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Sunday, February 15, 2009

ISLAAM AND VALENTINES

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Involving in cultural practices of the community we live and imitating the trends, be them old or new, has been an old practice of humans since the beginning of our existence. We seldom pay much attention to moral standard of that practice or the the origin and even benefit of those practices, or culture (what ever you're more comfortable with).

However, since the advent of Islam, since before our beloved prophet Muhammad(sas), Allah(swt) has sent down guide lines, advises and regulations for us, so as to keep us on the strait path, the path of the "Mustaqeem".
Thus with the coming of our prophet Muhammad(sas), Allah(swt),has given us guidance that will last us until the end of time.

One very important practice that we find prevalent in our society, is VALENTINES DAY. A supposed day of love, a A day out of all the days of the year chosen specifically to show someone special how much u love them.
Yes love is good, it is encouraged in Islam, it fosters peace and unity, the Core of Islamic teachings, Once it is done properly, in a permissible and sin free manner.

However, Us as Muslims, why do choose this day? this day that does not come from Islam, this day that so much sin is being committed and supported? Do we even know the Origin of this day? the significant of this day? Let me answer, i guess you don't!!.

we involve in this practice that is alien to our teachings and goes against everything that The Rasool(sas) has taught us.We try to be normal, that's our first excuse, but the prophet(sas) made it clear about following a people in a hadith :-
"Whoever imitates a people, he is one of them."

however before i delve into this matter let us look at the origin of this celebration.

Legends abound, as they do in all such cases, Valentine’s Day began as a pagan ritual started by Romans in the 4th century BC to honor Lupercus, the ‘god of fertility and flocks’. Its main attraction was a lottery held to distribute young women to young men for ‘entertainment and pleasure’ - until the next year’s lottery.

Among other equally despicable practices associated with this day was the lashing of young women by two young men, clad only in a bit of goatskin and wielding goatskin thongs, who had been smeared with the blood of sacrificial goats and dogs. A lash of the ‘sacred’ thongs by these ‘holy men’ was believed to make the women better able to bear children.


However the name "valentine" was given to this day after the Romans accepted Christianity. This name was chosen because
Saint Valentine is a name which is given to two of the ancient "martyrs" of the Christian Church. It was said that there were two of them, or that there was only one, who died in Rome as the result of the persecution of the Gothic leader Claudius, c. 296 AD. In 350 AD, a church was built in Rome on the site of the place where he died, to perpetuate his memory.

When the Romans embraced Christianity, they continued to celebrate the Feast of Love mentioned above, but they changed it from the pagan concept of "spiritual love" to another concept known as the "martyrs of love", represented by Saint Valentine who had advocated love and peace, for which cause he was martyred, according to their claims. It was also called the Feast of Lovers, and Saint Valentine was considered to be the patron saint of lovers.

One of their false beliefs connected with this festival was that the names of girls who had reached marriageable age would be written on small rolls of paper and placed in a dish on a table. Then the young men who wanted to get married would be called, and each of them would pick a piece of paper. He would put himself at the service of the girl whose name he had drawn for one year, so that they could find out about one another. Then they would get married, or they would repeat the same process again on the day of the festival in the following year.

The Christian clergy reacted against this tradition, which they considered to have a corrupting influence on the morals of young men and women. It was abolished in Italy, where it had been well-known, then it was revived in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when in some western countries there appeared shops which sold small books called “Valentine’s books”, which contained love poems, from which the one who wanted to send a greeting to his sweetheart could choose. They also contained suggestions for writing love letters.


This practice not only have barbaric origins, modify in an attempt to make it acceptable. However as time passed even Christianity accepted it. But Islam doesn't make compromises in matters of faith.

However coming back to the point that this is not a practice of Muslims and the prophet (sas) said in another hadith "He is not one of us who imitates other than us. Do not imitate the Jews or the Christians."

I wouldn't go on to stress the implications as a result of that hadith on those who follow alien practices to Islam, Not only valentines day but any other practices that go against Islamic rules, the prophet(sas) was reported to have said in another hadith
"When I came to you, you had two days which you used to celebrate in Jahiliyyah. Allah(swt) has replaced them for you with better days, the days of slaughter (Adhaa) and the day of fitr.

