Menstruation and Post-Natal bleeding, - Dought& clear, - * She feels bad during her period

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I feel sometimes that I am not clean inside. I feel few days before my period starts that my blood is boiling inside my veins, and I feel like I want to cut myself off. About two years ago I stopped the bad habit of backbiting, since I stopped this sin I feel much more comfortable. But when the time for my period becomes close, I feel like my blood is boiling and I start repeating the past. My mother did this, my father did that, my sister is like this, and so on. When this happens I do not know how to stop it. This case of mine may stay for two days or more. Please guide me.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We praise Allaah for guiding you to an understanding of the seriousness of backbiting and its evil, and for hastening to give it up. We ask Him to help you and make you steadfast in that.
Secondly:
It is well known that many women become depressed and anxious during their menses, especially at the beginning, and that a woman’s intellectual state is not normal during menses. Most women feel pain in their backs or lower abdomen, and for some of them the pain may be more than they can bear, so they use medicines and painkillers. See question no. 43028.
Undoubtedly what you are feeling is one of the effects of menstruation but all you have to do is be patient and seek reward, for nothing befalls a Muslim, not even anxiety and grief, but Allaah will expiate some of his sins thereby.
You should keep yourself busy with work, study etc that will benefit you, for free time makes worries worse.
There is nothing wrong with a menstruating woman reading Qur’aan without touching the Mus-haf, and that will distract her and make it easier for her.
And Allaah knows best.

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Menstruation and Post-Natal bleeding, - Dought& clear, - * Should he have intercourse with his menstruating wife and pay the expiation because her menstrual cycleis so long?

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My period lasts ten days, and then I find yellowish discharge for another five days. This offends my husband a lot as he cannot tolerate this. Is he allowed to have an intercourse with me before then ten day ends then pay expiation? Especially that I have only 16 days between the two periods.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
If the yellowish discharge comes straight after the menses then it is part of the menses, and it is not permissible at that time to have intercourse or to pray or fast. If the yellowish discharge comes after the end of the menses (tuhr), then it is not counted as anything.
As for the yellowish discharge that comes directly before the menses, if it is accompanied by the pains of menses (cramps) that happen to women, then it is menses; if it is not accompanied by pains, then it is not menses.
See the answer to question no. 37840.
The end of menses (tuhr) occurs when one of two signs appear: the emission of a white discharge, or when the place becomes dry, so that if a piece of cotton etc is inserted it comes out clean with no trace of blood or yellowish or brownish discharge.
Secondly:
It is not permissible for the husband to have intercourse with his wife during her menses, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: that is an Adha (a harmful thing for a husband to have a sexual intercourse with his wife while she is having her menses), therefore, keep away from women during menses and go not unto them till they are purified (from menses and have taken a bath). And when they have purified themselves, then go in unto them as Allaah has ordained for you (go in unto them in any manner as long as it is in their vagina). Truly, Allaah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves (by taking a bath and cleaning and washing thoroughly their private parts and bodies for their prayers)”
[al-Baqarah 2:222].
So it is not permissible to have intercourse with a menstruating woman until she becomes pure (her menses ends) and she has done ghusl.
There is a stern warning against having intercourse with a menstruating woman, as was narrated by al-Tirmidhi (135), Abu Dawood (3904) and Ibn Majaah (639) from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who said: “Whoever has intercourse with a menstruating woman, or with a woman in her back passage, or who goes to a fortuneteller and believes what he says, has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Tirmidhi.
The husband may enjoy his menstruating wife in ways other than intercourse. See question no. 36722.
The wife does not have the right to agree to this evil, rather she must refuse.
The husband must fear Allaah and beware of haraam forms of intimacy. In that which is halaal there is sufficient. In addition to being haraam, having intercourse during menses is harmful to both the man and the woman.
And Allaah knows best.

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Menstruation and Post-Natal bleeding, - Dought& clear, - * She gets brownish spotting before the bleeding starts

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My period does not come naturally, rather I have to take pills to bring it on. Two months ago I took medicine to bring it on but I did not get my period. This month I took pills to bring it on, and on the day when I was supposed to get my period I got some brownish spotting, which came and went throughout the day, then the next day I had reddish spotting, then I had bleeding which was like a natural period.
My question: on the first day on which I had brownish spotting, should I stop praying or should I pray?.
Praise be to Allaah.
It seems – and Allaah knows best – that as long as this spotting came at the usual time of the period and was connected to the bleeding that came afterwards, then it is part of the menses, so you should stop praying and fasting at that time.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: Before my monthly period, I get a brownish discharge that lasts for five days, and after that I get the normal bleeding, and the bleeding lasts for eight days after the first five days. I pray during the five days, but I am wondering whether I should fast and pray during those days or not.
He replied: If the five days when you have the brownish discharge are separate from the days when you bleed, then it is not part of your period, and you have to pray and fast during those days, and you should do wudoo’ for each prayer because it comes under the same ruling as urinary incontinence, not menses, so it does not mean that you cannot pray and fast. But you have to do wudoo’ each time until it ends, like the bleeding of istihaadah.
But if these five days are connected to the menses then they are part of the menses and should be regarded as part of your period, so you should not pray or fast.
And Allaah knows best.

