaving should be done after the sacrifice, and our pious
predecessors liked to rub some perfume over the baby's head after the
shaving.
Then it is prescribed to give the value of the baby's weight of hairin
silver in charity, and it is recommended to give this charityon the
seventh day also, but it is not necessary to do so, and may be
delayed.
Circumcision:
It is prescribed that the boy be circumcised, it is recommended that
the circumcision take place on the seventh day, but it is obligatory
to circumcise before

Is a Christian woman required to observe ‘iddah if her Muslim husband divorces her?.

A man married to a foreign Christian womanwho has an inclination
towards Islam. But Allah has willed that we should separate. My
question is: is the kitaabi(Jewish or Christian) woman required to
observe 'iddah and do I have to impose it on her if she refuses to
observe 'iddah? There is a secondproblem, which is that I am living in
her house and I do not have any other accommodation togo to. What is
the Islamicruling concerning that?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The kitaabi (Jewish or Christian) wife should observe 'iddah
followingdivorce or death of the husband, just like the Muslim woman.
It says in al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah (29/336): The Hanafis, Maalikis,
Shaafa'is and Hanbalis, as well as ath-Thawri and Abu 'Ubayd, are of
the view that the kitaabior dhimmi woman is required to observe 'iddah
in the event of divorce, annulment of the marriage or death ofthe
husband, just like the Muslim woman, because of the general meaning of
the evidencethat the 'iddah is required, and no differentiation is
made between them on condition that the husband is Muslim, because the
'iddah is required and is a duty towards Allah and towards the
husband. Allah, may He be exalted,says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"O you who believe! When you marry believing women, and then divorce
them before you have sexual intercourse with them, no Iddah (divorce
prescribed period, see have you to count in respect of themem"
[al-Ahzaab 33:49].
So this is his right, and the rights of humans arealso due from the
kitaabi and dhimmi wife. So she is required to observe 'iddah and she
should be compelledto do so, because of the rights of the husband and
child (if she is pregnant), because she is one of those who are
required to fulfil the rights of others. End quote.
Secondly:
Living with a wife who is observing 'iddah varies according to the
type of divorce. If it is a revocable divorce (first or second
talaaq), then there is nothing wrong with it, because the revocably
divorced wife comes under the same ruling as one who is still a wife.
But if it was the final, irrevocable talaaq, then she is a non-mahram
and in that case it is not permissible to look at her or be alone with
her.Undoubtedly their staying in the same house will make it difficult
to adhere to these shar'i guidelines ofnot being alone with herand of
her observing hijab in front of him, as she should do in front ofall
non-mahrams. However, if the house is spacious and it is possible to
allocate one part for him, with a separate entrance and separate
facilities, (then it may be possible for them to live in the same
house). But if they are both in the same house, sharing the same
entrance and facilities, then it is very difficult to avoid the
forbidden matters mentioned above.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:The
thrice-divorced woman is a non-mahramto the man and is like any other
non-mahram woman, so the man doesnot have the right to be alone with
her just as hedoes not have the right to be alone with any other
non-mahram woman; he does not have the right to look at her except
what he may look at of any other non-mahram woman.
End quote from al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 3/349
The irrevocably-divorcedwoman is the one who has been divorced three times.
As for the one who has been divorced once or twice, and her 'iddah has
ended without the husband taking her back, she is not permissible for
her husband except with a new marriage contract.

He owes zakaah for trade goods but he doesn’t have any cash.

A person owns a piece ofland and one year has passed since he
acquiredit. Zakaah is due becauseit comes under the heading of trade
goods (i.e., he bought it in order to sell it). How should he pay
zakaah onit? Please note that he only has a little cash, very little.
Praise be to Allaah.
Zakaah is due on trade goods according to the Qur'aan and Sunnah.
In the Qur'aan this is indicated by the general meaning of the verse
in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"O you who believe! Spend of the good things which you have (legally)
earned, and of that which We have produced from the earthfor you"
[al-Baqarah 2:267]
Mujaahid said: "Spend ofthe good things which you have (legally)
earned" means trade.
With regard to evidence form the Sunnah, Abu Dawood narrated
(1562)that Samurah ibn Jundub said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to command us to give zakaah
from that which we had prepared for sale.
The isnaad of this hadeeth is subject to some discussion, but some of
the scholars classed it as hasan, such as Ibn 'Abd al-Barr (may Allaah
have mercy on him), and it is the view that the scholars of the
Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas adopted.
See Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 9/331.
Zakaah is due on things that have been preparedfor trade if they reach
the nisaab (minimum threshold) and one year has passed (since they
were acquired).
Based on this, zakaah must be paid on the landwhich has been in your
possession for a year; you have to determine the value of the land at
the end of the year, and pay one-quarter of ten percent. So if its
value is one hundred thousand (100,000) dinars, for example, you have
to pay zakaah of 2.5% or two and a half thousand (2,500), and so on.,
If you have cash, then you must pay it and it is not permissible to
delay paying zakaah until the land is sold. But if you donot have cash
with which to pay the zakaah,then it becomes a debt that you owe and
must be paid when it becomes possible to do so. If you cannot do it
until you sell the land, then you have to pay zakaah from the price
you receive for the land for each year in which zakaah was due.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Zakaah is due on land that is prepared for trade. The evidence for
that is the well known hadeeth of Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allaah be
pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to command us to give zakaah
from that which we had prepared for sale.
He also said:
If land and other similar things such as houses and cars etc are
prepared for sale, then you must pay zakaah on them each year
according to their value, when one full year has passed. It is not
permissible to delay that, except in the case of one who is unable to
pay the zakaah on them because he does not have any other wealth. Then
he may be given a respite until he sells it and pays the zakaah for
all the years, each year according to its value at the end of that
year, regardless of whether the value is more than the price he gets
for it oris less that the price for which he bought the land, car or
house.
Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn

The prohibition on tucking up the hair and tying it back at the time of prayer applies only to men, not women.,Dought & clear, -

In one fatwa you mentioned in detail that prayer is not valid with
the hair tied back. Does this apply to women too? Is it permissible
for a woman to pray with her hair tucked up or tied back? I hope that
you can give the evidence in detail because some scholars here in
Pakistan say that that is not permissible.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
In the answers to questions no. 96280 and 163428 we stated that it is
makrooh for a man to pray with his hair tuckedup, which means that
hegathers his hair togetherand ties it back, thus preventing it from
prostrating with him. The prohibition in this case means that it is
disliked according to theopinion of the majority of scholars; it does
not mean that it is haraam or prohibited in the sense understood by
the questioner. It says in al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah (26/109): The
fuqaha' are unanimously agreed that it is makrooh to tie back the hair
when praying. What is meant by tying back is wrapping the braid around
the head as women do, or gatheringthe hair and tying it at the back of
the head. This is makrooh but if a person prays like that, his prayer
is still valid. End quote.
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The scholars are unanimously agreed that it is not permissible to pray
with one's sleeves or garment rolled up and the like, orwith one's
hair braided or with one's hair wrapped up beneath theturban and so
on. All of that is not permissible according to the consensus of the
scholars, and it is makrooh in the sense of being discouraged and not
proper. If a person prays like that, he has done something wrong but
his prayer is valid. End quote. Sharh Muslim,209.
Secondly:
This ruling applies only to men, not women, because when praying the
woman is commanded to cover herself and if we were to tell the woman
to undo her hair when praying or let her braids prostrate with her, as
we tell men to do, that might lead to it (her hair) becoming uncovered
whilst praying, and it is not permissible to uncover itbecause it is
'awrah. But the hair of a man is not 'awrah, as is quite obvious.
Al-Ghazaali (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
A man should not pray with his hair tied back. This prohibition
applies only to men.
End quote from Ihya' 'Uloom ad-Deen, 1/156
Ash-Shawkaani (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Al-'Iraqi said: This applies only to men, not women, because women's
hair is 'awrah and must be covered when praying; if a woman were to
leave her hair undone, it might come loose and become difficult to
cover, which would render her prayer invalid.
Moreover, it is difficult for a woman to undo her hair for the prayer,
and we know that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) granted them a concession allowing them not to undo their braids
when doing ghusl, even though there is a need to make all of the hair
wet, as stated above.
End quote from Nayl al-Awtaar, 2/393
It says in Asna'l-Mataalib,1/163:
Az-Zarkashi said: We should note that this issue (tying back the hair
when praying) applies only to men. With regard to women, the command
to undo the braid causes hardship and is contrary to beautification.
End quote.
Based on that, there is nothing wrong with a woman tucking her hair or
tying it back when she is praying; she is not required to undo her
braids.

