Welcome to Islam, - Maryam, the Mother of Jesus

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As Muslims, we respect, honor and hold in high esteem Maryam, may Allaah exalt her mention, the daughter of Imraan who was a chaste virgin and is the best of the women of the world.
The Muslims respect and love her for many reasons, among which are the following:
• Allaah Almighty praised her and described her as being pure and chaste; Allaah Almighty Says )what means(:}And ]the example of[ Mary, the daughter of ‘Imraan, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into ]her garment[ through Our angel ]i.e. Gabriel[, and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient.{]Quran 66:12[ Indeed, Allaah Almighty mentioned her and elaborated on the details of her story in many verses in the Quran.
• Allaah has chosen her as the best of the women of this world; Allaah Says )what means(:})And ]mention[ when the angels said, “O Mary, indeed Allaah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds.{]Quran 3:42[
• Maryam, may Allaah exalt her mention, was brought up in a pious and religious family like her mother, may Allaah be pleased with her, who vowed to Allaah to dedicate what was in her womb to His Services and to serve His Religion; Allaah Says )what means(:}]Mention, O Muhammad[, when the wife of Imraan said, “My Lord, indeed I have pledged to You what is in my womb, consecrated ]for Your service[, so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing.” But when she delivered her, she said, “My Lord I have delivered a female.” And Allaah was most knowing of what she delivered, and the male is not like the female. And I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge for her in You and ]for[ her descendants from Satan, the expelled ]from the mercy of Allaah[.”{]Quran 3: 35-36[
Indeed, Allaah accepted the supplication of the mother of Maryam as He appointed a Prophet to her care and service, who was the Prophet Zechariah, may Allaah exalt his mention, so that she would be brought up upon the Guidance of Allaah. Allaah Says )what means(:}So her Lord accepted her with good acceptance and caused her to grow in a good manner and put her in the care of Zechariah. Every time Zechariah entered upon her in the prayer chamber, he found with her provision. He said, “O Mary, from where is this ]coming[ to you?” She said, “It is from Allaah. Indeed, Allaah provides for whom He wills without account.”{]Quran 3:37[
• Maryam, may Allaah exalt her mention, reached a status and an honorable level that no other women has reached; the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, mentioned this and clarified this in many Ahadeeth. For instance, we cite the following:
-“Many men reached the level of perfection, but no woman reached such a level except Maryam, the daughter of Imraan, and Asia, the wife of Pharaoh."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
-“The best of the women of her time was Maryam, daughter of Imraan, and the best of the women of her time was Khadeejah, Bint Khuwaylid.”]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
-“The best of the women of paradise after Maryam Bint ‘Imraan are: Faatimah ]daughter of the Prophet[, Khadeejah ]Prophet’s wife[ and Asia the wife of Pharaoh.”]As-Silsilah As-Saheehah[
-“The best of the women of the world are: “Maryam Bint ‘Imraan, Khadeejah Bint Khuwaylid, Faatimah Bint Muhammad, and Asia, the wife of Pharaoh.”]At-Tirmithi[
• All the Muslim nation agree that Maryam, may Allaah exalt her mention, was of great honor and high status and they consider her as an example regarding purity and chastity.
• A whole Chapter in the Quran was named after her name and she is the only woman who has won this honor )as no other Chapter is named after any other woman(, and Allaah elaborated in details the story of her conceiving ‘Eesa, may Allaah exalt his mention, and her giving birth to him.
• Also, she is the only woman who was clearly mentioned by name in the Quran whereas other women of honor and great status were only mentioned by reference.
Indeed, her name was mentioned explicitly in the Quran 34 times in 32 verses, and it was mentioned 11 times without being linked to her son ‘Eesa )Jesus(, may Allaah exalt his mention.
• Also, Maryam, may Allaah exalt her mention, was the one who was given as an example – along with Asia Bint Muzaahim ]the wife of Pharaoh[ –for the Muslim women, and for men as well. Allaah Says )what means(:}And Allaah presents an example of those who believed: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said, “My Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the wrongdoing people.” And ]the example of[ Mary, the daughter of ‘Imraan, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into ]her garment[ through Our angel ]i.e. Gabriel[, and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient.{]Quran 66:11-12[
• Maryam, may Allaah exalt her mention was known for her chastity and virginity even after giving birth to ‘Eesa )Jesus(, the Messenger of Allaah, may Allaah exalt their mention. She sought refuge with Allaah when the angel Jibreel )Gabriel( appeared to her in the form of a man in all respects, as she said: Allaah Says ]on her tongue[ )what means(:}She said: “Verily! I seek refuge with the Most Merciful )i.e. Allaah( from you if you do fear Allaah”{]Quran 19:18[
