Dought & clear, - Is it recommended to fast ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah including the day of Eid?

Please could you answer my questions regarding this month of Dhul
Hijjah. On your website you mention how it is recommended to fast on
the day of 'Arafah, but I have read that this is true also of the
first ten days of Dhul Hijjah Is this correct? If it is then can you
confirm if in total there will be 9 not ten fasts as the tenth day is
the Day of Eid.
Praise be to Allaah.
Fasting nine days of Dhu'l-Hijjah is mustahabb. This is indicated by
the words of the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
as narrated in the hadeeth of Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with
him): "There are no days on which righteous deeds are more beloved to
Allaah then these ten days – i.e., ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah)." They
said: "O Messenger of Allaah, not even jihad for the sake of Allaah?"
He said: "Not even jihad for the sake of Allaah, unless a man goes out
himself with his wealth and does not come back with anything (i.e., he
expends all his wealth and is martyred)." Narrated by al-Bukhaari,
969.
And it was narrated from Hunaydah ibn Khaalid from his wife that one
of the wives of the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "The Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) used to fast nine days of Dhu'l-Hijjah and the day of 'Ashoora'
and three days of each month – the first Monday and two Thursdays."
Narrated by Imam Ahmad, 21829; Abu Dawood, 2437; classed as da'eef
inNasab al-Raayah, 2/180, but classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.
With regard to fasting on the day of Eid, this is haraam, as is
indicated by the marfoo' hadeeth of Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allaah
be pleased with him): "He [the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him)] forbade fasting on the day of (Eid) al-Fitr and the day
of al-Nahr (the day of sacrifice, i.e., Eid al-Adha)." Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, no. 1992; Muslim, 827. The scholars are unanimously
agreed that it is haraam to fast on these days.
Righteous deeds on these ten days are better than on others. With
regard to fasting, that should only be done on nine of them; the tenth
day is the day of Eid when it is haraam to fast.
Based on this, what is meant by the virtue of the ten days of
Dhu'l-Hijjah is fasting nine days only, even though they are called
ten days.
SeeSharh Muslimby al-Nawawi, hadeeth no. 1176.

Dought & clear, - There is nothing wrongwith offering du‘aa’ together after a lecture

