Friday 23 March 2012

She always feels distressed when plane crashes happen

I am newly converted to the Islamic religion. To get to know Allah and be able to know that He is with us in our daily life, it is a great comfort. However, I was so stunning by the air plane crash of JFK jr., I could not stop crying. I don't understand why Allah sometimes acts in a such mysteroius way. I feel that we as human beings really don't have control over lives. When I am in a difficult situation, I often pray to Allah to help me go through the tough time, sometimes I feel my prayers are being answered,that Allah is so close to me; yet other times I feel He is so distanced from us, prayers to Allah are the only way for me to get comforts from the Almighty, but I still don't understand why tragedy happened so often.

Praise be to Allaah.

Praise be to Allaah for your coming to Islam. Allaah has blessed you by making you Muslim. And praise be to Allaah for the fact that you feel Allaah is with you, for this is what brings peace to the heart and makes deeds righteous.

 Please understand that Allaah sends trials upon people so as to distinguish between them, so that it will be known who will bear it with patience and the hope of reward from Allaah, and who will be filled with despair and will resent the decree of Allaah. So those who are patient will be rewarded with Paradise and those who despair will be punished with torment, grief and pain in this world, before the Hereafter.

The plane crash which you mentioned is of this nature. The people on board were either committed Muslims, so this disaster is an expiation for their sins and will raise their status, as it is a kind of martyrdom (shahaadah) for which they will be rewarded, and their families will be rewarded if they bear their loss with patience; or they were kuffaar and evildoers who did not obey their Lord, so the accident was a punishment from Allaah and vengeance from Him.

A Muslim must not feel sad for the death of non-Muslims because every human being is destined to die. But dying before we Muslims were able to guide them to Islam is our source of grief and sadness because who ever is not Muslim is doomed in hell.

 There is nothing mysterious about this as you claim. It is the decree of Allaah which happens at every instant; we must bear it with patience and not let grief overwhelm us. The crash of this airplane is a sign from Allaah to mankind, to remind them of the greatness of the power of Allaah.

 Allaah says concerning ships (interpretation of the meaning):

“And among His Signs are the ships in the sea like mountains.

If He wills, He causes the wind to cease, then they would become motionless on the back (of the sea). Verily, in this are signs for everyone patient and grateful.

Or He may destroy them (by shipwreck) because of that which their (people) have earned. And He pardons much.

And those who dispute (polytheists, with Our Messenger Muhammad) as regards Our Ayaat (proofs, signs, verses of Islamic Monotheism) may know that there is no place of refuge for them (from Allaah’s punishment)

So whatever you have been given is but (a passing) enjoyment for this worldly life, but that which is with Allaah (Paradise) is better and more lasting for those who believe (in the Oneness of Allaah Islamic Monotheism) and put their trust in their Lord (concerning all of their affairs).”

[al-Shoora 42:32-36]

Plane crashes and other disasters serve to remind people that no matter how much progress they make in earthly terms and how much strength they gain, Allaah is stronger and more powerful than they. What they do and the developments they have made will not save them from the punishment and decree of Allaah if it comes to them. Let people go back and look at themselves, and realize how incapable and weak they really are, and how strong, mighty and powerful Allaah is.

 Please realize that Allaah is close and that He responds to the call of the one who is in need. Allaah does not distance Himself from man unless man distances himself from Allaah and becomes arrogant.

 Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright” [al-Baqarah 2:186]

 So no one should feel that Allaah is far away from him, unless he has done something to affect the relationship between him and Allaah. If he puts matters right between him and Allaah, then he will not feel that grief and distance.

The feelings of grief and loneliness that have overwhelmed you are  from the accursed Shaytaan who wants to cause grief to those who believe; he does not want to see them active in doing actions of obedience to Allaah that will bring joy to their hearts.

 Imaam Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

 Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

 “And if an evil whisper from Shaytaan (Satan) tries to turn you away (O Muhammad) (from doing good), then seek refuge in Allaah. Verily, He is the All‑Hearer, the All‑Knower” [Fussilat 41:36]

“Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the foolish (i.e. don’t punish them). And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shaytaan (Satan), then seek refuge with Allaah. Verily, He is All-Hearer, All-Knower” [al-A’raaf 7:199-200]

“Repel evil with that which is better. We are Best‑Acquainted with the things they utter.

And say: ‘My Lord! I seek refuge with You from the whisperings (suggestions) of the Shayaateen (devils).

And I seek refuge with You, My Lord! lest they should come near me.’”

[al-Mu’minoon 23:96-98]

 “Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allaah orders the faithful believers to be patient at the time of anger, and to excuse those who treat them badly) then verily he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend.

But none is granted it (the above quality) except those who are patient — and none is granted it except the owner of the great portion (of happiness in the Hereafter, i.e., Paradise and of a high moral character) in this world.

And if an evil whisper from Shaytaan (Satan) tries to turn you away (O Muhammad) (from doing good), then seek refuge in Allaah. Verily, He is the All‑Hearer, the All‑Knower.”