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For children, - Blaming others and Success

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Most people are unable to understand the linkage between what they desire and what they deserve. You deserve on the strength of your effectiveness, your competencies and the strength of your connectivity with the ultimate reality. These need you to schedule your time to develop yourself continuously. And, that is not easy. The most easily picked up conditioned response is to blame others or circumstances in situations where results are not to expectations.
When you blame others, you give up your power to change; you create an environment of De-motivation around you by the negative energy of blaming. Success is in taking responsibility of the results as the first step for bringing in the desired results. Time spent in blaming is a total waste.
People spend too much time finding other people to blame, too much energy finding excuses for not being what they are capable of being, and not enough energy putting themselves on the line, growing out of the past, and getting on with their lives. - J. Michael Straczynski
Most of the blamers are those people who have not succeeded to the appropriate level that they wish. They are mostly wishful thinkers that cannot transform the wish into well-formed-outcomes and goals and therefore, they hardly know what to do and if they know what to do, they hardly have the appropriate level of skills. Blamers have great imaginations. They can easily figure out the way of turning the facts and distorting the realities in a way that salvages their character or reputation. They believed if they accept the responsibility instead of blaming others or even blaming themselves, they will be dramatically undermined and degraded. They just cannot take the pain of degradation. They see a great level of relief in blaming others.
The way they perceive the mistakes or faults is either to blame themselves or to blame others. They have only two options. Instead of blaming themselves, they find it easier to blame others. If they learnt that there is another option and it is not blaming anybody but accepting the responsibility for correcting the situation and learning the skills, they would begin a new path in their life.
The reason that the blamers do not succeed as well as the ones who take the responsibilities is in the fact that they expect success without any failure, without any fault and without any mistake. They just can't bear the guilt of not being able to do things correctly. Blamers think that success comes very easily and without any failure. The history of all successful people indicates that they do a lot of mistakes before they get it right and succeed. The successful people take the blame gracefully and begin to find a way for avoiding it next time when they are blamed for their failures. The blamers think differently. They look for everybody who have been somehow involved or could have been involved in a scenario. If they can find somebody who had some involvement in the faulty action they immediately begin to blame that person. If they cannot find somebody easily to blame for their wrongdoing then they blame their parents, people, the circumstances, the systems and even bad luck.
Examples of Blaming Others:
*.If a man cuts his finger off while slicing Salami at work, he blames the faulty equipment.
*.If a man smokes three packs a day for 40 years and die of lung cancer, he blames the tobacco company.
*.If a man crashes into a tree while driving home drunk, he blames the alcohol.
*.If the grandchildren are brats without manners, we blame television.
If the blamers wish to succeed in anything they have to accept responsibility for whatever they do and what has happened in their lives and avoid blaming others. Blaming circumstances or people would not resolve the problems of the blamers, in fact, it will increase their problems. Some of the blamers who have institutionalized blaming others have taken an attitude of transferring the blame for their own faults even when they get old. As they get older they increase the number of blaming others. If you sit down and talk with an old blamer you will realize that he has accumulated thousands of excuses for not being able to succeed and he has found hundreds of people to blame for his own failures.
The good news is that most of the conditioning of childhood that keeps you from success can be reversed. The starting point is the realization of the extent to which conditioning affects your perception that shapes your attitudes and behavior. For this, you are required to appreciate your vast unexplored potential and take responsibility of making "A" choice - that of doing something about it rather than being casual about it or blaming circumstances and people. You are also required to understand that the reprogramming takes place the same way as the programming in the initial stage - by repetition. Persistence, thus, becomes a key quality for success.
It is wise to direct your anger towards problems - not people; to focus your energies on answers - not excuses.

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Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * He suffers from hayfever and wipes his nose during prayer

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i am a hayfever sufferer. in summer my nose starts running. can i wipe my nose with a handkershief whilst doing salaat? if i do not wipe my nose it may fall on the prayer mat/mosque carpet or my clothes and the people might be annoyed to see the water falling on the carpet.
Praise be to Allaah.
You have to prevent this (mucus) from falling onto the carpets in the mosque, even if you have to put a cloth or handkerchief over your nose, lest you offend other people. Keep taking care of your nose by wiping it. We ask Allaah to grant you healing soon.

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Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * He prayed and remembered that he had passed wind after doing wudoo’

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suppose one does wodhu 10 minutes before the athan then prays when it is time and the next morning when he gets up remembers that he had passed wind during those 10 minutes what should one do in this case?
Praise be to Allaah.
He should repeat the wudoo’ and the prayer when he remembers, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah does not accept prayer without purity.”

