Fifteen Examples of Supplications Immediately Answered by Allah
The Messenger of Allah related that Allah Said: "...if he calls upon Me, I answer him, and if he asks of Me, I will give him..."
Ibn Rajab commented: "...This means that this person who is beloved and close to Allah has a special status with Allah such that if he asks Allah for something, He gives it to him, and if he seeks refuge with Allah from anything, He protects him from that thing, and if he calls upon Him, He answers him. So, he ends up becoming from those whose supplications are answered due to his honor with Allah.
And many from the righteous early generations were known to have their supplications answered.
It is related in the 'Sahih' that ar-Rubay' bint an-Nadr broke a tooth of a slave. So, they offered compensation, and they refused. They asked for pardon, and they refused. The Messenger of Allah was then going to implement the rule of retaliation between them. Anas bin an-Nadr said: "The tooth of ar-Rubay' will be broken? By the One who has sent you with the truth, her tooth will not be broken." So, the people were pleased and took the compensation. The Messenger of Allah then said: "Indeed, from the slaves of Allah are those who, if they make an oath upon Allah, He fulfills it."
...And Ibn Abi ad-Dunya reported with his chain that an-Nu'man bin Qawfal said on the day of Uhud: "O Allah, I swear that I will be killed and enter Paradise ." So, he was killed, and the Prophet said: "Indeed, Nu'man made an oath upon Allah, and He fulfilled that oath."
And Abu Nu'aym reported with his chain from Sa'd that 'Abdullah bin Jahsh said on the day of Uhud: "O Lord, if I meet the enemy tomorrow, give me an adversary who is strong and harsh for me to fight for Your Sake and for him to fight me. Then, let him cut off my nose and ear so that when I meet You the next day, You Say: 'O 'Abdullah! Why were your nose and ear cut off?' I will say: 'For You and Your Messenger.' And You will Say: 'You have spoken the truth.'"
Sa'd said: "I saw him at the end of the day with his nose and ear hanging from a thread."
And Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas would have his supplications answered. A man lied upon him, and he said: "O Allah, if he is lying, take away his eyesight, elongate his life, and expose him to trials and tribulations." So, the man was stricken with all of this, as he used to walk through the streets and come into contact with the slave girls, saying: "I am an old man who is experiencing fitnah. I have been stricken with the supplication of Sa'd!"
And he supplicated against a man he heard insulting 'Ali, and immediately, a camel came and trampled him to death.
And a woman disputed with Sa'id bin Zayd over some land he owned, claiming that he had taken from her land. So, he said: "O Allah, if she is lying, take away her eyesight and kill her in her own land." So, she became blind, and one night when she was walking in her land, she fell into a well and died.
And al-' Ala ' bin al-Hadrami was on an expedition, and those with him became very thirsty. So, he prayed and supplicated: "O Knower, O Bestower, O Most High, O Mighty! We are Your slaves, and we are fighting Your enemy for Your Sake. Give us water to drink and make ablution from, and do not allow anyone else to benefit from this water!" They walked for a bit to find a river of water flowing from the sky. They drank from it and filled their vessels. Later, some of his companions returned to where the river was to find that there was nothing there, as if there had never been any water there.
And someone complained to Anas bin Malik of a drought in a part of al-Basrah. So, he performed ablution and went out to the patch of land, prayed two units, and it then began raining on the patch of land, and the rain did not fall anywhere beyond that patch of land.
...And Abu Muslim al-Khawlani was known for having his supplications answered. Once, a gazelle passed by him, and the young boys in the area said: "Ask Allah to allow us to capture this gazelle!" So, he supplicated, and he captured it and held it until they were able to take it from his hands.
And he once supplicated against a woman who had ruined his relationship with his wife that her eyesight be taken away. She immediately went blind, and she came to him begging. So, he had pity for her and asked Allah to return her eyesight to her, and his wife returned to her normal state with him.
And a man lied upon Mutarraf bin 'Abdullah, and Mutarraf said: "If you are lying, I ask Allah to hasten your departure," and the man died on the spot.
And a Kharijite used to pass by the classes of al-Hasan al-Basri and annoy those present. When it became unbearable, al-Hasan said: "O Allah, You Know how he has harmed us. So, suffice us against him with what You Will," and the man immediately collapsed and was carried dead to his family.
And Silah bin Ashim was on an expedition, and his camel wandered off with all of his belongings, and there was nobody else around. So, he stood and prayed, saying: "O Allah, I swear that you will return my camel and belongings," and it walked back until it stood right in front of him.
...And Habib al-'Ajami Abu Muhammad was known for having his supplications answered. He once supplicated for a young boy who was bald, and would weep and wipe his tears over the boy's head. The boy's hair began growing black all over his head, and it looked better than it had before.
...And Sa'id bin Jubayr was patient upon the harm inflicted upon him by al-Hajjaj until he killed him, and he was from those whose supplication was answered. He used to have a rooster whose crowing would wake him up to pray at night. One night, it didn't wake him up on time, and he became very distressed, saying: "What is wrong with it? May Allah cut off its voice!" It never crowed again, and his mother said: "My son, do not supplicate against anything ever again."
See 'Jami' al-'Ulum wal-Hikam' (2/348-354) for more.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Many American meat exporters obtain halal certificate fraudulently
Many American meat exporters obtain halal certificate fraudulently
By Nadia Saleem, Staff Reporter
November 13, 2008
Dubai: Ninety-five per cent of American food items found in supermarket shelves in the UAE and some other Gulf countries are not halal even though they may be certified as such, an industry specialist said at the Halal World Expo in Abu Dhabi .
Jalel Aossey, director of Midamar, a US-based international supplier of halal food and foodservice equipment, said that there is a significant flow of non-halal food items in the region from meat-supplying countries, and the Gulf countries need tougher regulations to stop that flow.
"On one side you have producers who genuinely don't know what they have to comply with because of a lack of education from the industry. But you also have companies and exporters that are deliberately defrauding governments and consumers by not complying with regulations because they don't want to pay the fees and the transition costs to make halal products," Aossey said.
Corrupt certifiers
Nearly 1.8 billion Muslims around the world as well as some non-Muslims are fuelling the halal food industry, generating sales of $2.1 trillion annually, according to recent reports. The attractive halal food industry is drawing many dubious players.
"Corrupt certifiers get a taste for the money generated producing "paper halal certificates" for companies without actually performing any work," Aossey said.
On regulatory measures, Aossey said, "People have to realise that it is not impossible, and that it's not too costly to put the correct halal standards in place here. There's a big misconception about how difficult this process is."
Noor Al Deen Abdullah, executive director of Kasehdia, a communications and consultancy company in Malaysia , and publishers of The Halal Food Journal earlier told Gulf News, "The global halal industry is still in its infancy because huge awareness is required, especially in the Middle East ."
The major producing nations are Australia, New Zealand , Brazil and Canada , Abdullah said, from where halal and non-halal meat is supplied.
Aossey said that inspection teams can be sent to the various countries where food is being produced to allow it to be inspected, at that country's cost. "This is nothing when you consider the huge dollar volume of food products exported to the UAE and other Gulf countries."
In the UAE, 80 per cent of imported food is said to be halal, coming from countries such as Brazil and Australia .
Facts: What is halal meat?
Halal (or permissible) in Islam is the meat of animals that have been slaughtered reciting the name of Allah on them and all the blood has been drained from the carcass.
Additional criterion that make meat halal are that the animal should not be dead prior to slaughter, since carrion is forbidden and that the animal is from those that are allowed according to Islamic teachings.
http://www.gulfnews .com/business/ General/10259492 .html
By Nadia Saleem, Staff Reporter
November 13, 2008
Dubai: Ninety-five per cent of American food items found in supermarket shelves in the UAE and some other Gulf countries are not halal even though they may be certified as such, an industry specialist said at the Halal World Expo in Abu Dhabi .
Jalel Aossey, director of Midamar, a US-based international supplier of halal food and foodservice equipment, said that there is a significant flow of non-halal food items in the region from meat-supplying countries, and the Gulf countries need tougher regulations to stop that flow.
"On one side you have producers who genuinely don't know what they have to comply with because of a lack of education from the industry. But you also have companies and exporters that are deliberately defrauding governments and consumers by not complying with regulations because they don't want to pay the fees and the transition costs to make halal products," Aossey said.
Corrupt certifiers
Nearly 1.8 billion Muslims around the world as well as some non-Muslims are fuelling the halal food industry, generating sales of $2.1 trillion annually, according to recent reports. The attractive halal food industry is drawing many dubious players.
"Corrupt certifiers get a taste for the money generated producing "paper halal certificates" for companies without actually performing any work," Aossey said.
On regulatory measures, Aossey said, "People have to realise that it is not impossible, and that it's not too costly to put the correct halal standards in place here. There's a big misconception about how difficult this process is."
Noor Al Deen Abdullah, executive director of Kasehdia, a communications and consultancy company in Malaysia , and publishers of The Halal Food Journal earlier told Gulf News, "The global halal industry is still in its infancy because huge awareness is required, especially in the Middle East ."
The major producing nations are Australia, New Zealand , Brazil and Canada , Abdullah said, from where halal and non-halal meat is supplied.
Aossey said that inspection teams can be sent to the various countries where food is being produced to allow it to be inspected, at that country's cost. "This is nothing when you consider the huge dollar volume of food products exported to the UAE and other Gulf countries."
In the UAE, 80 per cent of imported food is said to be halal, coming from countries such as Brazil and Australia .
Facts: What is halal meat?
Halal (or permissible) in Islam is the meat of animals that have been slaughtered reciting the name of Allah on them and all the blood has been drained from the carcass.
Additional criterion that make meat halal are that the animal should not be dead prior to slaughter, since carrion is forbidden and that the animal is from those that are allowed according to Islamic teachings.
http://www.gulfnews .com/business/ General/10259492 .html
The signs of an accepted Hajj or 'Umrah
The signs of an accepted Hajj or 'Umrah
Question:
Are there any signs which appear upon those whose performance of the Hajj or the 'Umrah is accepted?
Response:
It is possible for there to be signs for the one whose Hajj, fasting, charity or prayer has been accepted by Allaah and they are: the opening of the heart (to good), happiness of the heart and a lighted face. Certainly, for worshipping (Allaah) there are signs that appear on the body, signs that are visible and signs that are hidden. Some of the Pious Predecessors have mentioned that from the signs that a good (act) has been accepted (by Allaah) is that he will be granted the towfeeq to do (yet) another good (act). Certainly the towfeeq of Allaah for him to do more good (acts) after it, is evidence that Allaah ('Azza wa Jall) has accepted his previous good (acts). He has made it easy for him to do another good act and is happy with him for it.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen
Daleel al-Akhtaa.a yaqa'a feehaa al-Haaj wal-Mu'tamir wat-tahdtheer minhaa - Page 115
ref:
http://www.fatwa-online.com/fataawa/worship/hajjandumrah/haj016/0000303_1.htm
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2008120823905
Question:
Are there any signs which appear upon those whose performance of the Hajj or the 'Umrah is accepted?
Response:
It is possible for there to be signs for the one whose Hajj, fasting, charity or prayer has been accepted by Allaah and they are: the opening of the heart (to good), happiness of the heart and a lighted face. Certainly, for worshipping (Allaah) there are signs that appear on the body, signs that are visible and signs that are hidden. Some of the Pious Predecessors have mentioned that from the signs that a good (act) has been accepted (by Allaah) is that he will be granted the towfeeq to do (yet) another good (act). Certainly the towfeeq of Allaah for him to do more good (acts) after it, is evidence that Allaah ('Azza wa Jall) has accepted his previous good (acts). He has made it easy for him to do another good act and is happy with him for it.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen
Daleel al-Akhtaa.a yaqa'a feehaa al-Haaj wal-Mu'tamir wat-tahdtheer minhaa - Page 115
ref:
http://www.fatwa-online.com/fataawa/worship/hajjandumrah/haj016/0000303_1.htm
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2008120823905
Eight Things to Learn !
Eight Things to Learn !
One time a scholar asked one of his students, "You have spent a long time with me, what have you learned?
He said I learned eight things:
First , I looked to the creation. Every one has a loved one. When he goes to the grave , he leaves his loved one. Therefore, I made my loved one my good deeds ; that way, they will be with me in the grave .
Second, I looked to the verse , 'But as for him who feared to stand before his Lord and restrained his soul from lust, ' and, there fore, I struggled against my desires so I could stay obeying Allah .
Third, I saw that if anyone has something with him that is worth something, he will protect it. Then I thought about the verse , ' That which you have is wasted away; and that which is with Allah remains,' therefore, everything worth something with me I devo ed to Him so it would be with Him for me.
Fourth, I saw the people seek ng wealth, honor and positions and it was not worth anything to me. Then I thought about Allah's words , 'Lo, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most aware of Allah ,' so I did my best to become aware of Allah in order to nobility in his sight .
Fifth , I saw the people being jealous towards each other and I looked at the verse , 'We have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of the world ,' so I left jealousy.
Sixth , I saw the people havin genmity and I thought about the verse , 'Lo, the devil is an enemy for you, so take him as an enemy ,' so I left enmity and I took the Satan as my only enemy .
Seventh, I saw them debasing thems elves in search of sustenance and I thought about the verse , 'And there is not a beast in the earth but the sustenance there of depends on Allah ,' so I kept myself busy with my responsibilities toward Him and I left my property with Him.
Eighth, I found them relying on their business, buildings and health and I thought about the verse , 'And whosoever puts his trust in Allah , He will suffice him, ' there fore, I put my trust only on Allah .
Abu Mas'ud ' Uqba ibn 'Amr al- Ansari al- Badri reported that the Messenger of Allah , ( PBUH) , said, " Anyone who shows the way to something good has the same reward as the person who does it.
" [ Muslim]
E.g. if you encou rage someo ne to go for Salah , or pay Zakat and the person actually goes ahead and prays or pays Zakat , Allah will reward him for the good deeds and at the same time give you (the one that encouraged them to do good) an equal reward as he has given them- without decreasing what he gave them.
So Encourage Other To Do Good And Refrain From Bad Deeds
One time a scholar asked one of his students, "You have spent a long time with me, what have you learned?
He said I learned eight things:
First , I looked to the creation. Every one has a loved one. When he goes to the grave , he leaves his loved one. Therefore, I made my loved one my good deeds ; that way, they will be with me in the grave .
Second, I looked to the verse , 'But as for him who feared to stand before his Lord and restrained his soul from lust, ' and, there fore, I struggled against my desires so I could stay obeying Allah .
Third, I saw that if anyone has something with him that is worth something, he will protect it. Then I thought about the verse , ' That which you have is wasted away; and that which is with Allah remains,' therefore, everything worth something with me I devo ed to Him so it would be with Him for me.
Fourth, I saw the people seek ng wealth, honor and positions and it was not worth anything to me. Then I thought about Allah's words , 'Lo, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most aware of Allah ,' so I did my best to become aware of Allah in order to nobility in his sight .
Fifth , I saw the people being jealous towards each other and I looked at the verse , 'We have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of the world ,' so I left jealousy.
Sixth , I saw the people havin genmity and I thought about the verse , 'Lo, the devil is an enemy for you, so take him as an enemy ,' so I left enmity and I took the Satan as my only enemy .
Seventh, I saw them debasing thems elves in search of sustenance and I thought about the verse , 'And there is not a beast in the earth but the sustenance there of depends on Allah ,' so I kept myself busy with my responsibilities toward Him and I left my property with Him.
Eighth, I found them relying on their business, buildings and health and I thought about the verse , 'And whosoever puts his trust in Allah , He will suffice him, ' there fore, I put my trust only on Allah .
Abu Mas'ud ' Uqba ibn 'Amr al- Ansari al- Badri reported that the Messenger of Allah , ( PBUH) , said, " Anyone who shows the way to something good has the same reward as the person who does it.
" [ Muslim]
E.g. if you encou rage someo ne to go for Salah , or pay Zakat and the person actually goes ahead and prays or pays Zakat , Allah will reward him for the good deeds and at the same time give you (the one that encouraged them to do good) an equal reward as he has given them- without decreasing what he gave them.
So Encourage Other To Do Good And Refrain From Bad Deeds
Al-Barzakh and the Life in the Grave
Al-Barzakh and the Life in the Grave
“Literally Al-Barzakh means interval or a barrier between two things. Allah Almighty says: “Between them is a Barzakh (Barrier) which they do not transgress.” (Ar-Rahman: 20)
Technically, it stands for an intermediary stage between this life and another life in the Hereafter; it’s an interval between death and the Day of Resurrection. Allah says: “Before them is a Partition till the Day they are raised up.” (Al-Mu’minun: 100)
This does not mean that there would be special places for every soul, but the souls of dead people are in different places according to the level of their Iman: some of them will be on the highest paradise with the souls of Prophets and martyrs; some believers will be in a particular place in Paradise before the Day of Judgment; some will have their graves like gardens of Paradise and some will have it like pits of the Hell-Fire. All of these cases and states of people will be in the period of Al-Barzakh, each one according to the status of his Iman.
For more visit: http://www.islamqa. com/en/ref/ 11110/
“Literally Al-Barzakh means interval or a barrier between two things. Allah Almighty says: “Between them is a Barzakh (Barrier) which they do not transgress.” (Ar-Rahman: 20)
Technically, it stands for an intermediary stage between this life and another life in the Hereafter; it’s an interval between death and the Day of Resurrection. Allah says: “Before them is a Partition till the Day they are raised up.” (Al-Mu’minun: 100)
This does not mean that there would be special places for every soul, but the souls of dead people are in different places according to the level of their Iman: some of them will be on the highest paradise with the souls of Prophets and martyrs; some believers will be in a particular place in Paradise before the Day of Judgment; some will have their graves like gardens of Paradise and some will have it like pits of the Hell-Fire. All of these cases and states of people will be in the period of Al-Barzakh, each one according to the status of his Iman.
For more visit: http://www.islamqa. com/en/ref/ 11110/
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Words of Wisdom from the Qur'an
Words of Wisdom from the Qur'an
1. Respect and honour all human beings irrespective of their religion, color, race, sex, language, status, property, birth, profession/job and so on [17/70]
2. Talk straight, to the point, without any ambiguity or deception [33/70]
3. Choose best words to speak and say them in the best possible way [17/53, 2/83]
4. Do not shout. Speak politely keeping your voice low. [31/19]
5. Always speak the truth. Shun words that are deceitful and ostentatious [22/30]
6. Do not confound truth with falsehood [2/42]
7. Say with your mouth what is in your heart [3/167]
8. Speak in a civilized manner in a language that is recognised by the society and is commonly used [4/5]
9. When you voice an opinion, be just, even if it is against a relative [6/152]
10. Do not be a bragging boaster [31/18]
11. Do not talk, listen or do anything vain [23/3, 28/55]
12. Do not participate in any paltry. If you pass near a futile play, then pass by with dignity [25/72]
13. Do not verge upon any immodesty or lewdness whether surreptitious or overt [6/151].
14. If, unintentionally, any misconduct occurs by you, then correct yourself expeditiously [3/134].
15. Do not be contemptuous or arrogant with people [31/18]
16. Do not walk haughtily or with conceit [17/37, 31/18]
17. Be moderate in thy pace [31/19]
18. Walk with humility and sedateness [25/63]
19. Keep your gazes lowered devoid of any lecherous leers and salacious stares [24/30-31, 40/19].
20. If you do not have complete knowledge about anything, better keep your mouth shut. You might think that speaking about something without full knowledge is a trivial matter. But it might have grave consequences [24/15-16]
21. When you hear something malicious about someone, keep a favorable view about him/her until you attain full knowledge about the matter. Consider others innocent until they are proven guilty with solid and truthful evidence [24/12-13]
22. Ascertain the truth of any news, lest you smite someone in ignorance and afterwards repent of what you did [49/6]
23. Do not follow blindly any information of which you have no direct knowledge. (Using your faculties of perception and conception) you must verify it for yourself. In the Court of your Lord, you will be held accountable for your hearing, sight, and the faculty of reasoning [17/36].