[Fussilat 41:34-36]

 There is no fourth aayah with a meaning like that of these three, which is that Allaah commands us to be kind to human enemies and treat them kindly so that their inherent good nature will prevail and they will become our friends. But He commands us to seek refuge with Him from satanic enemies; there is no point in being kind to them or treating them nicely, for they want only to destroy the sons of Adam because of the intensity of the enmity between them and their father Adam beforehand. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O Children of Adam! Let not Shaytaan (Satan) deceive you, as he got your parents [Adam and Hawwaa’ (Eve)] out of Paradise” [al-A’raaf 7:27]

“Surely, Shaytaan (Satan) is an enemy to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy. He only invites his Hizb (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the blazing Fire” [Faatir 35:6]

 “Will you then take him (Iblees) and his offspring as protectors and helpers rather than Me while they are enemies to you? What an evil is the exchange for the Zaalimoon (polytheists, and wrongdoers, etc).” [al-Kahf 18:50]

 Iblees swore to our father Adam that he was one of the sincere, but he lied, so how about his dealings with us? Especially since he said:

 “By Your Might, then I will surely, mislead them all, Except Your chosen slaves amongst them (i.e. faithful, obedient, true believers of Islamic Monotheism)” [Saad 38:82-83 – interpretation of the meaning]

 And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“So when you want to recite the Qur’aan, seek refuge with Allaah from Shaytaan (Satan), the outcast (the cursed one).  Verily, he has no power over those who believe and put their trust only in their Lord (Allaah). His power is only over those who obey and follow him (Satan), and those who join partners with Him (Allaah, i.e. those who are Mushrikoon, i.e., polytheists.” [al-Nahl 16:98-100]

(Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 1/14)

 So turn to Allaah, remember Him and strive to worship Him, so that your soul will become pure and love for Him will become firmly entrenched in your heart, and you will be relieved of your worry and grief. Remember the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):

 The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no-one who is afflicted by distress and grief, and says: ‘Allaahumma inni ‘abduka ibn ‘abdika ibn amatija naasyati bi yadika, maada fiyya hukmuka, ‘adlun fiyya qadaa’uka. As’aluka bi kulli ismin huwa laka sammayta bihi nafsaka aw anzaltahu fi kitaabika aw ‘allamtahu ahadan min khalqika aw ista’tharta bihi fi ‘ilm il-ghayb ‘indaka an taj’al al-Qur’aana rabee’ qalbi wa noor sadri wa jalaa’ huzni wa dhihaab hammi (O Allaah, I am Your slave, son of Your slave, son of Your maidservant; my forelock is in Your hand, Your command over me is forever executed and Your decree over me is just. I ask You by every name belonging to You which You have named Yourself with, or revealed in Your Book, or You taught to any of Your creation, or You have preserved in the knowledge of the Unseen with You, that You make the Qur’aan the life of my heart and the light of my breast, and a departure for my sorrow and a release for my anxiety),’ but Allaah will take away his distress and grief, and replace it with joy.” (Narrated by Imaam Ahmad, 3704; it is a saheeh hadeeth). May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Ruling on missing a person who has died

I wanted to know if it is wrong to miss someone who has died?

Praise be to Allaah.
We do not think there is anything wrong with missing a person who has died, even though that implies wishing to meet him and be close to him, although one is alive and the other person is dead, and this feeling serves no real purpose. But if we say that we wish we could meet the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them), and the Taabi’een and the scholars, this feeling is the hope of meeting them in Paradise, and the person who wishes that he could meet these great people has to strive hard so that his Lord will be pleased with him and will admit him to Paradise with them, so that his longing will be fulfilled and will come to pass. This is the good result of longing to see the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the Sahaabah. This is the way in which the Sahaabah missed the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) after he died. For example, Muslim narrated that Anas said: “After the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said to ‘Umar, ‘Let us go and visit Umm Ayman as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to visit her. When they came to her, she wept, and they said, ‘Why are you crying? What is with Allaah is better for His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).’ She said, ‘I am not weeping because I do not know that what is with Allaah is better for His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Rather I am weeping because the Revelation from heaven has come to an end.’ That moved them deeply and they began to weep with her.”

(Muslim, 2454)

But if this missing a deceased friend or relative makes a person feel grief and despair – and sometimes distress – and makes him object to the will and decree of Allaah, then this should not be allowed and should be denounced and forbidden, because this may lead to the development of bad characteristics which Islam strives to keep its followers away from. The Muslim should be happy and content with the will and decree of Allaah and His rule and law.

 And Allaah knows best.

Dealing with the fitnah (temptation) of women

I have read the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “I have not left behind me any fitnah (temptation) more harmful to men than women.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5096; Muslim, 2740.
My question is: how can I save myself from this temptation, when I see it everywhere – in the street, on TV, on the internet, at work…?.