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Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Times of prayer and fasting in the polar regions

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I am a non muslim who currently live in a muslim country. It is my understanding that the 5 daily pryers as well as the times for feasting during the ramadhan are according to sunrise and sunset. My question : How do a muslim may deterine the appropriate times for the prayers and begin feasting if he/she lives near the artic circle where nights and days can be quite long depending of the season.
My thanks for your answer and continue your work. It helps me understand a few things about islam as well as understand what our local staff were talking about.
Praise be to Allaah.
We thank you for this question and we appreciate your interest in the prayer times in Islam. In answer to your question, those who live close to the Arctic Circle, where they have continual night or continual day for several months, should look to the closest city to them where night and day are distinct in each twenty-four hour period, then they should do the five daily prayers based on the timing in that city.
Your interest in the matter and your keenness to ask questions and find out gives us the hope that you will embrace this religion and practise its rituals. We wish you well and hope for guidance for you.

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For children, - Henny Penny: Making excuses lets you avoid responsibility

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Making excuses doesn't help anyone but ends up hurting you at the end, as in the case of Henny Penny who was always looking for some lame excuse to talk to King. So, one day Henny Penny was scratching in the farmyard looking for something good to eat when, suddenly, something hit her on the head. "My goodness me!" she said. "The sky must be falling down. I must go and tell the king."
She had not gone far when she met her friend Cocky Locky. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" he called out. "I am going to tell the king that the sky is falling down," said Henny Penny. "I will come with you," said Cocky Locky. So Henny Penny and Cocky Locky hurried along together towards the king's palace.
On the way they saw Ducky Lucky swimming on the pond. "Where are you going?" he called out. "We are going to tell the king the sky is falling down," replied Henny Penny. "We must go quickly, as there is no time to lose." "I will come with you," said Ducky Lucky, shaking the water off his feathers. So Henny Penny, Cocky Locky and Ducky Lucky hurried on together towards the king's palace.
On the way they met Goosey Loosey, who called out, "Where are you all going in such a hurry?" "We are on our way to tell the king the sky is falling down," said Henny Penny. "I will come with you," said Goosey Loosey. So Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Ducky Lucky and Goosey Loosey hurried on together towards the king's palace.
Round the next corner they met Turkey Lurkey. "Where are you all going on this fine day?" she called out to them. "It won't be a fine day for long," replied Henny Penny. "The sky is falling down, and we are hurrying to tell the king." "I will come with you," said Turkey Lurkey. So Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey and Turkey Lurkey all went on towards the king's palace.
Now on their way they met Foxy Loxy who asked, "Where are you going in such a hurry?" "We are going to the king's palace to tell him the sky is falling down," replied Henny Penny. "That is a very important message," said Foxy Loxy. "I will come with you. In fact if you follow me I can show you a short cut to the king's palace, so you will get there sooner."
So Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey and Turkey Lurkey all followed Foxy Loxy. He led them to the wood and up to a dark hole, which was the door to his home. Inside his wife and five hungry children were waiting for him to bring home some dinner.
That, I am sorry to say, was the end of Cocky Locky, Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey and Turkey Lurkey, for one by one they all followed Foxy Loxy into his home, and they were all eaten up by the hungry fox family.
Henny Penny was the last to enter the Fox's hole and she heard Cocky Locky crowing in alarm in front of her. Squawking with fright and scattering feathers, she turned and ran as fast as she could for the safety of her own farmyard. There she stayed and she never did tell the king that the sky was falling down.
There are thousands of excuses for every failure, but never a good reason.

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Menstruation and Post-Natal bleeding, - Dought& clear, - * Reason why a menstruating woman should use a piece of cloth perfumedwith musk after doing ghusl