24. Never think that you have reached the final stage of knowledge and nobody knows more than yourself. Remember! Above everyone endowed with knowledge is another endowed with more knowledge [12/76]. Even the Prophet [p.b.u.h] was asked to keep praying, "O My sustainer! Advance me in knowledge." [20:114]
25. The believers are but a single Brotherhood. Live like members of one family, brothers and sisters unto one another [49/10].
26. Do not make mockery of others or ridicule others [49/11]
27. Do not defame others [49/11]
28. Do not insult others by nicknames [49/11]
29. Avoid suspicion and guesswork. Suspicion and guesswork might deplete your communal energy [49/12]
30. Spy not upon one another [49/12]
31. Do not backbite one another [49/12]
32. When you meet each other, offer good wishes and blessings for safety. One who conveys to you a message of safety and security and also when a courteous greeting is offered to you, meet it with a greeting still more courteous or (at least) of equal courtesy [4/86]
33. When you enter your own home or the home of somebody else, compliment the inmates [24/61]
34. Do not enter houses other than your own until you have sought permission; and then greet the inmates and wish them a life of blessing, purity and pleasure [24/27]
35. Treat kindly " Your parents " Relatives " The orphans " And those who have been left alone in the society [4/36]
36. Take care of " The needy, " The disabled " Those whose hard earned income is insufficient to meet their needs " And those whose businesses have stalled " And those who have lost their jobs. [4/36]
37. Treat kindly " Your related neighbours, and unrelated neighbours " Companions by your side in public gatherings, or public transportation. [4/36]
38. Be generous to the needy wayfarer, the homeless son of the street, and the one who reaches you in a destitute condition [4/36]
39. Be nice to people who work under your care. [4/36]
40. Do not follow up what you have given to others to afflict them with reminders of your generosity [2/262].
41. Do not expect a return for your good behaviour, not even thanks [76/9]
42. Cooperate with one another in good deeds and do not cooperate with others in evil and bad matters [5/2]
43. Do not try to impress people on account of self-proclaimed virtues [53/32]
44. You should enjoin right conduct on others but mend your own ways first. Actions speak louder than words. You must first practice good deeds yourself, then preach [2/44]
45. Correct yourself and your families first [before trying to correct others] [66/6]
46. Pardon gracefully if anyone among you who commits a bad deed out of ignorance, and then repents and amends [6/54, 3/134]
47. Divert and sublimate your anger and potentially virulent emotions to creative energy, and become a source of tranquility and comfort to people [3/134]
48. Call people to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful exhortation. Reason with them most decently [16/125]
49. Leave to themselves those who do not give any importance to the Divine code and have adopted and consider it as mere play and amusement [6/70]
50. Sit not in the company of those who ridicule Divine Law unless they engage in some other conversation [4/140]
51. Do not be jealous of those who are blessed [4/54]
52. In your collective life, make rooms for others [58/11]
53. When invited to dine, Go at the appointed time. Do not arrive too early to wait for the preparation of meal or linger after eating to engage in bootless babble. Such things may cause inconvenience to the host [33/53]
54. Eat and drink [what is lawful] in moderation [7/31].
55. Do not squander your wealth senselessly [17/26]
56. Fulfil your promises and commitments [17/34]
57. Keep yourself clean, pure [9/108, 4/43, 5/6].
58. Dress-up in agreeable attire and adorn yourself with exquisite character from inside out [7/26]
59. Seek your provision only by fair endeavour [29/17, 2/188]
60. Do not devour the wealth and property of others unjustly, nor bribe the officials or the judges to deprive others of their possessions [2/188]
1. Respect and honour all human beings irrespective of their religion, color, race, sex, language, status, property, birth, profession/job and so on [17/70]
2. Talk straight, to the point, without any ambiguity or deception [33/70]
3. Choose best words to speak and say them in the best possible way [17/53, 2/83]
4. Do not shout. Speak politely keeping your voice low. [31/19]
5. Always speak the truth. Shun words that are deceitful and ostentatious [22/30]
6. Do not confound truth with falsehood [2/42]
7. Say with your mouth what is in your heart [3/167]
8. Speak in a civilized manner in a language that is recognised by the society and is commonly used [4/5]
9. When you voice an opinion, be just, even if it is against a relative [6/152]
10. Do not be a bragging boaster [31/18]
11. Do not talk, listen or do anything vain [23/3, 28/55]
12. Do not participate in any paltry. If you pass near a futile play, then pass by with dignity [25/72]
13. Do not verge upon any immodesty or lewdness whether surreptitious or overt [6/151].
14. If, unintentionally, any misconduct occurs by you, then correct yourself expeditiously [3/134].
15. Do not be contemptuous or arrogant with people [31/18]
16. Do not walk haughtily or with conceit [17/37, 31/18]
17. Be moderate in thy pace [31/19]
18. Walk with humility and sedateness [25/63]
19. Keep your gazes lowered devoid of any lecherous leers and salacious stares [24/30-31, 40/19].
20. If you do not have complete knowledge about anything, better keep your mouth shut. You might think that speaking about something without full knowledge is a trivial matter. But it might have grave consequences [24/15-16]
21. When you hear something malicious about someone, keep a favorable view about him/her until you attain full knowledge about the matter. Consider others innocent until they are proven guilty with solid and truthful evidence [24/12-13]
22. Ascertain the truth of any news, lest you smite someone in ignorance and afterwards repent of what you did [49/6]
23. Do not follow blindly any information of which you have no direct knowledge. (Using your faculties of perception and conception) you must verify it for yourself. In the Court of your Lord, you will be held accountable for your hearing, sight, and the faculty of reasoning [17/36].
24. Never think that you have reached the final stage of knowledge and nobody knows more than yourself. Remember! Above everyone endowed with knowledge is another endowed with more knowledge [12/76]. Even the Prophet [p.b.u.h] was asked to keep praying, "O My sustainer! Advance me in knowledge." [20:114]
25. The believers are but a single Brotherhood. Live like members of one family, brothers and sisters unto one another [49/10].
26. Do not make mockery of others or ridicule others [49/11]
27. Do not defame others [49/11]
28. Do not insult others by nicknames [49/11]
29. Avoid suspicion and guesswork. Suspicion and guesswork might deplete your communal energy [49/12]
30. Spy not upon one another [49/12]
31. Do not backbite one another [49/12]
32. When you meet each other, offer good wishes and blessings for safety. One who conveys to you a message of safety and security and also when a courteous greeting is offered to you, meet it with a greeting still more courteous or (at least) of equal courtesy [4/86]
33. When you enter your own home or the home of somebody else, compliment the inmates [24/61]
34. Do not enter houses other than your own until you have sought permission; and then greet the inmates and wish them a life of blessing, purity and pleasure [24/27]
35. Treat kindly " Your parents " Relatives " The orphans " And those who have been left alone in the society [4/36]
36. Take care of " The needy, " The disabled " Those whose hard earned income is insufficient to meet their needs " And those whose businesses have stalled " And those who have lost their jobs. [4/36]
37. Treat kindly " Your related neighbours, and unrelated neighbours " Companions by your side in public gatherings, or public transportation. [4/36]
38. Be generous to the needy wayfarer, the homeless son of the street, and the one who reaches you in a destitute condition [4/36]
39. Be nice to people who work under your care. [4/36]
40. Do not follow up what you have given to others to afflict them with reminders of your generosity [2/262].
41. Do not expect a return for your good behaviour, not even thanks [76/9]
42. Cooperate with one another in good deeds and do not cooperate with others in evil and bad matters [5/2]
43. Do not try to impress people on account of self-proclaimed virtues [53/32]
44. You should enjoin right conduct on others but mend your own ways first. Actions speak louder than words. You must first practice good deeds yourself, then preach [2/44]
45. Correct yourself and your families first [before trying to correct others] [66/6]
46. Pardon gracefully if anyone among you who commits a bad deed out of ignorance, and then repents and amends [6/54, 3/134]
47. Divert and sublimate your anger and potentially virulent emotions to creative energy, and become a source of tranquility and comfort to people [3/134]
48. Call people to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful exhortation. Reason with them most decently [16/125]
49. Leave to themselves those who do not give any importance to the Divine code and have adopted and consider it as mere play and amusement [6/70]
50. Sit not in the company of those who ridicule Divine Law unless they engage in some other conversation [4/140]
51. Do not be jealous of those who are blessed [4/54]
52. In your collective life, make rooms for others [58/11]
53. When invited to dine, Go at the appointed time. Do not arrive too early to wait for the preparation of meal or linger after eating to engage in bootless babble. Such things may cause inconvenience to the host [33/53]
54. Eat and drink [what is lawful] in moderation [7/31].
55. Do not squander your wealth senselessly [17/26]
56. Fulfil your promises and commitments [17/34]
57. Keep yourself clean, pure [9/108, 4/43, 5/6].
58. Dress-up in agreeable attire and adorn yourself with exquisite character from inside out [7/26]
59. Seek your provision only by fair endeavour [29/17, 2/188]
60. Do not devour the wealth and property of others unjustly, nor bribe the officials or the judges to deprive others of their possessions [2/188]
Muham mad bin `Abdu l- Wahha b
Muham mad bin `Abdu l- Wahha b
His Birth and Lineage
Shaik hul- Islam , Muham mad bin `Abdu l- Wahha b, was born in 1115H in the city of Uyain ah, seven ty kilom eters north west of Riyad h, the capit al of Kingd om of Saudi Arabi a. He belon ged to a highl y respe ctabl e and schol arly famil y; his fathe r Shaik h `Abdu l- Wahha b bin Sulai man, chara cteri zed by his profo und schol arshi p and right eousn ess, inher ited an exalt ed statu s from his ances tor Shaik h Sulai man bin `Ali, the chief of the schol ars and well verse d in teach ing, writi ng and givin g verdi ct.
Educa tion
Shaik hul- Islam acqui red his prima ry educa tion from his estee med fathe r at his nativ e place and was nurtu red under his guida nce. He was intel ligen t enoug h to memor ize the Quran by heart at a very tende r age of ten only. He read outse t, he was great ly inter ested in study ing the works of early schol ars, parti cular ly those of Shaik hul- Islam Ibn Taimi yah and his noble disci ple Allam ah Ibn Qaiyi m. He went throu gh all those books and well grasp ed the conte nts.
On attai ning the age of matur ity, he set out to perfo rm Hajj at Makka h and deriv ed benef its from the schol ars there . He then proce eded to Al- Madin ah, met the learn ed ones there , and adopt ed the stude ntshi p of two renow ned erudi te, Shaikh Abdul lah bin Ibrahim bin Sa'id and Shaik h Muham mad Hayat Sindh i for a long perio d. Out of the curio sity for highe r educa tion, he took also the journ ey to Iraq and Basra h and got himse lf benef ited there .
Condi tion of Najd
In those days, the peopl e of Najd ere indul ged in polytheist ic deeds and un- islamic practices. They were compl etely overw helmed with polytheism . The graves, trees , stones, caves , evil spirits, and insane persons were regarded as deities. The baseless stories and tales were ascribed to them to manifest their excellence . The world ly `Ulam a' too had misguided them for the fulfillment of their mater ialistic lust. The sooth sayers and magicians were having their influence over the society.
None could dare chall enge their holds on the commo ners. Same condi tion was preva iling in both Makka h and Al- Madin ah also. Yemen was also in the same line. Polyt heism , erect ion of struc tures on the grave s, seeki ng refug e and assis tance of the dead, saint s, and jinns were the commo n relig ious featu res.
Missi on of Da'wa h
Havin g studi ed this pitia ble condi tion of the natio n, Shaik h was highl y moved . More pitia ble was the situa tion that no one was ready to take troub le to guide the peopl e to t he Right Path. It is obvio us that to take this task meant to chall enge those evild oers who had their provi sions throu gh these pract ices. It meant to make onese lf prepa red to face very tortu re and atroc ities from these selfi sh misgu iders and there follo wers. But Shaik h resol ed to make every effor t to fight again st the circu mstan ces up to the exten t of Jihad .
Shaik h was a man of coura ge and enthu siasm . He start ed his preac hing, made corre spond ence with relig ious schol ars invit ing them to lend helpi ng hands in eradi catio n of the preva iling absur ditie s and defil ement s of relig ious matte rs. A numbe r of schol ars from Makka h, Al- Madin ah and Yemen accep ted his invit ation , and suppo rted him. But apart from them, there were also such ignor ant and selfi sh schol ars who criti cized him and kept thems elves aloof .
The so- calle d learn ed ones rose again st the Shaik h as t hey were being affec ted by his Da'wa h in terms of their world ly gains . Even then he took journ ey to diffe rent place s to conve y this messa ge to the peopl e given to error . Trave ling throu gh Zabir , Ahsa, Hurai mala, he reach ed `Uyai nah.
Arriv al at `Uyai nah
That was the perio d when the ruler of `Uyai nah was `Uthm an bin Hamd bin Ma'ma r. he welco med the Shaik h gladl y, and assur ed him every help in his missi on of Islam ic Da'wa h. Shaik h devot ed himse lf to his great work of refor matio n for the sake fo Allah . He gaine d the popul arity far and wide. Peopl e start ed resor ting to him in large numbe rs. He becam e engag ed in their guida nce and teach ings.
Shaik h, howev er, conti nued his strug gle to free the envir onmen t from all the defil ement s and pollu tions . There were numer ous tombs , grave s, caves , trees , etc. , which were worsh ipped by the Musli ms. With the help of Amir `Uthm an bin Ma'ma r, most of them were extir pated by the Shaik h. He becam e engag ed in purif ying the peopl e from polyt heist ic and heret ic ritua ls in `Uyai nah and its surro undin gs.
In the mean time, a woman came to him for purif icati on from the sin of commi tting adult ery. Inves tigat ions were made as to wheth er she was menta lly sound or not and also that wheth er she had chose for the punis hment under some press ure or volun taril y. When it was confi rmed that she was doing that volun taril y out of repen tance , Shaik hh order ed for her Rajm (to kill by throw ing stone s – punis hment for adult ery) . Owing to these event s – disma ntlin g of tombs , self- surre nderi ng of the woman for punis hment and migra tion of the peopl e to `Uyai nah to seek guida nce from the Shaik h – the reput ation of the Shaik h sprea d far and wide.
Exit from `Uyai nah and Entra nce to Dar'i yah
When the ruler of Al- Ahsa and its surro undin gs, Sulai man bin Urai' ar came to know about the popul arity of the Shaik h among the peopl e, he becam e afrai d of the growi ng stren gth of the Shaik h and resol ved to crush him at the very outse t, lest he shoul d overt hrow him from his power . So he threa tened Amir `Uthm an, with whom Shaik h was livin g, and asked him to kill the Shaik h. Amir `Uthm an was no in a posit ion to withs tand Sulai man, hence he becam e panic ky. Appre hendi ng that if he disob eyed the order , Sulai man would punis h him and overp ower him, he made Shaik h acqua inted with the whole situa tion and submi tted him to migra te to any other place . And Shaik h migra ted from `Uyai nah to Dar'i yah.
The peopl e of Dar'i yah knew the Shaik h very well and they were also aware of his missi on. When the ruler of Dar'i yah amir Muham mad bin Sa'ud came to know about the arriv al of the Shaik h in his terri tory, he was much pleas ed and visit ed the Shaik h at his place . Muham mad bin Sa'ud belon ged to a pious famil y and himse lf was a pract ical Musli m. He excha nged his views with the Shaik h and was rejoi ced to know that Shaik h's missi on aimed to reviv e the Quran and Sunna h and the Islam ic teach ings in its origi nal form; he desir ed to promo te him the belie f in the Onene ss of Allah and true guida nce of the Proph et Muham mad ( pbuh) .
[ Note: for those who don't now Muham mad ibn Sa'ud conqu ered other tribe s in the Arabi an Penin sula and made the Penin sula into one unite d stron g natio n known today as Saudi Arabi a]
Pledg e to Propa gate the Teach ing of Islam
Shaik h descr ibed befor e him the accou nts of the Proph et ( saws) and his Compa nions as to how did they striv e for the cause of Allah , endur ing all the diffi culti es and makin g their best effor ts with all the sacri fices . Shaik h persu aded the Amir also to the same and assur ed him of Allah 's Pleas ure in the Herea fter, and His favor and victo ry in this world . Ibn Sa'ud , being convi nced by the Shaik h, agree d with him and promi sed his full suppo rt to him and his missi on, provi ded when Allah would bless him with victo ry, he would not leave him. Shaik h also gave his words to this effec t, and thus Ibn Saud gave Shaik h his pledg e to propa gate the teach ings of Islam ( espec ially Tauhi d, the Onene ss of Allah ), mobil ize the adher ence to the Sunna h of Allah 's messe nger ( saws) , enjoi n the good deeds and forbi d the evils . Shaik h invok ed Allah to be his Guide and bless him to be firm in his deter minat ion, and to give him every succe ss in this life and Herea fter.
Dar' iyah, the Cente r of Da' wah
At this time Shaik h found himse lf in a peace ful envir onmen t, most suita ble for his work of Dawah . He seize d the golde n oppor tunit y and start ed to educa te the masse s. Peopl e of Dar' iyah and its surro undin gs resor ted to him for the lesso ns of in Islam . Amir Muham mad bin Saud prese nted himse lf befor e the membe rs of his famil y. Dar' iyah was crowd ed with the peopl e visit ing for learn ing. Shaik h start ed teach ing, preac hing and invit ing peopl e to Allah . He under took the task of deliv ering lectu res on diffe rent branc hes of knowl edge namel y, Tauhi d ( Islam ic Monot heism ), expos ition of Quran and Sunna h, knowl edge of Fiqh and Arabi c langu age etc.
Thus Dar' iyah turne d into a cente r of learn ing and Dawah , and peopl e start ed migra ting to it in a large numbe r.
The conco urse of peopl e and far- reach ing effec t of his missi on made him a far- famed which rende red his enemi es into jealo us. They start ed false propa ganda again st the Shaik h and even blame d him of blasp hemy, and brand ed him a Zindi q and sorce rer. Shaik h was a man of coura ge. He did not care for these blame s and conti nued his missi on with full enthu siasm . He even debat ed his oppon ents in the best manne r and in a polit e way. This attit ude prove d very effec tive and rende red his oppon ents to be his suppo rters . Shaik h, along with his work of dawah , plann ed for Jihad again st the overw helmi ng polyt heism and heret ic ideas and pract ices, and invit ed peopl e of all ranks to join in this missi on. Deleg ates from every corne r of the Arab Penin sula visit ed Dar' iyah to pledg e their suppo rt to the Shaik h and to take a lesso n of true monot heism of Islam . Then they would retur n back to their areas to teach the same to their peopl e and educa te them.
The ruler of ' Uyain ah and the elite s took journ ey to pay visit and reque sted him to turn back to ' Uyain ah, but Shaik h rejec ted the propo sal. They also pledg ed to fight for the cause of Islam till their last. Shaik h also sent his disci ples to the diffe rent regio ns and count ries to preac h the teach ings of Islam based only on Quran and authe ntic Ahadi th of the Proph et ( pbuh) .
Corre spond ence with Ruler s
Shaik h drew the atten tion of the ruler s and schol ars of each regio n towar ds the polyt heism and heres y in which the peopl e were indul ged, and invit ed them for their eradi catio n. For the purpo se, he stepp ed into corre spond ence. He wrote lette rs to t he ruler s, elite s and schol ars of Najd, Riyad h, Kharj , towns of south ern regio n, Qasee m, Hayel , Washm , Sudai r, etc. He also wrote to the surro undin g ' Ulama ' of Ahsa, Makka h, and Al- Madin ah. Outsi de the Arab Penin sula, he made corre spond ence to the learn ed figur es of Syria , Iraq, India , Yemen as well. He maint ained his commu nicat ion with them, expla ined them the aims and objec ts of his missi on, subst antia ted the point s with Quran and Sunna h and invit ed their atten tion towar ds the eradi catio n of absur d and heret ical belie fs and pract ices in the masse s.