Islamic Stories, - Allah is sufficient as a surety

Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, "An Israeli man asked another Israeli to lend him
one thousand Dinars. The second man required witnesses. The former
replied, 'Allah is sufficient as a witness.' The second said, 'I want
a surety.' The former replied, 'Allah is sufficient as a surety.' The
second said, 'You areright,' and lent him the money for a certain
period. The debtor went across the sea. When he finished his job, he
searched for a conveyance so that he might reach in time for the
repayment of the debt, but he could not find any. So, he took a piece
of wood and madea hole in it, inserted in it one thousand Dinars anda
letter to the lender andthen closed (i.e. sealed) the hole tightly. He
took the piece of wood to thesea and said. 'O Allah! You know well
that I took a loan of one thousand Dinars from so-and-so. He demandeda
surety from me but I told him that Allah's Guarantee was sufficientand
he accepted Your guarantee. He then asked for a witness and Itold him
that Allah was sufficient as a Witness, and he accepted You as a
Witness. No doubt, I tried hard to find a conveyance so that I could
pay his money but could not find, so I hand over this money to You.'
Saying that, he threw the piece of wood into the sea till it went out
far into it, and then he went away. Meanwhile he started searching for
a conveyance in order toreach the creditor's country.
One day the lender cameout of his house to see whether a ship had
arrived bringing his money, and all of a sudden he saw the pieceof
wood in which his money had been deposited. He took it home to use for
fire. When he sawed it, he found his money and theletter inside it.
Shortly after that, the debtor came bringing one thousand Dinars to
him and said, 'By Allah, I had been trying hard to get a boat so that
I could bring you your money, but failed to get one before the one I
have come by.' The lender asked, 'Have you sent something to me?' The
debtor replied, 'I have told you I could not get aboat other than the
one I have come by.' The lender said, 'Allah has delivered on your
behalfthe money you sent in the piece of wood. So, you may keep your
one thousand Dinars and depart guided on the right path.'" Source:
Sahih Bukhari (Volume 3, Book 37, Number 488h)

Islamic Stories, - He has gone ahead of us

Abu Hurairah narrates: Rasulullah (peace and blessings be upon him)
once asked us: Who is fasting today? Abu Bakr said: I am. Rasulullah
(peace and blessings be upon him) asked: Who followed a bier today?
Abu Bakr said: I did. Rasulullah (peace and blessings be upon him)
asked: Who fed a poor man today? Abu Bakr replied: I did. Rasulullah
(peace and blessings be upon him) asked: who visited a sick person
today? Abu Bakr replied: I did. Rasulullah (peace and blessings be
upon him) then said: Anyone in whom these good deeds are combined will
certainly enter Paradise. Source: Sahih Muslim.
Allahu Akbar! Abu Bakr (RA) invested all his energy, wealth and
worries for the deen of Islam. Thus, he has reached the highest level
of honour after the Prophets. May Allah also give us the ability to
invest most of our time, wealth and energy for Islam.