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What is the reason for using a piece of cloth perfumed with musk after the menstrual bleeding finishes?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Al-Bukhaari (314) and Muslim (332) narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that Asma’ asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about ghusl following menses. He said: “Let one of you take her water and lotus leaves and clean herself well, then let her pour water over her head and rub it vigorously so that it will reach the roots of her hair. Then let her pour the water over herself, then take a piece of cloth scented with musk and purify herself.” Asma’ said: How should she purify herself? He said: “Subhaan-Allaah! Purify yourself with it.” ‘Aa’ishah said – as if she whispered it to her – Follow the traces of blood.
The reason for using this is to perfume the site and ward off unpleasant odours.
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inSharh Muslim: The scholars differed concerning the reason for using musk. The correct view is that of the majority of our companions and others, which is that the purpose of using musk is to perfume the site and ward off unpleasant odours. … She should use it after ghusl. If no musk is available, she should use whatever perfume she can find. If she cannot find any perfume then it is mustahabb for her to use whatever will remove the odour [soap, nowadays]. If she cannot find anything, then water is sufficient for her, but if she fails to perfume it when perfume is available, that is makrooh. If she is not able to do it then it is not makrooh in her case. End quote.
Dr. Aaminah ‘Ali Naasir Siddeeq, professor of microbiology in the College of Science in Jeddah has discovered that musk is a natural antibiotic for treating skin diseases and genital diseases in humans and animals. This discovery was patented in the King ‘Abd al-‘Azeez City for Science and Technology in Riyadh.
Seeal-Mujtama’magazine: http://www.al mujtamaa- mag.com /Detail.asp?InS ectionID=81& InNewsItemID= 217507
[Article is in Arabic]
The researcher also presented to the Eighth International Conference on scientific miracles in the Qur'aan and Sunnah, held in Kuwait in 1427 AH a paper entitled: Aspects of the scientific miracles of using musk as an antibiotic against funguses and yeasts that cause disease in humans, animals and plants..
She explained that disease-causing bacteria increase in number during the menstrual period and that musk has a strong effect in killing off these harmful microbes.
See the paper [in Arabic] at:
http://www.no oran.org /con8/Researc h/436.pdf
http://www.taf sir.org /vb/archive /index.php?t- 6980.html
It is clear that the reason for the menstruating woman using musk is to perfume the site, to ward off unpleasant odours, and to kill off disease-causing funguses and yeasts.
And Allaah knows best.

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Menstruation and Post-Natal bleeding, - Dought& clear, - * Removing hair and nails during the menstrual period

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Is removig and disposing of hair and nail during menstruation a sin? is it required to wash them before disposing during menstruation?.
Praise be to Allaah.
This is a matter concerning which many women are confused, namely the ruling on removing hair and nails and other Sunnahs of the fitrah during the menstrual period. This stems from a false belief that some of them have, that all parts of a person will come back to him on the Day of Resurrection, so if he removes them when he is in a state of major impurity due to janaabah, menses or post-partum bleeding, they will come back to him impure (naajis) and not purified (taahir) on the Day of Resurrection. This is a false notion and an illusion which is not correct at all.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked – as it says inMajmoo’ al-Fataawa(21/120-121) – about a man who cut his nails and moustache and combed his hair when he was junub; is there any blame on him for that? Some of them referred to that and said: If the person who is junub cuts his hair or nails, his parts will come back to him in the Hereafter and he will be raised on the Day of Resurrection will a share of janaabah commensurate with whatever was removed, and for every hair he will have a share of janaabah. Is that true or not?
He (may Allaah have mercy on him) replied:
It is proven in the hadeeth of Hudhayfah and the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with them) that when mention of the person who is junub was made to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), he said: “The believer does not become impure.” InSaheeh al-Haakimit adds: “alive or dead.” I do not know of any shar’i evidence for the view that it is makrooh for the person who is junub to remove hair or nails, rather the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Rid yourself of the hair of kufr and get circumcised.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (356) and classed as hasan by al-Albaani inIrwa’ al-Ghaleel(1/120). So he told the one who became Muslim to do ghusl, and he did not tell him to delay circumcision and removing the hair until after doing ghusl. The general meaning of his words implies that both are permissible. Similarly the menstruating woman is enjoined to comb her hair when doing ghusl even though combing the hair pulls out some hairs. And Allaah knows best. End quote.
Thus Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah referred to the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), when she menstruated during the Farewell Pilgrimage and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to her: “Undo your hair and comb it, and enter ihraam for Hajj, and leave ‘Umrah for now.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1556) and Muslim (1211).
Combing is usually accompanied by some hairs falling out, but despite that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave permission for the pilgrim in ihraam and the menstruating woman to do that.
The Shaafa’i fuqaha’ said, as it says inTuhfat al-Muhtaaj(4/56):
Our view is that the menstruating woman may remove them. End quote – i.e., nails, pubic hair and armpit hair.
It says inFataawa Noor ‘ala al-Darbby Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (Fataawa al-Zeenah wa’l-Mar’ah/question no. 9):
I heard that combing the hair is not permissible during the menses, and that one cannot cut one’s nails or do ghusl. Is this correct or not?
He (may Allaah have mercy on him) replied:
This is not correct. The menstruating woman may cut her nails and comb her hair, and it is permissible for her to do ghusl in the case of janaabah, such as if she has an erotic dream when she is menstruation, then she may do ghusl from janaabah; or if her husband is intimate with her without having intercourse and she reaches climax, then she may do ghusl from janaabah. This view that is widely held among some women, that they cannot do ghusl or comb their hair or cut their nails has no basis in sharee’ah as far as I know. End quote.
The view that this is makrooh is not known from any of the reputable fuqaha’, but it is mentioned in some books by followers of bid’ah who go against ahl al-sunnah, as it says inSharh al-Nayl wa Shifa’ al-‘Aleel(1/347) by Muhammad ibn Yoosuf al-Ibaadi.
And Allaah knows best.