Praise be to Allaah.
Allaah has created man in a world of trials and tests, and He has made Paradise the abode of His friends and beloved ones, who preferred His pleasure over their own and preferred obedience to Him over their physical comfort. And He has made Hell the abode of those among His slaves who disobey Him and preferred their own whims and desires to the pleasure of their Lord. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Such is the Paradise which We shall give as an inheritance to those of Our slaves who have been Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)”

[Maryam 19:63]

“But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires and lusts.

Verily, Paradise will be his abode”

[al-Naaz’i’aat 79:40-41]

And He says concerning the people of Hell (interpretation of the meaning):

“Then, there has succeeded them a posterity who have given up As-Salaat (the prayers) [i.e. made their Salaat (prayers) to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times] and have followed lusts. So they will be thrown in Hell”
[Maryam 19:59]

 And He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“That shall be their recompense, Hell; because they disbelieved and took My Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and My Messengers by way of jest and mockery”

[al-Kahf 18:106]

“Then for him who transgressed all bounds, (in disbelief, oppression and evil deeds of disobedience to Allaah).

And preferred the life of this world (by following his evil desires and lusts),

Verily, his abode will be Hell-fire”

[al-Naazi’aat 79:37-39]

So the Muslim must strive to worship Allaah and keep away from that which angers Allaah, for Allaah will not cause the reward the one who does good to be lost:

“As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide them to Our paths (i.e. Allaah’s religion — Islamic Monotheism). And verily, Allaah is with the Muhsinoon (good-doers)”

[al-‘Ankaboot 29:69 – interpretation of the meaning]

One of the fitnahs (temptations) with which we are tested is the fitnah of women, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I have not left behind me any fitnah (temptation) more harmful to men than women.” There follow some of the methods by which we can avoid this temptation. We ask Allaah to set the affairs of the Muslims straight.

1 – Faith in Allaah.

Faith in Allaah and fear of Allaah provide a safety valve and protect a person against committing haraam actions and following his own whims and desires.

If the believer becomes aware that Allaah is always watching and if he ponders the meanings of His names and attributes, such as the All-Knowing, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, the Watchful, the Reckoner, the Preserver, the All-Encompassing, that will generate fear of Him in secret and in public, and will put a stop to disobedience towards Allaah, and will reduce the strength of desire that leads many people to commit haraam actions.

2 – Lowering the gaze and avoiding looking at haraam things

The gaze can generate bad thoughts in the heart, which then lead to ideas and then to desires, then to will and resolve, and then inevitably to doing haraam things. Think about the meaning of this verse which makes a connection between the first steps towards haraam and the end result. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts). That is purer for them. Verily, Allaah is All-Aware of what they do”

[al-Noor 24:30]

Ibn Katheer said: “This is a command from Allaah to His believing slaves, to lower their gaze and avoid looking at that which is forbidden to them so that they only look at that which they are permitted to look at.  If it so happens that a person’s gaze accidentally falls upon something haraam, he should turn his gaze away from it quickly.

3 – Warding off evil thoughts

Bad thoughts pose a danger to the heart… If a person dwells on them and does not push them away, they will develop into an idea, then into will and resolve, then this will inevitably lead to haraam actions.  Beware of dwelling on passing thoughts; rather what you must do is to ward them off and crowd them out with good thoughts.

The treatment, then, is to ward off these passing thoughts and keep yourself busy with beneficial thoughts.

4 – Marriage

It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O young men, whoever among you can afford it, let him get married, and whoever cannot, let him fast, for it will be a shield for him.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5065.

5 – Fasting for those who cannot afford to get married

– because of the hadeeth quoted above, in which it says, “…and whoever cannot, let him fast, for it will be a shield for him.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5065.

Al-Qurtubi said:

The less a person eats, the weaker his desire becomes, and the weaker his desire is, the less sins he commits.

6 – Keeping away from bad companions.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A man will follow the way of his close friends, so let each one of you look at who he takes as a close friend.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 8433; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 4046.

7 – Keeping away from places of temptation.

It is obvious that we are living in a society that is filled with temptation – media of all types, magazines, flirting in the marketplaces, satellite TV, the internet, etc… So you have to flee from all of these in order to keep your religious commitment sound.

8 – Do not make your houses graves.

Make your house a reminder of obedience, not of sin. If a room is connected to sin for example, that will make a person commit sin repeatedly, because every time he enters that room he will remember the sin and may be provoked to commit the sin again. So he should make his room and his house a reminder of obedience to Allaah, so when he enters he sees the Mus-haf which he reads, and he remembers praying qiyaam al-layl for Allaah, and the regular Sunnah prayers that he offers in this room. Doing a lot of acts of worship in your house will make a connection in your mind between the house and doing good deeds, so you will do more and will think less of sin, and the calls of desire will grow less.

9 – Trying to make the most of your time in worshipping and obeying Allaah.

Time is one of the great blessings that Allaah has bestowed upon His slaves, but there are many who are not making the most of it. It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Two blessings which many people do not make the most of: good health and spare time.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6412.

See also question no. 3234.

10 – Remembering the blessings of the Hereafter.