Shaik h's missi on sprea d far and wide. A large numbe r of schol ars and other peopl e throu ghout India , Indon esia, Afgha nista n, Afric a, Moroc co, Egypt , Syria , Iraq, etc. got influ enced and attra cted towar ds his dawah . They also stood up in their own regio ns, with a great zeal and enthu siasm , to invit e the peopl e towar ds Allah and to the pure and basic teach ings of Quran and Sunna h, free from all heres ies and misin terpr etati ons.
Death
Shaik h dedic ated his whole life for this Dawah and Jihad with his utmos t since rity and with the help of Muham mad bin Saud and his son ' Abdul - aziz, the ruler s of Dar' iyah. He breat hed his last on the last day of month of Dhul- Qa' dah in 1206 H ( 1792 CE).
Impac t of Dawah
As a resul t of conti nued Dawah , vigor ous strug gle and Jihad in the way of Allah for a long perio d of about fifty years from 1158 H to 1206 H, a compl ete victo ry over the entir e Najd was gaine d. Peopl e aband oned worsh ippin g grave s, tombs , shrin es, trees , etc. and all the more they deser ted all of them and pract iced the pure faith of Islam . Blind follo wing of the foref ather s, ances tors and tradi tions in vogue was aband oned; and Shari 'ah was reviv ed and estab lishe d. Oblig atory dutie s were being obser ved in the light of the Quran and Sunna h.
A frame work for enjoi ning good deeds and forbi dding bad ones was insti tuted . Mosqu es began to be visit ed by peopl e in abund ance for perfo rming Salat .
Peace and tranq uilit y preva iled every where , in towns as well as in villa ges. Peopl e becam e safe even in deser ts and on lonel y ways. The ignor ant and notor ious Bedou ins molde d their condu ct. The preac hers and prece ptors were sent to every corne r to teach and educa ted the commo n peopl e.
Thus a thoro ugh reviv al of compl ete relig ion came into exist ence. After the expir y of Shaik h, his sons, grand sons, disci ples, and suppo rters conti nued the work of Dawah and jihad in the way of Allah . Among his sons, the most arden t in these activ ities were: Shaik h Imam Abdul lah bin Muham mad, Shaik h Husai n bin Muham mad, Shaik h ali bin Muham mad, and Shaik h Ibrah im bin Muham mad; and among his grand sons were: Shaik h Abdur - Raman bin Abdul lah. Apart from them, a large group of his disci ples inclu ding Shaik h Hamd bin Nasir , schol ars from Dar' iyah and other s remai ned conti nuous ly engag ed in invit ing peopl e towar ds Allah 's true relig ion by writi ng and publi shing books , fight ing for the cause of Allah and makin g corre spond ence in this regar d.
Some of His Works
Despi te the fact that Shaik hul- Islam Muham mad bin Abdul lah- Wahha b was a refor mer and man of dawah , he still engag ed in writi ng also.
His some famou s works are as follo ws:
1.
Kitab At- Tauhi d
2.
Kitab Al- Kabaa ir
3.
kashf Ash- Shubh at
4.
Mukht asar Seera t Ar- Rasoo l
5.
Masai l Al- Jahil iyah
6.
Usool Al- Iman
7.
Fadai l Al- Quran
8.
Fadai l Al- Islam
9.
Majmu Al- Ahadi th
10.
Mukht asar Al- Insaf wa Ash- Sharh Al- Kabee r
11.
Al- Usool Ath- Thala tha
12.
Aadaa b Al- Mashi ilas- Salat
And other s
Sourc e: The Conci se Colle ction on Creed & Tauhi d by Darus salam ( This is an Engli sh trans latio n of the Shaik h's book "Kita b At- Tauhi d.")
His Birth and Lineage
Shaik hul- Islam , Muham mad bin `Abdu l- Wahha b, was born in 1115H in the city of Uyain ah, seven ty kilom eters north west of Riyad h, the capit al of Kingd om of Saudi Arabi a. He belon ged to a highl y respe ctabl e and schol arly famil y; his fathe r Shaik h `Abdu l- Wahha b bin Sulai man, chara cteri zed by his profo und schol arshi p and right eousn ess, inher ited an exalt ed statu s from his ances tor Shaik h Sulai man bin `Ali, the chief of the schol ars and well verse d in teach ing, writi ng and givin g verdi ct.
Educa tion
Shaik hul- Islam acqui red his prima ry educa tion from his estee med fathe r at his nativ e place and was nurtu red under his guida nce. He was intel ligen t enoug h to memor ize the Quran by heart at a very tende r age of ten only. He read outse t, he was great ly inter ested in study ing the works of early schol ars, parti cular ly those of Shaik hul- Islam Ibn Taimi yah and his noble disci ple Allam ah Ibn Qaiyi m. He went throu gh all those books and well grasp ed the conte nts.
On attai ning the age of matur ity, he set out to perfo rm Hajj at Makka h and deriv ed benef its from the schol ars there . He then proce eded to Al- Madin ah, met the learn ed ones there , and adopt ed the stude ntshi p of two renow ned erudi te, Shaikh Abdul lah bin Ibrahim bin Sa'id and Shaik h Muham mad Hayat Sindh i for a long perio d. Out of the curio sity for highe r educa tion, he took also the journ ey to Iraq and Basra h and got himse lf benef ited there .
Condi tion of Najd
In those days, the peopl e of Najd ere indul ged in polytheist ic deeds and un- islamic practices. They were compl etely overw helmed with polytheism . The graves, trees , stones, caves , evil spirits, and insane persons were regarded as deities. The baseless stories and tales were ascribed to them to manifest their excellence . The world ly `Ulam a' too had misguided them for the fulfillment of their mater ialistic lust. The sooth sayers and magicians were having their influence over the society.
None could dare chall enge their holds on the commo ners. Same condi tion was preva iling in both Makka h and Al- Madin ah also. Yemen was also in the same line. Polyt heism , erect ion of struc tures on the grave s, seeki ng refug e and assis tance of the dead, saint s, and jinns were the commo n relig ious featu res.
Missi on of Da'wa h
Havin g studi ed this pitia ble condi tion of the natio n, Shaik h was highl y moved . More pitia ble was the situa tion that no one was ready to take troub le to guide the peopl e to t he Right Path. It is obvio us that to take this task meant to chall enge those evild oers who had their provi sions throu gh these pract ices. It meant to make onese lf prepa red to face very tortu re and atroc ities from these selfi sh misgu iders and there follo wers. But Shaik h resol ed to make every effor t to fight again st the circu mstan ces up to the exten t of Jihad .
Shaik h was a man of coura ge and enthu siasm . He start ed his preac hing, made corre spond ence with relig ious schol ars invit ing them to lend helpi ng hands in eradi catio n of the preva iling absur ditie s and defil ement s of relig ious matte rs. A numbe r of schol ars from Makka h, Al- Madin ah and Yemen accep ted his invit ation , and suppo rted him. But apart from them, there were also such ignor ant and selfi sh schol ars who criti cized him and kept thems elves aloof .
The so- calle d learn ed ones rose again st the Shaik h as t hey were being affec ted by his Da'wa h in terms of their world ly gains . Even then he took journ ey to diffe rent place s to conve y this messa ge to the peopl e given to error . Trave ling throu gh Zabir , Ahsa, Hurai mala, he reach ed `Uyai nah.
Arriv al at `Uyai nah
That was the perio d when the ruler of `Uyai nah was `Uthm an bin Hamd bin Ma'ma r. he welco med the Shaik h gladl y, and assur ed him every help in his missi on of Islam ic Da'wa h. Shaik h devot ed himse lf to his great work of refor matio n for the sake fo Allah . He gaine d the popul arity far and wide. Peopl e start ed resor ting to him in large numbe rs. He becam e engag ed in their guida nce and teach ings.
Shaik h, howev er, conti nued his strug gle to free the envir onmen t from all the defil ement s and pollu tions . There were numer ous tombs , grave s, caves , trees , etc. , which were worsh ipped by the Musli ms. With the help of Amir `Uthm an bin Ma'ma r, most of them were extir pated by the Shaik h. He becam e engag ed in purif ying the peopl e from polyt heist ic and heret ic ritua ls in `Uyai nah and its surro undin gs.
In the mean time, a woman came to him for purif icati on from the sin of commi tting adult ery. Inves tigat ions were made as to wheth er she was menta lly sound or not and also that wheth er she had chose for the punis hment under some press ure or volun taril y. When it was confi rmed that she was doing that volun taril y out of repen tance , Shaik hh order ed for her Rajm (to kill by throw ing stone s – punis hment for adult ery) . Owing to these event s – disma ntlin g of tombs , self- surre nderi ng of the woman for punis hment and migra tion of the peopl e to `Uyai nah to seek guida nce from the Shaik h – the reput ation of the Shaik h sprea d far and wide.
Exit from `Uyai nah and Entra nce to Dar'i yah
When the ruler of Al- Ahsa and its surro undin gs, Sulai man bin Urai' ar came to know about the popul arity of the Shaik h among the peopl e, he becam e afrai d of the growi ng stren gth of the Shaik h and resol ved to crush him at the very outse t, lest he shoul d overt hrow him from his power . So he threa tened Amir `Uthm an, with whom Shaik h was livin g, and asked him to kill the Shaik h. Amir `Uthm an was no in a posit ion to withs tand Sulai man, hence he becam e panic ky. Appre hendi ng that if he disob eyed the order , Sulai man would punis h him and overp ower him, he made Shaik h acqua inted with the whole situa tion and submi tted him to migra te to any other place . And Shaik h migra ted from `Uyai nah to Dar'i yah.
The peopl e of Dar'i yah knew the Shaik h very well and they were also aware of his missi on. When the ruler of Dar'i yah amir Muham mad bin Sa'ud came to know about the arriv al of the Shaik h in his terri tory, he was much pleas ed and visit ed the Shaik h at his place . Muham mad bin Sa'ud belon ged to a pious famil y and himse lf was a pract ical Musli m. He excha nged his views with the Shaik h and was rejoi ced to know that Shaik h's missi on aimed to reviv e the Quran and Sunna h and the Islam ic teach ings in its origi nal form; he desir ed to promo te him the belie f in the Onene ss of Allah and true guida nce of the Proph et Muham mad ( pbuh) .
[ Note: for those who don't now Muham mad ibn Sa'ud conqu ered other tribe s in the Arabi an Penin sula and made the Penin sula into one unite d stron g natio n known today as Saudi Arabi a]
Pledg e to Propa gate the Teach ing of Islam
Shaik h descr ibed befor e him the accou nts of the Proph et ( saws) and his Compa nions as to how did they striv e for the cause of Allah , endur ing all the diffi culti es and makin g their best effor ts with all the sacri fices . Shaik h persu aded the Amir also to the same and assur ed him of Allah 's Pleas ure in the Herea fter, and His favor and victo ry in this world . Ibn Sa'ud , being convi nced by the Shaik h, agree d with him and promi sed his full suppo rt to him and his missi on, provi ded when Allah would bless him with victo ry, he would not leave him. Shaik h also gave his words to this effec t, and thus Ibn Saud gave Shaik h his pledg e to propa gate the teach ings of Islam ( espec ially Tauhi d, the Onene ss of Allah ), mobil ize the adher ence to the Sunna h of Allah 's messe nger ( saws) , enjoi n the good deeds and forbi d the evils . Shaik h invok ed Allah to be his Guide and bless him to be firm in his deter minat ion, and to give him every succe ss in this life and Herea fter.
Dar' iyah, the Cente r of Da' wah
At this time Shaik h found himse lf in a peace ful envir onmen t, most suita ble for his work of Dawah . He seize d the golde n oppor tunit y and start ed to educa te the masse s. Peopl e of Dar' iyah and its surro undin gs resor ted to him for the lesso ns of in Islam . Amir Muham mad bin Saud prese nted himse lf befor e the membe rs of his famil y. Dar' iyah was crowd ed with the peopl e visit ing for learn ing. Shaik h start ed teach ing, preac hing and invit ing peopl e to Allah . He under took the task of deliv ering lectu res on diffe rent branc hes of knowl edge namel y, Tauhi d ( Islam ic Monot heism ), expos ition of Quran and Sunna h, knowl edge of Fiqh and Arabi c langu age etc.
Thus Dar' iyah turne d into a cente r of learn ing and Dawah , and peopl e start ed migra ting to it in a large numbe r.
The conco urse of peopl e and far- reach ing effec t of his missi on made him a far- famed which rende red his enemi es into jealo us. They start ed false propa ganda again st the Shaik h and even blame d him of blasp hemy, and brand ed him a Zindi q and sorce rer. Shaik h was a man of coura ge. He did not care for these blame s and conti nued his missi on with full enthu siasm . He even debat ed his oppon ents in the best manne r and in a polit e way. This attit ude prove d very effec tive and rende red his oppon ents to be his suppo rters . Shaik h, along with his work of dawah , plann ed for Jihad again st the overw helmi ng polyt heism and heret ic ideas and pract ices, and invit ed peopl e of all ranks to join in this missi on. Deleg ates from every corne r of the Arab Penin sula visit ed Dar' iyah to pledg e their suppo rt to the Shaik h and to take a lesso n of true monot heism of Islam . Then they would retur n back to their areas to teach the same to their peopl e and educa te them.
The ruler of ' Uyain ah and the elite s took journ ey to pay visit and reque sted him to turn back to ' Uyain ah, but Shaik h rejec ted the propo sal. They also pledg ed to fight for the cause of Islam till their last. Shaik h also sent his disci ples to the diffe rent regio ns and count ries to preac h the teach ings of Islam based only on Quran and authe ntic Ahadi th of the Proph et ( pbuh) .
Corre spond ence with Ruler s
Shaik h drew the atten tion of the ruler s and schol ars of each regio n towar ds the polyt heism and heres y in which the peopl e were indul ged, and invit ed them for their eradi catio n. For the purpo se, he stepp ed into corre spond ence. He wrote lette rs to t he ruler s, elite s and schol ars of Najd, Riyad h, Kharj , towns of south ern regio n, Qasee m, Hayel , Washm , Sudai r, etc. He also wrote to the surro undin g ' Ulama ' of Ahsa, Makka h, and Al- Madin ah. Outsi de the Arab Penin sula, he made corre spond ence to the learn ed figur es of Syria , Iraq, India , Yemen as well. He maint ained his commu nicat ion with them, expla ined them the aims and objec ts of his missi on, subst antia ted the point s with Quran and Sunna h and invit ed their atten tion towar ds the eradi catio n of absur d and heret ical belie fs and pract ices in the masse s.
Shaik h's missi on sprea d far and wide. A large numbe r of schol ars and other peopl e throu ghout India , Indon esia, Afgha nista n, Afric a, Moroc co, Egypt , Syria , Iraq, etc. got influ enced and attra cted towar ds his dawah . They also stood up in their own regio ns, with a great zeal and enthu siasm , to invit e the peopl e towar ds Allah and to the pure and basic teach ings of Quran and Sunna h, free from all heres ies and misin terpr etati ons.
Death
Shaik h dedic ated his whole life for this Dawah and Jihad with his utmos t since rity and with the help of Muham mad bin Saud and his son ' Abdul - aziz, the ruler s of Dar' iyah. He breat hed his last on the last day of month of Dhul- Qa' dah in 1206 H ( 1792 CE).
Impac t of Dawah
As a resul t of conti nued Dawah , vigor ous strug gle and Jihad in the way of Allah for a long perio d of about fifty years from 1158 H to 1206 H, a compl ete victo ry over the entir e Najd was gaine d. Peopl e aband oned worsh ippin g grave s, tombs , shrin es, trees , etc. and all the more they deser ted all of them and pract iced the pure faith of Islam . Blind follo wing of the foref ather s, ances tors and tradi tions in vogue was aband oned; and Shari 'ah was reviv ed and estab lishe d. Oblig atory dutie s were being obser ved in the light of the Quran and Sunna h.
A frame work for enjoi ning good deeds and forbi dding bad ones was insti tuted . Mosqu es began to be visit ed by peopl e in abund ance for perfo rming Salat .
Peace and tranq uilit y preva iled every where , in towns as well as in villa ges. Peopl e becam e safe even in deser ts and on lonel y ways. The ignor ant and notor ious Bedou ins molde d their condu ct. The preac hers and prece ptors were sent to every corne r to teach and educa ted the commo n peopl e.
Thus a thoro ugh reviv al of compl ete relig ion came into exist ence. After the expir y of Shaik h, his sons, grand sons, disci ples, and suppo rters conti nued the work of Dawah and jihad in the way of Allah . Among his sons, the most arden t in these activ ities were: Shaik h Imam Abdul lah bin Muham mad, Shaik h Husai n bin Muham mad, Shaik h ali bin Muham mad, and Shaik h Ibrah im bin Muham mad; and among his grand sons were: Shaik h Abdur - Raman bin Abdul lah. Apart from them, a large group of his disci ples inclu ding Shaik h Hamd bin Nasir , schol ars from Dar' iyah and other s remai ned conti nuous ly engag ed in invit ing peopl e towar ds Allah 's true relig ion by writi ng and publi shing books , fight ing for the cause of Allah and makin g corre spond ence in this regar d.
Some of His Works
Despi te the fact that Shaik hul- Islam Muham mad bin Abdul lah- Wahha b was a refor mer and man of dawah , he still engag ed in writi ng also.
His some famou s works are as follo ws:
1.
Kitab At- Tauhi d
2.
Kitab Al- Kabaa ir
3.
kashf Ash- Shubh at
4.
Mukht asar Seera t Ar- Rasoo l
5.
Masai l Al- Jahil iyah
6.
Usool Al- Iman
7.
Fadai l Al- Quran
8.
Fadai l Al- Islam
9.
Majmu Al- Ahadi th
10.
Mukht asar Al- Insaf wa Ash- Sharh Al- Kabee r
11.
Al- Usool Ath- Thala tha
12.
Aadaa b Al- Mashi ilas- Salat
And other s
Sourc e: The Conci se Colle ction on Creed & Tauhi d by Darus salam ( This is an Engli sh trans latio n of the Shaik h's book "Kita b At- Tauhi d.")
Taking the Husband's sirname after marriage……Not based on Sharee'ah
Taking the Husband's sirname after marriage……Not based on Sharee'ah
By Asma bint Shameem
In our eagerness to copy the West, we Muslims have adopted many of their practices which have no basis in the Sharee'ah. And among them is the practice of a woman changing her family name to that of her husband after she gets married.
The fact is that Islam does not require woman to change her name at marriage and there is nothing in the Sunnah to indicate that a woman should take her husband's sir-name after she gets married.
Actually, the Ulama tell us that this is an innovated practice that is not approved of in Islaam.
Now, I know some people will say…" Oh, come on…What is the big deal?!!"
So read on and you will know what I mean….
The wives of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) are the Mothers of the Believers, and the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam), is the noblest of people and the best example. And yet when we look at their example, we will realize that when the Prophet(Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) married any of his wives, NOT ONE of them took his name.
On the contrary, each one of them kept her father's name even if her father was a kaafir. Similarly, the wives of the Sahaabah and those who came after them did not change their names.
Did you ever think why they didn't do that?
Surely, if it was a good thing, the wives of the Prophet(Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) would have done it and the Prophet(Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) would himself have instructed it and encouraged them to do it.
That is because it is Allaah's order to keep your father's name as an indication of your lineage.