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Menstruation and Post-Natal bleeding, - Dought& clear, - * Expiation for one who had intercourse with his menstruating wife in Ramadaan

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How can one who has repented from having intercourse with his wife when she was menstruating on an ordinary day offer expiation, and what is the expiation for having intercourse with her when she was menstruating during Ramadaan? This happened although we knew that these actions are haraam, and now we want to repent to Allaah and seek forgiveness. I hope that you can tell me of something I can do so that Allaah may forgive me. May Allaah reward you with good.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Intercourse with a menstruating woman is haraam according to scholarly consensus, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: that is an Adha (a harmful thing for a husband to have a sexual intercourse with his wife while she is having her menses), therefore, keep away from women during menses and go not unto them till they are purified (from menses and have taken a bath)”
[al-Baqarah 2:222].
And al-Tirmidhi (135) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever has intercourse with a menstruating woman or with a woman in her back passage, or goes to a soothsayer, has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Tirmidhi.
The one who does that has to repent and offer expiation, by giving a dinar or half of a dinar to the poor and needy, because of the report narrated by Ahmad (2032), Abu Dawood (264), al-Tirmidhi (135), al-Nasaa’i (289) and Ibn Majaah (640) from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him), according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said concerning one who had intercourse with his wife when she was menstruating: “Let him give a dinar or half a dinar in charity.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh Abi Dawood.
A dinar is four and a quarter grams of gold, so he should find out what that is worth and give that amount in charity, or half of it, and he should also resolve not to do this thing again.
Secondly:
If what you mean by having intercourse in Ramadaan is intercourse with a menstruating woman during the night in Ramadaan, then what you must do is what is mentioned above, namely repent and offer expiation.
If what is meant is that you had intercourse during the day in Ramadaan, then you have committed two major sins: breaking the fast in Ramadaan and having intercourse during your wife’s menses.
With regard to intercourse during your wife’s menses, you know what the penalty is.
With regard to breaking the fast during the day in Ramadaan by having intercourse, five things result from that:
1- Sin
2- Spoiling of the fast
3- Obligation to refrain from eating and drinking for the remainder of the day
4- Obligation of making up the spoiled fast
5- Obligation of offering expiation and repenting.
So you have to make up the day on which you spoiled your fast by having intercourse and you also have to offer expiation by freeing a slave. The one who cannot do that has to fast for two consecutive month. If he is unable to do that then he must feed sixty poor persons.
May Allaah help us all to do that which He loves and which pleases Him.
And Allaah knows best.

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Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Why do we not join our prayers together?

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I'd like to know why we pray our midday and night prayers all seperately. We know that the prophet used to pray both separetely as well as together. On the day of Arafa we offer our prayers one after the other. In the Qur'an we are told about the prayers thrice daily, morning, modday and night. Why still do we offer our prayers speperately and not one afetr the other.
Praise be to Allaah.
You have to realize that the question you have asked is very dangerous, because it could be applied to all the rulings of sharee’ah. A person could ask, we do we have to fast a whole month all at once (Ramadaan), why aren’t the days spread out throughout the year? Why is Hajj with its rituals done only at one particular time of the year, when people have to be all crowded together; why can’t it be done at other times of the year too? There are many questions which may imply that one is objecting to the rulings of Allaah. Do you know that Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, As Salaah (the prayer) is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours” [al-Nisaa’ 4:103]?
i.e., it is obligatory at those times. So understand what has been said above, and I ask Allaah to guide you and set your heart straight.
Shaykh Sa’d al-Humayd
Islam means submitting to Allaah and not objecting to His commands. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allaah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision”[al-Ahzaab 33:36]
And Allaah says concerning the timings of the prayer:
“Verily, As Salaah (the prayer) is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours” [al-Nisaa’ 4:103]
The wahy (revelation, i.e., Qur’aan and Sunnah) described the times of prayer in both word and deed. This is how the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did the prayers during his lifetime; he did not join prayers together except when he was travelling or at times of hardship.
We also want to advise you that there are some followers of bid’ah (reprehensible innovation) who say that Zuhr and ‘Asr should be joined together, as should Maghrib and ‘Ishaa’, even when one is not travelling and for no reason. Beware of these people, do not keep company with them and do not listen to them. Beware of them lest they lead you astray from your religion. We ask Allaah to grant you strength and guidance.