What Islam says about - Drugs and Alcohol

Drugs and Alcohol
By Maulana I. Suleman
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu.
My dear respected brothers, elders and young friends:
The Pre-Islamic societyof Arabia was a societythat was saturated in
alcohol. The supply of, the consumption of, the manufacturing of, the
production of alcohol, wines, and spirits was indispensable for them.
It sustained them. It was a source of living, virtually their
existence. Islam came and on a gradual process in a step-by-step
method, it cleaned them (the Sahaba) away from thehabit of the
consumption of alcohol and directed them towards the greater good. It
cured the hearts of the Sahaba and the Arabian society as far as the
future was concerned for the whole of humanity who was going to be
practicing Muslims. It guaranteed them, through the verses of the Holy
Quran, protection from all sorts of pollutants that were corruption to
the mind, the soul, the hearts and the whole of society.
The first order was revealed that it is better not to drink it and
that the disadvantages (of intoxicants) were more than the advantages
(2:219). Then a second verse was revealed saying, Do not drink alcohol
at the time of salah, (4:43) and finally it was prohibited (5:90).
The topic of today for me is drugs and alcohol. But before we touch
this issue, we have to remember one thing and that is that we are
living a life. What is the importance of life? What is the value of
life? How much should we preserve life? Allah is the One Who is the
Creator of life. Nothing can come into existence without the will of
Allah, so Allah isthe One Who has givenus life and He is the only One
Who has the right to take it. This is why our religion is against
self-destruction; it is so against suicide. Allah mentions in the Holy
Quran:
"Don't throw yourself towards destruction."
So Allah has given us a life and the whole purpose of life is the
pleasure of Allah and the pleasure of Allah will be the ultimate means
of Paradise and to achieve this ultimate goal Allah haslaid down, upon
us, certain rules and regulations by which mankind must live according
to the ways Allah wants him to. Some of the rules and regulations in
our Shariat have positive commitments which we all have to fulfill. We
have to pray five times a day, keep our fasts in the month of Ramadan,
pay zakah, perform Hajj, etc. These are positive commitments, which
everyone has to fulfill. And in our Shariat, some of the rules and
regulations are prescribed as negative precautions, which everyone has
to avoid and abstain from. And the reason Allah has told mankind not
to docertain things is because Allah wants usto be saved from
insanity. Allah wants us to be saved from degeneration. Allah wants us
to be saved from weaknesses, from temptations, and one of the issues,
which Allah wants us to be saved from is the usage of drugs and
alcohol.
When the iman (faith) of the companions of Rasulullah (sallallahu
alaiyhi wa sallam) was made, the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa
sallam) recited the final verses from the Holy Qur'an relating to the
matter of alcohol.
"Oh you who believe! Verily, without a shadow of a doubt, wine,
gambling, idol worshipping, instruments used for divining, for telling
thefuture, are all impurities and pollutants from the activities of
Shaytaan." (5:90)
They are the production of Shaytaan. They are manufactured by
Shaytaan. He has created them and whatis his purpose?
"The soul intention of Shaytaan, through alcohol and gambling, is to
cast hatred and enmity amongst you." (5:91)
He wants to see you fight with each other. He wants to see you being
in harmful competition against each other. This is his intention and
another one of his intentions is:
"and he wishes to prevent you and stop you and hinder you from the
remembranceof Allah and he wants to prevent you from performing
salah." (5:91)
The Sahabah (radiyallahu anhum) were listening very carefully. The
Qur'an was having a direct affect on their hearts. They were gripped
by what was recited to them. The Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa
sallam) recited the final words from the Qur'an:
"Will you now abstain?" (5:91)
Meaning, "Will you now refrain from this?" The Sahaba simultaneously
cried out in one tongue: "Oh,our Lord! We have abstained now! Oh,
ourLord! We have abstained now!"
Now I would like to discuss how it harms our iman, how it hurts our
Islam. One point I would like to make before I start is that drugs and
alcohol are also used for medicinalpurposes. If anyone requires any
verdict regarding this matter, then they must refer it to a mufti. The
alcohol and drug consumption that I am talking aboutis the taking of
drugs simply for the effect that the drugs and alcohol have and no
other motive or purpose.
Whenever the word"khamr" (intoxicants) comes into our minds, we tend
to think of alcohol. But in Arabic,"khamr" has a broader meaning to
it. "Khamr"is what comes over thehuman intelligence, which means
everything that intoxicates a person's mind. So the only substance
that intoxicates the mind isNOT only alcohol, but also every substance
that clouds the mind. Do drugs intoxicate the mind or not?
"Khamr," at the time ofour Beloved Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu
alaiyhi wa sallam) meant something that is flowing and liquidy. This
clearly proves the prohibition of alcohol. The prohibition of drugs
will be proven inthe following hadith.
Hafiz Ibnul Qayyum al-Jowzy wrote in his book that in the 13th
century, at the time of the Tartars, a person came to Cairo seeking
evidence regarding a substance, which was striking the people of the
Muslim world and this substance was called hashish. This person was
looking forevidence from the scholars regarding hashish whether it was
forbidden or not in Islam. The scholars were having a hard time
finding a Qur'anicinjunction regarding this because this substance was
not liquidy or flowing like alcohol. But at the time, Allah put into
theknowledge of Hafiz Zay-nuddin Al-Iraqi, who was present at the
gathering, a hadithand he said, "I have found a hadith which
specifically deals with this issue." Then he mentioned the hadith from
As-Sunnan Abu Dawood, which is one of the most authentic kitabs
preached all around the world. He said, "The Prophet (sallallahu
alaiyhi wa sallam) prohibited people from the usage of intoxicants and
narcotics. Any substance which befogs and intoxicates the mind, the
Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) has stopped us from taking it."
The quality of ishar (intoxicants) is when aperson is drunk, he is out
of his senses. He stutters when he speaks. He doesn't know what he is
saying and his nervoussystem throws up. You know the circumstances of
whena person is drunk. This is the quality of ishar.
But now, what is the quality of iftar? The quality of iftar is
mentioned by the scholars that it is a light-headedness feeling in an
individual. This is the stage that comes before the stage of being in
the state of drunkenness and this stage is very very dangerous and in
the quality of iftar, the ability to think goes away and the normal
state goes away.
So, from this hadith wecan see that drugs and narcotics come into the
category of ishar, which takes a person's consciousness away. The
hadith of Hafiz Zay-nuddin is evident today for us--that drugs are
haram and forbidden and we cannot use them.
We find other ahaadithrelating to this:
"Everything that intoxicates the mind comes into the category of khamr
and everything that comes into the category of khamr is haram."
Fromthis, we can see that drugs fall into this category because it
intoxicates the mind.
Whatever substance intoxicates a person in large amounts, it is also
haram in small amounts. Once HadhratUmar (radiyallahu anhu) was giving
a khutbah and in his khutbah, he was talking on the issue of khamr and
the definition he gave of khamr was: "Khamr is that which befogs the
mind and which coversthe human intelligence."
Allama Ibn Taymiyyah, a great scholar of Islam, stated, regarding this
issue, that a person who takes hashish (drugs) should be given the
same punishment as a person who takes alcohol--40 or 80 lashes. In
fact, he goes to the extent of saying that those people who are
involved in trafficking drugs are committing an act of kufr and he
further says that his janazah should not be performed. He should be
hanged in front of the people. Now, you tell me brothers. There are so
many people involved in the trafficking of drugs. Muslims are playing
a leading role in the consumption of drugs. Muslims are ahead in
supplying and being the pimps of drugs. These people are fooling
themselves as Muslims. This is a disgrace for our religion. Why did
Allama Ibn Taymiyyah say it so severely? Because the consequences to
this matter are high. So up to this point, my brothers, I have already
explained to you what khamr means and what the religious aspects to
this issue are in the light of the Qur'an and hadith. Now I will try
and explain to you whypeople take drugs.
There are many reasons why people take drugs. Broadly speaking, people
take drugs because of stress, worry, anxiety, problems at work,
problems at home, family problems. Thereare targets to meet, but they
can't meet them. There are commitments to fulfill, but they can't
fulfill them. When people areover-worked and they have too many
pressures, they resort to alcohol, a sip of Brandy, a sip of wine, an
injection, a pill, a capsule. Throw that in your mouth and that will
relax you.
Most teenagers take drugs because of peer pressure. Most of them are
introduced to drugs by their friends, but in reality they are their
foes and enemiesin the shape and form of friends. So many youngsters
take drugs because of peer pressure from friends.
Youngsters often say,"We take drugs because we are bored." In other
words,their lives are empty. There is a vacuum in their life. There is
nothing in life to engage them. There is nothing to challenge them and
so out of thisfeeling of boredom, they resort to drugs."Oh, then we
will be stimulated. Now we will be excited. Now we do not have that
boredom anymore."
Drugs are often taken because people do not have confidence in
themselves, because ofloneliness. It is a very strange factor of
society today that a person can live amongst a thousand people and yet
in a heavy population, he isstill lonely. He has neighbors to the
right. He has neighbors to the left. He has family and friends in that
city.He has work colleagues and yet, in that heavy population, he
feels lonely. So people resort to drugs to get rid of loneliness.They
don't have a sense of self-worth.
And youngsters often take drugs because of rebellion. They take drugs
because they want to go against their self-establishment--anything
that goes against authority is worth while doing. It's a challenge,
it's a dare, it's a risk. You are cool if you do these things. And
let's go joy riding because it's illegal in society. There's a risk in
it. Legalize joy riding and they'll say,"I'll think about it."
Legalize that which is illegal and people will have second thoughts of
doing it because youngsters tend to go against rules and regulations.
They do this because they wantother people to look at them. They lack
attention. They lack the love and care of parents. So, in order for
the community to focus their attention towards that person they have
to do things like this. Why?"Because I'm useless. I'm an ordinary
person.Nobody cares about me. Nobody has concern for me. Let me rebel
against society, then, society will be forced to look towards me." All
in all, if I'm to use one term for the reasons people take drugs, not
all the factors that I have mentioned apply here, but generally
speaking, the word here is escapism. Escapism is why people take
drugs. They are creating an artificial world around them, an unreal
world, a world that is more in the mind than in reality. This is make
belief, which are the words of Alice in Wonderland. This is their
Disneyland where nothing is wrong and everything is right, where they
have an over-whelming feelingof peace, contentment, and tranquility.
They make a manufactured world around them to make themselves feel
good, but the problem is, my dear respected brothers, that when the
effect of that alcohol or the effect of that drug wares out and the
hard realities of this world slap themin the face, then the problem
that they face,the depression that they face, the low that they face,
at that moment, it will all be far greater than the problem they
started out with.
Islam is a religion that does not believe in escapism. This is a
religion which believes in realism, about the hard issues, about the
real life. When we have problems, we confront them head on like brave
courageous men, men of spirit, men of heart. We try and come with a
solution for them. Then, all problems would be solved. Islam teaches
its followers about courage. Those who adhere to Islam are taught
patience and if they have all thisin them, then they can overcome
mountains with this inner strength. They can overcome the greatest
problems in their lives.Not only Islam teaches it, not only is it in
the Qur'an, not only is it in hadiththose people who are practicing
Muslims and I'm not talking about the Sahaba (radiyallahu anhum) or
the great pious people many eras ago, but I'm talking about normal
people. I'm talking about every Abdur-Rahman and Abdul Azeez that
exists here--people who perform their compulsory acts (fara'id) and