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam and readers in general, This day has open doors to so much of sin involving the relationship between the opposite gender according to Islamic laws, Because most of the people that involve intimately with valentines day are young and unmarried people. In our effort to show how much we love and care for That special someone, especially on Valentines day, we over step our boundaries by a large margin.
My fellow readers, remember that our purpose of being created is to worship Allah(swt) and him alone, and we do that by enjoining what is right and forbid what is wrong by His decree.
For it is Jannah, and not the rewards and temptations of this world, which motivate us, or which should motivate us if we strive to obey only Allah(swt),and allah(swt) said:-

“Allah is the Wali of those who believe: from darkness, He leads them into the light, while those do not believe have, as their Wali, their Taghut so that they are led from light into darkness. For them, there is the Fire, where they shall dwell forever.” chapter : 2(baqarah) - verse : 257

thus we should try to protect our Imaan(faith) for Allah(sas)said in the quran:-

"And verily, this is my straight path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His path. This He has ordained for you that you may have Taqwa" chapter:6( An A'am) - Verse : 153

May Allah(swt) protect us from all forms of Al-asabiyyah Al-Jahiliyyah, forgive us for our mistakes, and guide us to and keep us on the Right Path.

AMEEN



Friday, February 13, 2009

HOW DO WE TREAT OUR PARENTS??

PARENTS IN ISLAAM


After mentioning that one must confess His Oneness, worship Him with sincerity, and remain upright in obeying Him, Allah follows that by giving instructions regarding the parents. These appear together in many places of the Qur'an, such as Allah's saying,

(Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be dutiful to your parents.) (17:23) Allah says,

(Be grateful to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the final destination.) (31:14) There are many other Ayat like this as well. Here Allah says,

(And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful and kind to his parents.) (46:15) meaning, `We have commanded him to treat them well and show compassion towards them. Abu Dawud At-Tayalisi recorded from Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, that his mother said to him: "Hasn't Allah commanded that you obey your parents Then I will not eat any food or drink any drink until you disbelieve in Allah.'' Thus she stubbornly abstained from eating and drinking, until they had to open her mouth with a stick. Then this Ayah was revealed,

(And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful and kind to his parents. ) This was also recorded by Muslim and the Sunan compilers, except for Ibn Majah. Allah continues,

(His mother bears him with hardship.) which means that the mother suffers hardship because of her child, such as fatigue, sickness, vomiting, heaviness, distress, and other forms of hardship that the pregnant women suffer.

(And she delivers him with hardship.) meaning, she also delivers him with hardship, suffering the pains of labor and their severity.

(And (the period of) his gestation and weaning is thirty months,) `Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, used this Ayah along with the following two Ayat to prove that the minimum period of pregnancy (gestation) is six months:

(And his weaning is in two years.) (31:14) and

(The mothers suckle their children two complete years -- for those who desire to complete the term of suckling. ) (2:233) This is a strong and valid conclusion, and it was approved by `Uthman and a number of the Companions. Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar narrated from Ba`jah bin `Abdullah Al-Juhani that a man from his tribe (Juhaynah) married a woman from Juhaynah. She delivered a baby after six months. So her husband went to `Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, and told him about that. Thus, `Uthman summoned her. When she was getting dressed, her sister started crying. She asked her: "Why do you cry By Allah, no one has ever approached me (for sexual relations) of Allah's creation except him (my husband). So let Allah decree (for me) as He wills.'' When she was brought before `Uthman, he commanded that she be stoned to death (for adultery). `Ali heard of this, came to `Uthman, and said: "What are you doing'' He (`Uthman) said: "She delivered after six months! Can this ever happen'' `Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "Don't you read the Qur'an'' He said: "Yes, of course!'' He (`Ali) then said: `Haven't you heard Allah's saying,

(and his gestation and weaning is thirty months), and;

( two complete years) (2:233) (Subtracting the two numbers) we are only left with six months.'' `Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "By Allah, I did not see that! Bring the woman back.'' But they found that she had already been killed. Ba`jah continued: "By Allah, no two crows and no two eggs are more similar than that child turned out to be to his father! When his father saw that he said, `By Allah! This is my son without any doubt.' Later on, Allah afflicted him with a skin abscess in his face (because of his false accusation to his wife). It kept eating him up until he died.'' Ibn Abi Hatim related from his father that Farwah bin Abi Al-Maghra' told them that `Ali bin Mushir narrated to them from Dawud bin Abi Hind, who narrated from `Ikrimah that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "When a woman delivers after nine months, the baby will only need twenty-one months of suckling. When she delivers after seven months, the baby will need twenty-three months of suckling. When she delivers after six months, the baby will need two full years of suckling, because Allah says,

(and his gestation and weaning is thirty months, till when he attains full strength).'' meaning, he becomes strong, youthful, and attains full ability.