Is it permissible to offer du'aa' together, such as if the imam offers
du'aa' after giving a lecture, for example?
Praise be to Allah.
|Du'aa' is one of the best acts of worship by means of which the
Muslim may worship his Lord. Allah, may He be exalted, says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And your Lord said: 'Invoke Me, (i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic
Monotheism)) (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your
(invocation). Verily! Those who scorn My worship (i.e. do not invoke
Me, and do not believe in My Oneness, (Islamic Monotheism)) they will
surely enter Hell in humiliation!'"
[Ghaafir 40:60].
It was narrated from an-Nu'maan ibn Basheer, that the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Du'aa' is worship.
Your Lord said:'Invoke Me, I will respond to your (invocation).'"
Narrated and classed as saheeh by at-Tirmidhi, 2969; also narrated by
Abu Dawood, 1479; Ibn Maajah, 3828; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani
inSaheeh Abi Dawood.
Here we should point out an important matter about which many people
are confused, namely the difference between "making dhikr together"
and "offering du'aa' together". The former has no basis in Islam;
there is no proof that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) remembered his Lord (i.e., dhikr) with his Companions in
unison, or that he would remember his Lord (recite dhikr) and his
Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) would repeat after him.
But with regard to offering du'aa' together, there is a basis for
doing so in Islam, and it may take many forms. In Qunoot an-nawaazil
(du'aa' of qunoot at times of calamity) and qunoot in Witr prayer, the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would offer du'aa'
and his Companions would say Ameen behind him. The majority of
scholars are of the view that the worshippers should say Ameen to the
du'aa' of the khateeb on Friday, and when praying for rain (istisqa'),
and there are many other various ways of offering du'aa' together.
With regard to innovated (bid'ah) ways of offering du'aa' together,
there are several forms:
1.When a Muslim calls together a group of people solely for the
purpose of offering du'aa'
It was narrated that Abu 'Uthmaan said: A governor wrote to 'Umar ibn
al-Khattaab, saying: Here there are some people who gather together
and offer du'aa' for the Muslims and the governor. 'Umar wrote back to
him saying: Come (to me) and bring them with you. So he came, and
'Umar said to the doorkeeper, Bring me a whip. When they entered upon
'Umar, he began to strike their governor with the whip.
Narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah in hisMusannaf, 13/360. Its isnaad is hasan.
2.People gathering to offer du'aa' in unison
Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Dhikr recited together in unison, in secret or openly, where a
specific du'aa', narrated in texts or otherwise, is repeated, whether
that is done by everyone or one of them prompts the others, with or
without raising the hands – all of these are actions that require a
shar'i basis from the Qur'an or Sunnah, because that comes under the
heading of worship, and acts of worship are based on tawqeef (i.e.,
they should be limited only to that which is mentioned in the Qur'an
and saheeh Sunnah) and on following (the Qur'an and saheeh Sunnah),
not on innovations and inventions. Hence we looked in the texts of the
Qur'an and Sunnah, and we did not find any evidence to support this
form of dhikr. Hence we can be sure that there is no basis for it in
sharee'ah. Anything for which there is no basis in sharee'ah is an
innovation (bid'ah). Therefore dhikr and du'aa' that are done in
communal form are innovations and every Muslim who follows the example
of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
must refrain from and avoid them, and adhere to what is prescribed.
Based on that, offering du'aa' together in unison, whether it is
du'aa' at any time or following a certain activity, such as after
reading Qur'an or after an exhortation or lesson – all of that is
innovated.
Tasheeh ad-Du'aa', p. 134, 135
With regard to the du'aa' of a lecturer or teacher at the end of his
lesson, and the audience saying Ameen to his du'aa', it seems to us
from the Sunnah of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) that this is permissible, and indeed mustahabb (encouraged).
It was narrated that Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
rarely left a gathering without offering these supplications for his
companions: "O Allah, give us a share of fear of You that will prevent
us from disobeying You, (a share) of obedience to You that will help
us to reach Paradise, and (a share) of certainty that will enable us
to withstand the calamities of this world; cause us to enjoy our
hearing, sight and strength so long as we are alive, until we die;
avenge us against those who wrong us; support us against those who
wrong us; do not make our calamity in our religious commitment; do not
make this world our main concern and all that we know about; do not
send against us those who will show no mercy to us."
Narrated by at-Tirmidhi, 3502; classed as hasan by al-Albaani inSaheeh
at-Tirmidhi.
An-Nawawi included it in his bookal-Adhkaar, in a chapter entitled
"Du'aa' of a person in a gathering for himself and those who are with
him."
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:
Sometimes, after giving a lecture or a lesson, the lecturer offers
du'aa' and raises his hands; should we sit with him during the
communal du'aa' or should we leave after the lecture, before the
du'aa'?
He replied:
There is nothing wrong with offering du'aa' after a lecture,
exhortation or reminder; there is nothing wrong with offering du'aa',
calling upon Allah to help and guide those present, and to grant them
good intentions and good deeds. But I do not know of any evidence for
raising their hands in such cases, and I do not know of any report to
that effect from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) except some texts that speak in general terms of raising the
hands when offering du'aa', and say that it is one of the means of
having the supplication answered. But I do not remember any report
from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to suggest
that after he had exhorted or reminded the people, he would raise his
hands and offer du'aa'. If he used to do that, the Sahaabah (may Allah
be pleased with them) would have reported it, because they did not
omit anything but they reported it (may Allah be pleased with them).
So it is preferable and more on the safe side not to raise the hands
in such cases, unless there is evidence to that effect. With regard to
the speaker offering du'aa' for them after he has finished speaking,
and saying. "May Allah forgive us and you" or "May Allah guide us and
you," or "May Allah cause us and you to benefit from what we have
heard," and so on, there is nothing wrong with that, and if they say
Ameen, there is nothing wrong with that either. End quote.
Fataawa Noor 'ala ad-Darb, tape no. 610.