Particularly appropriate in this context is remembering al-hoor al-‘iyn and their attributes, whom Allaah has prepared for those who are patient and steadfast in avoiding sin. This can help the Muslim to look at these transient haraam pleasures which only lead to regret and loss.

We ask Allaah to help us to avoid temptation, both obvious and hidden. Praise be to Allaah the Lord of the Worlds.

Can a Muslim fast and pray for the purpose of supplication?

The other question is can one go to the Al Haram to pray for one's needs, e.g to pray for cure from sickness , to pray to have children etc. Still can one fast for some days for the purpose of requesting for one's needs from Allah for the reasons stated above? (i.e. to pray for children etc).

Praise be to Allaah.
There is no reason why a Muslim should not pray in al-Masjid al-Haraam for the purpose of supplication, but it is better for him not to restrict his intention in the prayer to supplication. Rather his intention should be to worship Allaah through this prayer and to hope for its reward in the Hereafter. Moreover, prayer includes dhikr, reciting Qur’aan, bowing, prostrating and du’aa’, so the du’aa’ should just be a part of the prayer; it is not the primary purpose. Al-Masjid al-Haraam is one of the blessed and venerated places, so if a person prays and calls upon Allaah whilst prostrating, for example – then he will have combined the virtue of the place with the virtue of the action. If this is done during the last third of the night, he will also add the virtue of the time.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:

With regard to the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “As for rukoo’, glorify your Lord therein, and as for sujood (prostration) strive in du’aa’ therein, because then it is more likely that you will be answered” (narrated by Muslim, 479, from the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas) – this contains the command to glorify Allaah in rukoo’, and the command to make du’aa’ when prostrating indicates that du’aa’ in sujood is more likely to be answered than in rukoo’. Hence he said, “because then it is more likely that you will be answered”. And he said, “The closest that the slave is to his Lord is when he is prostrating.” (Narrated by Muslim 482 from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah). This is a command that du’aa’ should be made in sujood.

Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 22/378

And he said:

Du’aa’ is answered when rain is falling, when battle in joined, when the adhaan and iqaamah are given, following prayers, when prostrating, and when offered by one who is fasting, one who is travelling and one who is oppressed, and so on. All of this is narrated in well-known ahaadeeth in the books of Saheeh and Sunan. Du’aa’ is also likely to be answered in the sacred places such as ‘Arafah, Muzdalifah, Mina, the Multazim and other sacred places in Makkah, and in the mosques in general. The greater the virtue of the mosque – such as the three Sacred Mosques [in Makkah, Madeenah and Jerusalem] – the better prayers and du’aa’s are in them.

Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 27/129-130

On the other hand it may be said:

Doing righteous deeds in the hope that du’aa’ will be answered is something that is prescribed in sharee’ah. Hence doing wudoo’ and praying in al-Masjid al-Haraam may be included among the righteous deeds that may be done before starting du’aa’ in the hope that that the du’aa’ will be answered.  

It was narrated from ‘Uthmaan ibn Hunayf that a blind man came to the Prophet (S) and said: Pray to Allaah to heal me. He said, “If you wish, you may delay the reward until the Hereafter, for that is better, or if you wish, I will make du’aa’ for you.” He said, Make du’aa’. So he told him to do wudoo’ and do it well, and to pray two rak’ahs, and to say this du’aa’: “Allaahumma inni as’aluka wa atawajjahu ilayka bi Muhammadin Nabi al-rahmah. Yaa Muhammad inni qad tawajjahtu bika ila rabbiy fi haajati haadhihi li tuqdaa. Allaahumma shaffi’hu fiyya (O Allaah, I ask of You and I turn my face towards You by the virtue of Muhammad the Prophet of Mercy. O Muhammad, I have turned my face by virtue of you to my Lord concerning this need of mine so that it may be met. O Allaah, accept his intercession concerning me).”

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3578; Ibn Maajah, 1385; this hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Tirmidhi and by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1279

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded him to do wudoo’ and pray two rak’ahs before he made du’aa’; this indicates that prayer is one of the righteous deeds by virtue of which a person’s du’aa’ may be more likely to be answered, and that may be one of the causes of the du’aa’ being answered.

With regard to fasting, what has been said with regard to prayer may also be said with regard to fasting. The intention behind it should be to worship Allaah by means of this great act of worship, and to attain the reward for it in the Hereafter, and to fear Allaah and earn His pleasure. Then if he is fasting, it is mustahabb for the fasting person to make a lot of du’aa’, for the du’aa’ of the fasting person will be answered, especially at the time of breaking the fast.

And Allaah knows best.

Why will there be more women in Hell than men?

Why are there more women in hell than men?

Praise be to Allaah.
It was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that women will form the majority of the people of Hell. It was narrated from ‘Imraan ibn Husayn that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I looked into Paradise and I saw that the majority of its people were the poor. And I looked into Hell and I saw that the majority of its people are women.”

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3241; Muslim, 2737)

With regard to the reason for that, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about it and he explained the reason.