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Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Ruling on praying at times when prayer is not allowed

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One of my friend, who is very punctual in offering Namaaz, has seen offering namaaz sometimes even when the sun is setting. He is of the view that offering Namaaz at sun set or sun rise time is not a sin and it might be just a makrooh. I told him that offering prayer at sun set or sun rise time is not allowed and it might be a sin also. Because to have distinction with non-muslims, it has not been allowed to offer namaaz at this time.
Please tell me whether offering of prayers(Namaaz) at sun set or sun rise time is makrooh or a sin and why?
Praise be to Allaah.
It is mustahabb to pray naafil prayers at all times, except at the times when praying is not allowed. These times are from after Fajr prayer until the sun has risen to the height of a spear; from noon time until after the sun has passed its zenith, which is at mid-day for about five minutes before the sun reaches its zenith; and from after ‘Asr prayer until the sun sets. What is meant is the prayer which each person does by himself; once he has prayed ‘Asr it becomes haraam for him to pray until the sun has set, except in specific cases, when it is not haraam. See Question # 306.
The reason why it (prayer at these times) is not allowed is so as to avoid any resemblance to the kuffaar who prostrate to the sun when it rises as a greeting to it and to express their joy, and they prostrate to it when it sets as a farewell to it. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was keen to put a stop to all things that may lead toshirk, or that might involve any resemblance to the mushrikeen. With regard to the prohibition on praying when the sun is near its zenith, this is because this is the time when the Fire of Hell is intensified, as was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so we should refrain from praying at these times.

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Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Is the intention (niyyah) a condition for combining prayers?

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Is the intention (niyyah) a condition for it to be permissible to combine prayers? Often they pray Maghrib without any intention of combining prayers, then after praying Maghrib they consult one another and decide to combine (the prayers), then they pray ‘Ishaa’.
Praise be to Allaah.
There is a difference of opinion among the scholars, but the most correct view is that the intention is not a condition when starting the first prayer, rather it is permissible to combine the prayers after finishing the first prayer, if the condition (for combining the prayers) is present, such as fear, rain or sickness.

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For children, - No Excuses: Put an end to Procrastination Today!

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It happens all the time. You think about doing something but you just never get started. You tell yourself this time you are going to get it done. This time you will succeed. But before you get started you come up with all kinds of reasons and excuses to put things off. You accept the excuses you come up with. Excuses like: I will start tomorrow. I need to wait for everything to be perfect and etc.
They are all excuses that you have accepted. And you have planted these excuses on your subconscious mind. So you keep putting things off. Eventually you convince yourself that you can't start now. That you need to wait and that you have to put things off. You tell yourself you are not ready. You will start tomorrow. But tomorrow never comes. You don't get started. Another year goes by and you keep putting things off.
No matter what you do, No matter what you want to do, you keep procrastinating. You keep putting things off. It happens all the time, over and over again. That is because you have programmed your subconscious mind to keep putting things off. You have planted a habit of procrastination on your subconscious mind. And now your subconscious keeps following that habit. So you keep putting things off.
But you can change that. Now you can put an end to procrastination. Now you can get things done. Now you can get more done in less time. Just feed your subconscious new thoughts and new beliefs which lead to more success, so that you can get things done quickly and easily and so that you can put an end to procrastination once and for all.
Procrastination destroys your life. It prevents you from achieving what you want. It stops you from having more. It blocks you from reaching your full potential. The more you procrastinate the worse your life gets. When you keep putting things off you never succeed.
Example, each January millions of Americans embark on a journey to get fit, be active and lose weight. For the first two or three weeks of the New Year people who are not accustomed to getting up early will roll out of bed with a new found sense of urgency and hopefully a little more preparation in their step to get them out of the door. You will be lucky if you can find an available treadmill or stationary bike at any fitness facility. The sad part of this is the fact that their numbers will start to dwindle as they lose the motivation to keep the routine going.
How do you keep that motivation? You start by setting priorities and working hard to make your desires become reality.
Kabir Das in one of his Hindi Doha says,
Kaal Kare So Aaj Kar, Aaj Kare So Ab
Pal Mein Pralaya Hoyegi, Bahuri Karoge Kab?
Translation
Tomorrow's work do today, today's work now
If the moment is lost, how the work be done?
In this Doha, Kabir Das has clearly tried to explain the human tendency of laziness and procrastination. It is a known fact that we all tend to postpone matters, we are indecisive and given a choice we would like others to do our work and we simply enjoying a cool time. When it comes to us, we try to get away by giving an excuse, "very busy, no time."
This lethargy is what Kabir Das is condemning. Besides, his emphasis is on now, the present, the moment as it is. Now, that is Life, the moment. It is in the now that one gets energized to do, to achieve and to realize the dream. As they say, it is now or never.
This Kabir Das couplet clearly teaches us to shed all procrastination and lethargy. It motivates us to do whatever we have to do, and do it now. If we will keep postponing it, then the work will never be done.
So put an end to procrastination today. Give your subconscious new instructions so that you get things done today. There's no homework. No exercises. Just ponder upon the verses of Noble Qur'an whenever Shaytan whispers, and stops you from taking the step towards action.
Allah (SWT), the Almighty Wise says: "And that man can have nothing but what he strives for; and that (the fruit of) his striving will soon come in sight". (An-Najm 53:39-40)
"Therefore, when you are free (from your immediate task), still labor hard (and start another task), and towards your Lord move forward". (Inshirah 94:7-8)
Wishing you great success in your future endeavors.