Everything you possessis a favor from Allah

In the world in which we live, Allah bestows many favours on man.All
the needs of each living being are benevolently met; no detail is
forgotten.
Let's think about ourselves as examples. From the moment we wake in
the morning, we need many things and encounter many situations. In
brief, we survive due to the many favours bestowed upon us.
We can breathe as soon as we wake up. We never experience difficulty
in doing this, thanks to our respiratory systems functioning
perfectly.
We can see as soon as we open our eyes. The sharp and distant images,
all three-dimensional and fully coloured, are perceived by our eyes,
and indeed owe their existence to the unique design of eyes.
We taste delicious flavours. The relative proportions of the vitamin,
mineral, carbohydrate or protein content of the food we eat, or how
the excess of these nutrients are stored or utilised in the body never
concern us. Moreover, we are mostly never aware that such complicated
operations take place in our body.
When we hold some material in our hands, we immediately know if it is
soft or hard. What is more, we need no mental effort to do this.
Numerous similar minute operations take place in our body. The organs,
responsible for these operations, have complicated mechanisms.The
human body functions almost like a factory of enormous complexity and
ingenuity. This body is one of the major favours given to man since
man leads his existence on earth with it.
At this point, a question remains to be answered: how are the raw
materials necessary to operate this factory supplied? To put it
another way, how do water, air, and all the other nutrients essential
for life come into existence?
Let's think about fruits and vegetables. Melons, watermelons,
cherries, oranges, tomatoes, peppers, pineapples, mulberries, grapes,
eggplants… all grow in soil from seeds, and the seed has a structure
sometimes as hard as wood. However, while considering these, we should
avoid habitual ways of thinking and employ different methods.
Visualise the delicious tastes and odours of strawberries or the
ever-changing odour of melon. Think about the time and energy spent in
laboratories to produce similar odours and about the repeated trials
that resulted in failure. Indeed, results obtained by scientists in
laboratories prove to be no better than the unsuccessful imitations of
their natural counterparts.The varieties of taste, odour and colour in
nature bear indeed matchless attributes.
That all vegetables and fruits have distinct tastes and odours and
carry individual colours is the result of the design particular to
them. They are all favours Allah bestows upon man.
Similarly, animals, too, are created specially for human beings. Apart
from serving as food, man finds their physical appearances appealing.
Fish, corals, star-fishes decorating the depths of oceans with all
their beautiful colours, all kinds of birds adding charm to their
habitat or cats, dogs, dolphins and penguins… they are all favours
from Allah. Allah stresses this fact in many verses:
And He has made everything in the heavens and everything on the earth
subservient to you. It is all from Him. There are certainly signs in
that for people who reflect.(Surat al-Jathiyah: 13)
If you tried to number Allah's blessings, you could never count them.
Allah is Ever -Forgiving, Most Merciful.(Surat an-Nahl: 18)
He has given you everything you have asked Him for. If you tried to
number Allah's blessings, you could never count them. Man is indeed
wrongdoing, ungrateful.(Surah Ibrahim: 34)
The living beings mentioned above are only a tiny part of the favours
and beauties Allah bestows. Wherever we turn, we come across creations
reflecting the attributes of Allah. Allah is ar-Razzaq (the Ceaseless
Provider), al-Latif (the Subtle One, He who creates things most
subtly), al-Karim (the Generous One), al-Barr (the source of all
goodness).
Now, take a look around you and think. And never plead ignorance of
the fact that everything you possess is a favour to you from your
Creator:
Any blessing you have is from Allah. Then when harm touches you, it is
to Him you cry for help.(Surat an-Nahl: 53)

For children, - Even in situations one would think in his own mind that there is no way out, there is always a way out for real believers