refrain from haram, normal Muslims who have some sort of appreciation
for religion, who find a spare moment within the 24 hours to sit down
with the Qur'an and recite a few verses, ponder upon them, try and
understand them, try and take an affect fromthe Qur'an and when they
perform their salah, they do so with a bit of concentration and
devotion. They perform their fara'id, refrain from haram and are
satisfied with that, then Allah consolidates and strengthens the
hearts of the Muslims and then he is not dependant on chemical
substances tosupport his life.
When a Muslim reads the verses of the Qur'an, the Qur'an says:
"He, who has trust in Allah, then Allah is sufficient for him."
A person may be in need, then the treasures of the seven heavens and
the seven earths will not be sufficient to fulfill his needs and a
person may be thirsty but the oceans may not quench his thirst, but
ifa person is naked and hungry and he has nothing else but tawakkul,
trust in Allah, then Allah is sufficient for him. Allahsays in the
Qur'an:
"Oh Prophet! Have trust in the Dominant One, in the Powerful one, Who
is in total control of everything, the Compassionate One, the Merciful
One."
If you are in a problem,He will solve it for you. He will not neglect you.Why?
"He is the One Who sees your worship."
He sees you in ruku and sajdah. He is Shakoor, thankful that He will
reward you. Allah sees whatever you do. He's not in the heavens and
you are on the earth. He is not in one room and you are in another
room. When Allah is behind someone, when he hasthe strength and
support of Allah, then what power is there in the world that can
afflict any harm or any danger or any risk to that individual?
Hadhrat Ibn Abbas (radiyallahu anhu) narrated a hadith:"When I was a
child, I was mounted on an animal behind the Prophet (sallallahu
alaiyhi wa sallam). TheProphet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) turned
to me and said, 'Oh, child! Protect the command of Allah, fulfill the
duties you are required from the Qur'an and hadith, then He will
protect and preserve you. Protect the commands of Allah, you will find
him in front of you. When you ask, when you are in need of something,
ask from Allah. And when you need help, then don't run to your bank
manager and don't runtowards your factory, don't turn towards your
colleagues, but when you are in need of help, then ask from Allah.
That is your first source that you turn to.He is the source of our
goodness. And know inyour heart that if the whole of humanity were to
collect and try to benefit you in anyway, then they cannot give you
any sort of benefit, but thatwhich Allah has already decreed and
written for you. And if the whole of humanity wants to harm you in
anyway and they get their plans and conspiracies together, then they
cannot harm you in anyway, but that which Allah has already prescribed
andordained for you.'" Andthe beautiful words of this hadith are
concluded by saying:"The pens have been lifted and the scrolls are
dry."
The reasons I mentioned before for taking drugs was boredom and
loneliness. When a person says, "I'm bored," that is a greatest insult
you can face yourself. A person who is creative and constructive
sitting alone in a room with no instruments, no devices, no video
tapes, no cassette recorders, no books, the room can be completely
empty withnot one companion, but he is in that room alone in his mind
and with his heart he has a greater company than someone who is in a
football stadium with 80,000 fans. That lonely person is in a greater
company because he is in the majesty of his Lord. He is in the glory
of his Lord. This is stimulation, which is not abusive to your body.
So Islam is a fulfilling religion, a satisfying religion. It gives us
morals. It gives us values. It protects us from harm.
I would like to relate toyou a story regarding Maulana Abdul Qadir
Raypuri (rahmatullahi alaiyh). He lived in this century and passed
away in the 1940s. I'm not talking about centuries ago and those eyes
are still present in this world, who have seen this great man. He was
a unique individual, whohad spiritual power. The point I am going to
make with this storyis that Muslims will definitely have problems.
Problems will come, but we haveto contain them, absorb them with this
inner strength, with this Islamic vision, with a clear mind, not a
polluted mind and then live with that and solve that. So it has been
related in the final years of Hadhrat'slife that he was severely ill.
On one occasion it was Isha prayer and Hadhrat had a problem with
istinja, with using the toilet and it was an on-going problem. So he
told some people present with him,"Help me perform wudu quickly, then
we'll pray Isha. I have an urgency to use to toilet." So they helped
him perform wudu quickly and they prayed Isha. After that, he told
them, "Take meto one side." They tookhim and moved away. He sat there
at length, my brothers. The agony of urination wasthere. When the
urgency to urinate wasthere, he could not urinate. Anyone who has this
problem here will understand the difficulty. He sat there at length
and finally hecalled out to his attendants and said,"Take me to one
side. I cannot urinate. I'm having problems." So they lifted him and
took him to one side. As soon as they placed him down, he called out,
"Quickly take me back! I need to urinate." They raised him and sat him
to oneside. At length, he was not able to urinate. He quickly called
out,"Pick me up. I am falling." They ran and picked him up and put him
to one side. This carried on two, three, four, five times. There was
that pain there; the urgency and burning agony, my brothers. This was
a man who was sick. His limbs ached and he was bedridden. When they
lifted him up on one occasion, one of this attendants, who was
relating this incident, said that just as we picked him up, he cried
out, "Oh my Malik (Master)!" The attendant said, "As soon as Hadhrat
said these words, a thoughtentered my heart that Ihave not seen
Hadhrat making even one complaint about anything. He was always
pleased and contented and satisfied with whatever life threw at him.
So the thought entered my heart that what? Is this a complaint after
so many years? I've seen him face so many problems, so many
difficulties and yet, never has he complained and now? As soon as this
thoughtentered my mind, I realized that Hadhrat was not finished with
his sentence yet and then he completed it,"My Master" Imagine, here he
is in this state of agony and suffering and what does he do? He turns
to his Lord and says, "My Malik, the favors and blessings upon me are
so incredible, they are extra ordinary!" These were men. These were
people of hearts. They faced life with courageand they overcame
everything. Their bodies would shake with the love and fear of Allah
and when these people cry, there is no pain in their cries. There's
such a bliss, such a joy, which has to be envied. We cannot compete
with these people. In the lapof luxury, in the chambers of a palace,
on soft cushions, on silk and leather, you are not experiencing the
peace and tranquility that these people were feeling lying on the
grass withthe heavens as their blankets. When they would
say,"Subhannallah!" the peace that they attained in their heartscannot
be competed with us.
Once a letter was being read out loud to Hadhrat Sheikh Zakariyyah
(rahmatullahi alaiyh) and this letter was written by Maulana Abul
Hasan Ali Nadwi and in that letter Sheikh Abul Hasan wasdescribing his
trip to Madina, the sacred city of our Beloved ProphetMuhammad
(sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) and he was describing the emotions that
were playing with his heart as he arrived at the sacred city. He had
poetry and couplets there about the fragrance soil of Madina, etc.
This letter was being read out to Hadhrat Sheikh and a large
congregation was around him. The people who were present there said
that Hadhrat was in an extra ordinary state that day when the letter
was being read to him. "We did not see him in such a state before, "
and then he turned to one of the Kadims and said,"Read them couplets
tome in a tune." At that time, someone stood up and started readingthe
couplets to him. Hadhrat was at an old age and to give him relief,
people were massaging his arms. As those couplets werebeing read to
him, those attendants who were massaging him, said that every inch of
the flesh of Hadhrat Sheikh started shakingand they said, "We can feel
an electric current running through his body." And what was this
electric current? It was the current of love, mohabbat, and affection,
which cannot be experienced in anything. So these were men of courage.
They had stimulation and interest in their lives and they had
satisfactory and fulfilling lives.
Some people may havethis in their head that:"Why is he talking about
drugs and alcohol? We are Muslims after all. We think we are pure
people. Isn't this irrelevant? This does not apply to us. We don't
touch that stuff." My dear respected brothers and sisters, if this is
our belief, if this is our knowledge, thenwe are very naïve people. We
are a very negligent people. Muslims, as far as drugs and alcohol
consumption is concerned, then from Alif to Yaa, A to Z, they are in
the picture from the production to the supply to the consumption of
drugs. They are there. Today we are arguing over petty incidents in
the masjid. Let us open oureyes to the wider world. Open our eyes to
what activities and what crises are engulfing the whole of the Ummah
today. If we do not take care of the next generation, then our next
generation is going down the drains. And then we will be going towards
a very very dark future. We have to remember what Allah wants from us.
Allah has put upon us some external duties and some internal duties.
The external duty is that we pass the message of Islam to other
communities. The internal duty is that we educate ourselves, first of
all, regarding drugs and other issues. Our community is going down the
drains because we are uneducated. We have time to learn other
knowledge, but we do not have time to learn our Islamic knowledge. We
have time to watch the satanic box (TV), we have time to visit pubs
and clubs, we have time to watch videos, but we have no time todiscuss
issues regarding Islam. Make sure you take care of your children
because the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) saidthat every
single one of you is responsible for his flock, meaning his children.
Everyone will be asked about hisor her children. Whoever doesn't
teachhis children the knowledge of Islam, the knowledge that can
differentiate between good and bad, the knowledge that will help him
realize what is truth (haqq) and what is false (baatil), he will
beasked about it on the Day of Qiyaamah. America is the biggest taker
of drugs. There you can find thousandsand thousands of organizations
dealing with drugs, alcohol and related matters. The only way to
combat drugs and alcohol is through the Qur'an and Sunnah. This is our
only solution. There is no other.
I started off with life and now I'll finish withlife. "Live in this
world as though you are a stranger, a wayfarer," the Prophet
(sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) advised. You are not going to live here
forever. You are going to earn money, but whom are you earning it for?
Are you earning it for your own pleasure or looking at your children
or looking towards their education? Remember one thing. You have to
face your Lord one day and you will be asked these questions one day,
the Day of Qiyaamah.
Four questions will definitely be asked about one's life. How did you
spend it? How did you waste it? Where you earned your wealth and
wheredid you spend your wealth? And how did you act upon the knowledge
you had? Once you find out that a certain thing is forbidden in Islam
and you keep on doing it and you do not repent then the Prophet
(sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said, "I have norelationship with that
person."
I would like to conclude by saying that those people amongst us who
are orwho maybe and I'm not saying anyone is but anyone who maybe
involved in alcohol or some drug abuse, to a greater content or to a
lesser degree, whatever portion or amount, it isharmfully wrong. Can I
address those people and say that what is this petty existence that
you have chosen for yourselves? There are no blessings for you in that
type of life. There are greater tasksfor you in life. You havebeen
selected as an Ummati for a greater purpose. You, as Mu'mins
(believers), are beloved in the eyesof Allah. Your value is
immeasurable. You, as human beings, are the center of the universe.
How long have you become? What gutter have you dived into? Why are you
destroying yourself and why are you abusing your body? Why are you
contaminating and polluting the body, which is the sacred communion
between Adam and Hawwa? Why are you harming and abusing a body about
which our Beloved Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wa sallam) said,
"Verily, your body has a right over you." It's not your private
possession. This is not something you created. It does not belong to
you. Respect yourself and others will respect you.In short, let us all
get a life.
May Allah take the disease of drugs and alcohol away from our
community. May Allah give us the ability to understand and realizethe
dangers and harmsof drugs and alcohol. May Allah unite us all under
the one banner: La ilaha illallahu Muhammadur Rasulullah (sallallahu
alaiyhi wa sallam).
Wa akhirudda' wana anil humdulillahi rabbil alameen.