• Allaah honored her by declaring her not guilty and by protecting her honor and dignity with a great miracle as He made her son –‘Eesa )Jesus( –speak while he was still in the cradle in order to declare her innocence and refute the accusation of the people of falsehood and corruption. Indeed, Allaah mentioned in details the story how she conceived her son and how she gave birth to him. Allaah Says )what means(:}Then she brought him to her people, carrying him. They said, ‘O Mary, you have certainly done a thing unprecedented. O sister of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste.” So she pointed to him. They said, “How can we speak to one who is in the cradle a child?” ]Jesus[ said, “Indeed, I am the servant of Allaah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet. And He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and Zakaah as long as I remain alive. And ]made me[ dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a wretched tyrant. And peace is on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive.” That is Jesus, the son of Mary— the word of truth about which they are in dispute. It is not ]befitting[ for Allaah to take a son; exalted is He! When He decrees an affair, He only says to it, “Be,” and it is.{]Quran 19:27-35[
• Allaah selected her to be a pious believing mother for one of the Prophets of great determination, who were the five great Prophets in the history of mankind, may Allaah exalt their mention.
• She conceived ‘Eesa )Jesus(, may Allaah exalt his mention, in an unordinary human way, and in a miraculous manner as the angel Jibreel )Gabriel( breathed into her womb and she became pregnant, and then she gave birth to him.
• She was honored as Allaah attributed her great son to her; Jesus, son of Mary, as he was mentioned being attributed to her in the Quran 23 times out of 34 times.
• Allaah honored her with a number of miracles before her pregnancy and after she gave birth, such as the food which Allaah blessed her with when there was nobody to give her food or when she was lacking it. Allaah Says )what means(:}…and put her in the care of Zechariah. Every time Zechariah entered upon her in the prayer chamber, he found with her provision. He said, “O Mary, from where is this ]coming[ to you?” She said, “It is from Allaah. Indeed, Allaah provides for whom He wills without account.”{]Quran 3:37[ Allaah also blessed her with the stream and the palm tree, which Allaah created for her so that she would eat and drink from them in the lonely place where she was so that she will give birth far from the eyes of the people. Allaah Says )what means(:}…But he called her from below her, “Do not grieve; your Lord has provided beneath you a stream. And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates. So eat and drink and be contented…”{]Quran 19:24-26[
• She was strong in her religion. She endured much hardship and was steadfast to the last second of hardship, especially when she became pregnant, when she gave birth, and when she breastfed her son.
• Her name was widely spread among the Christians and the Muslims. Indeed, many Muslims like naming their daughters Maryam, and her name is absolutely the most wide-spread name for females around the world and in the Christian world. Her name is especially spread among the woman in Spanish speaking countries, such as the name of Mary Augustine, and Mary Asunción, Mary Antoinette, Miriam, Mary Carmen, and Mary Magdalene, Virginia, …etc.
Conclusion:
Maryam, may Allaah exalt her mention, is a role model for all Muslim women because she maintained her impeccable character throughout her life. Allaah raised her status and chose her from among the women of the entire world. Indeed, many verses and many Ahadeeth clarified her great status.
Allaah blessed her with some miracles, protected her and defended her against any accusations and blasphemy. On the other hand, Maryam, may Allaah exalt her mention, demonstrated her genuine devotion and loyalty to Allaah through her impeccable virtue and behavior. She also expressed her profound and genuine devotion to Him Almighty through her determination, devotion, and unconditional surrender to His Will. She placed all of her hope and trust only in Allaah.
As a result, Allaah supported her with His Grace and Help, and turned all hardship into goodness and beauty.
She became pregnant and delivered her child all alone. She showed patience and complete faith in Allaah and endured the accusations of her people. Consequently, Allaah eased her burden, supported her, and refuted any accusations against her.
Maryam, may Allaah exalt her mention, had a superior and honorable position.
As Muslims, we should honor her, defend her dignity and chastity, and clarify to the people of the whole world the truth about her that she is the best example for all women around the world to follow. She was indeed the best woman ever in the whole world, may Allaah exalt her mention.