"Call them (adopted sons) by (the names of) their fathers, that is more just with Allaah…" [al-Ahzaab 33:5].
And the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said: "Whoever calls himself by other than his father's name, will be cursed by Allaah, the angels and all the people." (Ibn Maajah -Saheeh by al-Albaani).
And he (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) also said:
"Whoever knowingly claims to belong to anyone other than his father, Paradise will be denied him." (Ahmad, al-Bukhaari, Muslim).
Now some might argue…."But the woman is not claiming that her father is someone else. She is just honoring her husband or she doesn't mean it that way. She just wants to belong to her husband out of love for him."
To those people I say….
If it was a matter of honor to have the husbands name attached to the wife's, wouldn't our Ummahaat have done that??
Isn't it the biggest honor in the WORLD to have the name of the Prophet(Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) attached to yours?? And yet the wives of the Prophet(Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) didn't do that.
Ever wonder why??
And if it was a matter of expressing love for the husband, no relationship between a husband and wife on the face of this earth was better than the relationship between the Prophet(Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) and his wives. And yet none of the Mothers of the Believers expressed their love for the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) by changing their last names.
It doesn't make any sense
The last name is an indication of the father of the person and represents the person's lineage.
Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd said: "This is one of the beauties of Sharee'ah, because calling a person by his father's name is more appropriate for knowing who is who and telling people apart….." (Tasmiyat al-Mawlood, 30, 31).
Originally, the woman is `the Daughter of So and so', and NOT `the wife of So and so'. Since there is no blood relationship between the husband and wife, how can she take his last name as if she is part of the same lineage?
And surely, she is not claiming that he is her father!!!!
Also what happens if she gets divorced, or her husband dies, and she marries another man? Will she keep changing her surname every time she marries another man?
In addition to this, there are rulings attached to the woman being named after her father, which have to do with her inheritance, spending and who is her mahram, etc. Taking her husband's last name overlooks all that.
Also, if you think about it, the husband is named after his own father, and what does she have to do with the lineage of her husband's father? This goes against common sense and true facts.
Besides, the husband has nothing that makes him better than his wife's father. So why should she give up her father's name and take her husband's last name??
And why does the man get to keep his father's name and not the woman??!!
It just doesn't make any sense.
Not only is it so in this world, but, we will also be called by our father`s name in the Hereafter as well.
The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:
"On the Day of Resurrection, each betrayer will have a banner raised beside him, and it will be said, this is the betrayer of So and so, the son of So and so." (Bukhaari, Muslim).
So, all you single females out there, don't be in such a hurry to change your maiden name after you get married. And those of you who have already done that, it is never too late. Take back your maiden name and reclaim your identity. It is part of the Sharee'ah.
__._,_.___
By Asma bint Shameem
In our eagerness to copy the West, we Muslims have adopted many of their practices which have no basis in the Sharee'ah. And among them is the practice of a woman changing her family name to that of her husband after she gets married.
The fact is that Islam does not require woman to change her name at marriage and there is nothing in the Sunnah to indicate that a woman should take her husband's sir-name after she gets married.
Actually, the Ulama tell us that this is an innovated practice that is not approved of in Islaam.
Now, I know some people will say…" Oh, come on…What is the big deal?!!"
So read on and you will know what I mean….
The wives of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) are the Mothers of the Believers, and the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam), is the noblest of people and the best example. And yet when we look at their example, we will realize that when the Prophet(Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) married any of his wives, NOT ONE of them took his name.
On the contrary, each one of them kept her father's name even if her father was a kaafir. Similarly, the wives of the Sahaabah and those who came after them did not change their names.
Did you ever think why they didn't do that?
Surely, if it was a good thing, the wives of the Prophet(Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) would have done it and the Prophet(Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) would himself have instructed it and encouraged them to do it.
That is because it is Allaah's order to keep your father's name as an indication of your lineage.
"Call them (adopted sons) by (the names of) their fathers, that is more just with Allaah…" [al-Ahzaab 33:5].
And the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said: "Whoever calls himself by other than his father's name, will be cursed by Allaah, the angels and all the people." (Ibn Maajah -Saheeh by al-Albaani).
And he (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) also said:
"Whoever knowingly claims to belong to anyone other than his father, Paradise will be denied him." (Ahmad, al-Bukhaari, Muslim).
Now some might argue…."But the woman is not claiming that her father is someone else. She is just honoring her husband or she doesn't mean it that way. She just wants to belong to her husband out of love for him."
To those people I say….
If it was a matter of honor to have the husbands name attached to the wife's, wouldn't our Ummahaat have done that??
Isn't it the biggest honor in the WORLD to have the name of the Prophet(Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) attached to yours?? And yet the wives of the Prophet(Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) didn't do that.
Ever wonder why??
And if it was a matter of expressing love for the husband, no relationship between a husband and wife on the face of this earth was better than the relationship between the Prophet(Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) and his wives. And yet none of the Mothers of the Believers expressed their love for the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) by changing their last names.
It doesn't make any sense
The last name is an indication of the father of the person and represents the person's lineage.
Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd said: "This is one of the beauties of Sharee'ah, because calling a person by his father's name is more appropriate for knowing who is who and telling people apart….." (Tasmiyat al-Mawlood, 30, 31).
Originally, the woman is `the Daughter of So and so', and NOT `the wife of So and so'. Since there is no blood relationship between the husband and wife, how can she take his last name as if she is part of the same lineage?
And surely, she is not claiming that he is her father!!!!
Also what happens if she gets divorced, or her husband dies, and she marries another man? Will she keep changing her surname every time she marries another man?
In addition to this, there are rulings attached to the woman being named after her father, which have to do with her inheritance, spending and who is her mahram, etc. Taking her husband's last name overlooks all that.
Also, if you think about it, the husband is named after his own father, and what does she have to do with the lineage of her husband's father? This goes against common sense and true facts.
Besides, the husband has nothing that makes him better than his wife's father. So why should she give up her father's name and take her husband's last name??
And why does the man get to keep his father's name and not the woman??!!
It just doesn't make any sense.
Not only is it so in this world, but, we will also be called by our father`s name in the Hereafter as well.
The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:
"On the Day of Resurrection, each betrayer will have a banner raised beside him, and it will be said, this is the betrayer of So and so, the son of So and so." (Bukhaari, Muslim).
So, all you single females out there, don't be in such a hurry to change your maiden name after you get married. And those of you who have already done that, it is never too late. Take back your maiden name and reclaim your identity. It is part of the Sharee'ah.
__._,_.___
Halloween An Outright Pagan Practice
HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN
Ancient Celtic Pagans
For many centuries before Christianity, the pagan Celts in ancient Britain and Ireland celebrated the eve and day of their New Year, called the Samhain, on October 31st. In the Celtic language, Samhain (or Samain) meant “End of Summer”.
During Samhain Eve, it was believed that the world of the gods became visible to mankind, and that they played many tricks on their mortal worshipers; it was a time loaded with danger, fear, and supernatural episodes. The Celts made sacrifices and offerings to ward off the perils of the season and the anger of the deities.
Samhain was also the Day of the Dead. During it, it was believed that the souls of those who had died during the year were allowed access into the “land of the dead”.
Furthermore, the ancient Celts believed that on that evening the Lord of the Dead called forth hosts of evil spirits, and the souls of the dead were believed to revisit their homes. Thus, Samhain acquired sinister significance, with spirits, ghosts, witches, hobgoblins, black cats, fairies, and demons said to be roaming about. Huge bonfires were set on hilltops to frighten away evil spirits.
In addition, being the last evening of the year, Samhain Eve was regarded as a most favorable time for examining the portents of the future. Divinations were performed concerning marriage, luck, health, and death; and the devil’s help was invoked for such purposes.
Romans and Early Christians
After the Romans conquered Britain , they added to Samhain features of the Roman harvest festival, held on November 1st in honor of Pomona , goddess of tree fruits.
The pagan practices influenced the Christian festival of Halloween (Hallow-Eve) , celebrated on the same date (October 31st), and elements of the Samhain festival were incorporated into it. Hallow-Eve (or All Hallows’ Eve) is the Christian festival of the night preceding All Saints’ (Hallows’) Day, celebrated on November 1st in the Western churches.
In some parts of Europe , the people continued to believe that on this night the dead walked among them, and that witches and warlocks flew in their midst. Thus, bonfires were lit to ward off those malevolent spirits.
Therefore, most historians consider Samhain the predecessor of Halloween, which has preserved many of the practices and beliefs of its precursor: Samhain.
Contemporary Europe and Amer ica
By the 19th century, witches’ pranks were replaced by children’s tricks. Immigrants to the U.S. , particularly the Irish, introduced Halloween customs that became popular in the late 19th century. Boys and young men performed mischievous acts on this occasion, often causing severe damage to properties.
Halloween thus gradually became a secular observance, and additional customs and practices developed, many of which turning to games played by children and young adults. In recent years, the occasion has come to be observed mainly by small children; they go from house to house, often in costume, demanding “trick-or-treat”. The treat, often candy, is generally given, and the trick is rarely played.
Many traditional beliefs and customs associated with Samhain, however, continue to be practiced on the 31st of October. Most notably, the practice of leaving offerings of food and drink (now candy) to masked and costumed revelers, and the lighting of bonfires. A common symbol of Halloween is the jack-o-lantern, which is a hollowed-out pumpkin carved in the appearance of a demonic face and with a lighted candle fixed inside.
Satan Worship
Since Halloween was largely based on rituals involving dead spirits and devil worship, it now represents, among other things, a most sacred day for the devil worshipers.
Because of this sinister nature, many devout Christians condemn the Halloween festival. They realize that the spiritual forces that some people experience during this festival are indeed real, but are manifestations of Satan. Thus, they reject the customs associated with Halloween, including all symbols of the dead (ghosts, vampires, and human skeletons), the devil, and other malevolent and evil creatures.
THE ISLAMIC STANDPOINT
Islam Is the Perfect Din
By Allah’s blessing and grace, Islam contains the complete and perfect guidance for humanity:
«This day I have perfected your religion for you, have completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islâm as your religion.» [1]
Islam does not neglect any information that the people need to achieve happiness and avoid harm, in all aspects of their lives. It directs them to all that would save them from the Fire and admit them into the gardens of Paradise .
This was the mission of all of the prophets, including the Final Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wassalam) who said:
‹There is nothing that would bring you closer to Jannah and farther from the Fire but it has been clarified [by me] to you.› [2]
Because of this, it is a major atrocity to seek guidance (whether partially or totally) in any religion other than Islâm. Allâh says (what means):
«He who seeks a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him; and he is among the losers in the Hereafter.» [3]
The Islamic Concept of Festivities
Part of the perfection of Islam is the Islamic festivals. The Muslims have only two annual festivals: al-Fitr and al-Adha. They are both Allâh’s choice for this Ummah. Anas t reported that once the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wassalam) said:
‹When I came to al-Madînah, its people had two days that they celebrated from the times of Jâhiliyyah; indeed, Allâh has substituted them for you with two better days: the day of Sacrifice and the day of Fitr.› [4]
(this also means that Eid is offically of 1 day only and not of 3 days as common misconception in our indian subcontinent. Also this also means that celebrating 'eid-milaad' is not what our prophet has thought us to do and is a bidah)
This indicates that festivals are religious occasions that Allâh granted for the Muslims. Furthermore, Allâh alone has the right to prescribe festivals and set their dates and the manner of celebrating them. Thus, festivals and their celebration in Islâm carry a special meaning and spirit. They are totally different from the celebrations of other nations and cultures.
Differing from the Non-Muslims
A true Muslim associates with the believers and adheres to their ways. He strives to be distinctive and different from the non-believers. The Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wassalam) said:
‹Differ from the Jews and the Christians.› [5]
‹Differ from the disbelievers› [6]
‹Whoever imitates a people is one of them.› [7]
The Muslims are blessed with the best guidance. The disbelievers are misguided, and their ways are based on wrong views. Their actions frequently reflect their deviant views. Why, then, would one wish to imitate them? Yet, sadly, some Muslims imitate them, even in meaningless acts!
The Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wassalam) said:
‹You will follow the ways of the nations who preceded you so closely that even if they entered a lizard’s hole you would enter it.› [8]
Indeed, outwardly resemblance leads to harmony of the hearts. Resembling the disbelievers is Satan’s first step in leading the Muslims to behave and believe like them. The worst form of imitation of the non-Muslims is in practices that involve shirk or are based on their deviant religious beliefs.
Differing from the Non-Muslims in Celebrations
A true Muslim holds a correct Islâmic understanding regarding celebrations. He only celebrates the festivals that have been legislated by Allâh. Festivals are religious occasions characteristic of every nation’s religion or beliefs. Thus, it is compulsory on the Muslims to avoid imitating the disbelievers in their festivals or join in any of the practices that are associated with them. This includes answering their invitations, congratulating them, giving them presents, displaying their symbols, or doing any other act, regardless of how small it might appear, that indicates approval of their festivals. Allâh says (what means):
«And those (the servants of Allâh) who do not witness falsehood, and when they pass by vain practices, they pass with dignity.» [9]
Many of the companions and scholars of the salaf explain that “falsehood” in the above âyah refers to the holidays of the disbelievers. A Muslim should never join the non-Muslims in their celebrations, particularly those that involve clear shirk and kufr. Knowingly doing this subjects one to Allâh’s anger and punishment. `Abdullah Bin `Umar (radhiallahu anhu) said:
“One who settles in the lands of the non-Muslims, celebrates their festivals, and behaves like them until he dies, will be raised among them on the Day of Resurrection.”
Celebrating Halloween Is a Major Sin
Since Halloween carries a strong pagan symbolism, observing it is an endorsement of its historical diabolical origin. Furthermore, the Halloween’s seemingly innocent practices still carry a good deal of its pagan roots.
Therefore, taking any part in celebrating it is greatly prohibited in Islam. It is worse than joining with sinners in their sins or congratulating them for drinking wine, fornication and so on. Celebrating Halloween is similar to celebrating Christmas or Easter, or congratulating the Christians for their prostration to the crucifix. The Muslim parents should caution their children and prevent them from participating in any of its practices. Despite its clear prohibition, it is sad to see some Muslims participate in Halloween, purchase and wear silly Halloween costumes, and send their kids “trick-or-treating”. They try to justify this by that they want to make their children happy. But what is the duty of the Muslim parents? Is it to follow the wishes of their children without question, or to mould them within the correct Islamic framework as outlined in the Qur’ân and Sunnah? Is it not the responsibility of the Muslim parents to impart correct Islamic training and instruction to their children? How can this duty be performed if, instead of instructing the children in Islâm, their parents allow and encourage them to follow the ways of the unbelievers?
If the children are taught to be proud of their Islâmic heritage, they themselves will abstain from Halloween and other non-Muslim celebrations, such as birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Valentines Day, etc. Islâm is a pure religion with no need for accommodating any custom, practice or celebration that is not a part of it. The question arises as to what to do on Halloween night. The Muslim parents must not send their kids “trick-or-treating”. Our children must be told why we do not celebrate Halloween. Simplifying the above material may be very suitable for this purpose. Most children are very receptive when taught with sincerity.
It must also be noted that, even the Muslims who stay home and give out treats to those who come to their door are thereby participating in this festival. In order to avoid this, they should leave their front lights off and should not open their door. Furthermore, they should educate their neighbors about the Islâmic teachings and inform them in advance that the Muslims do not participate in Halloween.
Finally, we must remember that we are fully accountable to Allâh for all of our deeds. If we insist on rejecting the Truth and joining Halloween or other non-Islâmic practices, we would be liable to Allâh’s anger, as He warned in the Quran:
«Let those who reject his (the Messenger’s) command beware lest a tribulation or a severe punishment be inflicted upon them!» [10]
May Allah guide us, help us to stay on the right path, and save us from all deviations and innovations that would lead us into the fires of Hell.
http://www.masjidib rahim.org/ articles/ innovation/ halloween. htm
[1] Al-Mâ’idah 5:3.
[2] Ahmad and others; verified to be authentic by al-Albânî and others.
[3] Âl `Imrân 3:85.[4]Ahmad, Abû Dâwûd, and others (Sahîh ul-Jâmi` 4381).
[5] Al-Bukhârî and Muslim.[6]Al- Bukhârî and Muslim.
[7] Ahmad and Abû Dâwûd from Ibn `Umar (Sahîh ul-Jâmi` 6149).
[8] Al- Bukhârî and Muslim.
[9] Al-Furqân 25:72.
[10] An-Nûr 24:63.
Ancient Celtic Pagans
For many centuries before Christianity, the pagan Celts in ancient Britain and Ireland celebrated the eve and day of their New Year, called the Samhain, on October 31st. In the Celtic language, Samhain (or Samain) meant “End of Summer”.
During Samhain Eve, it was believed that the world of the gods became visible to mankind, and that they played many tricks on their mortal worshipers; it was a time loaded with danger, fear, and supernatural episodes. The Celts made sacrifices and offerings to ward off the perils of the season and the anger of the deities.
Samhain was also the Day of the Dead. During it, it was believed that the souls of those who had died during the year were allowed access into the “land of the dead”.
Furthermore, the ancient Celts believed that on that evening the Lord of the Dead called forth hosts of evil spirits, and the souls of the dead were believed to revisit their homes. Thus, Samhain acquired sinister significance, with spirits, ghosts, witches, hobgoblins, black cats, fairies, and demons said to be roaming about. Huge bonfires were set on hilltops to frighten away evil spirits.
In addition, being the last evening of the year, Samhain Eve was regarded as a most favorable time for examining the portents of the future. Divinations were performed concerning marriage, luck, health, and death; and the devil’s help was invoked for such purposes.
Romans and Early Christians
After the Romans conquered Britain , they added to Samhain features of the Roman harvest festival, held on November 1st in honor of Pomona , goddess of tree fruits.
The pagan practices influenced the Christian festival of Halloween (Hallow-Eve) , celebrated on the same date (October 31st), and elements of the Samhain festival were incorporated into it. Hallow-Eve (or All Hallows’ Eve) is the Christian festival of the night preceding All Saints’ (Hallows’) Day, celebrated on November 1st in the Western churches.
In some parts of Europe , the people continued to believe that on this night the dead walked among them, and that witches and warlocks flew in their midst. Thus, bonfires were lit to ward off those malevolent spirits.
Therefore, most historians consider Samhain the predecessor of Halloween, which has preserved many of the practices and beliefs of its precursor: Samhain.
Contemporary Europe and Amer ica
By the 19th century, witches’ pranks were replaced by children’s tricks. Immigrants to the U.S. , particularly the Irish, introduced Halloween customs that became popular in the late 19th century. Boys and young men performed mischievous acts on this occasion, often causing severe damage to properties.
Halloween thus gradually became a secular observance, and additional customs and practices developed, many of which turning to games played by children and young adults. In recent years, the occasion has come to be observed mainly by small children; they go from house to house, often in costume, demanding “trick-or-treat”. The treat, often candy, is generally given, and the trick is rarely played.
Many traditional beliefs and customs associated with Samhain, however, continue to be practiced on the 31st of October. Most notably, the practice of leaving offerings of food and drink (now candy) to masked and costumed revelers, and the lighting of bonfires. A common symbol of Halloween is the jack-o-lantern, which is a hollowed-out pumpkin carved in the appearance of a demonic face and with a lighted candle fixed inside.
Satan Worship
Since Halloween was largely based on rituals involving dead spirits and devil worship, it now represents, among other things, a most sacred day for the devil worshipers.
Because of this sinister nature, many devout Christians condemn the Halloween festival. They realize that the spiritual forces that some people experience during this festival are indeed real, but are manifestations of Satan. Thus, they reject the customs associated with Halloween, including all symbols of the dead (ghosts, vampires, and human skeletons), the devil, and other malevolent and evil creatures.