It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abbaas said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I was shown Hell and I have never seen anything more terrifying than it. And I saw that the majority of its people are women.” They said, “Why, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “Because of their ingratitude (kufr).” It was said, “Are they ungrateful to Allaah?” He said, “They are ungrateful to their companions (husbands) and ungrateful for good treatment. If you are kind to one of them for a lifetime then she sees one (undesirable) thing in you, she will say, ‘I have never had anything good from you.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1052)

It was narrated that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said:

“The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out to the Musalla on the day of Eid al-Adha or Eid al-Fitr. He passed by the women and said, ‘O women! Give charity, for I have seen that you form the majority of the people of Hell.’ They asked, ‘Why is that, O Messenger of Allaah?’  He replied, ‘You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religious commitment than you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you.’ The women asked, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, what is deficient in our intelligence and religious commitment?’ He said, ‘Is not the testimony of two women equal to the testimony of one man?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘This is the deficiency in her intelligence. Is it not true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?’ The women said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘This is the deficiency in her religious commitment.’”

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 304)

It was narrated that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah said: “I attended Eid prayers with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He started with the prayer before the khutbah, with no adhaan or iqaamah. Then he stood up, leaning on Bilaal, speaking of fear of Allaah (taqwa) and urging us to obey Him. He preached to the people and reminded them. Then he went over to the women and preached to them and reminded them. Then he said, ‘Give in charity, for you are the majority of the fuel of Hell. A woman with dark cheeks stood up in the midst of the women and said, ‘Why is that, O Messenger of Allaah?’ He said, ‘Because you complain too much and are ungrateful to your husbands.’ Then they started to give their jewellery in charity, throwing their earrings and rings into Bilaal’s cloak.”

(Narrated by Muslim, 885)

Our believing sisters who learn of this hadeeth should behave like those Sahaabiyaat who, when they learned of this, did good deeds which would be the means, by Allaah’s leave, of keeping them far away from being included in that majority of the inhabitants of Hell.

So our advice to the sisters is to strive to adhere to the rituals and obligatory duties of Islam, especially prayer, and to keep away from that which Allaah has forbidden, especially shirk in its many forms which are widespread among women, such as seeking one's needs from someone other than Allaah, going to practitioners of witchcraft and fortune-tellers, etc.

 We ask Allaah to keep us and all our brothers and sisters far away from the Fire and the words and deeds that bring one close to it.

He wants to work some days of the week and spend the rest in worship

I know a Brother in Islaam, who left his haraam job, after realsing the haraam nature of it - Alhamdhu Lillah.
He is now looking for a job that is just sufficient to feed and clothe his family. He is keen to work only as many days to earn that income. The rest of the week he wants to spend in the mosque reading Qu'raan and praying etc..
Is his behaviour permissible? Does Islaam not say that the daytime is for seeking sustenance and the night for prayers.? Is it not better for him to seek a good job so that the extra money can be given as zakat to the poor? Doesn't his family have rights over him with regard to time.

Praise be to Allaah.

The Muslim who is able to earn a living must strive to earn that which will keep him and those under his guardianship, such as his wife and children, from having to beg, and to earn what he needs to spend on their maintenance. If he manages to do that, then if he spends the rest of his time, whether during the night or the day, in worshipping Allaah by praying, fasting, reading Qur’aan, that is better. There is no specific time for worship in general, but yes, praying qiyaam at night is better than praying during the day. This does not mean that there is no reward for praying naafil prayers during the day. He should start by doing that which is obligatory, whether the obligation is towards Allaah or towards His creation, then he can use the rest of his time for doing that which is mustahabb, and if he indulges in some permissible activities for the purpose of relaxation and recreation, that is OK.

Conditions for deeds to be acceptable to Allaah

When a Muslim does an action, what conditions make it acceptable and therefore rewarded by Allah.  Is it simply that you intended to follow the Qur'an and Sunnah, and therefore you will be rewarded even though you may have been wrong in your action.  Or is it that you must have the intention, but you also need to follow the correct Sunnah as well.

Praise be to Allaah.
For acts of worship to be acceptable to Allaah and for a person to be rewarded for them, there are two conditions which must be met:

The first condition: it should be devoted to Allaah Alone. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allaah, and worship none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing partners to Him)”

[al-Bayyinah 98:5]

The meaning of worshipping Allaah alone is that the person should intend in all his words and deeds, both inward and outward, to seek the Face of Allaah (i.e., His pleasure). Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And who has (in mind) no favour from anyone to be paid back,

Except to seek the Countenance of his Lord, the Most High”

[al-Layl 92:19]

“(Saying): “We feed you seeking Allaah’s Countenance only. We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you”

[al-Insaan 76:9]

“Whosoever desires (by his deeds) the reward of the Hereafter, We give him increase in his reward, and whosoever desires the reward of this world (by his deeds), We give him thereof (what is decreed for him), and he has no portion in the Hereafter”

[al-Shoora 42:20]

“Whosoever desires the life of the world and its glitter, to them We shall pay in full (the wages of) their deeds therein, and they will have no diminution therein.

