For children, - Muslim Motherhood: Mother's Curse, Muslim Mother Stories, Muslim Mothers Prayer

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In the tribe of Bani Israel, there lived a pious person by the name of Jareeh, who used to engage himself in Allah's (SWT) worship, in his monastery. One day, his mother approached him while he was busy in prayer and, as a result, he did not respond to her. She approached him for a second time, but again, Jareeh did not answer to his mother.
When this happened for the third time, she became angry and cursed him saying, "I pray to Allah (SWT) that He does not help you!"
The next day a prostitute came up to his monastery and giving birth to a child there, declared: "This is Jareeh's child whom I have given birth to."
This created uproar among the people, who thought: "The very person, who used to rebuke us for fornication, has committed it himself." The king ordered him to be sent to the gallows.
When Jareeh's mother came to know of this, she began beating her face in distress whereupon he said to her, "Keep quiet, for it is due to your curse that I find myself in this predicament."
The people asked him, "O' Jareeh! How can we know that you speak the truth?"
Jareeh told them to bring the child to him. When the child was brought, he prayed and then questioned the child, "Who is your father?" The child, with divine power and permission, said, "My father is such and such a shepherd belonging to such and such a tribe."
This incident saved Jareeh's life after which he vowed never to separate from his mother and to serve her throughout her life.

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Hajj & Umrah, - *The Greatest Objective of Hajj - III

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… Continued
The Prophetwanted to implant and establish this principle. At that time the polytheists and those new to Islam were keen to closely watch and follow the acts of the Prophet. When the Prophetproceeded to Mount‘Arafah, they wanted him to stay where the tribe ofQurayshwould do as he descended from the noblest family ofQuraysh. However, he moved on and stayed in another place where a tent was pitched for him atNamirah. People ofQurayshused to proceed from‘Arafahbefore sunset; but the Prophetrefused to proceed until the sun had set. The Prophetwould state and stipulate his own guidance andSunnahin every ritual ofHajj. Hesaid:“Learn your Hajj rituals from me.”His guidance clearly opposed the way ofJaahiliyyah. For example, he speeded up his pace atWaadi Muhassirand ordered others to do so as well because it was a place where disobedience to Allaah was once committed and where collective punishment struck the disobeyers. The Prophetemphasized this in many places and situations, and even when he offered twoRak‘ahs)units of prayer( atAl-Maqaam)the Station ofIbraaheem(, he recited ChapterAl-Kaafiroonand ChapterAl-Ikhlaasin the first and the secondRak‘ahafter ChapterAl-Faatihahrespectively. He chose those two chapters in particular because the first clearly affirmsTawheedand the second affirms disassociation from the disbelievers.
Hence, our faith andTawheedmust be purely for Allaah in compliance with the guidance andSunnahof the Prophet; we must not accept or approve of anything that contradicts this. A violation ofTawheedis not necessarily committed by worshipping entities, but rather, by any inclination of the heart to other than Allaah.Tawheedis not necessarily achieved by prostrating and submitting, but, rather, with every action that we perform to draw closer to Allaah. Many are the attachments of the heart and the perceptions of the mind that are not based onTawheedand not connected with the remembrance of Allaah. The remembrance of Allaah is the motto ofHajjin every motion and every rite, not only for the individual but for all those large crowds; not spoken in secret, but rather in an explicit declaration. It is a motto that links theUmmahof Islam to Allaah. Thus, it fears none but Allaah, hopes in none but Allaah, relies on none but Allaah, returns to none but Allaah and seeks none but Allaah The Almighty. It worships Him alone, following the steps of the Messenger of Allaah.
In this light, we recognize the significance of the command to mention Allaah’s name inHajj. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}That they may witness benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allaah on known days.{]Quran 22:28[ Allaah The Almighty orders us to mention His name on known days. Indeed, the purpose of all the rituals and rites of Hajj is to mention the name of Allaah and glorify Him.