THE ISLAMIC STANDPOINT
Islam Is the Perfect Din
By Allah’s blessing and grace, Islam contains the complete and perfect guidance for humanity:
«This day I have perfected your religion for you, have completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islâm as your religion.» [1]
Islam does not neglect any information that the people need to achieve happiness and avoid harm, in all aspects of their lives. It directs them to all that would save them from the Fire and admit them into the gardens of Paradise .
This was the mission of all of the prophets, including the Final Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wassalam) who said:
‹There is nothing that would bring you closer to Jannah and farther from the Fire but it has been clarified [by me] to you.› [2]
Because of this, it is a major atrocity to seek guidance (whether partially or totally) in any religion other than Islâm. Allâh says (what means):
«He who seeks a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him; and he is among the losers in the Hereafter.» [3]
The Islamic Concept of Festivities
Part of the perfection of Islam is the Islamic festivals. The Muslims have only two annual festivals: al-Fitr and al-Adha. They are both Allâh’s choice for this Ummah. Anas t reported that once the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wassalam) said:
‹When I came to al-Madînah, its people had two days that they celebrated from the times of Jâhiliyyah; indeed, Allâh has substituted them for you with two better days: the day of Sacrifice and the day of Fitr.› [4]
(this also means that Eid is offically of 1 day only and not of 3 days as common misconception in our indian subcontinent. Also this also means that celebrating 'eid-milaad' is not what our prophet has thought us to do and is a bidah)
This indicates that festivals are religious occasions that Allâh granted for the Muslims. Furthermore, Allâh alone has the right to prescribe festivals and set their dates and the manner of celebrating them. Thus, festivals and their celebration in Islâm carry a special meaning and spirit. They are totally different from the celebrations of other nations and cultures.
Differing from the Non-Muslims
A true Muslim associates with the believers and adheres to their ways. He strives to be distinctive and different from the non-believers. The Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wassalam) said:
‹Differ from the Jews and the Christians.› [5]
‹Differ from the disbelievers› [6]
‹Whoever imitates a people is one of them.› [7]
The Muslims are blessed with the best guidance. The disbelievers are misguided, and their ways are based on wrong views. Their actions frequently reflect their deviant views. Why, then, would one wish to imitate them? Yet, sadly, some Muslims imitate them, even in meaningless acts!
The Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wassalam) said:
‹You will follow the ways of the nations who preceded you so closely that even if they entered a lizard’s hole you would enter it.› [8]
Indeed, outwardly resemblance leads to harmony of the hearts. Resembling the disbelievers is Satan’s first step in leading the Muslims to behave and believe like them. The worst form of imitation of the non-Muslims is in practices that involve shirk or are based on their deviant religious beliefs.
Differing from the Non-Muslims in Celebrations
A true Muslim holds a correct Islâmic understanding regarding celebrations. He only celebrates the festivals that have been legislated by Allâh. Festivals are religious occasions characteristic of every nation’s religion or beliefs. Thus, it is compulsory on the Muslims to avoid imitating the disbelievers in their festivals or join in any of the practices that are associated with them. This includes answering their invitations, congratulating them, giving them presents, displaying their symbols, or doing any other act, regardless of how small it might appear, that indicates approval of their festivals. Allâh says (what means):
«And those (the servants of Allâh) who do not witness falsehood, and when they pass by vain practices, they pass with dignity.» [9]
Many of the companions and scholars of the salaf explain that “falsehood” in the above âyah refers to the holidays of the disbelievers. A Muslim should never join the non-Muslims in their celebrations, particularly those that involve clear shirk and kufr. Knowingly doing this subjects one to Allâh’s anger and punishment. `Abdullah Bin `Umar (radhiallahu anhu) said:
“One who settles in the lands of the non-Muslims, celebrates their festivals, and behaves like them until he dies, will be raised among them on the Day of Resurrection.”
Celebrating Halloween Is a Major Sin
Since Halloween carries a strong pagan symbolism, observing it is an endorsement of its historical diabolical origin. Furthermore, the Halloween’s seemingly innocent practices still carry a good deal of its pagan roots.
Therefore, taking any part in celebrating it is greatly prohibited in Islam. It is worse than joining with sinners in their sins or congratulating them for drinking wine, fornication and so on. Celebrating Halloween is similar to celebrating Christmas or Easter, or congratulating the Christians for their prostration to the crucifix. The Muslim parents should caution their children and prevent them from participating in any of its practices. Despite its clear prohibition, it is sad to see some Muslims participate in Halloween, purchase and wear silly Halloween costumes, and send their kids “trick-or-treating”. They try to justify this by that they want to make their children happy. But what is the duty of the Muslim parents? Is it to follow the wishes of their children without question, or to mould them within the correct Islamic framework as outlined in the Qur’ân and Sunnah? Is it not the responsibility of the Muslim parents to impart correct Islamic training and instruction to their children? How can this duty be performed if, instead of instructing the children in Islâm, their parents allow and encourage them to follow the ways of the unbelievers?
If the children are taught to be proud of their Islâmic heritage, they themselves will abstain from Halloween and other non-Muslim celebrations, such as birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Valentines Day, etc. Islâm is a pure religion with no need for accommodating any custom, practice or celebration that is not a part of it. The question arises as to what to do on Halloween night. The Muslim parents must not send their kids “trick-or-treating”. Our children must be told why we do not celebrate Halloween. Simplifying the above material may be very suitable for this purpose. Most children are very receptive when taught with sincerity.
It must also be noted that, even the Muslims who stay home and give out treats to those who come to their door are thereby participating in this festival. In order to avoid this, they should leave their front lights off and should not open their door. Furthermore, they should educate their neighbors about the Islâmic teachings and inform them in advance that the Muslims do not participate in Halloween.
Finally, we must remember that we are fully accountable to Allâh for all of our deeds. If we insist on rejecting the Truth and joining Halloween or other non-Islâmic practices, we would be liable to Allâh’s anger, as He warned in the Quran:
«Let those who reject his (the Messenger’s) command beware lest a tribulation or a severe punishment be inflicted upon them!» [10]
May Allah guide us, help us to stay on the right path, and save us from all deviations and innovations that would lead us into the fires of Hell.
http://www.masjidib rahim.org/ articles/ innovation/ halloween. htm
[1] Al-Mâ’idah 5:3.
[2] Ahmad and others; verified to be authentic by al-Albânî and others.
[3] Âl `Imrân 3:85.[4]Ahmad, Abû Dâwûd, and others (Sahîh ul-Jâmi` 4381).
[5] Al-Bukhârî and Muslim.[6]Al- Bukhârî and Muslim.
[7] Ahmad and Abû Dâwûd from Ibn `Umar (Sahîh ul-Jâmi` 6149).
[8] Al- Bukhârî and Muslim.
[9] Al-Furqân 25:72.
[10] An-Nûr 24:63.
A Cry from an Iraqi Christian woman! Where are you our beloved Saddam Hussein?
A Cry from an Iraqi Christian woman! Where are you our beloved Saddam Hussein?
A Christian woman - Al Moharer on 24 October, 2008
I AM an Iraqi Christian woman from Mosul. We the Christians are the sons and daughters of this very soil of Iraq. In our beloved Iraq, were born our children, our fathers and our forefathers. . We are a part of this sacred land of Iraq.. We participated into building and defending Iraq.. I couldn't help but to write to you, dear fellow Iraqis at Al-Basra network.. For I know you will not divulge my name and I would like you to publish my message in your site and on every honorable and dignified Islamic and patriotic site..
The bloodthirsty Kurdish Peshmergas are persecuting us..we the Iraqi Christians: They are burning our millennia churches..They are the ones who murdered the Archbishop of Mosul the martyr Paulos Faraj Rahho..for he was a real patriot. He loathed the US occupation, didn't want to leave Mosul and defied the bloodthirsty Kurdish Peshmergas.. The Zionist Media in the West represent the peshmergas as the angels and the wonderful.. I heard that even in France these Kurdish murderers have a mother called la Madame Danielle Mitterrand.. Let Danielle Mitterrand the peshmergas' mother and Kouchner, their father, come and see what their wonderful bloodthirsty peshmergas are doing to the Christians in Mosul and elsewhere with the Zionist' Mossad help..
Today the Peshmergas murdered my son accusing him of terrorism.. I know pretty well that the murderers are the Peshmergas.. for they speak bad Arabic and they are backwards and savages in their behavior. Indeed the two Kurdish Parties of Talabani and Barazani, helped and advised by the Zionist Mossad, are the most debased terrorists. Now we understand that they were behind the burning and the destruction of more than forty of our millennia Christians churches in Mosul and in Baghdad. They ere behind the murder of father Ragheed and three of the Al Noor's neighborhood' Church deacons.. just after finishing the Sunday mass.. Danielle Mitterrand' wonderful children, the debased Peshmergas, want to empty Mosul from any body who is against their Zionist project to piecing our beloved soil Iraq, Mesopotamia, and whoever against planting another occupied Palestine in the our beloved northern Iraq..run by the two thugs Barzani and Talabani..
Listen! The US propaganda and the Media liars say things are improving in Iraq! Let the world come and see: thousands of Iraqi Christians are forced to leave their homes by the US allies, the Peshmergas.. I am a living proof! I have been forced to leave my home! so were my son and my daughter. We were thrown into the streets.. homeless. Nowhere to go and with no help and we endure a great suffering. We lost every thing, all our savings.. and our children can no longer go to schools.. and the US occupation since the last six years has brought us endless misery and unbelievable ordeals.
Mujahedeen! I beseech you, by the Prophet Mohammed and by our Lord Jesus Christ and shout for your help as did the daughter of Amurya, I shout : our beloved Saddam Hussein where are you ? I beg the heroes men of Saddam Hussein..to come and help their Christian brothers.. for our beloved Saddam Hussein loved so much Christians and every minority in Iraq, Saddam Hussein never was sectarian.. and today the enemies of human kind the backward Kurdish Peshmergas want to wipe us from the face of Iraq we the sons and daughters of Iraq..undertaking a real genocide against Christians burning our churches and murdering our clerics... We pretty know the peshmergas are too stupid to undertake such things..but they are doing this for their masters the Zionists to insist on slaughtering more Iraqis.
Our Muslim brothers! I beseech you by God and His prophet to protect what is remaining of your Christian families, your brothers and sisters in Mosul. Resisters! Don't let the bloodthirsty peshmergas harm your Iraqi Christians brothers and sisters.. We entrust you our churches and our homes.. You must defend them so we shall stay, as always we did: one same family and one same people.
Under our beloved Saddam Hussein patriotic government we lived a normal life.. Now thanks to the bloodthirsty US occupation, we the Iraqis have all, become beggars. spreading our hands to the so called humanitarian organizations. . In any case whatever help we get from the puppet government and these so called humanitarian organizations is meaningless compared with us leaving our city Mosul..
Dear brothers Mujahideen! Forget not what the Great Prophet Mohammed once said : "The one who harms a Christian, harms me and the one who harms me harms God.. and I will never intercede for him in the day of judgment!" This phrase was repeated now and again by my murdered martyred son..
God have mercy on your Prophet Mohammed and on His servant the beloved of the Iraqis, martyr Saddam Hussein, and my son and all the innocent martyrs of the great Iraq. May the virgin Mary safeguard and protect all the Mujahideen who are fighting the bloodthirsty US beast.
Signed the daughter of Iraq..who from today on has no home.. until the expelling of the loathed bloodthirsty US' thugs thanks to the strength of your capable wrists.. All Iraqis are with you Mujahideen! We sacrifice our souls for you, our beloved Iraq.
Translated by Abu Assur. http://www.al- moharer.net
http://www.dailymus lims.com/ ISSUES/Occupatio n/1501.html
A Christian woman - Al Moharer on 24 October, 2008
I AM an Iraqi Christian woman from Mosul. We the Christians are the sons and daughters of this very soil of Iraq. In our beloved Iraq, were born our children, our fathers and our forefathers. . We are a part of this sacred land of Iraq.. We participated into building and defending Iraq.. I couldn't help but to write to you, dear fellow Iraqis at Al-Basra network.. For I know you will not divulge my name and I would like you to publish my message in your site and on every honorable and dignified Islamic and patriotic site..
The bloodthirsty Kurdish Peshmergas are persecuting us..we the Iraqi Christians: They are burning our millennia churches..They are the ones who murdered the Archbishop of Mosul the martyr Paulos Faraj Rahho..for he was a real patriot. He loathed the US occupation, didn't want to leave Mosul and defied the bloodthirsty Kurdish Peshmergas.. The Zionist Media in the West represent the peshmergas as the angels and the wonderful.. I heard that even in France these Kurdish murderers have a mother called la Madame Danielle Mitterrand.. Let Danielle Mitterrand the peshmergas' mother and Kouchner, their father, come and see what their wonderful bloodthirsty peshmergas are doing to the Christians in Mosul and elsewhere with the Zionist' Mossad help..
Today the Peshmergas murdered my son accusing him of terrorism.. I know pretty well that the murderers are the Peshmergas.. for they speak bad Arabic and they are backwards and savages in their behavior. Indeed the two Kurdish Parties of Talabani and Barazani, helped and advised by the Zionist Mossad, are the most debased terrorists. Now we understand that they were behind the burning and the destruction of more than forty of our millennia Christians churches in Mosul and in Baghdad. They ere behind the murder of father Ragheed and three of the Al Noor's neighborhood' Church deacons.. just after finishing the Sunday mass.. Danielle Mitterrand' wonderful children, the debased Peshmergas, want to empty Mosul from any body who is against their Zionist project to piecing our beloved soil Iraq, Mesopotamia, and whoever against planting another occupied Palestine in the our beloved northern Iraq..run by the two thugs Barzani and Talabani..
Listen! The US propaganda and the Media liars say things are improving in Iraq! Let the world come and see: thousands of Iraqi Christians are forced to leave their homes by the US allies, the Peshmergas.. I am a living proof! I have been forced to leave my home! so were my son and my daughter. We were thrown into the streets.. homeless. Nowhere to go and with no help and we endure a great suffering. We lost every thing, all our savings.. and our children can no longer go to schools.. and the US occupation since the last six years has brought us endless misery and unbelievable ordeals.
Mujahedeen! I beseech you, by the Prophet Mohammed and by our Lord Jesus Christ and shout for your help as did the daughter of Amurya, I shout : our beloved Saddam Hussein where are you ? I beg the heroes men of Saddam Hussein..to come and help their Christian brothers.. for our beloved Saddam Hussein loved so much Christians and every minority in Iraq, Saddam Hussein never was sectarian.. and today the enemies of human kind the backward Kurdish Peshmergas want to wipe us from the face of Iraq we the sons and daughters of Iraq..undertaking a real genocide against Christians burning our churches and murdering our clerics... We pretty know the peshmergas are too stupid to undertake such things..but they are doing this for their masters the Zionists to insist on slaughtering more Iraqis.
Our Muslim brothers! I beseech you by God and His prophet to protect what is remaining of your Christian families, your brothers and sisters in Mosul. Resisters! Don't let the bloodthirsty peshmergas harm your Iraqi Christians brothers and sisters.. We entrust you our churches and our homes.. You must defend them so we shall stay, as always we did: one same family and one same people.
Under our beloved Saddam Hussein patriotic government we lived a normal life.. Now thanks to the bloodthirsty US occupation, we the Iraqis have all, become beggars. spreading our hands to the so called humanitarian organizations. . In any case whatever help we get from the puppet government and these so called humanitarian organizations is meaningless compared with us leaving our city Mosul..
Dear brothers Mujahideen! Forget not what the Great Prophet Mohammed once said : "The one who harms a Christian, harms me and the one who harms me harms God.. and I will never intercede for him in the day of judgment!" This phrase was repeated now and again by my murdered martyred son..
God have mercy on your Prophet Mohammed and on His servant the beloved of the Iraqis, martyr Saddam Hussein, and my son and all the innocent martyrs of the great Iraq. May the virgin Mary safeguard and protect all the Mujahideen who are fighting the bloodthirsty US beast.
Signed the daughter of Iraq..who from today on has no home.. until the expelling of the loathed bloodthirsty US' thugs thanks to the strength of your capable wrists.. All Iraqis are with you Mujahideen! We sacrifice our souls for you, our beloved Iraq.
Translated by Abu Assur. http://www.al- moharer.net
http://www.dailymus lims.com/ ISSUES/Occupatio n/1501.html
Iraqi females suffer in US custody
Hundreds of Iraqi women are being held under humiliating conditions in US custody in Iraq, without being charged, a report indicates.
According to released Iraqi prisoners, female detainees are being raped by US troops and forced into undressing in front of the guards, Wisam Al-Bayati, Press TV correspondent in Baghdad reported Sunday.
“What I have suffered inside American prisons is so terrible that I can’t express in words” a former prisoner told Press TV. She explained that she was detained during a US raid on her house in Diyala.
“They took me to get information about my husband and they kept me for one year and a half without being charged,” she added.
The report said most of the female detainees are being held only for being married to Iraqi ‘wanted fighters’. The occupiers use the arrest to put the Iraqi fighters under pressure.
Human rights activists in Iraq have urged the world community to bring to trial the violators of human rights in the country, but no step has been taken so far.
http://musliminsuff er.wordpress. com/2008/ 11/05/iraqi- females-suffer- in-us-custody/
.....................
A message From an Iraqi female prisoner
http://www.albasrah.net/maqalat/english/0504/message-from-iraqi-pow.htm
The other prisoners
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/may/20/iraq.gender
For Iraqi women, Abu Ghraib's taint
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0528/p01s02-woiq.html
HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS: IRAQI WOMEN RAPED AT ABU GHRAIB JAIL
http://www.peacewomen.org/news/Iraq/May04/Women%20in%20Prison.html
Iraqi Women Under US Occupation
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=158
Photos Show Rape of Iraqi Women
http://www.care2.com/news/member/736158251/924496
VIDEOS: Rare footage inside Iraqi women's prison
http://www.technorati.com/videos/youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DE08uwRZL8rw
Al Hashemi told Palmer: "They try to talk openly but I just stopped them. It's damaging, in fact. Damaging. Damaging my personality being a vice president in fact that Iraqi women are treated like that."
According to released Iraqi prisoners, female detainees are being raped by US troops and forced into undressing in front of the guards, Wisam Al-Bayati, Press TV correspondent in Baghdad reported Sunday.
“What I have suffered inside American prisons is so terrible that I can’t express in words” a former prisoner told Press TV. She explained that she was detained during a US raid on her house in Diyala.
“They took me to get information about my husband and they kept me for one year and a half without being charged,” she added.
The report said most of the female detainees are being held only for being married to Iraqi ‘wanted fighters’. The occupiers use the arrest to put the Iraqi fighters under pressure.
Human rights activists in Iraq have urged the world community to bring to trial the violators of human rights in the country, but no step has been taken so far.
http://musliminsuff er.wordpress. com/2008/ 11/05/iraqi- females-suffer- in-us-custody/
.....................
A message From an Iraqi female prisoner
http://www.albasrah.net/maqalat/english/0504/message-from-iraqi-pow.htm
The other prisoners
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/may/20/iraq.gender
For Iraqi women, Abu Ghraib's taint
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0528/p01s02-woiq.html
HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS: IRAQI WOMEN RAPED AT ABU GHRAIB JAIL
http://www.peacewomen.org/news/Iraq/May04/Women%20in%20Prison.html
Iraqi Women Under US Occupation
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=158
Photos Show Rape of Iraqi Women
http://www.care2.com/news/member/736158251/924496
VIDEOS: Rare footage inside Iraqi women's prison
http://www.technorati.com/videos/youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DE08uwRZL8rw
Al Hashemi told Palmer: "They try to talk openly but I just stopped them. It's damaging, in fact. Damaging. Damaging my personality being a vice president in fact that Iraqi women are treated like that."