They are those for whom there is nothing in the Hereafter but Fire, and vain are the deeds they did therein. And of no effect is that which they used to do”

[Hood 11:15-16]

It was narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say:

‘The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for.’”

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, Bad’ al-Wahy, 1).

It was narrated by Muslim from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah, may He be blessed and exalted, says: ‘I am so self-sufficient that I am in no need of having an associate. Thus he who does an action for someone else’s sake as well as Mine will have that action renounced by Me to him whom he associated with Me.’” (Narrated by Muslim, al-Zuhd wa’l-Raqaa’iq, 5300)

The second condition is that the action should be in accordance with the only way which Allaah has prescribed for worship, which is by following the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)  in the laws that he has brought. It was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)  said: “Whoever does any action that is not in accordance with this matter of ours (i.e., Islam), will have it rejected.” (Narrated by Muslim, al-Aqdiyyah, 3243).

Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “This hadeeth forms one of the most  important principles of Islam. It is like a scale for weighing up deeds according to their outward appearance, just as the hadeeth ‘The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions’ is the means of weighing up the inner nature of deeds. Just as every action which is not intended for the sake of Allaah brings no reward to the one who does it, so too every deed which is not in accordance with the command of Allaah and His Messenger will also be rejected and thrown back at the one who does it. Everyone who innovates in Islam something for which Allaah and His Messenger have not granted permission, that thing is nothing to do with Islam.

(Jaami’ al-‘Uloom wa’l-Hukam, part 1, p. 176)

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined following his Sunnah and teachings, and made them binding. He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “You have to follow my Sunnah (way) and the way of my rightly-guided successors (al-khulafa’ al-raashidoon); bite onto it with your eyeteeth (i.e., cling firmly to it).” And he warned against bid’ah (innovation), as he said: “Beware of newly-invented matters, for every newly-invented matter is a going astray.” (narrated by al-Tirmidhi, al-‘Ilm, 2600; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 2157)

Ibn al-Qayyim said: “Allaah has made devotion of worship to Him alone and following the Sunnah the means of deeds being accepted; if these conditions are not met, then deeds are unaccaptable.”

(al-Rooh, 1/135)

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Who has created death and life that He may test you which of you is best in deed”

[al-Mulk 67:2]

al-Fudayl said: “’best in deed’ means, most devoted to Allaah alone and most in accordance with the Sunnah.

And Allaah is the Source of strength.

There is no clean place to do wudoo’ and pray – should he delay prayer?

I work for an american company, I am the only muslim. there is no clean place or feasible place to perform wadu during the day, and there is no private place to perform salat.. Is it haram to wait until I get home to perform Duhr and Asr salat.

Praise be to Allaah.
The Muslim has to understand the importance of prayer and the necessity of observing prayer regularly at the appointed times, fulfilling all the conditions and pillars and essential parts of the prayer. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, As-Salaah (the prayer) is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours”

[al-Nisa’ 4:103]

It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: I asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Which deed is most beloved to Allaah?” He said, “Prayer performed on time.” He said, “Then what?” He said, “Honouring one’s parents.” He said,  “Then what?” He said, “Jihad for the sake of Allaah.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari (504) and Muslim (85).

So it is not permissible for the Muslim to delay his prayer beyond the time it is due. Wudoo’ does not require a clean place. Even if we assume that it does, the questioner could make sure that he has wudoo’ before coming to work and keep his wudoo’ so that he can pray on time.

He has to offer prayer on time. Looking for a clean place where he can perform the prayer is not too difficult. Prayer is valid in any place on earth so long as it is clean and pure. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The earth has been made for me a place of prayer and purification, so whenever the time of prayer comes for any man of my ummah, let him pray.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 335; Muslim, 521. Sharee’ah only excludes from that specific places in which prayer is not valid, which include graveyards and bathrooms. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “All the earth is a place of prostration apart from graveyards and bathrooms.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 492; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

So the workplace may be a place of prayer if it is clean. If it is not easy then he should look for somewhere else. Asking his bosses to allocate a corner where he can pray is not something that is difficult.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:

If he deliberately delays the prayer until the time is too short to meet all the conditions and do all the essential parts of the prayer, such as if there is some impure substance on him, or he is junub and delays the prayer so that if he does ghusl the time for prayer will be over, then he has to purify himself first, but he is a sinner because he is doing the prayer at the wrong time. He should have purified himself before the time became too short and prayed on time. When he delays it, then he has to do what is required in the right sequence even though he is a sinner because of his delaying it.

Sharh al-‘Umdah, 4/58.