The Prophetvery evidently stressed this great meaning in theKhutbah)sermon( of theFarewell Hajjas well as all his otherKhutbahs. He said:
Everything pertaining to Jaahiliyyah is under my feet, completely abolished. Abolished also are the blood-revenges of Jaahiliyyah. The first claim of ours on blood-revenge which I abolish is that of the son of Rabee‘ah Ibn Al-Haarith. The Ribaa )usury/interest( of Jaahiliyyah is )also( abolished, and the first of our Ribaa I abolish is that of Al-‘Abbaas Ibn ‘Abdul-Muttalib, for it is all abolished. Fear Allaah concerning women! Indeed, you have taken them under Allaah’s trust, and intercourse with them has been made lawful to you by the words of Allaah.”
He ascertained in public before an audience made up of his great companions and all the pilgrims who came to performHajjwith them from every distance that every act ofJaahiliyyahthat contradicts Islamic teachings was under his feet. He settled this rule starting with his own family to confirm that faith does not recognize courtesies, and to emphasize that the way of Islam is clear and totally opposite to the deviant practices ofJaahiliyyah. Islam does not adopt rulings from here or there, and when it approves the guidance ofIbraaheemit is simply becauseIbraaheemis the father of Islam and Muslims and the leader of the upright religion. This is confirmed in the crystal clear words of the Prophet:“Allaah has removed from you haughtiness and boasting )over one another( because of ancestry that prevailed during the pre-Islamic days: )the people are divided into( pious believers and wretched disbelievers. All people belong to ‘Aadamand ‘Aadam was created from dust.”]Abu Daawood&At-Tirmithi:Hasan)Sound([
The Prophetdid not only abolish all the acts and deeds relevant to polytheism and customs, but he also abolished racism and boasting over one another because all people are equal slaves before Allaah. This great meaning was expressed by the best and noblest human when he said:“I am among you the one who worships Allaah the most and the most fearing of Him among you.”The great honor of the Prophetlies in his servitude to Allaah. By servitude to Allaah, the Prophetreached the most sublime and highest rank in the night ofAl-Israa’andAl-Mi‘raaj)The Prophet's night journey toAl-Aqsamosque and ascent to the upper heavens(. This rank was not reached by any other sent prophet or close angel.
Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from Al-Masjid Al-Haraam ]in Makkah[ to Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.{]Quran 17:1[ Allaah The Almighty referred to the Prophetin this verse as His servant and not His prophet or His Messenger because the greatest honor of the Prophetis that he was the most worshipping servant of Allaah there was. We can see him in the Hadeeth of Jaabirwhile he was beseeching and supplicating to Allaah, humbly prostrating to him, casting the pebbles while declaring the glorification of Allaah, makingTawaafaround theKa‘bah, glorifying Allaah and walking fast between MountsAs-SafaandAl-Marwah. He is the slave and Messenger of Allaah who represented the ultimateTawheedthat annuls anything else. When he was asked about the supplication of Day of‘Arafah, he answered:“The best words that I and the prophets before me said are: ‘Laa ilaaha illa Allaahu wadahu la shareeka lahu, lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu, yuhyee wa yumeet wa huwa ‘ala qulli shay’in qadeer.’ )None is truly worthy of worship but Allaah alone, who has no partner. To Him belongs the dominion, to Him belongs all praise, He gives life and causes death and He has power over everything.(”SuchTawheedthat abolishes every aspect ofJaahilliyahis a great matter and the main goal ofHajj. It is the foremost and greatest goal of the Islamic Sharee‘ah that is manifested in this ritual. It should be noted that this is a radical comprehensive change, not a superficial partial one. It starts with the first throb of the heart towards the intention of performingHajj. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And ]due[ to Allaah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House - for whoever is able to find thereto a way.{]Quran 3:97[ In this verse the dedication of this worship solely to Allaah is clear by starting the sentence with"And ]due[ to Allaah."Hence, the intention must be for Allaah alone from the first move or thought about performingHajj. Hearts full of hoping for Allaah, worshipping Him alone and devotion to Him; tongues repeatTalbiyahandTakbeerand feet walk in the places where Allaah commands His slaves to go.