The Fate Of Women Under The Taliban: The Truth That Was Never Exposed
The Fate Of Women Under The Taliban: The Truth That Was Never Exposed
“Based on a survey by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA), 80% of schools for girls located in villages across Afghanistan and controlled by the Taliban are still operating. Pia Karlsson, Education Advisor of SCA, mentioned 85% of the girls are still going to school. In the Province of Kunduz , which is under the Taliban rule, 122 schools for girls are operating, with 390 registered female teachers!”
Taliban is the main target in the Anti-Islam media attack.
All the women (western feminists) who criticized the burqa (veil), were silent when 2 millions afghan citizens were dead due to the Russian bombs, they were silent when 500,000 Afghan citizens were handicapped because of landmines, and they were quiet when thousands of afghan women were raped before the Taliban came to power.
General Hamid who had lived for some years under the Taliban, said:
“There was never a campaign directed at allowing the beating of women and there was no prohibition for women to pursue education. There was only restriction on mixed-gender education.”
There are so many fabrications on “respected” websites in the internet about the “suffering” of Afghan women, while at the same time there isn’t any mention of date, name, location or any other data that could be verified. Hamid Gul said that he always noticed there were more women than men in the streets or in the markets during the Taliban era. The Afghan who protested in the west were those who originated from the Khalq and Parcham factions who were Communists. They were not representatives of the majority of the Afghan society.
The Taliban had to keep an eye on these communist women with an extra tight measure to ensure they would not cause any discord or troubles. Women only have to wear the burqa in the streets, whereas at home they are free to wear any dress they like. Munur, a nurse said: “women in the hospitals seldom wears the burqa and even the jilbab when there are no men in there.”
Based on a survey by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA), 80% of schools for girls located in villages across Afghanistan and controlled by the Taliban are still operating. Pia Karlsson, Education Advisor of SCA, mentioned 85% of the girls are still going to school. In the Province of Kunduz , which is under the Taliban rule, 122 schools for girls are operating, with 390 registered female teachers!
During the pre-Taliban era, there were only 350 beds for women in the hospitals across Kabul . In August 2001, there were 950 beds in the hospitals which were specific for women only. Some of the hospitals that were exclusive for women were Rabia Balkhi Hospital , The Red Crescent of Kuwait Health Center and The Health Clinic for Infectious Disease! There were also 32 clinics for women and children.
Additionally, the women also received the services provided by the ICRC and the Sanday Gal Orthopaedic Centres. Only female doctors and nurses were working in the hospitals and clinics to give the healthcare services to the female patients.
However the Sun, Daily Express, New York Times, and all the journalists never report this story, the same goes for BBC, CNN, Fox News, etc. This is part of the campaign of lies so that the world populations would be against the Taliban.
They lied that the women could not work, the women could not go out of the house, to go to school, or even to go to hospital, but all the abovementioned facts proved otherwise.
Sour©e: altawbah.net
“Based on a survey by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA), 80% of schools for girls located in villages across Afghanistan and controlled by the Taliban are still operating. Pia Karlsson, Education Advisor of SCA, mentioned 85% of the girls are still going to school. In the Province of Kunduz , which is under the Taliban rule, 122 schools for girls are operating, with 390 registered female teachers!”
Taliban is the main target in the Anti-Islam media attack.
All the women (western feminists) who criticized the burqa (veil), were silent when 2 millions afghan citizens were dead due to the Russian bombs, they were silent when 500,000 Afghan citizens were handicapped because of landmines, and they were quiet when thousands of afghan women were raped before the Taliban came to power.
General Hamid who had lived for some years under the Taliban, said:
“There was never a campaign directed at allowing the beating of women and there was no prohibition for women to pursue education. There was only restriction on mixed-gender education.”
There are so many fabrications on “respected” websites in the internet about the “suffering” of Afghan women, while at the same time there isn’t any mention of date, name, location or any other data that could be verified. Hamid Gul said that he always noticed there were more women than men in the streets or in the markets during the Taliban era. The Afghan who protested in the west were those who originated from the Khalq and Parcham factions who were Communists. They were not representatives of the majority of the Afghan society.
The Taliban had to keep an eye on these communist women with an extra tight measure to ensure they would not cause any discord or troubles. Women only have to wear the burqa in the streets, whereas at home they are free to wear any dress they like. Munur, a nurse said: “women in the hospitals seldom wears the burqa and even the jilbab when there are no men in there.”
Based on a survey by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA), 80% of schools for girls located in villages across Afghanistan and controlled by the Taliban are still operating. Pia Karlsson, Education Advisor of SCA, mentioned 85% of the girls are still going to school. In the Province of Kunduz , which is under the Taliban rule, 122 schools for girls are operating, with 390 registered female teachers!
During the pre-Taliban era, there were only 350 beds for women in the hospitals across Kabul . In August 2001, there were 950 beds in the hospitals which were specific for women only. Some of the hospitals that were exclusive for women were Rabia Balkhi Hospital , The Red Crescent of Kuwait Health Center and The Health Clinic for Infectious Disease! There were also 32 clinics for women and children.
Additionally, the women also received the services provided by the ICRC and the Sanday Gal Orthopaedic Centres. Only female doctors and nurses were working in the hospitals and clinics to give the healthcare services to the female patients.
However the Sun, Daily Express, New York Times, and all the journalists never report this story, the same goes for BBC, CNN, Fox News, etc. This is part of the campaign of lies so that the world populations would be against the Taliban.
They lied that the women could not work, the women could not go out of the house, to go to school, or even to go to hospital, but all the abovementioned facts proved otherwise.
Sour©e: altawbah.net
The Call of Ibrahim
The Call of Ibrahim
By Muhammad Al-Shareef
When Ibrahim (Alaihis salaam) completed the structure of the Kabah, Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) commanded him to call the people to Hajj. Ibrahim (Alaihis salaam) pleaded, "O Allah! How shall my voice reach all of those people?" Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) told him that his duty was only to give the call and it was up to Allah to make it reach the people.
Ibrahim (Alaihis salaam) then climbed Mount Arafat and called out in his loudest voice, "O People! Verily Allah has prescribed upon you Hajj, so perform Hajj."
Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) revealed in the Qur'an: "And proclaim the Hajj among mankind. They will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways" (Surat Al-Hajj, Ayat 28).
To this very day millions upon millions of Muslims continue to answer the call of Prophet Ibrahim (Alaihis salaam). Perhaps this year you shall be amongst those who answer the call.
`Amr ibn Al-`Aas narrates, "When Islam entered my heart, I went to the Messenger of Allah and said, `Give me your hand so that I may pledge allegiance to you.' The Prophet spread his hand, but I withdrew mine. He said, `What is wrong `Amr?' I said, `I want to make a condition.' `And what is that?' he said. I said, `That Allah will forgive me.' Then the Messenger of Allah said, `Did you not know that Islam wipes out what came before it, and that Hijrah wipes out what came before it and that Hajj wipes out what came before it!" (Sahih Muslim).
Hajj is the fifth pillar upon which Islam stands. Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) made it compulsory upon every able Muslim male and female to perform it, at least once in a lifetime. Allah revealed: "Hajj thereto is a duty mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the journey, but if any deny faith, Allah stands not in need of any of His creatures" (Surat Ali Imran, Ayat 97).
Performance of the Hajj washes away all sins. Abu Hurairah narrates: I heard the Prophet say, "Whoever performs Hajj and does not commit any Rafath (obscenity) or Fusooq (transgression) , he returns (free from sin) as the day his mother bore him" (Sahih Bukhari).
Hajj is one of the greatest deeds one can accomplish in his or her lifetime. Abu Hurairah narrates: The Prophet was asked, "What deed is the best?" He said, "Iman in Allah and His Messenger." "Then what?" "Jihad in the sake of Allah." "Then what?" "Hajj Mabroor, a Hajj accepted by Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala)."
Abu Sha'thaa' said, "I contemplated the good deeds that a person does. I found that salaat as well as fasting are a jihad of the body. And that sadaqa is a jihad of someone's wealth. But Hajj is a jihad of both body and wealth."
Hajj is the greatest jihad. Aishah (Radiallahu anha) asked the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), "We find that jihad is the best deed, shouldn't we (women) do jihad?" The Prophet replied, "Rather the best jihad is a Hajj Mabroor!" Aishah later said, "I'll never cease performing Hajj after I heard that from Rasul Allah" (Agreed Upon).
The dua of the one in Hajj shall be accepted. The Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "The soldier in the path of Allah and the one who performs Hajj and the one who performs `Umra, all are the delegation of Allah! He called them and they answered. And they asked Him, and He shall grant them (what they ask for)!" (Authentic, narrated by Ibn Majah and Ibn Hibban).
In the Islamic history books it was narrated that on the day of Arafat, a man from Turkmenistan stood on the plains of Arafat in Hajj. To his left all he could see was Muslims crying and praying to Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala). To his right all he could see was Muslims crying and praying to Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala). Because of his native tongue, he could not imitate the lengthy prayers of the others. At this realization everything blurred in front of him. His face reddened, his eyes poured tears as he raised his hands, "O Allah! Grant me everything that they are asking for! Grant me everything that they are asking for!" And Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) accepted his dua.
There is not a single day that the sun has come up on more beloved to Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) than the Day of Arafat. The Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "There is no day on which Allah frees more of His slaves from Fire than the Day of Arafat, and He verily draws near, then boasts of them before the angles, saying: `What do they seek?'" (Sahih Muslim). And in another hadith: "Verily Allah boasts of the people of Arafat before the people of Heaven (angels) saying: `Look to my servants who have come to Me disheveled and dusty.'"
Abdullah ibn Al-Mubaarak narrates: I went to Sufyaan ibn al-Uyaynah as the day of Arafat was setting. He sat on his knees, his hands raised to the Heavens, and tears moistened his cheeks and beard. He turned and looked at me, so I asked him, "Amongst the people who have gathered here for Hajj, who is in the worst state?" Sufyaan ibn al-Uyaynah said, "He who thinks that Allah will not forgive him."
Aishah (Radiallahu anha) would see the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) standing in prayer at night so much so that his feet would crack. She would ask him, "Why do you do this when Allah has forgiven all your sins, the past and anything you may do in the future?" And he would reply, "Shouldn't I be a thankful slave?"
With this example of the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), what should our attitude be when we hear of Paradise and forgiveness of sin for those who perform Hajj? Does it mean that after Hajj we fall back into all the disobedience that we went to Hajj with? Does it mean that we are promised Jannah no matter what sin we do after Hajj? Many people think this to be the case and it is a very dangerous presumption.
You will find in many of the Hadith regarding the virtue of Hajj the term Hajj Mabroor. Do you know what Mabroor means? It means an accepted Hajj. A Mabroor Hajj is one in which Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) is not disobeyed during or after. Others have said that a Hajj Mabroor is one that is accepted, and the sign of it's acceptance is that a person will go back in a better state then when he came, and that he will discontinue the sins that were between him and Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala).
I once saw a group of Hajjis with all of their paraphernalia. Plastered on their t-shirts and hats was `Hajj Mabroor 1997!' I remembered then when Ibn Umar was on his deathbed and his son reminded him of all the good deeds that he did with the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and the companions. He told him, "Quiet! Don't you know whom Allah accepts from? Verily Allah only accepts from the God-Fearing (Al-Muttaqoon) ."
When Ali ibn Al-Husayn (Radiallahu anhuma) wore his Ihram towels and sat upright on his camel in preparation for the journey to Makkah, his face changed color, his skin shivered and he cried, unable to say the Talbiyyah, Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk. Someone asked him, "What's wrong?" And he replied, "I'm afraid that when I say it, it shall be replied, `Laa Labbayka wa Laa Sa'dayk' (May you never have come and may you not have happiness)."
With that spirit, let us march forward in the search of the Mercy of Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) and His forgiveness, to the first house of Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) on earth, to Hajj.
In the Hajj of 1996 you may have heard of the Jamarat crowd in which 600 people died. It was Dhuhr time that it happened and I had been sitting there from the early morning waiting for noon to throw my pebbles. About 30 minutes before Dhuhr a wave of people, like dominoes, toppled over us. I had said to myself earlier that if I were ever in an emergency situation I would jump up on a bus or anything high to escape the crowd. Now, I saw people doing just that and I knew this was the situation that I had feared. My friend said, "What shall we do?" With a glance over the sea of people I knew there was no way we could walk opposite of the crowd and so I replied, "Go and throw our Jamarat."
People died that day. Ambulance sirens were blaring and helicopters were thundering above. In the pain and exhaustion, losing my friend, I sat leaning, my back on a sister and her back on me. We did not even realize what we were doing. I tasted what the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) meant when he said that on the Day of Judgment people would be naked and Aishah (Radiallahu anha) asked him, "Won't the men and women look at each other?" And he replied, "Aishah, the issue is more severe than that."
I saw 3 men looking anxiously for their friend and I just sat staring at them. All of a sudden their faces exploded in happiness, "Ahmad! Ahmad!" they called, and one of them could not handle the happiness and he cried and cried.
Limping back to the Kabah I found a place with shady trees and a carpeted patio leading to a villa. The owner, an older man, stood watching as all the people walked by. And I sat watching him.
People would come up to him and beg for a glass of water. He would jump and bring them the coldest water he had. They would pray from the bottom of their hearts for him. I knew what kind of dua that was, because I was feeling the same thirst that they all felt. Whenever he saw someone sick, he would spring out to the road and invite them in, giving them a bed and food to relax them.
I was shy at first, but the thirst overcame me and I asked him for water. I had been on that patio for some time and when I asked him, he realized he had not offered me anything. He ran inside, and in addition to the water, he brought me packets of fruit juice. I thought about this man as I made my way back to the Kabah. If a human was so merciful to these people who had come for Hajj, these people who had come for no other reason than to say `La ilaaha illa Allah', how merciful was Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) going to be to these Hajjis?
Indeed, the Prophet said, "And there is no reward for an accepted Hajj…except Jannah!"
http://islamworld. net/docs/ call_of_ibrahim. html
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Hajj and Umrah: From A to Z
Part 1 - http://islamworld. net/docs/ hajj1/hajj1. html
part 2 - http://islamworld. net/docs/ hajj2/hajj2. html
By Muhammad Al-Shareef
When Ibrahim (Alaihis salaam) completed the structure of the Kabah, Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) commanded him to call the people to Hajj. Ibrahim (Alaihis salaam) pleaded, "O Allah! How shall my voice reach all of those people?" Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) told him that his duty was only to give the call and it was up to Allah to make it reach the people.
Ibrahim (Alaihis salaam) then climbed Mount Arafat and called out in his loudest voice, "O People! Verily Allah has prescribed upon you Hajj, so perform Hajj."
Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) revealed in the Qur'an: "And proclaim the Hajj among mankind. They will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways" (Surat Al-Hajj, Ayat 28).
To this very day millions upon millions of Muslims continue to answer the call of Prophet Ibrahim (Alaihis salaam). Perhaps this year you shall be amongst those who answer the call.
`Amr ibn Al-`Aas narrates, "When Islam entered my heart, I went to the Messenger of Allah and said, `Give me your hand so that I may pledge allegiance to you.' The Prophet spread his hand, but I withdrew mine. He said, `What is wrong `Amr?' I said, `I want to make a condition.' `And what is that?' he said. I said, `That Allah will forgive me.' Then the Messenger of Allah said, `Did you not know that Islam wipes out what came before it, and that Hijrah wipes out what came before it and that Hajj wipes out what came before it!" (Sahih Muslim).
Hajj is the fifth pillar upon which Islam stands. Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) made it compulsory upon every able Muslim male and female to perform it, at least once in a lifetime. Allah revealed: "Hajj thereto is a duty mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the journey, but if any deny faith, Allah stands not in need of any of His creatures" (Surat Ali Imran, Ayat 97).
Performance of the Hajj washes away all sins. Abu Hurairah narrates: I heard the Prophet say, "Whoever performs Hajj and does not commit any Rafath (obscenity) or Fusooq (transgression) , he returns (free from sin) as the day his mother bore him" (Sahih Bukhari).
Hajj is one of the greatest deeds one can accomplish in his or her lifetime. Abu Hurairah narrates: The Prophet was asked, "What deed is the best?" He said, "Iman in Allah and His Messenger." "Then what?" "Jihad in the sake of Allah." "Then what?" "Hajj Mabroor, a Hajj accepted by Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala)."
Abu Sha'thaa' said, "I contemplated the good deeds that a person does. I found that salaat as well as fasting are a jihad of the body. And that sadaqa is a jihad of someone's wealth. But Hajj is a jihad of both body and wealth."
Hajj is the greatest jihad. Aishah (Radiallahu anha) asked the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), "We find that jihad is the best deed, shouldn't we (women) do jihad?" The Prophet replied, "Rather the best jihad is a Hajj Mabroor!" Aishah later said, "I'll never cease performing Hajj after I heard that from Rasul Allah" (Agreed Upon).
The dua of the one in Hajj shall be accepted. The Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "The soldier in the path of Allah and the one who performs Hajj and the one who performs `Umra, all are the delegation of Allah! He called them and they answered. And they asked Him, and He shall grant them (what they ask for)!" (Authentic, narrated by Ibn Majah and Ibn Hibban).
In the Islamic history books it was narrated that on the day of Arafat, a man from Turkmenistan stood on the plains of Arafat in Hajj. To his left all he could see was Muslims crying and praying to Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala). To his right all he could see was Muslims crying and praying to Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala). Because of his native tongue, he could not imitate the lengthy prayers of the others. At this realization everything blurred in front of him. His face reddened, his eyes poured tears as he raised his hands, "O Allah! Grant me everything that they are asking for! Grant me everything that they are asking for!" And Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) accepted his dua.
There is not a single day that the sun has come up on more beloved to Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) than the Day of Arafat. The Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "There is no day on which Allah frees more of His slaves from Fire than the Day of Arafat, and He verily draws near, then boasts of them before the angles, saying: `What do they seek?'" (Sahih Muslim). And in another hadith: "Verily Allah boasts of the people of Arafat before the people of Heaven (angels) saying: `Look to my servants who have come to Me disheveled and dusty.'"
Abdullah ibn Al-Mubaarak narrates: I went to Sufyaan ibn al-Uyaynah as the day of Arafat was setting. He sat on his knees, his hands raised to the Heavens, and tears moistened his cheeks and beard. He turned and looked at me, so I asked him, "Amongst the people who have gathered here for Hajj, who is in the worst state?" Sufyaan ibn al-Uyaynah said, "He who thinks that Allah will not forgive him."
Aishah (Radiallahu anha) would see the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) standing in prayer at night so much so that his feet would crack. She would ask him, "Why do you do this when Allah has forgiven all your sins, the past and anything you may do in the future?" And he would reply, "Shouldn't I be a thankful slave?"
With this example of the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), what should our attitude be when we hear of Paradise and forgiveness of sin for those who perform Hajj? Does it mean that after Hajj we fall back into all the disobedience that we went to Hajj with? Does it mean that we are promised Jannah no matter what sin we do after Hajj? Many people think this to be the case and it is a very dangerous presumption.
You will find in many of the Hadith regarding the virtue of Hajj the term Hajj Mabroor. Do you know what Mabroor means? It means an accepted Hajj. A Mabroor Hajj is one in which Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) is not disobeyed during or after. Others have said that a Hajj Mabroor is one that is accepted, and the sign of it's acceptance is that a person will go back in a better state then when he came, and that he will discontinue the sins that were between him and Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala).
I once saw a group of Hajjis with all of their paraphernalia. Plastered on their t-shirts and hats was `Hajj Mabroor 1997!' I remembered then when Ibn Umar was on his deathbed and his son reminded him of all the good deeds that he did with the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and the companions. He told him, "Quiet! Don't you know whom Allah accepts from? Verily Allah only accepts from the God-Fearing (Al-Muttaqoon) ."