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Dought & clear, - Celebrating innovated festivals

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What is the shar’i ruling on celebrating festivals such as the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), children’s birthdays, Mother’s Day, Tree Week and national holidays?
Firstly: ‘Eid (festival) is the name given to something
which returns ya’ood , and is used to describe gatherings which happen repeatedly, on a yearly,
monthly or weekly basis, etc. So an ‘eid includes a number of things,
such as a day which comes regularly, e.g., ‘Eid al-Fitr and Friday;
gatherings on that day; and actions such as acts of worship and customs
which are done on that day.
Secondly: any of these things which are intended as rituals
or acts of worship aimed at drawing closer to Allaah or glorifying Him
in order to earn reward, or which involve imitating the people of Jaahiliyyah
or any other groups of kaafirs, is a prohibited bid’ah, an innovation
which comes under the general meaning of the hadeeth: “Whoever innovates
something in this matter of ours (Islam) that is not part of it, will
have it rejected.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim).
Examples of that include Mawlid al-Nabi (the Prophet’s birthday),
Mother’s Day and national holidays, because in the first case there
are innovated acts of worship which Allaah has not prescribed, and because
it involves imitation of the Christians and other kaafirs. And in the
second and third cases there is imitation of the kuffaar. But in cases
where the intention is to organize work to serve the interests of the
ummah and to put its affairs straight, or to organize programs of study,
or to bring employees together for work purposes etc., which in and
of themselves do not involve acts of worship and glorification, then
these are a kind of benign innovation which do not come under the meaning
of the hadeeth, “Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours
(Islam) that is not a part of it will have it rejected.” So there is
nothing wrong with such things, indeed they are allowed by sharee’ah.
And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions, and grant them peace.

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Dought & clear, - Reciting du’aa’ for forgiveness in unison following prayer

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When the imam finishes praying he recites the du’aa’ for forgiveness (istighfaar) in communal fashion, out loud. Is this permissible?.
Praise be to Allaah.
It says inFataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah:
Saying du’aa’ out loud following the five daily prayers and the regular Sunnah prayers, or reciting du’aa’ after the prayers in unison as a regular practise is a reprehensible innovation (bid’ah), because it is not reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did anything like that.
Fataawa Islamiyyah, 1/319

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Dought & clear, - What is al-waneesah