To be continued …

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Hajj & Umrah, - *Perform Hajj - I

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O people, fear Allaah The Almighty and perform the obligations that Allaah The Almighty has enjoined upon you, one of the most important among which is performingHajjto His House whenever you can afford to do so. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And ]due[ to Allaah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House - for whoever is able to find thereto a way. But whoever disbelieves - then indeed, Allaah is free from need of the Worlds.{]Quran 3:97[
The Prophet,, said:"Islam is to testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allaah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah; to observe prayer, pay Zakaah, observe fasting of Ramadan and perform Hajj of the House, provided you have the resources to make the journey to it."The Prophet,, told us that Islam is built on these five deeds, which means that the Islam of a person will not be complete or stand firm until he performsHajj.
‘Umar ibn Al-Khattabsaid,"I was about to send men to these regions to see who should pay Jizyah )meaning the rich people( who have not performed Hajj and to take Jizyah from them. They are not Muslims, they are not Muslims."The obligation ofHajjis established by the Quran, theSunnah)Prophetic tradition( of the Messenger of Allaah,, and the absolute consensus of Muslims. So, whoever denies the obligation ofHajjhas disbelieved, and whoever acknowledges it but abandons it out of negligence is at great risk.
Allaah The Almighty, after mentioning its obligation on people, Says )what means(:}But whoever disbelieves - then indeed, Allaah is free from need of the Worlds.{]Quran 3:97[ This is the reason why some scholars say that a person who can performHajjand does not do it is a disbeliever and an apostate from Islam although the majority of scholars hold otherwise, and this is the preponderant opinion. If a Muslim abandonsHajjwhile he is able to perform it, he is at great risk.
Dear Muslims, how can a believer leaveHajjwhile he is financially and physically able to perform it, knowing that it is one of the duties and chief acts of worship of Islam? How can he withhold money in order not to perform this duty while he spends a lot of money in what his soul desires? How can he spare himself the hardship involved inHajjwhereas he exhausts himself in pursuing his worldly affairs? How does he find the obligation ofHajjheavy although it is not obligatory except once in man's life? Why does he delay performing it, when he knows not whether he will have access to it again? So, fear Allaah, O slaves of Allaah, and performHajjthat Allaah has enjoined upon you as an act of worship to Him and an act of accepting His rule and obeying His order if you are believers. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allaah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should ]thereafter[ have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allaah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error.{]Quran 33:36[
O Muslims, when the believer performsHajjand‘Umrahonce after reaching the age of puberty, he has discharged himself of the obligation and completed one of the main obligations of Islam. After that, he is not required to performHajjor‘Umrahunless he vows to do so. Whoever vows to performHajjor‘Umrahmust fulfill his vow, because the Prophet,, said:"Whoever vows to obey Allaah, let him obey Him."
O Muslims, it is the very mercy of Allaah The Almighty and His profound wisdom that He has set limitations and conditions for the religious obligations so that they would be regulated and that responsibility can be defined. He made such limitations and conditions in a very appropriate manner including the time, the place and the person who should do the act.Hajjis one of these obligations. It has its limits and conditions that should be met before it becomes obligatory on the Muslim. These conditions include attaining the age of puberty.Hajjis not obligatory for Muslims who have not reached the age of maturity. The age of puberty in males occurs with one of three signs: the discharge of semen, the attainment of fifteen years or the growth of pubic hair. In females, puberty occurs with these three signs, in addition to a fourth one, which is menstruation.
Hajjis not obligatory on a Muslim who has not reached puberty, even if he is rich; but if he performsHajj, it would be valid voluntaryHajjfor which he is rewarded. When he reaches puberty, he must perform the obligatoryHajjbecause hisHajjbefore puberty does not discharge him of the obligation.Hajjdoes not become obligatory before the age of puberty; it is as if he gives away some money with the intention of payingZakaahbefore he owns the minimum amount on whichZakaahbecomes obligatory. Therefore, if a Muslim performsHajjwith his young sons and daughters, he would be rewarded and the children would have the reward ofHajj. If they did not performHajj, there would be no blame on them.