The coelacanth that evolutionists claim as a transitional form is living in the seas as a perfect life form

Fossils of living things such as the Cœlacanth , which evolutionists
heralded as an extinct transitional life form butwhich has been
realized to be still alive today as abottom-dwelling fish, paint a
striking picture that refutes the theory of evolution's scenario of
change.
The Cœlacanth , which according to the fossil record, dates back some
410 million years to the Devonian period, was regarded by
evolutionists as a powerful intermediate form between fish and
reptile. It had been mysteriously erased from the fossil record 70
million years ago, duringthe Cretaceous period, and was believed to
have become extinct at that time. The truth was very different,
however. Since 1938, more than 200 present-day Cœlacanths have been
caught , after that first one off South Africa. Thesecond came from
the Comoro Islands off north-west Madagascar in 1952, and a third in
Indonesian Sulawesi in 1998. The evolutionist paleontologist J. L. B.
Smith was unable to conceal his amazement at the capture of the first
Cœlacanth , saying,
"If I'd met a dinosaur in the street I wouldn't have been more
astonished." (Jean-Jacques Hublin, The Hamlyn Encyclopædia of
Prehistoric Animals , NewYork: The Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd., 1984,
p. 120)
The capture of living Cœlacanths revealed thatthe claims regarding it
were nothing more thandeceptions. In addition, evolutionists had
always depicted the fish as living in shallow waters, as a potential
reptile preparing to crawl onto the land. Yet the Cœlacanth was now
found to be living in the deepest ocean waters—a bottom-dwelling
fishalmost never rising above 180 meters below the surface. You can
watch the Cœlacanth swimming as a perfect fish in today's deep oceans
in the video below.
The Anatomical Characteristics of the 400-Million-Year-Old
Cœlacanth Show That Evolution Never Happened
Anatomical investigations conducted following thecapture of live
Cœlacanths have revealed many findings that refute evolution. It has
been realized that the Cœlacanth that was living 400 years ago at a
time when supposed primitive life forms weremeant to have been living
p ossessed exceedingly complex features absent from many present-day
fish. One of these was the discovery that the Cœlacanth is sensitive
to electromagnetic currentsaround it indicates the presence of a
complex sensory organ. Looking at the nerves that connect the fish's
rostral organ to its brain, scientists agreed that this organ is
responsible for detecting electromagnetic currents.
Focus magazine described the astonishment of evolutionists in the face
of the complex nature and characteristics of the Cœlacanth as follows:
According to fossils, fish emerged some 470 million years ago. The
Cœlacanth emerged 60 million years after that. It is astonishing that
this creature, which would be expected to possess very primitive
features, actually has a most complex structure.

It is the antichrist (dajjal) who will shed blood in the End Times. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will come to halt these rivers of bloodshed by the antichrist.

One of the most important pieces of information about Hazrat Mahdi
(as) that our Prophet (saas) gives in many of the hadiths isthe fact
that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will cause no blood to be spilled at any time
in his life. Indeed, our Prophet (saas) says of the age under the
spiritual leadership of Hazrat Mahdi (as) that "he will not wake a
sleeping person or even shed onedrop of blood ." (Ibn Hajar
al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p.
29)
Our Prophet (saas) expresses this as follows in another hadith:
In the time of [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] no one will be woken up from their
sleep OR HAVE A BLEEDINGNOSE. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl
al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 44)
Not shedding blood is Allah's command to Hazrat Mahdi (as) by
revealing it to our Prophet (saas). It is therefore impossible for
Hazrat Mahdi (as) to employ any other meansthan love, affection,
compassion, friendship and brotherhood in causing the moral valuesof
Islam to rule the world. Because any other behavior would mean
violating Allah's commandment, may Allah forbid.
Hazrat Mahdi (as) is a person of love and affection. The intense love
and affection that Allah creates in Hazrat Mahdi's (as) soul and that
will have an impact across the whole world are expressed as follows in
hadiths:
Due to the blessings of Imam az-Zaman [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] people's
hearts will be filled with mutual love and unity. (Bihar al-Anwar,
vol. 53, p. 187; Mikyaal al-Makaarem, vol. 1, p. 52)
[In the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as)] LOVE AND KINDNESS WILL PERVADE ALL
THE NOOKS AND CORNERS OF THE EARTH . (Iqbaal al-A'maal, p. 507; Bihar
al-Anwar, vol. 21, p. 312)
Certain people and circles with ulterior motives who say that blood
will be shed in floods in the End Times have ascribed, in their own
eyes, such a task to Hazrat Mahdi (as) both out of lack of knowledgeof
the hadiths and also deliberate distortion, of those hadiths under the
influence of satan. It is true that there will be bloodshed in the End
Times, but it is the antichrist who will shed it in floods, not Hazrat
Mahdi (as). The antichristmeans blood and pus. The antichrist will
elevate hatred of Muslims to its highest level in the End Times.
Hewill imprison the whole of mankind, and especially the Muslim world,
within an oppressive system, the like of which has never been seen
before. Our Prophet (saas) also describes this climate that will
emerge in the End Times in the hadiths:
(At that time) There will be much corruption, disorder and rebellion,
and people will kill one another. People will taketheir own lives and
the world will be filled with sorrow . The accursed dajjal will appear
at sucha troubled time...(Ash-Sharani, Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi,
p. 482)
At a time when the world will be in utter confusion and disorder, when
murders and tribulation appears ... when roads will be cut, when some
attack some others... (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat
al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 454)
Allah reveals to our Prophet (saas) that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not
shed blood and our Prophet (saas) imparts this to Hazrat Mahdi
(as).Hazrat Mahdi (as) will abide by this command of Allah.
Allah reveals to our Prophet (saas) that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not
shed blood and our Prophet (saas) imparts this to Hazrat Mahdi
(as).Hazrat Mahdi (as) will abide by this command of Allah.
From Mr. Adnan Oktar`s interview on Adıyaman Asu TV on 27 September, 2010
Allah will send Hazrat Mahdi (as) to halt the flow of blood. Hazrat
Mahdi (as) is "anti-blood." It is Hazrat Mahdi(as) who will completely
silence Darwinism and materialism, the religionof the movement of the
antichrist that incite violence and conflict, cause people to regard
one another as animals, and incite selfishness, cruelty and
ruthlessness. In doing this he will use science and philosophy and
silence the movement of the antichrist with its own weapons.
With the total silencing of the movement of the antichrist, love,
affection, compassion, peace, security, brotherhood and friendship
will replace conflict, war, fighting and anger. All weapons will be
eliminated in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as), and the money spent on
the military willinstead be diverted to science, art, technology and
other activities that benefit mankind. Our Prophet (as) foretold these
delights in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as)1400 years ago:
All grudges and mutual hatred will be removed… Earth will be filled
with peace, just as a vessel is filled with water; . There will also
be unity in religion and none other than Allah will be worshipped
anymore. The (competents of) battle will abandon its load (arms and
equipment) . (Sunan Ibn Majah, 10/334)
(The competents of) Warwill abandon its load (namely, arms and the
like)… All hostility and hatred vanish.(Al-Sharani, Mukhtasar Tazkirah
al-Qurtubi, p. 496)