(and reaches forty years,) meaning, his complete intellect, understanding, and patience reach the level of maturity. It has also been said that usually one will not change his ways once he reaches the age of forty.

(he says: "My Lord! Grant me the power and ability) meaning, `inspire me.'

(that I may be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds, such as please You,) meaning, in the future.

(and make my offspring good.) meaning, my offspring and descendants.

(Truly, I have turned to You in repentance, and truly, I am one of the Muslims.) This contains an instruction for anyone who reaches forty years of age to renew his repentance and turn to Allah with strong resolution. Allah then says,

(Those are the ones from whom We shall accept the best of what they did and overlook their evil deeds. (They shall be) among the dwellers of Paradise.) meaning, those to whom applies the above description -- those who repent to Allah, turn back to Him, and rectify their shortcomings through repentance and seeking forgiveness - those are the ones from whom We will accept the best of what they did and overlook their evil deeds. Many of their errors will be forgiven and Allah will accept from them a modest amount of deeds.

(among the dwellers of Paradise.) which means that they will be among the dwellers of Paradise. That is Allah's ruling concerning them, as He has promised for those who repent and turn to Him. Thus, He says,

(That is the promise of truth that they had been promised.)

(17. But he who says to his parents: "Uff to you! Do you promise me that I will be raised up when generations before me have passed'' While they invoke Allah for help: "Woe to you! Believe! Verily, the promise of Allah is true.'' But he says: "This is nothing but the legends of the ancient.'') (18. They are those against whom the Word (of torment) has justified among the previous generations of Jinn and mankind that have passed away. Verily, they are ever the losers.) (19. And for all, there will be degrees according to that which they did, so that He might fully recompense for their deeds. And they will not be wronged.) (20. On the Day when those who disbelieve will be exposed to the Fire (it will be said): "You received your good things in the life of the world, and you took your pleasure therein. Today, you will be recompensed with the torment of extreme humiliation, because you were arrogant upon the earth without a right, and because you used to rebel against Allah's command.)

HIJAAB - حجاب - As it regards to women.

The Concept of Hijab in Islam

This essay attempt to briefly enumerate the basic requirements regarding Muslim
Women’s dress (Hijab) as stipulated by the Shariah(Islamic law). The term Hijab, includes
Not only the covering of body, but methods of behavior before members of the
Same or opposite sex, promoting privacy for females and prohibiting
Intermingling sexes, to ensure modesty, decency, chastity and above all,
Respect and worship of Allah.

Minor differences exist among the scholars regarding the actual number of the
Requirements because of varying methods used in codifying them. The ones
Mentioned here represent the ones agreed upon by the overwhelming majority of
Scholars and are all solidly backed by firm evidence taken from the Qur'an, the
Sunnah and the practice of the Sahabah (the Companions).

First Requirement:
The Extent of Covering

The dress worn in public must cover the entire body except what has been
Specifically excluded, based upon the following proofs: Allah says:
“And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their private
Parts from sin and not show of their adornment except only that which is
Apparent, and draw their head covers over their necks and bosoms and not reveal
Their adornment except to and that they should not I strike their feet in order
To draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And 0 you Believers! Turn you all
Together towards Allah in repentance that you may be successful." (24:31)

The word zeenah in the Ayah above, literally means adornment and includes both
The woman's natural or physical beauty and that with which they adorn
Themselves, such as, jewelry, eye shadow, attractive clothing, hand dye, etc.
Surah An-Nur spells out specifically the commands concerning the fact that a
Woman’s natural beauty and her adornments are to be concealed from strangers
Except by what may show due to accidental or uncontrollable factors such as the
Blowing of the wind, etc., and what has been exempted (see explanation at end
Of this section).

Allah says: "0 Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the
Believers to draw their outer garments above themselves (when they go out).
That is better so that they may be recognized and not molested. And Allah is
Forgiving, Merciful." (33:59)

Abu Dawood narrates that Aishah (raa) said: “Asma the daughter of Abu Bakr
(Raa) came to see the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) wearing a
Thin dress; so Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) turned away from
Her and said: "0 Asmaa, once a woman reaches the age of puberty, no part of
Her body should be seen but this -and he pointed to his face and hands."

The word khumur (pI. of khimar) refers to a cloth which covers the head, ears,
Hair, neck and bosom. The esteemed mufaasir (Quranic interpreter) Al-Qurtubi
Explains: Women in the past used to cover their heads with the khimar, throwing
Its ends over their backs. This left the neck and the upper part of the chest
Bare, in the manner of the Christians. Then Allah commanded them to cover those
Parts with the khimar.