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Hajj & Umrah, - * All About Udh-hiyah

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This is a brief account on the Udh-hiyah )sacrificial animal offered in ‘Eed Al-Adh-ha(:
• The Udh-hiyah refers to animals classified as Al-An‘aam )camels, cattle, sheep or goats( that are slaughtered during the days of Nahr as an act of worship, with the intention of drawing closer to Allaah The Almighty.
• The Udh-hiyah is one of the best acts of worship to be performed on ‘Eed Al-Adh-ha.
• Slaughtering the Udh-hiyah is prescribed in the Quran, the Sunnah )Prophetic tradition(, and according to the consensus of the Muslim scholars. Allaah The Exalted Says )what means(:}So pray to your Lord and sacrifice ]to Him alone[.{]Quran 108:2[ It is reported in Saheeh Al-Bukhaari and Saheeh Muslim that the Prophetsacrificed two white horned rams speckled with black. A group of scholars highlighted the consensus of the scholars in this regard such as Ibn Qudaamahin his book Al-Mughni.
• Allaah The Exalted prescribed sacrificing the Udh-hiyah for certain reasons, some of which are commemorating and following the example of Prophet Ibraaheem )Abraham(celebrating the collective joy on ‘Eed Al-Adh-ha, feeding the poor and needy, and imitating the pilgrims in some of the rites of Hajj.
• According to the correct opinion of scholars, sacrificing the Udh-hiyah is a confirmed act of the Sunnah )Prophetic tradition( and there is no explicit Hadeeth that indicates its obligation. Had offering the Udh-hiyah been obligatory, Abu Bakr and ‘Umarwould not have left out this obligation, fearing that people might follow their example. Imaam Al-Bayhaqireported an unauthentic Hadeeth, though its chain of narration is authentic, that the Prophetsaid:“Every household should slaughter a sacrificial animal each year.”Another Hadeeth, which does not state an explicit ruling, reads:“Whoever can afford to offer a sacrifice but does not do so, let him not approach our place for prayer.”
• There are four conditions for the Udh-hiyah:
1.It should be one of the An‘aam class of animals, which are: camels, cattle, sheep and goats.
2.It should be free of any physical defects that would render it unsuitable for sacrifice. These faults, which invalidate the sacrifice, were mentioned in the Hadeeth that was narrated by Al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazibwho said, “The Prophetstood up among us and said:“There are four )types of animals( which are not permissible for sacrifice: A one-eyed animal which has obviously lost the sight of one eye, a sick animal which is obviously sick, a lame animal which is obviously lame, and an emaciated animal whose legs have no marrow.”]Ahmad, Abu Daawood, At-Tirmithi, An-Nasaa’i, Ibn Maajah[ Blind or disabled animals are more likely to be unsuitable for sacrifice more than those that are one-eyed and lame. Obvious lameness, which renders the animal unsuitable for sacrifice, is what prevents the animal from walking normally and catching up with the herd. Other imperfections and milder defects do not invalidate the sacrifice or disqualify the animal.
3.It should have reached the age stipulated in Sharee‘ah, which is five years for camels, two years for cows, a year for goats and six months for sheep.
4.It should be slaughtered at the time specified in Sharee‘ah, which starts after the ‘Eed prayer until sunset on the last of the days of Tashreeq, which is the 13th of Thul-Hijjah.
• He who intends to offer the sacrificial animal should refrain from removing anything from his hair, nails or skin from the first day of Thul-Hijjah until he slaughters the Udh-hiyah.
• Slaughtering the Udh-hiyah is better than giving out its monetary value for charity.
• Seven people can share one cow or camel as Udh-hiyah.
• If a defect happens )unexpectedly( to the Udh-hiyah, without negligence on the part of the owner, it is still considered suitable for sacrifice.
• One may borrow money to buy the Udh-hiyah as long as he can afford to repay his debt.
• One may eat from the Udh-hiyah, save some of its meat, offer some of its meat as gifts and some as charity.
• There are certain etiquettes one must abide by when slaughtering an animal for a sacrificial offering, some of which are:
1.He should face the Qiblah )direction of prayer( with the animal at the time of slaughtering it.
2.He should make it comfortable, sharpen his knife, and quickly and firmly passing a sharpened blade over the neck area.
3.The blade should be concealed from the view of the animal when sharpening it.
4.It is part of the etiquette of slaughtering also not to slaughter one animal in front of another.
5.One should not hasten in breaking its neck or skinning it.
• Among the religious innovations is performing ablution for the sacrificial animal, wiping one’s hands over it from head to tail on the eve of ‘Eed, and putting some of its blood on the threshold of the house or on the foreheads of one's children.