When Ali ibn Al-Husayn (Radiallahu anhuma) wore his Ihram towels and sat upright on his camel in preparation for the journey to Makkah, his face changed color, his skin shivered and he cried, unable to say the Talbiyyah, Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk. Someone asked him, "What's wrong?" And he replied, "I'm afraid that when I say it, it shall be replied, `Laa Labbayka wa Laa Sa'dayk' (May you never have come and may you not have happiness)."
With that spirit, let us march forward in the search of the Mercy of Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) and His forgiveness, to the first house of Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) on earth, to Hajj.
In the Hajj of 1996 you may have heard of the Jamarat crowd in which 600 people died. It was Dhuhr time that it happened and I had been sitting there from the early morning waiting for noon to throw my pebbles. About 30 minutes before Dhuhr a wave of people, like dominoes, toppled over us. I had said to myself earlier that if I were ever in an emergency situation I would jump up on a bus or anything high to escape the crowd. Now, I saw people doing just that and I knew this was the situation that I had feared. My friend said, "What shall we do?" With a glance over the sea of people I knew there was no way we could walk opposite of the crowd and so I replied, "Go and throw our Jamarat."
People died that day. Ambulance sirens were blaring and helicopters were thundering above. In the pain and exhaustion, losing my friend, I sat leaning, my back on a sister and her back on me. We did not even realize what we were doing. I tasted what the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) meant when he said that on the Day of Judgment people would be naked and Aishah (Radiallahu anha) asked him, "Won't the men and women look at each other?" And he replied, "Aishah, the issue is more severe than that."
I saw 3 men looking anxiously for their friend and I just sat staring at them. All of a sudden their faces exploded in happiness, "Ahmad! Ahmad!" they called, and one of them could not handle the happiness and he cried and cried.
Limping back to the Kabah I found a place with shady trees and a carpeted patio leading to a villa. The owner, an older man, stood watching as all the people walked by. And I sat watching him.
People would come up to him and beg for a glass of water. He would jump and bring them the coldest water he had. They would pray from the bottom of their hearts for him. I knew what kind of dua that was, because I was feeling the same thirst that they all felt. Whenever he saw someone sick, he would spring out to the road and invite them in, giving them a bed and food to relax them.
I was shy at first, but the thirst overcame me and I asked him for water. I had been on that patio for some time and when I asked him, he realized he had not offered me anything. He ran inside, and in addition to the water, he brought me packets of fruit juice. I thought about this man as I made my way back to the Kabah. If a human was so merciful to these people who had come for Hajj, these people who had come for no other reason than to say `La ilaaha illa Allah', how merciful was Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) going to be to these Hajjis?
Indeed, the Prophet said, "And there is no reward for an accepted Hajj…except Jannah!"
http://islamworld. net/docs/ call_of_ibrahim. html
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ----
Hajj and Umrah: From A to Z
Part 1 - http://islamworld. net/docs/ hajj1/hajj1. html
part 2 - http://islamworld. net/docs/ hajj2/hajj2. html
The difference between joining and shortening prayers
The difference between joining and shortening prayers
Q: What is the difference between joining and shortening prayers?.
Praise be to Allaah.
There are many differences between joining and shortening prayers, including the following:
Definition
The meaning of shortening prayers is that the four-rak'ah prayers become two rak'ahs when travelling.
As for joining prayers, it means that the worshipper joins two prayers, Zuhr and 'Asr, or Maghrib and 'Isha', at the time of the earlier or later of the two prayers.
Shar'i ruling
The scholars are unanimously agreed that shortening the prayers is better for the traveller than offering them in full, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) shortened prayers during all his journeys, and there is no saheeh report that he offered the prayers in full whilst travelling.
Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I accompanied the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he did not do more than two rak'ahs whilst travelling, and the same applies to Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthmaan (may Allaah be pleased with them). Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1102).
The Hanafis are of the view that it is obligatory for the traveller to shorten his prayers, but the correct view is that of the majority, that shortening the prayers is sunnah mu'akkadah (a confirmed Sunnah), and that it is better than offering the prayers in full.
See: al-Ijmaa' by Ibn al-Mundhir (27); al-Mughni (1/382); al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah (27/274).
As for joining prayers, the scholars are not agreed on its permissibility except in the case of the pilgrim in 'Arafah and Muzdalifah. Some scholars said that it is not permissible to join prayers anywhere except in these two places.
The correct view is that of the majority of scholars, which is that it is permissible to join prayers if there is an excuse for doing so, because it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did that in places other than 'Arafah and Muzdalifah.
Reasons which make it permissible to join or shorten prayers
The reasons which make it permissible to join prayers are broader than those which make it permissible to shorten them. Joining prayers is permissible for every traveller, and for the non-traveller if it is too difficult for him to offer every prayer on time, such as one who is sick, or if there is rain, or he is busy with some work that he cannot delay in order to pray, such as a student taking an exam or a doctor who is doing surgery and so on.
With regard to shortening prayers, that is only permissible when travelling.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Majmoo' al-Fataawa (22/293):
The reason for shortening prayers is travelling only, and it is not permissible in situations other than travelling. As for joining prayers, the reason for it is need and excuses, so if a person needs to he may join both shortened and full-length prayers whilst travelling, and he may join prayers when it is raining and so on, or because of sickness and the like, and for other reasons, because the purpose behind it is to spare the ummah hardship. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said in al-Liqa' al-Shahri (60/11):
Joining prayers is broader in scope than shortening them, i.e., the reasons for doing so are more numerous.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Q: What is the difference between joining and shortening prayers?.
Praise be to Allaah.
There are many differences between joining and shortening prayers, including the following:
Definition
The meaning of shortening prayers is that the four-rak'ah prayers become two rak'ahs when travelling.
As for joining prayers, it means that the worshipper joins two prayers, Zuhr and 'Asr, or Maghrib and 'Isha', at the time of the earlier or later of the two prayers.
Shar'i ruling
The scholars are unanimously agreed that shortening the prayers is better for the traveller than offering them in full, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) shortened prayers during all his journeys, and there is no saheeh report that he offered the prayers in full whilst travelling.
Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I accompanied the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he did not do more than two rak'ahs whilst travelling, and the same applies to Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthmaan (may Allaah be pleased with them). Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1102).
The Hanafis are of the view that it is obligatory for the traveller to shorten his prayers, but the correct view is that of the majority, that shortening the prayers is sunnah mu'akkadah (a confirmed Sunnah), and that it is better than offering the prayers in full.
See: al-Ijmaa' by Ibn al-Mundhir (27); al-Mughni (1/382); al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah (27/274).
As for joining prayers, the scholars are not agreed on its permissibility except in the case of the pilgrim in 'Arafah and Muzdalifah. Some scholars said that it is not permissible to join prayers anywhere except in these two places.
The correct view is that of the majority of scholars, which is that it is permissible to join prayers if there is an excuse for doing so, because it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did that in places other than 'Arafah and Muzdalifah.
Reasons which make it permissible to join or shorten prayers
The reasons which make it permissible to join prayers are broader than those which make it permissible to shorten them. Joining prayers is permissible for every traveller, and for the non-traveller if it is too difficult for him to offer every prayer on time, such as one who is sick, or if there is rain, or he is busy with some work that he cannot delay in order to pray, such as a student taking an exam or a doctor who is doing surgery and so on.
With regard to shortening prayers, that is only permissible when travelling.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Majmoo' al-Fataawa (22/293):
The reason for shortening prayers is travelling only, and it is not permissible in situations other than travelling. As for joining prayers, the reason for it is need and excuses, so if a person needs to he may join both shortened and full-length prayers whilst travelling, and he may join prayers when it is raining and so on, or because of sickness and the like, and for other reasons, because the purpose behind it is to spare the ummah hardship. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said in al-Liqa' al-Shahri (60/11):
Joining prayers is broader in scope than shortening them, i.e., the reasons for doing so are more numerous.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Rulings of Udhiyah (Sacrifice)
Rulings of Udhiyah (Sacrifice)
Praise be to Allaah and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allaah, Muhammad, and upon his family and companions.
Udhiyah is one of the great rituals of Islam, in which we remember the Unity of Allaah, His blessings upon us and the obedience of our father Ibraaheem to his Lord, and in this act of udhiyah there is much goodness and blessing. So the Muslim must pay attention to its great importance. The following is a brief look at this important ritual.
Udhiyah refers to the animal (camel, cattle or sheep) that is sacrificed as an act of worship to Allaah, in the country in which the person offering the sacrifice lives, during the period from after the Eid prayer on the Day of Nahr (Eid al-Adhaa) until the last of the Days of Tashreeq (the 13th day of Dhu'l-Hijjah) , with the intention of offering sacrifice. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord anf sacrifice (to Him only)." [al-Kawthar 108:2]
"Say (O Muhammad): 'Verily, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allaah, the Lord of the 'Aalameen (mankind, jinns and all that exists)." [al-An'aam 6:162]
"And for every nation We have appointed religious ceremonies, that they may mention the Name of Allaah over the beast of cattle that He has given them for food. And your God is One God, so you must submit to Him Alone (in Islam)…" [al-Hajj 22:34]
Udhiyyah is a confirmed Sunnah according to the majority of scholars (some scholars say that it is waajib or obligatory; this will be discussed in more detail below). The basic principle is that it is required at the appointed time from one who is alive on behalf of himself and the members of his household, and he may include in the reward for it whoever he wishes, living or dead. With regard to udhiyah on behalf of one who is dead, if the deceased bequeathed up to one third of his wealth for that purpose, or included it in his waqf (endowment), then these wishes must be carried out, otherwise, if a person wishes to offer a sacrifice on behalf of someone who has died, this is a good deed and is considered to be giving charity on behalf of the dead. But the Sunnah is for a man to include the members of his household, living and deed, in his udhiyah, and when he slaughters it, he should say, "Allaahumma haadha 'anni wa 'an aali bayti (O Allaah, this is on behalf of myself and the members of my household" – he does not have to make a separate sacrifice on behalf of every deceased person.
The scholars agreed that sacrificing the animal and giving its meat in charity is better than giving its value in charity, because the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to make the sacrifice, and he did not do anything but that which is best and most befitting. This is the opinion of Abu Haneefah, al-Shaafa'i and Ahmad.
The virtues of udhiyah and the best of udhiyah
A sheep is good enough as a sacrifice for one man and the members of his household and his children, because of the hadeeth of Abu Ayyoob: "At the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), a man would sacrifice a sheep on behalf of himself and the members of his household, and they would eat from it and give some to others." (Reported by Ibn Maajah and al-Tirmidhi, who classed it as saheeh)
The kinds of animals prescribed for sacrifice are camels, cattle and sheep. Some of the scholars said that the best sacrifice is camels, then cattle, then sheep, then a share in a she-camel or cow, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said concerning Friday prayers: "Whoever goes to [Friday prayers] early, it is equivalent to him sacrificing a camel." This is the opinion of the three imaams Abu Haneefah, al-Shaafa'i and Ahmad. On this basis, a sheep is better than one-seventh of a camel or cow. Maalik said that the best is a young sheep, then a cow then a camel, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sacrificed two rams, and he never did anything but that which was the best. The response to that is that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) always chose what was more appropriate out of kindness towards his ummah, because they would follow his example, and he did not want to make things difficult for them. (Fataawa al-Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz).
A camel or cow is enough for seven people, because of the report narrated by Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: "We sacrificed at al-Hudaybiyah with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), a camel for seven and a cow for seven." According to one version: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us to share camels and cattle, each seven men sharing one animal." According to another version: "So a cow would be sacrificed on behalf of seven men and we would share it." (Reported by Muslim)
Ruling of udhiyah:
Udhiyah is one of the rituals of Islam. It is mentioned in Jawaahir al-Ikleel Sharh Mukhtasar Khaleel that if the people of a city or country neglect udhiyah, they should be fought, because it is one of the rituals of Islam. ( Rasaa'il Fiqhiyyah by Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen, p. 46). There are two scholarly opinions on udhiyah:
1. that it is waajib (obligatory) . This is the opinion of al-Oozaa'i, al-Layth and Abu Haneefah, and it is one of the two opinions narrated from Imaam Ahmad. It was also the opinion of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, and is one of the two opinions in the madhhab of Maalik, or is what seems to be the madhhab of Maalik. Those who favour this opinion take the following as evidence:
1. The aayah: "Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord anf sacrifice (to Him only)." [al-Kawthar 108:2]. This is a command, and a command implies that something is obligatory.
2. The hadeeth of Jundub (may Allaah be pleased with him), reported in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere, who said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'Whoever slaughtered his sacrifice before he prays, let him slaughter another one in its place, and whoever did not slaughter a sacrifice, let him do so in the name of Allaah.'" (Reported by Muslim, 3621)
3. The hadeeth: "Whoever can afford to offer a sacrifice but does not do so, let him not approach our place or prayer." (Reported by Ahmad and Ibn Maajah; classed as saheeh by al-Haakim from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him). It says in Fath al-Baari that its men are thiqaat).
(B) that it is a confirmed Sunnah (sunnah mu'akkadah). This is the opinion of the majority, and it is the madhhab of al-Shaafa'i and the better-known opinion of Maalik and Ahmad. But most of those who favour this opinion stated that it is makrooh (disliked) for the one who is able to offer a sacrifice to neglect to do so. They base their opinion on the following:
1. The hadeeth of Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) in Sunan Abi Dawood, where he said: "I prayed on Eid al-Adhaa with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and when he finished (the prayer), he was brought two rams, and he sacrificed them. He said, 'In the Name of Allaah, Allaah is Most Great. This is on behalf of myself and any member of my ummah who did not offer a sacrifice." (Sunan Abi Dawood bi Sharh Muhammad Shams al-Haq Abaadi, 7/486)
2. The hadeeth reported by all the famous muhadditheen apart from al-Bukhaari: "Whoever among you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him not take anything from his hair or nails." Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him, said, following his discussion of those who say it is obligatory and those who say it is Sunnah, "Each point of view has its evidence, but to be on the safe side, the one who is able to offer a sacrifice should not neglect to do so, because of what is involved in this act of reverence towards Allaah, remembering Him, and making sure that one has nothing to be blamed for.
Conditions of udhiyah
1. The animal should have reached the required age, which is six months for a lamb, one year for a goat, two years for a cow and five years for a camel.
2. It should be free of any faults, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There are four that will not do for sacrifice: a one-eyed animal whose defect is obvious, a sick animal whose sickness is obvious, a lame animal whose limp is obvious and an emaciated animal that has no marrow in its bones ." (Saheeh, Saheeh al-Jaami', no. 886). There are milder defects that do not disqualify an animal, but it is makrooh to sacrifice such animals, such as an animal with a horn or ear missing, or an animal with slits in its ears, etc. Udhiyah is an act of worship to Allaah, and Allaah is Good and accepts only that which is good. Whoever honours the rites of Allaah, this has to do with the piety (taqwa) of the heart.
3. It is forbidden to sell it. If an animal has been selected for sacrifice, it is not permissible to sell it or give it away, except in exchange for one that is better. If an animal gives birth, its offspring should be sacrificed along with it. It is also permissible to ride it if necessary. The evidence for this is the report narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw a man leading his camel and told him, "Ride it." He said, "It is for sacrifice." He said, "Ride it" a second or third time.
4. It should be sacrificed at the specified time, which is from after the prayer and khutbah of Eid – not from when the time for the prayer and khutbah starts – until before sunset on the last of the days of Tashreeq, which is the 13th day of Dhu'l-Hijjah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever sacrifices before the prayer, let him repeat it." (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim). 'Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The days of Nahr (Sacrifice) are the day of al-Adhaa and the three days following it." This is also the opinion of al-Hasan al-Basri, 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabaah, al-Oozaa'i, al-Shaafa'i and Ibn al-Mundhir, may Allaah have mercy on them all.
What should be done with the sacrifice?
1. It is mustahabb (liked, preferable) for the one who has made a sacrifice to not eat anything on that day before he eats from it, if this is possible, because of the hadeeth, "Let every man eat from his sacrifice." (Classed as saheeh in Saheeh al-Jaami', 5349). This eating should be after the Eid prayer and khutbah. This is the opinion of the scholars, including 'Ali, Ibn 'Abbaas, Maalik, al-Shaafa'i and others. The evidence for this is the hadeeth of Buraydah (may Allaah be pleased with him): "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would not go out on the day of Fitr until he had eaten, and he would not eat on the day of Adhaa until he had slaughtered (his sacrifice)." (Al-Albaani said: its isnaad is saheeh. Al-Mishkaat, 1/452).
2. It is better for a person to slaughter the sacrifice himself, but if he does not, it is mustahabb for him to be present when it is slaughtered.
3. It is mustahaab to divide the meat into three: one third to be eaten, one third to be given as gifts and one third to be given in charity. This was the opinion of Ibn Mas'ood and Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them). The scholars agreed that it is not permissible to sell anything from its meat, fat or skin. In a saheeh hadeeth, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever sells the skin of his udhiyah, there is no udhiyah for him (i.e., it is not counted as udhiyah)." (Classed as hasan in Saheeh al-Jaami', 6118). The butcher should not be given anything of it by way of reward or payment, because 'Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded me to take care of the sacrifice and to give its meat, skin and raiment ( covering used for protection ) in charity, and not to give anything of it to the butcher as a compensation . He said, 'We will give him something from what we have.'" (Agreed upon). It was said that it is permissible to give the butcher something as a gift, and that it is permissible to give some of it to a kaafir if he is poor or a relative or a neighbor, or in order to open his heart to Islam. (Fataawa al-Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz).
Question: what should the Muslim avoid in the first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah if he wants to offer a sacrifice?
The Sunnah indicates that the one who wants to offer a sacrifice must refrain from taking anything from his hair, nails or skin from the first day of Dhu'l-Hijjah until he offers his sacrifice, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When you see the new moon of Dhu'l-Hijjah, if any one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him not remove anything from his hair or nails until he has offered his sacrifice." According to another report: "Let him not touch any part of his hair or nails." (Reported by Muslim with four isnaads, 13/146). This command implies obligation and the prohibition implies that it is forbidden, according to the most correct opinion, because these are absolutes with no exceptions. If a person deliberately takes something (from his hair or nails), he must seek the forgiveness of Allaah, but he does not have to pay any fidyah (penalty), and his udhiyah is still valid. Whoever needs to remove some of his hair or nails because leaving it will cause him harm, such as a torn nail or a wound in a site covered by hair, should remove it, and there is no sin on him if he does so. This is not more serious than the muhrim (person in ihraam for Hajj or 'Umrah) who is allowed to shave if not doing so will cause him harm. There is nothing wrong with men and women washing their hair during the first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) only forbade removing hair, and because the muhrim is allowed to wash his head.
The wisdom behind the prohibition on removing hair and nails is because the one who is going to offer a sacrifice is like the one who is in ihraam for Hajj and 'Umrah with regard to some rituals, which is the offering of a sacrifice in order to draw closer to Allaah. Thus some of the rulings of ihraam apply to the one who wants to offer a sacrifice, so he should not touch his hair and nails until he has slaughtered his sacrifice, in the hope that Allaah will release him from the fire of Hell. And Allaah knows best.
If a person removes some of his hair and nails during the first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah because he is not planning to offer a sacrifice, then he decides to sacrifice, he should refrain from cutting his hair or nails from the moment he takes the decision.
There are some women who delegate their brothers or sons to do the sacrifice on their behalf so that they can cut their hair during the first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah. This is not correct, because the ruling applies to the one who is making the sacrifice, whether he or she delegates someone else to do the actual slaughter or not. The prohibition does not apply to the person appointed; it applies to the person who wants to offer a sacrifice on behalf of himself, as is indicated by the hadeeth. As for the person who is doing the sacrifice on behalf of another, whether because of a will or because he has been delegated to do so, the prohibition does not apply to him.