The opinion of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih Al-Uthaymeenis that today, due to conditions like overcrowding and other hardship, a person should not take his young children to performHajjwith him. He should not allow them to enter the state ofIhraamforHajjor‘Umrahbecause of the hardship that he and they will undergo. Allaah The Almighty loves and wants to make matters easy for His slaves; He does not want to place hardship on them. If the matter is easy, the schedule is flexible, and people are few in Makkah, it would be fitting to take children along to performHajj. However, in times of congestion and seasons ofHajjand the days ofRamadan, young children should not be taken forHajjbecause of the hardship on them and on their parents as well.
In theSunnah, a woman asked the Prophet,, when she raised a young boy saying, "Is there Hajj for that boy?"He said:"Yes, and you will receive reward."There is no record in theSunnahthat the Prophet,, ever ordered his Companions to let their young children enter the state ofIhraam, but he approved of it.
Another condition ofHajjis that the Muslim is financially and physically able because Allaah The Almighty laid this condition for the obligation ofHajjSaying )what means(:}for whoever is able to find thereto a way.{]Quran 3:97[Hajjis not obligatory on the Muslim who is not able. Being financially able means that the Muslim owns enough money forHajjwhich is over and above the needs of his home and what he needs of provisions and clothing for him and his dependants, rental accommodation and settling immediate debts. If a person has money that he needs for what has been mentioned, he is not obliged to performHajj. Whoever owes an immediate debt, is not required to performHajjuntil he has paid it off.
Debt in this context includes loans, the price of a commodity, rent and others. The person who owes one dirham that must be settled now is considered an indebted person on whomHajjis not obligatory until he is discharged of it by paying it off or by forfeiting it. Settlement of debts is very serious in the sense that if a man is killed in the cause of Allaah The Almighty as a martyr, martyrdom remits everything except the debt. Also, if the indebted man dies, his soul is suspended by that debt until it is settled, as it was narrated from the Prophet,. Even when a man was brought to the Prophet,, to offer his funeral prayer, he would ask if the deceased was in debt. If they said that he has a debt that will not be settled, the Prophet,, would go back and not pray for him, saying,"You offer the funeral prayer of your companion."
It is amazing that some people today take the issue of debt lightly and borrow a lot of money without necessity or need at a time when the heirs no longer care for the debt of the deceased and do not pay it off immediately. Sometimes the deceased is heavily indebted and has real estate, but the heirs wait until this real estate commands higher prices. The heirs are indifferent to the deceased, who is more entitled to his money than them. Thus, it is not permissible for an heir to take one dirham until the debt of the deceased is paid off. As for deferred debts, if it is documented by mortgage enough to cover it, the obligation ofHajjis not waived. So, if the Muslim owes a debt for which he gave a mortgage that covers the debt and he has money and is able to performHajjprovided that the debt is deferred,Hajjbecomes obligatory because he is able to afford it. However, if the deferred debt is not documented by a mortgage that covers it,Hajjis not obligatory upon him until he pays off the debt.

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Hajj & Umrah, - *Perform Hajj - II

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Being physically able means that the Muslim is able to travel to the Sacred House without difficulty. If he cannot travel to the House or can only reach it with severe difficulty like a sick person or an elderly person; in such a case, if there is no hope of recovery from his sickness he should authorize a relative or someone to performHajjor‘Umrahon his behalf. However, if he dies before authorizing someone to performHajjon his behalf, his heirs should performHajjon his behalf. If a woman does not have aMahram,Hajjis not obligatory on her because she does not find the way to performHajj. A woman is forbidden by theSharee‘ah)Islamic legislation( to travel without aMahram )non-marriageable male(.
Ibn ‘Abbaassaid that he heard the Prophet,, say in aKhutbah:"No man should be alone with a woman without a Mahram, nor should a woman travel except with a Mahram."A man stood up and said, "O Messenger of Allaah, my wife set out to perform Hajj and I have been recruited in such-and-such a battle." The Prophetsaid:"Go and perform Hajj with your wife."The Prophet,, ordered him not to go to the battle but to performHajjwith his wife. He did not investigate whether the woman was young, or in a company of women or otherwise. This indicates that it is forbidden for a woman to travel without aMahramin all cases, whether by plane or car. The woman'sMahrammight be her husband or any man whom she is permanently forbidden to marry such as her father, grandfather up to all levels, and her son, her grandson down to all levels, her brother, the son of her brother down to all levels, the son of her sister down to all levels, her paternal and maternal uncle, or the paternal uncle of her father or mother or the maternal uncle of her father or her mother. The maternal uncle of a person is his maternal uncle as well as all his descendants until the Day of Resurrection. So, is the paternal uncle, whether through biological factors or breastfeeding.