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What is al-waneesah? What is the ruling on it and what is the reward for it?.
Praise be to Allaah.
When we were asked about al-waneesah we were told that it means staying overnight at the grave on the first night after the burial, to give comfort to the deceased, as they claim. This is a kind of reprehensible innovation (bid’ah) which has no basis in the actions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or of his companions. If it were something good they would have done it before us. Because no such thing has been narrated to us from them, even though so many people died during their lifetime, it may be understood that there is nothing good in this practice.
The basic principle concerning acts of worship is to follow only that which is narrated in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and not to introduce new and innovated forms of worship. Allaah can only be worshipped in the manner that He has prescribed in His Book or on the lips of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
There is no reward for doing acts of bid’ah, rather they will be rejected and thrown back at the one who does them, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours [Islam] that is not part of it, will have it rejected.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2697; Muslim, 1718).
It is also misguidance, as he said: “The worst of matters are those which are newly-innovated. Every innovation is a going astray.” Narrated by Muslim, 867. Al-Nasaa’i (1578) added: “And every going astray will be in the Fire.”
There is the fear that fitnah (trials, afflictions) will befall the person who practices this innovation, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And let those who oppose the Messenger’s (Muhammad’s) commandment (i.e. his Sunnahlegal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements) (among the sects) beware, lest some Fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, earthquakes, killing, overpowered by a tyrant) should befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them”
[al-Noor 24:63]
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his commentary: “Let those who go against the command of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which is his way, his path, his Sunnah and his sharee’ah, beware, Words and deeds will be weighed against his words and deeds; whatever is in accordance with them will be accepted, and whatever goes against them will be rejected and thrown back at the one who says or does them, no matter who he is, as it was proven inal-Saheehaynand elsewhere that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever does an action that is not part of this matter of ours [Islam] will have it rejected.’ And let the one who goes against the sharee’ah of the Messenger whether inwardly or outwardly beware ‘lest some Fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, etc) should befall them’ i.e., lest their hearts be afflicted with kufr, hypocrisy or bid’ah, ‘or a painful torment be inflicted on them’ i.e., in this world by means of killing, a hadd punishment, imprisonment and the like.”
The deceased does not need any of the living to comfort him, because he is preoccupied with his own reckoning and being rewarded or punished for his deeds, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained in the lengthy hadeeth of al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib:
“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. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits by his head, and he says, ‘O good soul, come forth to forgiveness from Allaah and His pleasure.’ Then it comes out easily like a drop of water from the mouth of a waterskin. When he seizes it, they do not leave it in his hand for an instant before they take it and put it in that shroud with that perfume, and there comes from it a fragrance like the finest musk on the face of the earth. Then they ascend and they do not pass by any group of angels but they say, ‘Who is this good soul?’ and they say, ‘It is So and so the son of So and so, calling him by the best names by which he was known in this world, until they reach the lowest heaven. They ask for it to be opened to them and it is opened, and (the soul) is welcomed and accompanied to the next heaven by those who are closest to Allaah, until they reach the seventh heaven. Then Allaah says: ‘Record the book of My slave in ‘Illiyoon in the seventh heaven, and return him to the earth, for from it I created them, to it I will return them and from it I will bring them forth once again.’ So his soul is returned to his body and there come to him two angels who make him sit up and they say to him, ‘Who is your Lord?’ He says, ‘Allaah.’ They say, ‘What is your religion?’ He says, ‘My religion is Islam.’ They say, ‘Who is this man who was sent among you?’ He says, ‘He is the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).’ They say, ‘What did you do?’ He says, ‘I read the Book of Allaah and I believed in it.’ Then a voice calls out from heaven, ‘My slave has spoken the truth, so prepare for him a bed from Paradise and clothe him from Paradise, and open for him a gate to Paradise.’ Then there comes to him some of its fragrance, 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 which brings glad tidings.’ He says, ‘I am your righteous deeds.’ He says, ‘O Lord, hasten the Hour so that I may return to my family and my wealth.’”
And he said:
“But when the disbelieving slave is about to depart this world and enter the Hereafter, there come down to him from heaven angels with black faces, bringing sackcloth, and they sit around him as far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits by his head, and he says, ‘O evil soul, come forth to the wrath of Allaah and His anger.’ Then his soul disperses inside his body, then comes out cutting the veins and nerves, like a skewer passing through wet wool. When he seizes it, they do not leave it in his hand for an instant before they take it and put it in that sackcloth, and there comes from it a stench like the foulest stench of a dead body on the face of the earth. Then they ascend and they do not pass by any group of angels but they say, ‘Who is this evil soul?’ and they say, ‘It is So and so the son of So and so, calling him by the worst names by which he was known in this world, until they reach the lowest heaven. They ask for it to be opened to them and it is not opened.” Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recited (interpretation of the meaning):
“for them the gates of heaven will not be opened, and they will not enter Paradise until the camel goes through the eye of the needle”
[al-A’raaf 7:40]
He said: “Then Allaah says, ‘Record the book of My slave in Sijjeen in the lowest earth, and return him to the earth, for from it I created them, to it I will return them and from it I will bring them forth once again.’ So his soul is cast down.” Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recited the verse (interpretation of the meaning):
“and whoever assigns partners to Allaah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky, and the birds had snatched him, or the wind had thrown him to a far off place”
[al-Hajj 22:31]
He said: “Then his soul is returned to his body, and there come to him two angels who make him sit up and they say to him, ‘Who is your Lord?’ He says, ‘Oh, oh, I don’t know.’ They say, ‘What is your religion?’ He says, ‘Oh, oh, I don’t know.’ Then a voice calls out from heaven, ‘Prepare for him a bed from Hell and clothe him from Hell, and open for him a gate to Hell.’ Then there comes to him some of its heat and hot winds, and his grave is constricted and compresses him until his ribs interlock. Then there comes to him a man with an ugly face and ugly clothes, and a foul stench, who says, ‘Receive the bad news, this is the day that you were promised.’ He says, ‘Who are you? Your face is a face which forebodes evil.’ He says, ‘I am your evil deeds.’ He says, ‘O Lord, do not let the Hour come.’”
Narrated by Ahmad, 18557; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Jaami’, no. 1676
And Allaah knows best.

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