Story, - The Boats of the Glen Carrig: Chapter 2

II
THE SHIP IN THE CREEK
THEN, IT WAS nigh on to evening, we came upon a creek opening into the
greater one through the bank upon our left. We had been like to pass
it--as, indeed, we had passed many throughoutthe day--but that the
bo'sun, whose boat had the lead, cried out that there was some craft
lying-up, a little beyond the first bend. And, indeed, so it seemed;
for one of the masts of her--all jagged, where it had carried
away--stuck up plain to our view.
Now, having grown sick with so much lonesomeness, and beingin fear of
the approaching night, we gave out something nearto a cheer, which,
however, the bo'sun silenced, having no knowledge of those whomight
occupy the stranger. And so, in silence, the bo'sun turned his craft
toward the creek, whereat we followed, taking heed to keep quietness,
and working the oars warily. So, in a little, we came tothe shoulder
of the bend, and had plain sight of the vessel some little way beyond
us. From the distance she had no appearance of being inhabited; so
that after some small hesitation, we pulled towards her, though still
being at pains to keep silence.
The strange vessel lay against that bank of the creek which was upon
our right, and over above her was a thick clump of the stunted trees.
For the rest, she appeared to be firmly imbedded in the heavy mud, and
there was a certain look of age about her which carried to me a
doleful suggestion that we should find naught aboard of her fit for an
honest stomach.
We had come to a distance of maybe some ten fathoms from her starboard
bow--for she lay with her head down towards the mouth of the little
creek--when the bo'sun bade his men to back water, the whichJosh did
regarding our own boat. Then, being ready to fly if we had been in
danger, the bo'sun hailed the stranger; but got no reply, save that
some echo of his shout seemedto come back at us. And so he sung out
again to her, chance there might be some below decks who had not
caught his first hail; but, for the second time, no answer came to us,
save the low echo--naught, but that the silent trees took on alittle
quivering, as though his voice had shaken them.
At that, being confident now within our minds, we laid alongside, and,
in a minute had shinned up the oars and so gained her decks. Here,
save that the glass of the skylight of the main cabin had been broken,
and some portion of the framework shattered, there was no
extraordinary litter; so that it appeared to us as though she had been
no great while abandoned.
So soon as the bo'sun had made his way up from the boat, he turnedaft
toward the scuttle, the rest of us following. We found the leaf of the
scuttle pulled forward to within an inch of closing,and so much effort
did it require of us to push it back, that we had immediate evidence
of a considerable time since any had gone down that way.
However, it was no greatwhile before we were below, and here we found
the main cabin to be empty, save for the bare furnishings. From it
there opened off two state-rooms at the forrard end, and the captain's
cabin in the after part, and in all of these we found matters of
clothing and sundries such as proved that the vessel had been
desertedapparently in haste. In further proof of this we found, in a
drawer in thecaptain's room, a considerable quantity of loose gold,
the which it was not to be supposed would have been left by the
free-will of the owner.
Of the state-rooms, the one upon the starboard side gave evidence that
it had been occupied by a woman--no doubt a passenger. The other, in
which there were two bunks, had been shared, so far as we could have
any certainty, by a couple of young men; and this we gathered by
observation of various garments which were scattered carelessly about.
Yet it must not be supposed that we spent any great time in the
cabins; for we were pressed for food, and made haste--under the
directing of the bo'sun--to discover if the hulk held victuals whereby
we might be kept alive.
To this end, we removed the hatch which led down to the lazarette,
and, lighting two lamps which we had with us in the boats, went down
to make a search. And so, ina little while, we came upon two casks
which the bo'sun broke open with a hatchet. These casks were sound and
tight, and in them was ship's biscuit, very good and fit for food. At
this, as may be imagined, we felt eased in our minds, knowing that
there was no immediate fear of starvation. Following this, we found a
barrel of molasses; a cask of rum; some cases of dried fruit--these
were mouldyand scarce fit to be eaten; a cask of salt beef,another of
pork; a small barrel of vinegar; a case of brandy; two barrels
offlour--one of which proved to be damp-struck; and a bunch of tallow
dips.
In a little while we had all these things up in the big cabin, so that
we might come at them the better to make choice of that which was fit
for our stomachs, and that which was otherwise. Meantime, whilst the
bo'sun overhauled these matters, Josh called a couple of the men, and
went on deck to bring up the gear from the boats, for it had been
decided that we should pass the night aboard the hulk.
When this was accomplished, Josh took a walk forward to the fo'cas'le;
but found nothing beyond two seamen's chests; a sea-bag, and some odd
gear. There were, indeed, no more than ten bunks in the place; for she
was but a small brig, and had no call for a great crowd. Yet Josh was
more than a little puzzled to know what had come to the odd chests;
for it was not to be supposed that there had been no more than
two--and a sea-bag--among ten men. But to this, at that time, he had
no answer, and so, beingsharp for supper, made areturn to the deck,
and thence to the main cabin.
Now while he had been gone, the bo'sun had set the men to clearing out
the main cabin; after which, he had served outtwo biscuits apiece all
round, and a tot of rum. To Josh, when he appeared, he gave the same,
and, in a little, we called a sort of council; being sufficiently
stayed by the food to talk.
Yet, before we came to speech, we made shift tolight our pipes; for
the bo'sun had discovered a case of tobacco in the captain's cabin,
and afterthis we came to the consideration of our position.
We had provender, so the bo'sun calculated, to last us for the better
partof two months, and this without any great stint; but we had yet to
prove if the brig held water in her casks, for that in the creek was
brackish, evenso far as we had penetrated from the sea;else we had not
been in need. To the charge of this, the bo'sun set Josh, along with
two of the men. Another, he told to take charge of the galley, so long
as we were in the hulk. But for that night, he said we had no need to
do aught; for we had sufficient of water in theboats' breakers to last
us till the morrow. And so, in a little, the dusk began to fill the
cabin; but we talked on, being greatly content with our present ease
and the good tobacco which we enjoyed.
In a little while, one of the men cried out suddenly to us to be
silent, and, in that minute, all heard it--a far, drawn-out wailing;
the same which had come to us in the evening of the first day. At that
we looked at one another through the smoke and the growing dark, and,
even as we looked, it became plainer heard, until, in a while, it was
all about us--aye! it seemed to come floating down through the broken
framework of the skylight as though some weariful, unseen thing stood
and cried upon thedecks above our heads.
Now through all that crying, none moved; none, that is, save Josh and
the bo'sun, and theywent up into the scuttle to see whether anything
was in sight; but they found nothing, and so came down to us; for
there was no wisdom in exposing ourselves, unarmed as we were, save
for our sheath-knives.
And so, in a little, the night crept down upon the world, and still we
sat within the dark cabin, none speaking, and knowing of the rest only
by the glows of their pipes.
All at once there came a low, muttered growl, stealing across the
land; and immediately the crying was quenched in its sullen thunder.
It diedaway, and there was a full minute of silence; then, once more
it came, and it was nearer and more plain to the ear. I took my pipe
from my mouth; for I had come again upon the great fear and uneasiness
which the happenings ofthe first night had bred in me, and the taste
of the smoke brought me no more pleasure. The muttered growl swept
over our heads and died away into the distance, and there was a sudden
silence.
Then, in that quietness, came the bo'sun's voice. He was bidding us
haste every one into the captain's cabin. As we moved to obey him, he
ran to draw over the lid of the scuttle; and Josh went with him, and,
together, they had it across; though with difficulty. When we had come
into the captain's cabin, we closed and barred the door, piling two
great sea-chests up against it; and so we felt near safe; for we knew
that no thing, man nor beast, could come at us there. Yet, as may be
supposed, we felt not altogether secure; for there was that in the
growling which now filled the darkness, that seemed demoniac, and we
knew not what horrid Powers were abroad.
And so through the nightthe growling continued, seeming to be mighty
near unto us--aye! almost over our heads, and of a loudness far
surpassing all that had come to us on the previous night; so that I
thanked the Almighty that we had come into shelter in the midst of so
much fear. [ tobe continued....]

Dought & clear,- Belief in the Last Day and the Signs of the Day ,The Muslim belief concerning the destiny of atheists in the Hereafter.

What do Muslims believewill happen to Athiests in the Hereafter
Praise be to Allaah.
The athiest is destined toHell fire in the Hereafter.This is mainly
because anathiest refuses the most basic belief which is the existance
and oneness ofAllaah. I ask Allaah to guide us all to the truth and
help us to follow it, for He is the best Supporter and Helper.

Dought & clear,- Belief in the Last Day and the Signs of the Day ,Good deeds appear in the form of a man in the grave.