Mahramsalso include theMahramsthrough a marriage relation, such as the father of the husband up to all levels, the son of the husband down to all levels, the husband of the daughter down to all levels and the husband of the mother up to all levels provided the husband has consummated the marriage. TheMahrammust be sane and have already reached puberty. The male who has not reached puberty cannot be aMahrambecause the purpose of theMahramis to guard the woman and protect her, and this is not achieved by a young boy.
If a person finds that he has satisfied the conditions of the obligation ofHajj, let him perform it as early as possible. The commands of Allaah The Almighty and His Messenger are to be carried out immediately without delay. Ibn Al-Qayyim, the renowned student of Shaykh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, said,"Whoever abandons Hajj deliberately while he is able to do it until he dies, or withholds Zakaah and does not pay it until he died, the proofs and principles of Sharee‘ah indicate that he is not discharged of them even if they are done after his death, nor will they be accepted from him. The truth is most deserving to be followed."
Man does not know what will happen in the future, and so, you should be grateful for the blessings of Allaah The Almighty by thanking Him and performing what Allaah made obligatory upon you before death comes to you and you regret when regret is of no avail. Listen to what Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}And return ]in repentance[ to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes upon you; then you will not be helped. And follow the best of what was revealed to you from your Lord before the punishment comes upon you suddenly while you do not perceive, Lest a soul should say, "Oh ]how great is[ my regret over what I neglected in regard to Allaah and that I was among the mockers." Or ]lest[ it say, "If only Allaah had guided me, I would have been among the righteous." Or ]lest[ it say when it sees the punishment, "If only I had another turn so I could be among the doers of good."{]Quran 39:54-58[
A Muslim who performsHajjaccording to the guidance of theSharee‘ahand follows the Messenger of Allaah,, hisHajjshall be complete whether or not‘Aqeeqahwas slaughtered on his behalf. Some of the common people think that there is noHajjfor the Muslim for whom‘Aqeeqahwas not slaughtered on his behalf. This is not correct, and there is no connection betweenHajjand‘Aqeeqah.Hajjis also valid even if a person did not make up for the days of fasting missed inRamadanbecause there is no relationship betweenHajjand fasting.
O slaves of Allaah, fear Allaah The Almighty Who Says )what means(:}And fear a Day when no father will avail his son, nor will a son avail his father at all. Indeed, the Promise of Allaah is truth, so let not the worldly life delude you and be not deceived about Allaah by the Deceiver.{]Quran 31:33[
O Muslims, performHajjthat Allaah The Almighty prescribed for you. Do not neglect or be slow.Hajjis one of the great pillars of Islam on which it is built and without which Islam will not be perfect. Perform it with sincerity to Allaah and following the Messenger of Allaah,. The Muslim who is in charge of workers, who have not performedHajj, should facilitate the matter for them and help them do it. Let him not prevent a worker from performingHajjbecause the Muslim is rewarded for making these matters easy for others. The Prophet,, said:"Whoever prepares a fighter in the cause of Allaah will be considered fighting in His cause."
When we see a person who has not performed the obligatoryHajjand he needs assistance, we should help him as much as we can, especially if he is under our responsibility and at our disposal. We should help and assist him in order to receive the reward and achieve goodness. We will not incur a great loss. A Muslim can go on the sixth day or the seventh or even the eighth day ofThul-Hijjahand return on the thirteenth day. So,Hajjtakes only five days or so. When the Muslim quits work on these days for the sake of Allaah The Almighty, Allaah will compensate him with goodness and blessings. Help your brothers, for Allaah helps the person as long as he helps his brother, and whoever fulfills the need of his brother, Allaah The Almighty fulfils his needs.

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