Allah states further in this Ayah:"... And let them not stamp their feet so as
To reveal what they hide of their adornments " The women in the time of the
Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) wore anklets which could be employed to
Attract attention by stamping their feet, thereby, making the anklets tinkle.
This practice is not only forbidden by Allah, but shows that the legs and
Ankles are to be covered as well. Some of the modern day Hanafi scholars are of
The mistaken view that a woman can display her feet, a portion of her forearms
And the! Ears; yet there is no authentic proof from the practice of the Prophet
(Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) or his Sahabah to uphold such a view.

Amongst the authentic Ahadith which clarify this point is the following: Ibn
Umar (raa) reported that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam)
Said: “On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will not look at the man who trails
His garments along out of pride”. Umm Salamah then asked:” What should women do
With (the hems of) their garments?” He replied: “Let them lower them a
Bandspan”. She replied: “Their feet would be exposed!” He then said: “Let them
Lower them a forearm’s length but no more.” (Reported by At-Tabarani- Sahih)

The major point of difference among the scholars concerns the hadith of Asma
(Raa) i.e., that the face and hands need not be covered; a number of the
Scholars have maintained that the face hands must also be covered, because it
Was the practice of the of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) and the
Wives of the Sahabah to themselves completely according to authentic Ahadith.
The above point has been a topic of debate amongst the scholars both past and
Present and will be dealt with, Inshallah at the end of essay.

Second Requirement:
Thickness

The garment should be thick and opaque so as not to display skin color and form
of the body beneath it. Delicate or transparent clothing does not constitute a
proper covering. The Sahabah were very stern on this and regarded scanty
clothing in public as an indicator of a woman's lack of belief. AI-Qurtubi
reports a narration from Ayesha (raa) that some women from Banu Tamim came to
see her wearing transparent clothing, Ayesha said to them: “If you are
believing women, these are not the clothes of believing women.” He also reports
that a bride came to see wearing a sheer, transparent khimaar, whereupon Ayesha
(raa) said: “ A woman who wears such clothing does not believe in Surah An-Nur.”

Moreover, the following hadith makes this point graphically Allah's Messenger
(Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: “There will be in the last of my Ummah
(nation of believers), scantily dressed women, the hair on the top of their
heads like a camels hump. Curse them, for verily they are cursed.” In another
version he said:” … scantily dressed women, who go astray and others go astray;
will not enter Paradise nor smell its fragrance, although it can be smelled
from afar.” (At-Tabarani and Sahih Muslim)

Scantily dressed women :“are those who wear clothing which reveals more than it
conceals, thereby, increasing her attractiveness while opening the path to a
host of evils.”

Third Requirement:
Looseness:

The clothing must hang loosely enough and not be tight-fitting show the shape
and size of the woman's body, The reason for wearing a garment which is wide
and loose fitting is that the on of Muslim women's clothing is to eliminate
lure and beauty of her body from the eye of the beholder. Skin-tight body etc.
may conceal the skin color, yet they display the size and of the limbs and
body.

The following hadith proves this clearly: Usamah ibn Zaid said:“ Allah's
Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) gave me a gift of thick Coptic cloth he
had received as a gift from Dahiah Al-Kalbi, and so I gave it to my wife.
Thereafter, the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) asked thy didn't you wear
the Coptic cloth? I replied: I gave it to my wife. Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi
Wasallam) then said: Tell her to wear a thick gown under it ( the Coptic
garment) for I fear that it may describe the size of her limbs. “ narrated by
Ahmad, AI-Bayhaqi, and AI-Haakim)

Fourth Requirement:
Color- Appearance -Demeanor

Allah says: 0 wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women; if you
fear ( Allah) , then do not be too pleasant of speech, lest one in whose heart
is a disease should feel desire (for you) ." (33:32)

The reason for the revelation of this verse is not the fear of distrust nor
misbehavior on the part of the women, but rather to prevent them from speaking
invitingly, walking seductively, or dressing revealingly so as to arouse sexual
desire in the heart of lecherous and evil men.

Seductive dressing and enticing speech arc the characteristics of
ill-intentioned women, not Muslims. AI-Qurtubi mentions that Mujahid (raa)
said: "Women (before the advent of Islam) used to walk about (alluringly) among
men." Qatadah (raa) said: "They used to walk in a sensuous and seductive
manner." Maqatil (raa) said: "The women used to wear an untied cloth on their
heads, while provocatively toying with their necklaces, earrings and other
ornamental jewelry."