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Hajj & Umrah, - * The virtue of the Day of ‘Arafah

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It was narrated on the authority of ‘Aa’ishahthat the Prophet,, said:“There is no day when Allaah sets free more slaves from Hell than the Day of ‘Arafah. He draws near, then boasts of them to the angels, Saying, ‘What do these ]slaves[ want ]that I may give them[?’”]Muslim[
It was narrated by Abu Hurayrahthat the Prophet,, said:“Allaah boasts about the people of ‘Arafah to the dwellers of heaven, saying, ‘Just look at My slaves! They have come to Me with disheveled hair and covered in dust.’”]Ahmad in hisMusnad, Ibn Hibbaan in hisSaheehand Al-Haakim inAl-Mustadrak[
It was narrated by Jaabirthat the Prophet,, said:“There is no better day in the Sight of Allaah than the Day of ‘Arafah. Allaah The Almighty descends ]on that day[ to the lowest heaven, and boasts about the people of the earth to the dwellers of heaven, saying: ‘Just look at My slaves! They have come to Mewith disheveled hair and covered in dust, standing in the forenoon. They have come from every distant pass. They seek My mercy although they have not seen My punishment.’ There is no day when Allaah sets free more slaves from Hell than the Day of ‘Arafah.”]Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Hibbaan, Al-Bazzaar, Abu Ya‘la and Al-Bayhaqi[
Ibn ‘Umarsaid that two men went to the Prophet,, to ask him about matters of religion and the Prophet,, said to them:“As for the standing at ‘Arafah, Allaah The Almighty descends to the lowest heaven and boasts of the people there to the angels saying, ‘Here are My slaves! They have come to Mewith disheveled hair and covered with dust, from every distant pass. They seek My Mercy and fear My Punishment, although they have not seen Me. And what ]would be their state[ if they had seen Me!’ ]Even[ if you have sins like ]the number of grains of[ sand, the ]number of[ days of the worldly life or the ]number of[ drops of rain, Allaah will ]nevertheless[ erase them for you.”]Musannaf ‘Abdur-Razzaaq[
Anassaid,
I was with the Prophetat Al-Khayf mosque and a man from the Ansaar ]helpers[ and another one from the Thaqeef tribe came to him. The Prophetsaid a long statement and part of what he said was:“As for the standing at ‘Arafah: Allaah The Almighty descends to the lowest heaven ]on that day[, and boasts about you to the angels, saying: ‘Here are My slaves! They have come to Mewith disheveled hair and with pale faces seeking My mercy and forgiveness. If your sins are as many as the grains of sand or the drops of rain or ]as much as[ the foam on the sea, I would forgive you. Go My slaves after being forgiven, and after the ones whom you asked forgiveness for have been forgiven.”]Ibn ‘Abdul-Barr[
It was narrated on the authority of Anasthat he said,
The Prophetstood at ‘Arafah and the sun was about to set, so he said:“O Bilaal, call the people.”Bilaal stood up and asked the people to listen to the Prophetso they listened. The Prophetsaid:“O people, Jibreel ]Gabriel[ came a while ago, delivered the greetings of Allaah to me and said, ‘Allaah has forgiven the people of ‘Arafah and the people of the Mash‘ar ]a place in Muzdalifah[.’”‘Umar got up and asked the Prophet“Is this specific to us?” The Prophetsaid:“This is for you and all the people who come after you until the Day of Judgment.”‘Umar, replied, “The goodness of Allaah is plentiful and wonderful.”]Ibn ‘Abdul-Barr[
The Significance of theseHadeeths
In his explanation ofSaheeh Muslim, Imaam An-Nawawisaid,“This Hadeeth explicitly indicates the virtue of the Day of ‘Arafah.”An-Nawawicombined the understanding of theHadeethsthat deal with the virtue of the Day of ‘Arafahand theHadeethsthat deal with the virtue of Friday such as theHadeeththat says:“The best day that the sun rises upon is Friday.”]Muslim[ He said that theHadeethsthat deal with the virtue of the Day of ‘Arafahshow that ‘Arafahis the best day of the year, while theHadeethsthat deal with the virtue of Friday show that it is the best day of the week.
It was narrated on the authority of Saalim ibn ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umarthat he saw someone begging on the Day of ‘Arafah, so he said to him,“What a strange thing! On this day you are asking someone other than Allaah?”
‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul-‘Azeezdelivered aKhutbah)sermon( at ‘Arafahand said,“O people, you have come from near and far distances, exhausted your camels, and worn out your clothes. The winner today is not the one whose camel is ahead, but rather it is the one whose sins are forgiven. Praise be to Allaah - the Lord of the worlds.”

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