How sound is this hadeeth?
"When a person dies, whilst his relatives are busy with his funeral
rites, a very handsome man stands at the head of the deceased and when
the body is shrouded, that man comes in between the shroud and chest
of the deceased, and after the burial, the people go back to their
homes and the two angels Munkar and Nakeer come to the grave and they
try to separate this handsome man from the deceased so that they will
be able to question the deceased about his faith.But the good-looking
man says: 'He is my friend, he is my friend, and I will never leave
him without interveningunder any circumstances. If you areappointed to
question him, then do as you are commanded, but as for me, I can never
leave him until I admit him to Paradise.' Then the handsome man turns
to the deceased and says tohim: 'I am the Qur'aan that you used to
recite ina loud voice sometimes and in a low voice sometimes. Do not
worry. After the questioning of Munkar and Nakeer, there will be no
sorrow after this day.' When the questioning ends, the handsome man
and the angels prepare a bed of silk filled with musk for the deceased
in Paradise.".
Praise be to Allaah.
What is narrated in the saheeh Sunnah about one's good deeds takinga
physical form and appearing in the form ofa handsome man in the grave,
including the deed of reciting the HolyQur'aan, is as follows:
1-
It was narrated from al-Bara' ibn 'Aazib (may Allaah be pleased with
him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said:
"When the believing slave is about to depart this world and enter the
Hereafter, there come down to him from heaven angels with white faces
like the sun, and they sit around him as far as the eye can see. They
bring with them shrouds from Paradise and perfumes from Paradise…"
until he said,describing the state of the believer in the grave:
"Then a voice calls out from heaven, 'My slave has spoken the truth,
so prepare for him a bed from Paradise and clothehim from Paradise,
and open for him a gate to Paradise.' Then there comes to him some of
itsfragrance, and his grave is made wide, as far as he can see. Then
there comes to him a man with a handsome face and handsome clothes,
and a good fragrance, who says, 'Receive the glad tidings that will
bring you joy this day.' He says, 'Who are you? Your face is a face
whichbrings glad tidings.' He says, 'I am your righteous deeds.' He
says, 'O Lord, hasten the Hour so that I may returnto my family and my
wealth.'"
Narrated by Ahmad (4/362); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Ahkaam
al-Janaa'iz (156).
2-
It was narrated that Buraydah (may Allaah bepleased with him) said: I
heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say:
"The Qur'aan will meet its companion on the Day of Resurrection when
his grave is opened for him, in the form of a pale man. It will say to
him, 'Do you recognize me?' He will say: 'I do not recognize you.' It
will say: 'I am your companion the Qur'aan, who kept you thirsty on
hot days and kept you awake at night.Every merchant benefits from his
business and today you will benefit from your good deeds.' He will be
given dominion in his right hand and eternity in his left, and there
will be placed on his head a crown of dignity, and hisparents will be
clothed with priceless garments the like of which have never been seen
in this world. They will say: 'Why have we been clothed with this?' It
will be said: 'Because your son used to recite Qur'aan.' Then it will
be said to him: 'Recite and ascend in the degrees of Paradise,' and he
will continue to ascend so long as he recites, either at a fast pace
or a slow pace ."
Narrated by Ahmad in al-Musnad (394) and Ibn Maajah in al-Sunan
(3781); classed as hasan by al-Busayri in al-Zawaa'id and by
al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (2829).
Al-Suyooti said in his commentary on the hadeeth (2/1242):
"In the form of a pale man". Al-Suyooti said: This is the one whose
colour has changed. It is as if he comes in this form so as to
resemble his companion in this world, or to draw attention to the fact
thatjust as his colour changed in this world because of staying up at
night to read Qur'aan, the Qur'aan will appear in a similar form
becauseof its striving on the Day of Resurrection until its companion
attains the ultimate goal in the Hereafter. End quote.
I have not found anything in the saheeh Sunnah to suggest that aman's
righteous deeds will appear in the form of a man in the grave except
in these two hadeeths.
As for the hadeeth whichyou quoted, it is not narrated in any of the
reliable books of Sunnah, and we have not found it with any isnaad,
saheeh (sound) or da'eef (weak). Rather it is something that appears
in some chat rooms or on some sites with no proof. Perhaps some
ignorant person wrote it himself then attributed it to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), to encouragethe people to
respect theQur'aan and pay attention to it, but these people do not
know thattelling lies about the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) is one of the worst of sins that doom a person to the
Fire of Hell, and the good intention does not remove the burden of sin
for those who tell liesand fabricate ahaadeethas if the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said them. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Telling lies about me is not
like telling lies about anyoneelse. Whoever tells a lie about me
deliberately, let him take his place in Hell." Narrated by al-Bukhaari
(1291) and Muslim (4).

Dought & clear,- Belief in the Last Day and the Signs of the Day,Will the Muslim see whoever he wants of thewomen of Paradise?.

If a Muslim is one of the people of Paradise, will he be able to see
the females companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) in Paradise if he reaches their status? And will he be
able to see righteous women such as Rabia al-'Adawiyyah and other
believing women? May Allaah reward you with good.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
In Paradise, there will beno evil looks or sickness of the heart such
that men in Paradise will seek women other than his own womenfolk.
Andwomen will not seek men whom they knew inthis world. Paradise is
the place where Allaah honours people and there is no evil there, and
no haraam desires or wishes.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "The first group to enter Paradise will look like the moon
when it is full. They will not spit or blow their noses or defecate
therein. Their vessels and combs will be of gold and silver, their
incense burners will be of aloeswood and their sweat will be musk.
Each of them will have two wives, the marrow of whose calves will be
visible from beneath the flesh because of their beauty. There will be
no dissent or enmity among them and their hearts will be as one, and
they will glorify Allaah morning and evening."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3073) and Muslim (2834).
According to a report narrated by al-Bukhaari: "they will not envy one another."
Secondly:
One of the blessings of Paradise for men is that Allaah will bestow
upon them wives whose love and gaze will be only forthem, and he will
not see anyone who is better than them, and hewill not desire anyone
else.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And beside them will beQaasiraat-at-Tarf [chaste females (wives),
restraining their glances (desiring none except their husbands)]"
[al-Saaffaat 37:48].
Imam al-Tabari (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Allaah, may He be exalted, says: With these sincere slaves of Allaah
in Paradise will be qaasiraat al-tarf (chaste females restraining
theirglances), who will be wives who lower their gaze and refrain from
looking at anyone other than their husbands, andwill not desire anyone
but them, and they will not look at anyone but them.
Tafseer al-Tabari (21/41).
Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahmaanal-Sa'di (may Allaah havemercy on him) said:
"Andbeside them will be Qaasiraat-at-Tarf [chaste females (wives),
restraining their glances" means: With the people of the abode of
bliss in their places will be al-hoor al-'iyn, perfect in appearance
and restraining their glances. Either they will restrain their glances
by looking at no one but their husbands, because they will be chaste
and have no desire for anyone else, and because their husbands will
be so handsome andperfect that they will notseek or desire anyone else
in Paradise, or because they will be so beautiful that their husbands
will look only at them. This is indicative of their perfect beauty
which will make their husbands restrain their glances and look only at
them. Restraining the glance also indicates that his love will be
restricted only to her. Both meanings are possible and both are valid.
All of this indicatesthat the men and women in Paradise will be
beautiful and will love one another, a love that does not desire
anyone else. They will allbe extremely chaste and there will be no
envy or hatred there, because the causes of that will not exist.
Tafseer al-Sa'di (p. 702)
The apparent meaning of the verses "And beside them will be
Qaasiraat-at-Tarf [chaste females (wives), restraining their glances
(desiring none except their husbands)]" [al-Saaffaat 37:48] and "And
beside them will beQaasiraat-at-Tarf [chaste females (wives)
restraining their glances (desiring none except their husbands)],
(and) of equal ages" [Saad 38:52] is both al-hoor al-'iyn and the
women of this world who enter Paradise. What is meant by 'iyn is
wide-eyed and what is meant by "of equal ages" is of the same age.
Thirdly:
No woman will be unmarried in Paradise. Every woman will have
ahusband, and there will be no single people in Paradise.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "...there will be no one in Paradise who is unmarried."
Narrated byMuslim (2834).
Fourthly:
With regard to this specific issue, it seems from the texts that women
will live with their husbands and children in their own realms in
Paradise, and awoman will be content with her husband and have no need
to see other people, as stated above. There is no text to suggest that
she will see non-mahrams there, or that the righteous men will see
righteous, worshipping believing women in Paradise.
Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahmaanal-Barraak (may Allaah preserve him) said:
There is no way to knowmatters of the unseen except by information
from the infallible one (i.e., the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him)), because matters of the unseen cannot be known by
reasoning and thinking. Information about Paradise is one of the
matters of the unseen that are hidden, and we must adhere to what
hasbeen stated in the texts of the Qur'aan and Sunnah. We must
believein Paradise and what Allaah has told us of the various delights
therein, whilst remembering thatits realities are known only to
Allaah. There is nothing in the texts to say that a man will meet the
wives of others, and there is nothing to confirm or deny the seeing
asked about here. We cannot say thata person will be able to see the
Mothers of the Believers or that it is not possible; rather we must
refrain from thinking about that or indulging in discussion of it, for
it is superfluous and is not something that it is prescribed to pray
for orwish for. But what is indicated by the Qur'aanis that the
believers will meet and sit facing one another on thrones, as Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"A multitude of those (foremost) will be from the first generations
(who embraced Islam).
14. And a few of those (foremost) will be from the later generations.
15. (They will be) on thrones woven with gold and precious stones.
16. Reclining thereon, face to face"
[al-Waaqi'ah 56:13-16]
"And We shall remove from their hearts any deep feeling of bitterness
(that they mayhave). (So they will be like) brothers facing each other
on thrones"
[al-Hijr 15:47]
We should not indulge in discussion of matters of the unseen without
knowledge, rather if such a question comes up, we should answer
bysaying Allaah knows best, and the questioner should be told not to
indulge in such topics, because there is no benefit in that.
"And follow not (O man, i.e., say not, or do not, orwitness not) that
of which you have no knowledge. Verily, the hearing, and the sight,
and the heart of each of those ones will be questioned (by Allaah)"
[al-Isra' 17:36]
"They (angels) said: Glory is to You, we have no knowledge except what
you have taught us. Verily, it is You, the All-Knower, the All-Wise"
[al-Baqarah 2:32]
We ask Allaah to guide us to the Straight Path and to make us all
people of Paradise. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon His
slaveand Messenger Muhammad and upon his family and ... And
Allaah knows best......