It is apparent that this prohibition applies to the one who is offering the sacrifice, and does not extend to his wife or children, unless one of them is offering a sacrifice on his or her own behalf. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to sacrifice on behalf of the family of Muhammad, and it was not reported that he forbade them to remove anything of their hair or nails.
Whoever is planning to offer a sacrifice, then decides to go for Hajj, should not remove anything of his hair or nails when he wants to enter ihraam, because this is Sunnah only when there is a need for it. But if he is doing Hajj "tamattu'" [where one performs 'Umrah, then ends ihraam and enters a new state of ihraam for Hajj], he should shorten his hair when he finishes 'Umrah because that is part of the ritual.
The things that are forbidden for the person who wants to offer a sacrifice are reported in the hadeeth quoted above. It is not forbidden for him to wear perfume or to have intercourse with his wife or to wear sewn garments and so on. And Allah knows best.
iDawaah: http://dawaah. webs.com
Prophet (PBUH) said, “Whoever goes down a path/road searching for knowledge, Allah will make it easy for him the road to Paradise ." [Saheeh Muslim, Vol.3 Hadith No. 99]
Praise be to Allaah and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allaah, Muhammad, and upon his family and companions.
Udhiyah is one of the great rituals of Islam, in which we remember the Unity of Allaah, His blessings upon us and the obedience of our father Ibraaheem to his Lord, and in this act of udhiyah there is much goodness and blessing. So the Muslim must pay attention to its great importance. The following is a brief look at this important ritual.
Udhiyah refers to the animal (camel, cattle or sheep) that is sacrificed as an act of worship to Allaah, in the country in which the person offering the sacrifice lives, during the period from after the Eid prayer on the Day of Nahr (Eid al-Adhaa) until the last of the Days of Tashreeq (the 13th day of Dhu'l-Hijjah) , with the intention of offering sacrifice. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord anf sacrifice (to Him only)." [al-Kawthar 108:2]
"Say (O Muhammad): 'Verily, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allaah, the Lord of the 'Aalameen (mankind, jinns and all that exists)." [al-An'aam 6:162]
"And for every nation We have appointed religious ceremonies, that they may mention the Name of Allaah over the beast of cattle that He has given them for food. And your God is One God, so you must submit to Him Alone (in Islam)…" [al-Hajj 22:34]
Udhiyyah is a confirmed Sunnah according to the majority of scholars (some scholars say that it is waajib or obligatory; this will be discussed in more detail below). The basic principle is that it is required at the appointed time from one who is alive on behalf of himself and the members of his household, and he may include in the reward for it whoever he wishes, living or dead. With regard to udhiyah on behalf of one who is dead, if the deceased bequeathed up to one third of his wealth for that purpose, or included it in his waqf (endowment), then these wishes must be carried out, otherwise, if a person wishes to offer a sacrifice on behalf of someone who has died, this is a good deed and is considered to be giving charity on behalf of the dead. But the Sunnah is for a man to include the members of his household, living and deed, in his udhiyah, and when he slaughters it, he should say, "Allaahumma haadha 'anni wa 'an aali bayti (O Allaah, this is on behalf of myself and the members of my household" – he does not have to make a separate sacrifice on behalf of every deceased person.
The scholars agreed that sacrificing the animal and giving its meat in charity is better than giving its value in charity, because the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to make the sacrifice, and he did not do anything but that which is best and most befitting. This is the opinion of Abu Haneefah, al-Shaafa'i and Ahmad.
The virtues of udhiyah and the best of udhiyah
A sheep is good enough as a sacrifice for one man and the members of his household and his children, because of the hadeeth of Abu Ayyoob: "At the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), a man would sacrifice a sheep on behalf of himself and the members of his household, and they would eat from it and give some to others." (Reported by Ibn Maajah and al-Tirmidhi, who classed it as saheeh)
The kinds of animals prescribed for sacrifice are camels, cattle and sheep. Some of the scholars said that the best sacrifice is camels, then cattle, then sheep, then a share in a she-camel or cow, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said concerning Friday prayers: "Whoever goes to [Friday prayers] early, it is equivalent to him sacrificing a camel." This is the opinion of the three imaams Abu Haneefah, al-Shaafa'i and Ahmad. On this basis, a sheep is better than one-seventh of a camel or cow. Maalik said that the best is a young sheep, then a cow then a camel, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sacrificed two rams, and he never did anything but that which was the best. The response to that is that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) always chose what was more appropriate out of kindness towards his ummah, because they would follow his example, and he did not want to make things difficult for them. (Fataawa al-Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz).
A camel or cow is enough for seven people, because of the report narrated by Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: "We sacrificed at al-Hudaybiyah with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), a camel for seven and a cow for seven." According to one version: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us to share camels and cattle, each seven men sharing one animal." According to another version: "So a cow would be sacrificed on behalf of seven men and we would share it." (Reported by Muslim)
Ruling of udhiyah:
Udhiyah is one of the rituals of Islam. It is mentioned in Jawaahir al-Ikleel Sharh Mukhtasar Khaleel that if the people of a city or country neglect udhiyah, they should be fought, because it is one of the rituals of Islam. ( Rasaa'il Fiqhiyyah by Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen, p. 46). There are two scholarly opinions on udhiyah:
1. that it is waajib (obligatory) . This is the opinion of al-Oozaa'i, al-Layth and Abu Haneefah, and it is one of the two opinions narrated from Imaam Ahmad. It was also the opinion of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, and is one of the two opinions in the madhhab of Maalik, or is what seems to be the madhhab of Maalik. Those who favour this opinion take the following as evidence:
1. The aayah: "Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord anf sacrifice (to Him only)." [al-Kawthar 108:2]. This is a command, and a command implies that something is obligatory.
2. The hadeeth of Jundub (may Allaah be pleased with him), reported in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere, who said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'Whoever slaughtered his sacrifice before he prays, let him slaughter another one in its place, and whoever did not slaughter a sacrifice, let him do so in the name of Allaah.'" (Reported by Muslim, 3621)
3. The hadeeth: "Whoever can afford to offer a sacrifice but does not do so, let him not approach our place or prayer." (Reported by Ahmad and Ibn Maajah; classed as saheeh by al-Haakim from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him). It says in Fath al-Baari that its men are thiqaat).
(B) that it is a confirmed Sunnah (sunnah mu'akkadah). This is the opinion of the majority, and it is the madhhab of al-Shaafa'i and the better-known opinion of Maalik and Ahmad. But most of those who favour this opinion stated that it is makrooh (disliked) for the one who is able to offer a sacrifice to neglect to do so. They base their opinion on the following:
1. The hadeeth of Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) in Sunan Abi Dawood, where he said: "I prayed on Eid al-Adhaa with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and when he finished (the prayer), he was brought two rams, and he sacrificed them. He said, 'In the Name of Allaah, Allaah is Most Great. This is on behalf of myself and any member of my ummah who did not offer a sacrifice." (Sunan Abi Dawood bi Sharh Muhammad Shams al-Haq Abaadi, 7/486)
2. The hadeeth reported by all the famous muhadditheen apart from al-Bukhaari: "Whoever among you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him not take anything from his hair or nails." Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him, said, following his discussion of those who say it is obligatory and those who say it is Sunnah, "Each point of view has its evidence, but to be on the safe side, the one who is able to offer a sacrifice should not neglect to do so, because of what is involved in this act of reverence towards Allaah, remembering Him, and making sure that one has nothing to be blamed for.
Conditions of udhiyah
1. The animal should have reached the required age, which is six months for a lamb, one year for a goat, two years for a cow and five years for a camel.
2. It should be free of any faults, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There are four that will not do for sacrifice: a one-eyed animal whose defect is obvious, a sick animal whose sickness is obvious, a lame animal whose limp is obvious and an emaciated animal that has no marrow in its bones ." (Saheeh, Saheeh al-Jaami', no. 886). There are milder defects that do not disqualify an animal, but it is makrooh to sacrifice such animals, such as an animal with a horn or ear missing, or an animal with slits in its ears, etc. Udhiyah is an act of worship to Allaah, and Allaah is Good and accepts only that which is good. Whoever honours the rites of Allaah, this has to do with the piety (taqwa) of the heart.
3. It is forbidden to sell it. If an animal has been selected for sacrifice, it is not permissible to sell it or give it away, except in exchange for one that is better. If an animal gives birth, its offspring should be sacrificed along with it. It is also permissible to ride it if necessary. The evidence for this is the report narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw a man leading his camel and told him, "Ride it." He said, "It is for sacrifice." He said, "Ride it" a second or third time.
4. It should be sacrificed at the specified time, which is from after the prayer and khutbah of Eid – not from when the time for the prayer and khutbah starts – until before sunset on the last of the days of Tashreeq, which is the 13th day of Dhu'l-Hijjah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever sacrifices before the prayer, let him repeat it." (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim). 'Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The days of Nahr (Sacrifice) are the day of al-Adhaa and the three days following it." This is also the opinion of al-Hasan al-Basri, 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabaah, al-Oozaa'i, al-Shaafa'i and Ibn al-Mundhir, may Allaah have mercy on them all.
What should be done with the sacrifice?
1. It is mustahabb (liked, preferable) for the one who has made a sacrifice to not eat anything on that day before he eats from it, if this is possible, because of the hadeeth, "Let every man eat from his sacrifice." (Classed as saheeh in Saheeh al-Jaami', 5349). This eating should be after the Eid prayer and khutbah. This is the opinion of the scholars, including 'Ali, Ibn 'Abbaas, Maalik, al-Shaafa'i and others. The evidence for this is the hadeeth of Buraydah (may Allaah be pleased with him): "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would not go out on the day of Fitr until he had eaten, and he would not eat on the day of Adhaa until he had slaughtered (his sacrifice)." (Al-Albaani said: its isnaad is saheeh. Al-Mishkaat, 1/452).
2. It is better for a person to slaughter the sacrifice himself, but if he does not, it is mustahabb for him to be present when it is slaughtered.
3. It is mustahaab to divide the meat into three: one third to be eaten, one third to be given as gifts and one third to be given in charity. This was the opinion of Ibn Mas'ood and Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with them). The scholars agreed that it is not permissible to sell anything from its meat, fat or skin. In a saheeh hadeeth, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever sells the skin of his udhiyah, there is no udhiyah for him (i.e., it is not counted as udhiyah)." (Classed as hasan in Saheeh al-Jaami', 6118). The butcher should not be given anything of it by way of reward or payment, because 'Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded me to take care of the sacrifice and to give its meat, skin and raiment ( covering used for protection ) in charity, and not to give anything of it to the butcher as a compensation . He said, 'We will give him something from what we have.'" (Agreed upon). It was said that it is permissible to give the butcher something as a gift, and that it is permissible to give some of it to a kaafir if he is poor or a relative or a neighbor, or in order to open his heart to Islam. (Fataawa al-Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz).
Question: what should the Muslim avoid in the first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah if he wants to offer a sacrifice?
The Sunnah indicates that the one who wants to offer a sacrifice must refrain from taking anything from his hair, nails or skin from the first day of Dhu'l-Hijjah until he offers his sacrifice, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When you see the new moon of Dhu'l-Hijjah, if any one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him not remove anything from his hair or nails until he has offered his sacrifice." According to another report: "Let him not touch any part of his hair or nails." (Reported by Muslim with four isnaads, 13/146). This command implies obligation and the prohibition implies that it is forbidden, according to the most correct opinion, because these are absolutes with no exceptions. If a person deliberately takes something (from his hair or nails), he must seek the forgiveness of Allaah, but he does not have to pay any fidyah (penalty), and his udhiyah is still valid. Whoever needs to remove some of his hair or nails because leaving it will cause him harm, such as a torn nail or a wound in a site covered by hair, should remove it, and there is no sin on him if he does so. This is not more serious than the muhrim (person in ihraam for Hajj or 'Umrah) who is allowed to shave if not doing so will cause him harm. There is nothing wrong with men and women washing their hair during the first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) only forbade removing hair, and because the muhrim is allowed to wash his head.
The wisdom behind the prohibition on removing hair and nails is because the one who is going to offer a sacrifice is like the one who is in ihraam for Hajj and 'Umrah with regard to some rituals, which is the offering of a sacrifice in order to draw closer to Allaah. Thus some of the rulings of ihraam apply to the one who wants to offer a sacrifice, so he should not touch his hair and nails until he has slaughtered his sacrifice, in the hope that Allaah will release him from the fire of Hell. And Allaah knows best.
If a person removes some of his hair and nails during the first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah because he is not planning to offer a sacrifice, then he decides to sacrifice, he should refrain from cutting his hair or nails from the moment he takes the decision.
There are some women who delegate their brothers or sons to do the sacrifice on their behalf so that they can cut their hair during the first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah. This is not correct, because the ruling applies to the one who is making the sacrifice, whether he or she delegates someone else to do the actual slaughter or not. The prohibition does not apply to the person appointed; it applies to the person who wants to offer a sacrifice on behalf of himself, as is indicated by the hadeeth. As for the person who is doing the sacrifice on behalf of another, whether because of a will or because he has been delegated to do so, the prohibition does not apply to him.
It is apparent that this prohibition applies to the one who is offering the sacrifice, and does not extend to his wife or children, unless one of them is offering a sacrifice on his or her own behalf. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to sacrifice on behalf of the family of Muhammad, and it was not reported that he forbade them to remove anything of their hair or nails.
Whoever is planning to offer a sacrifice, then decides to go for Hajj, should not remove anything of his hair or nails when he wants to enter ihraam, because this is Sunnah only when there is a need for it. But if he is doing Hajj "tamattu'" [where one performs 'Umrah, then ends ihraam and enters a new state of ihraam for Hajj], he should shorten his hair when he finishes 'Umrah because that is part of the ritual.
The things that are forbidden for the person who wants to offer a sacrifice are reported in the hadeeth quoted above. It is not forbidden for him to wear perfume or to have intercourse with his wife or to wear sewn garments and so on. And Allah knows best.
iDawaah: http://dawaah. webs.com
Prophet (PBUH) said, “Whoever goes down a path/road searching for knowledge, Allah will make it easy for him the road to Paradise ." [Saheeh Muslim, Vol.3 Hadith No. 99]
Cattle Stun Gun May Heighten "Madcow'" Risk
Cattle stun gun may heighten "madcow'" risk
By: Leila Corcoran
Broadcasted on BICNews 25 July 1997
WASHINGTON (Reuter) - A stun gun used on cattle before slaughter can send brain tissue scattering throughout the animal, which could provide a route for madcow disease to spread to humans, a consumer group said Thursday.
There have been no documented cases of madcow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), in the United States , but the consumers group said the use of stun guns posed a potentially deadly risk in Europe .
``These new discoveries mean that some of the steaks and hamburgers Amercans eat today may contain small bits of brain matter,'' said David Schardt, nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
``Now, since BSE has not been detected here, there is no known risk at this time. But where BSE does exist in cattle, such meat with specks of brain tissue in it could be a deadly meal,'' he said.
In an unusual news conference, the Washington-based consumer watchdog group was joined by meat industry representatives who said they planned to sponsor a study on stunning methods later in the year.
``If a problem is found either with stunning in general or with particular methods or machinery, we will move swiftly to address it,'' said Janet Collins, a vice president at the American Meat Institute, an industry trade group.
Brain tissue and spinal cord are the most infectious part of an animal with BSE, which eats deadly holes in an infected animal's brain. A world panic over beef was triggered after an outbreak of the disease among British herds in the late 1980s.
Scientists remain unsure whether madcow disease can be transmitted to humans, but say they are concerned about an inexplicable rise in the number of cases of Creutzfeldt- Jakob disease, an incurable brain disease in humans.
BSE has never been detected in U.S. cattle herds and federal health officials have erected a series of ``firewalls' ' against it, including banning feeding ruminant by-products -- parts of other farm animals -- to cattle, a practice believed to have spread BSE in Britain.
Before cattle are slaughtered, they are stunned with a shot to the head to make them unconscious and to protect workers. Stunning is required by law so the animal feels no pain when it dies.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest said recent research at Texas A&M University and by Canada 's Food Inspection Agency found a method called pneumatic stunning delivered a force so explosive that it splattered brain tissue throughout a cow's system.
``Our research shows that it's possible that microscopic particles of brain matter can be circulated to the lungs, liver and maybe other sites,'' Tam Garland, a research veterinarian at Texas A&M said in CSPI's July newsletter. ``The implications are frightening. ''
Some 30 to 40 percent of American cattle are stunned by pneumatic guns, which fire a metal bolt into a cow's brain followed by a pulverizing burst of 150 pounds of air pressure.
The method is popular at larger U.S. meat plants because it renders cattle insensible longer than other techniques, erasing concerns the animals might revive before they are killed and cause havoc in a long processing line. Pneumatic guns are not used widely abroad.
Meat industry officials said they started considering a study on stunning methods several months ago after learning of the research. They said they planned to tap U.S. and Canadian government officials for advice on how to conduct the study and hoped to have results by the end of the year.
``No one wants the U.S. to remain BSE free more than the nation's one million beef producers,'' said Gary Weber of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
� Copyright 1997, Reuters News Service
By: Leila Corcoran
Broadcasted on BICNews 25 July 1997
WASHINGTON (Reuter) - A stun gun used on cattle before slaughter can send brain tissue scattering throughout the animal, which could provide a route for madcow disease to spread to humans, a consumer group said Thursday.
There have been no documented cases of madcow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), in the United States , but the consumers group said the use of stun guns posed a potentially deadly risk in Europe .
``These new discoveries mean that some of the steaks and hamburgers Amercans eat today may contain small bits of brain matter,'' said David Schardt, nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
``Now, since BSE has not been detected here, there is no known risk at this time. But where BSE does exist in cattle, such meat with specks of brain tissue in it could be a deadly meal,'' he said.
In an unusual news conference, the Washington-based consumer watchdog group was joined by meat industry representatives who said they planned to sponsor a study on stunning methods later in the year.
``If a problem is found either with stunning in general or with particular methods or machinery, we will move swiftly to address it,'' said Janet Collins, a vice president at the American Meat Institute, an industry trade group.
Brain tissue and spinal cord are the most infectious part of an animal with BSE, which eats deadly holes in an infected animal's brain. A world panic over beef was triggered after an outbreak of the disease among British herds in the late 1980s.
Scientists remain unsure whether madcow disease can be transmitted to humans, but say they are concerned about an inexplicable rise in the number of cases of Creutzfeldt- Jakob disease, an incurable brain disease in humans.
BSE has never been detected in U.S. cattle herds and federal health officials have erected a series of ``firewalls' ' against it, including banning feeding ruminant by-products -- parts of other farm animals -- to cattle, a practice believed to have spread BSE in Britain.
Before cattle are slaughtered, they are stunned with a shot to the head to make them unconscious and to protect workers. Stunning is required by law so the animal feels no pain when it dies.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest said recent research at Texas A&M University and by Canada 's Food Inspection Agency found a method called pneumatic stunning delivered a force so explosive that it splattered brain tissue throughout a cow's system.
``Our research shows that it's possible that microscopic particles of brain matter can be circulated to the lungs, liver and maybe other sites,'' Tam Garland, a research veterinarian at Texas A&M said in CSPI's July newsletter. ``The implications are frightening. ''
Some 30 to 40 percent of American cattle are stunned by pneumatic guns, which fire a metal bolt into a cow's brain followed by a pulverizing burst of 150 pounds of air pressure.
The method is popular at larger U.S. meat plants because it renders cattle insensible longer than other techniques, erasing concerns the animals might revive before they are killed and cause havoc in a long processing line. Pneumatic guns are not used widely abroad.
Meat industry officials said they started considering a study on stunning methods several months ago after learning of the research. They said they planned to tap U.S. and Canadian government officials for advice on how to conduct the study and hoped to have results by the end of the year.
``No one wants the U.S. to remain BSE free more than the nation's one million beef producers,'' said Gary Weber of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
� Copyright 1997, Reuters News Service
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