If he is unable to fulfil one of the conditions of prayer being valid – such as tahaarah (purity) – then he should pray on time and he is exempted from this condition. It is not permissible to delay the prayer until its time is over in order to fulfil that condition.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:

Because those who are obliged to pray when the time for prayer comes, but are unable to fulfil one of its conditions or essential parts at that moment, but will be able to do so after the time for prayer is over, it is not permissible for them to delay the prayer until its time is over. If this were permissible then the one who is unable to purify himself, cover himself, bow or prostrate, or do any other condition or essential part of the prayer would be allowed to delay the prayer until he is able to do that, if he knows or thinks it most likely that he will be able to do it. This is contrary to the Qur’aan, Sunnah and scholarly consensus, because sharee’ah’s concern that the prayer be performed on time is greater than its concern for any other condition or essential part of prayer that cannot be done. Hence it is not permissible to delay the prayer until its time is over because of being unable to do some of the essential parts. When the time for the obligatory prayer is too short and one cannot fulfil the conditions, then doing the prayer on time takes precedence over the conditions. There is only one time when fulfilling the conditions takes precedence over the act itself, which is when the act becomes obligatory towards the end of its time, such as when a sleeper wakes up at the end of the time, in which case the prayer becomes obligatory when he wakes up, and he must fulfil the conditions of prayer. The applies if someone wakes up after the time for prayer is over.

Sharh al-‘Umdah, 4/347, 348.

And Allaah knows best.

From learning Quran online Blog.
And importantly note that we want to discourse and share with you it is about reading quran online.and doing Quran recitation online to appreciate it, Ramadan is the month when the divine Holy Quran has been unveiled. A miracle by the Godhead of the worlds, Allah (SWT) Should we not spiritualize him by reading Quran the talent he has sent down for us and we should learn Arabic Quran by heart to have the power of it and we as Moslem should try to learn quran with translation to comprehend it while we do Quran memorization and let our heart fill will teardrops of glory and wash away our sins in the month of Ramadan many people teach quran and we should participate in teaching quran as much as we could. important note to before starting to read koran After social intercourse or menstrual bleeding one must not touch the holy Quran or do quran recitation and also not do quran memorization until after bathing non-Muslim should not handle the sacred writing, but may pay attention to Quran online. Based upon all these things in your thoughts when one is not reading or reciting holy Quran it ought to be closed and stored in nice and clean spot, it should never be placed on floor or in a toilet and Muslim will require to focus on reading quran the tajweed quran and its formulae with a proper institute.

End from  online Quran reciter blog

How to be successful in life

How to obtain success and prosperity in this world and hereafter.What kind of success or prosperity that islam want the ummah islam gain in this world.

Praise be to Allaah.
Peace of mind, contentment, happiness and freedom from worries and anxiety… these are what everyone wants, and these are the ways in which people can have a good life and find complete happiness and joy. There are religious means of achieving that, and natural and practical means, but no one can combine all of them except the believers; although other people may achieve some of them, they will miss out on others.

There follows a summary of the means of achieving this aim for which everyone is striving. In some cases, those who achieve many of them will live a joyful life and a good life; in other cases, those who fail to achieve all of them will live a life of misery and hardship. And there are others which are in between, according to what the means he is able to attain. These means include the following:

1 – Faith and righteous deeds:

This is the greatest and most fundamental of means. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)”

[al-Nahl 16:97]

Allaah tells us and promises us that whoever combines faith with righteous deeds will have a good life and a good reward in this world and in the Hereafter.

The reason for that is clear: those who believe in Allaah – with sincere faith that motivates them to do righteous deeds that change hearts and attitudes and guides them to the straight path in this world and the Hereafter – follow principles and guidelines by means of which they deal with everything that happens to them, be it the causes of happiness and excitement or the causes of anxiety, worry and grief.

They deal with the things that they like by accepting them and giving thanks for them, and using them in good ways. When they deal with them in this manner, that creates in them a sense of excitement and the hope that it will continue and that they will be rewarded for their gratitude, which is more important than the good things that happen to them. And they deal with bad things, worries and distress by resisting those that they can resist, alleviating those that they can alleviate, and bearing with goodly patience those that they cannot avoid. Thus as a result of the bad things they gain a lot of benefits, experience, strength, patience and hope of reward, which are more important and which diminish the hardships they have undergone and replace them with happiness and hope for the bounty and reward of Allaah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) expressed this in a saheeh hadeeth in which he said: “How wonderful is the situation of the believer, for all his affairs are good. If something good happens to him, he gives thanks for it and that is good for him; if something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience, and that is good for him. This does not apply to anyone but the believer.” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 2999).

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that the believer is always gaining and the reward for his deeds is always multiplying, no matter what happens to him, good or bad.

2 – Being kind to people in word and deed, and all kinds of doing good. This is one of the means of removing worry, distress and anxiety. By this means Allaah wards off worries and distress from righteous and immoral like, but the believer has the greater share of that, and is distinguished by the fact that his kindness to others stems from sincerity and the hope of reward, so Allaah makes it easy for him to be kind to others because of the hope that this will bring good things and ward off bad things, by means of his sincerity and hope of reward. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“There is no good in most of their secret talks save (in) him who orders Sadaqah (charity in Allaah’s Cause), or Ma‘roof (Islamic Monotheism and all the good and righteous deeds which Allaah has ordained), or conciliation between mankind; and he who does this, seeking the good Pleasure of Allaah, We shall give him a great reward”


[al-Nisa’ 4:114]

Part of that great reward is relief from worry, distress, troubles, etc.