One of the mistakes people generally fall in is their descending
into desperation whenever they face even the slightest difficulty.
Most people, under such circumstances, instead of thinking "There is
definitely a way out that would correct this situation", they are
prone to believe that all the solution ways are exhausted by acting
with logics such as: "that's it", "there is nothing more to be
done," "this is as far as it goes", "we came to a deadlock", "this
matter is in a deadlock now".
Yet, no matter how difficult the circumstances are; no matter how
limited the means he has are; and no matter if he has done
everything that could have been done; he should believe that there
can always be a new way out, and never lose hope.
Allah has revealed in the Qur'an that a person who believes in Allah
would never lose hope in any matter as follows:
"My sons! Seek news of Yusuf and his brother. Do not despair of
solace from Allah. No one despairs of solace from Allah except for
people who are unbelievers. '" (Surah Yusuf: 87)
They said, 'We bring you good news of the truth, so do not be among
those who despair .' (Surat Al-Hijr: 55)
Consequently, no matter what the situation a Muslim faces is, he
should never give way to hopelessness, despair or negative thoughts
even indirectly. This is a command of Allah on Muslims.
Lower self, when facing such a situation, -almost like a reflex-
would lead one to instantly think about the most negative
possibilities that might happen. Almost everyone, ever since their
childhood –until they learn the morality of the Qur'an- approach
every incident with such a point of view. Since they do not think
about the falsity and the harm of this, they do not feel the need
to resist and change this reflex. This is the reason why the first
words that come out of their mouths are words like "alas!" and
"unfortunately".
And the pain that desperation, thinking with negative possibilities
and believing that there is no way out, would make people feel is
really severe. The state of mind of people, who feel this way, is
the reward Allah had created for them in this world as a result of
their living by a morality Allah does not approve.
Yet, living by the morality which is opposite to this one is really
easy. A person's knowing Allah Who has infinite wisdom, Who has
infinite justice, Who has infinite compassion and infinite grace,
Who is forgiving and Who possesses infinite creation power is
really a great blessing for him. Allah is mighty of creating
whatever He wills, whenever He wants. And in the Qur'an Allah says:
"If My servants ask you about Me, I am near. I answer the call of the
caller when he calls on Me. They should therefore respond to Me and
believe in Me so that hopefully they will be rightly guided" (Surat
al-Baqara: 186) In the Qur'an Allah had informed us that people can
ask whatever they want from Allah. Since a person could ask for
anything from Allah Who has the power to create whatever He wants,
whenever He wills, it is totally unreal for him to be living among
the possibilities such as: having exhausted all the ways out or
having no way out. That is because –by the will and help of Allah-
a person's way is always open in every matter. His knowing Allah's
might and compassion would always enable him to be hopeful about
every matter.
This morality is the one Allah commanded in the Qur'an. And carrying
out this command of Allah turns into a great blessing for people.
It is much more beautiful, reassuring and comfortable for people
to live by a hopeful morality, instead of pessimism. While, in the
contrary, a person would be continuously living restless, in a state
of fear with his mind occupied in negative suggestions; someone
abiding by the morality Allah demands, would live in peace,
tranquility and joy of expecting the help, mercy and the closeness
of Allah even under most difficult conditions.
And another point that should be thought about here is; while living
among blessings, plenty and safety, a person trusts in Allah and
lives in the awareness of the truth that all those come about
because of the infinite might of Allah; but when there is something
missing about those, he forgets how limitless and endless the might
of Allah is. Allah has informed us about the morality that people
in this situation would show in the Qur'an, as follows:
When We give people a taste of mercy, they rejoice in it, but when
something bad happens to them because of what they themselves have
done, they immediately lose all hope. (Surat Ar-Rum : 36)
Man never tires of praying for the good and if evil touches him, he
despairs and loses hope. (Surat Fussilat : 49)
Such a person cannot appreciate the fact that Allah Who had given
him blessings before, also have the Power to give –again and again
whenever He wants as much as He wills. He fails to think that all
the beauties he has in his life exist not because he himself had
found a way to attain them but because Allah had willed them to be so
and granted him that means through His Grace. Everything that he
possesses has been created from nothing. When difficulty and
troubles arise the situation is no different than that: Allah, Who
created everything from nothing, even if there is a situation in
which there seems to be a no way out, would again create the way
from nothing and would show him the way out.
Allah says in the Quran: "… But your Lord is a sufficient guide and
helper." ( Surat Al-Furqan: 31). The guidance of Allah for a man
is – by the leave of Allah- a great blessing with which he can solve
every matter. And moreover man does not have the power to find a
way out on his own anyway. Humans are weak creatures who have no
power for anything unless Allah wills the contrary. Man is in need
of Allah showing him the ways out, the solutions and rights.
Consequently what one should do is to trust in Allah very much, by
being very sincere towards Allah; to ask full of hope for His help
and to show all the effort that he is capable of showing by using
his mind and conscience in the best possible manner. However the
secret here is in wanting everything from Allah in hope and believing
that they can definitely come true. It is Allah Who creates the
result. And Allah is the One Who always creates the best for
Muslims both in this world and in the Hereafter.
Their sides eschew their beds as they call on their Lord in fear and
ardent hope . And they give of what We have provided for them.
(Surat Al-Sajda:16)
And when the two hosts came into sight of one another Musa's
companions said, 'We will surely be overtaken!'
He said, 'Never! My Lord is with me and He will guide me. '
So We revealed to Musa, 'Strike the sea with your staff.' And it
split in two, each part like a towering cliff.
And We brought the others right up to it.
We rescued Musa and all those who were with him. (Surat Ash-Shu'ara': 62-65)