Henna - past and today

"The best thing with which to color your gray hair is henna or katm."
[Abu Daawood and At-Tirmithi]
Jaabir Ibn 'Abdullaah narrated that Abu Quhaafa (the Father of Abu
Bakr) came on theday of the conquest of Makkah with his hair andbeard
extremely white. The Prophet said: "Change his hair color with
something and do not use black."
Salmah, the Prophet's ,maid, said: " Anyone whocomplained to the
Prophet from pain in his head, he would say tohim, 'cup it. ' And when
complained from pain in the foot, he would tell him, 'Dye it with
henna.' " [Abu Daawood and Ibn Maajah]
She also said: "Whenever the Prophet had an ulcer, fester or eczema,
he ordered me to put henna on it." [Authentic, Jaami' al-Usool by Ibn
al-Atheer]
Henna has been utilized since ancient times as a dye to color the
nails, hands, feet and hair. The traditional henna is manufactured
from a plant known as LawsoniaAlba. This plant is cultivated in Saudi
Arabia, India, Sri Lanka, Iran, Egypt, North Africa and Australia
among others.
The effective dye component of henna is called Lawsone. It consists of
fat, resin, manitol and volatile oils.
It is mentioned in the Islamic Encyclopedia of Medicine that the
ancientEgyptians used henna in mummification.
The Egyptian henna is typically a green substance that gives the hair
a reddish brown color. Other colors are obtained by adding other dyes
to the natural henna. Some women in Sudan add a substance called
paraphenylen ediamine to the henna toreduce the time needed for dyeing
from an hour to several minutes. But this mixture can be fatal
although its cause is unknown and this is why people who apply henna
are warned against adding this substance. Henna in itself is safe
anddoesn't have any known side effects. It is 100% natural. The henna
foundin different brands of shampoos in stores and pharmacies is free
of this substance.
Recent medical researches:
Many people in recent years have been inclined to use natural
substances.The idea of returning to using some old substances that
were once used as cosmetics is gaining ground in the medical field.
One of these substances is henna. If we look at the different haircare
products available off-the-shelf like shampoos, conditioners, hair
color and hair creams, we will find that much of them contain henna.
This substance is described in the Hadeeths as being the best source
for hair dyeing. What is the scientific evidence that encourage the
return to the use of henna?
An American magazine specializing in skin diseases, Cutis, once
published an article about henna in its first edition in 1986. Dr.
Natu is a famous professor of skin disease from New York University in
America, stated that henna has several benefits, the most important
being as follows:
1. Its effects are not permanent. It does not stick permanently to the
roots of the hair like other artificial hair colors. Henna starts to
fade after 3 to 6 weeks. Itthen disappears completely and leaves no
residue.
2. Henna is compatible with all natural hair colors.
3. Henna enhances the natural color of hair and gives it shine. One
would have to use it several times before any visible changes in color
appear.
4. Henna strengthens each individual hair, restores damaged hair and
prevents split ends. There are many different shampoos and
conditioners that containhenna and do not give the hair any new color.
They give it beauty and glow.
5. Extensive usage of henna is safe in comparison with other
artificial substances. There are only rare cases of skin sensitivity.
Didn't the prophet say, "The best thing to color your hair with is
henna and katam." Recent medical evidence in our hands proves what the
Prophet said. That is not strange because the Prophet said, "Henna
isthe best perfume for the people of Jannah." If the henna is the
preferred perfume in paradise, it is the ideal hair treatment

treating skin rashes

In the books of Imaams Al-Bukhaari and Muslim it isnarrated that Anas
said: "The Messenger of Allaah has allowed Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn 'Awfand
Az-Zubayr Ibn Al-'Awwaam to wear silk garments because of a skin rash
they had." In another narration, "Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn 'Awf and Az-Zubayr
Ibn Al-'Awwaam complained to the Prophet during a battle that they had
a skin rash, and he allowed them to wear silk garments which I saw
them wearing."
There are two areas of interest regarding this narration, one in the
area of Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) and another medical.
In the area of Fiqh, in principle, wearing silken garments is allowed
only for women and is disallowed for men, except whenthere is a
legitimate need. For instance, men are allowed to wear silken garments
in cold weather, when one has only a silken garment to wear and when
complaining from mange, rashes, mites or lice, as evident by the last
narration.
According to Imaams Ahmad andShaafi'i wearing silken garments is
allowed for men if a necessity warrants it. The permission given to
some Muslims due to special circumstances applies to all thosewho face
similar circumstances.
Several scholars said that the narrations that prohibit silken
garments for men apply in general. They said that the aforementioned
narration might entail a specific permission for only 'Abdur-Rahmaan
Ibn 'Awf and Az-Zubayr . They say that it is possible, though, that
this permission applies to other Muslims. When there is a probability
regarding a certain ruling, adhering to the general text is warranted.
This is why some of the narrators of this narration commented: "I do
not know if the permission does apply to whoever comes after them
('Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn 'Awf and Az-Zubayr)."
The correct opinion is that the permission is general in its
indication and that there is no evidence that it is specific or
restricted. Similarly, the Prophet once said to Abu Burdah:"This
permission applies to you and none else after you." Also, Allaah said
to His Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sail am, regarding the woman who
offered herself in marriage to theProphet (what means):
"...A privilege for you only, not forthe (rest of the) believers..."
[Quran, 33:50]
In the medical area, silk is produced by an animal and is a remedy.
Silk has many benefits, such as soothing and strengthening the heart
and helping relieve several of its ailments. Silk also helps against
black bile and whatever ailments it might cause. Further, silk
strengthens the eyesight when used as eyeliner. Raw silk, which is
used in preparing medications and remedies, is hot and dry in the
first degree. When silk is usedin clothes, it is mild and heats
thebody. Sometimes it could chill thebody.
Ar-Raazi said: "Silk is hotter than linen, colder than cotton and
develops the flesh. Every typeof thick clothes weakens the body and
hardens the skin."
There are three types of clothes, one that brings warmth and also
heats the body. Another type f clothes brings warmth but provides no
heat to the body. Thethird type does not bring warmthor heat. There is
no type that brings heat but not warmth to those wearing it. For
instance clothes made of wool and animalhair elevate body temperature
and bring warmth to the skin. Onthe other hand, silk, Kittan
(linen)and cotton garments only bring warmth to the skin. Kitten
clothes are cold and dry, wool clothes are hot and dry, while cotton
garments are moderate. Silken garments are softer and less hot than
wool. The author ofAl-Minhaj stated that wearing silk, "Does not bring
as much warmth as cotton, because it is milder."
Every type of soft, polished clothes heat the body less and in less
effective in helping the decomposition process. That is why it is
better that this type of clothes is worn during summer and in hot
areas.
Since silken garments are neither dry nor thick as the other types of
clothes they help as a treatment for skin rashes that result form dry,
thick material. Hence, the Prophet allowed Az-Zubayr and
'Abdur-Rahmaan to wear silken garments due to their skin rash. Also,
silken garments are the least hospitableto mites or lice, for it is
not the best environment where mites live and thrive.
The types of body wear that neither elevates the body temperature nor
brings warmth are made of iron, lead, wood, sand, and so forth.
If one asks, "since silk provides the best type of clothes and the
most suitable for the body, why was it prohibited for men by the
Islamic legislation, which is the mot honorable, perfect legislation
and which allows the good and pure things and only prohibits the
impure things?
Scholars answered this stating different reasons, such as, that Islam
prohibited silken garments for men so that they observe patience and
abandon wearing them for Allaah's sake. Others saythat silk was
prohibited because it leads to arrogance and pride.
Yet others say that silk was prohibited because of its softnesson the
skin that leads to femininebehavior while weakening manhood and
masculinity. Hence,you rarely see a man wearing silken garments who is
not affected by its softness by inadvertently imitating feminine
behavior and softness, even if he was among the most masculine men.
Wearing silken garments will certainly diminish the manly qualities
and masculinity, although these qualities will not disappear all
together.
As for those who do not comprehend these facts, let themsubmit to
Allaah's wise decisions and adhere to the texts that prohibit it for
men.
The Prophet said: "Allaah hasallowed silk and gold for the females of
my nation and prohibited them for the males of my nation."
[An-Nasaa'i]
In another narration, the Prophet said: "Wearing silk and gold is
prohibited for the males of my Nation and allowed for the