A garment which is intended to conceal a woman and her beauty from public view
cannot be a thing which enhances her beauty. Therefore, the garment should not
contain bright colors, bold designs or reflective material that draw men’s
attention to the wearer. Imam Adh-Dhahabi says in his book Kitab AI-Kabalir
(The Book of Major Sins): " Amongst the deeds which a woman is cursed for are
displaying the adornments she wears, wearing perfume when she goes out, and
wearing colorful clothes " Hence, the Muslim woman is encouraged to wear muted,
somber colors and to avoid bright designs, patterns and colors.

The Fifth Requirement:
Difference from Men's Clothing

The clothing of a Muslim woman must not resemble the clothing of men. The
following hadith helps to explain this.

Abu Hurayrah (raa) said:Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) cursed
the man who wears women’s clothes and the woman who wears men’s clothes. (Abu
Dawood and Ibn Majah-Saheeh)

The Sixth Requirement:
Difference from the Clothing of Unbelievers

Her clothing must not resemble the clothing of unbelievers. Indeed,
dissimilarity with unbelievers is a precedent that was established by the first
generation of Islam.

The following hadith will help to clarify this position:
Abdullah ibn Umar (raa) said: Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam)
stated: "Whoever resembles a people is one of them." (Abu Dawood)

The Seventh Requirement:
No Vain or Ostentatious Dressing

The woman's dress must not be an expression of ostentation, vanity or as a
status symbol by being excessively showy or expensive, nor must it be
excessively tattered so as to gain admiration and fame for being humble.

Ibn Umar (raa) reported that Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam)
said: Whoever dresses for ostentation in this world, Allah will dress that
person in a dress of humiliation on the Day of Resurrection, and then set it on
fire. (Abu Dawood)

It has been authentically related in Sahih AI-Bukhari, the Muwatta of Imam
Malik and the Sunan of Abu Dawood that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam)
forbade women from covering their faces and hands during their performance of
Salah, or while in a state of Ihram. This indicates clearly that wearing the
face veil was a common practice during the time of the Messenger of Allah
(Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), a cultural practice that appeared years later.

My dear muslim sisters, be it u wear hijaab or Not, this can be an eye opener for u, and i urge to to try and implement what ever you can from wht i have written, and pray that allah make u among those of taqwa.


Thursday, February 12, 2009

WHEN GOD DESIGNS

AND THEY SAY THERE ISN'T A GOD!!
YOU TAKE A LOOK AND MAKE YOUR OWN JUDGMENT!!!












AND HERE IS MY CHOICE OF THE BEST!!



PURE PEACE.........

Jihaad


Today many people are mislead and have an incorrect view of the word "JIHAAD"
people have wrong ideology of a teaching of a religion that not only preaches of peace, but is built and nortured upon similar idiology,
well since this is my first blog please bear with me for boring u and maybe waste ur time,
well here is a proper explanation of this controvertial word "JIHAAD"
Jihad means "to strive or struggle" (in the way of God) and is considered the "sixth pillar of Islam" by a minority of Muslim authorities. Jihad, in its broadest sense, is classically defined as "exerting one's utmost power, efforts, endeavors, or ability in contending with an object of disapprobation." Depending on the object being a visible enemy, the devil, and aspects of one's own self, different categories of Jihad are defined. Jihad when used without any qualifier is understood in its military aspect. Jihad also refers to one's striving to attain religious and moral perfection. Some Muslim authorities, especially among the Shi'a and Sufis, distinguish between the "greater jihad", which pertains to spiritual self-perfection, and the "lesser jihad", defined as warfare.
Within Islamic jurisprudence, jihad is usually taken to mean military exertion against non-Muslim combatants in the defense or expansion of the Islamic state, the ultimate purpose of which is to universalize Islam. Jihad, the only form of warfare permissible in Islamic law, may be declared against apostates, rebels, highway robbers, violent groups, unIslamic leaders or states which refuse to submit to the authority of Islam. Most Muslims today interpret Jihad as only a defensive form of warfare: the external Jihad includes a struggle to make the Islamic societies conform to the Islamic norms of justice.
Under most circumstances and for most Muslims, jihad is a collective duty (fard kifaya): its performance by some individuals exempts the others. Only for those vested with authority, especially the sovereign (imam), does jihad become an individual duty. For the rest of the populace, this happens only in the case of a general mobilization.