3 – Another of the means of warding off anxiety that stems from nervous tension and being preoccupied with disturbing thoughts is to occupy oneself with good deeds or seeking beneficial knowledge, for that will distract one from dwelling on the matters that are causing anxiety. In this way a person may forget about the things that are making him worried and distressed, and he may become happy and more energetic. This is another means that believers and others have in common, but the believer is distinguished by his faith, sincerity and hope of reward when he occupies himself with that knowledge which he is learning or teaching, or with the good deeds that he is doing.

The work with which he occupies himself should be something that he likes and enjoys, for that is more likely to produce the desired results. And Allaah knows best.

4 – Another thing that may ward off worry and anxiety is focusing all one’s thoughts of the present day, and not worrying about the future or grieving about the past. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sought refuge with Allaah from worry and regret, from regret for things in the past which one cannot put right or change, and worry which may come because of fear for the future. So one should focus only on the present day, and focus one's efforts on getting things right today. For if a person is focused on that, this means that he will do things properly and forget about worry and regret. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said a du’aa’ or taught a du’aa’ to his ummah, as well as urging them to seek the help of Allaah and hope for His bounty, he was also urging them to strive to attain the thing they were praying for through their own efforts and to forget about the thing which they were praying would be warded off from them. Because du’aa’ (supplication) must be accompanied by action. So a person must strive to attain that which will benefit him in worldly and spiritual terms, and ask his Lord to make his efforts successful, and he should seek His help in that, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Strive for that which will benefit you and seek the help of Allaah, and do not be helpless. If anything (bad) happens to you, do not say, ‘If only I had done such-and-such, then such-and-such would have happened.’ Rather you should say, ‘Qaddara Allaah wa ma sha’a fa’ala (Allaah decrees, and what He wills He does),’ for (the words) ‘If only’ open the door to the Shaytaan.” (Narrated by Muslim). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) connected the matter of striving to achieve good things with the matter of seeking the help of Allaah and not giving in to feelings of helplessness which are a harmful kind of laziness, and with the matter of accepting things in the past which are over and done with, and acknowledging that the will and decree of Allaah will inevitably come to pass. He described matters as being of two types:

1 – Matters which a person may strive to achieve or to achieve whatever he can of them, or to ward them off or alleviate them. In such cases a person must strive and make the effort, and also seek the help of Allaah.

2 – Matters where such is not possible, so he must have peace of mind, accept them and submit to Allaah’s will.

Undoubtedly paying attention to this principle will bring happiness and relieve worry and distress.

5 – One of the greatest means of feeling content and relaxed and of acquiring peace of mind is to remember Allaah a great deal (dhikr). That has a great effect in bringing contentment and peace of mind, and relieving worry and distress. Allaah says:

“verily, in the remembrance of Allaah do hearts find rest”

[al-Ra’d 13:28]

Remembering Allaah (dhikr) has a great effect in achieving this aim because it has a special influence and because of the hope that it brings of reward.

6 – Another of the means of bringing happiness and relieving worry and distress is striving to eliminate the things that cause worry and to achieve the things that bring happiness. That may be done by forgetting about bad things in the past which cannot be changed, and  realizing that dwelling on them is a waste of time. So a person must strive to stop himself from thinking of that, and also strive to stop himself from feeling anxious about the future and the things that he may imagine of poverty, fear and other bad things that he thinks may happen to him in the future. He should realize that the future is something unknown, he cannot know what good or bad things are going to happen to him. That is in the hand of the Almighty, the Most Wise, and all that His slaves can do is to strive to attain the good things and to ward off the bad things. A person should realize that if he diverts his thoughts from worrying about his future and puts his trust in his Lord to take care of his situation, and puts his mind at rest concerning that, if he does that, then his heart will be at peace and his situation will improve and he will be relieved of worry and anxiety.

One of the most effective ways of dealing with worries about the future is to recite this du’aa’ which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite:

“Allaahumma aslih li deeni alladhi huwa ‘ismatu amri, wa aslih li dunyaaya allati fiha ma’aashi, wa aslih li aakhirati allati ilayha ma’aadi, waj’al al-hayaata ziyaadatan li fi kulli khayr, wa’l-mawta raahatan li min kulli sharr (O Allaah, correct my religious commitment which is the foundation of my life, and correct my worldly affairs in which is my livelihood, and grant me good in the Hereafter to which is my return. Make my life a means of accumulating good, and make death a respite for me from all evil).” (Narrated by Muslim, 2720).

And he said, “Allaahumma rahmataka arju fa la takilni ila nafsi tarfata ‘aynin wa aslih li sha’ni kullahu, laa ilaaha illa anta (O Allaah, for Your mercy I hope, so do not abandon me to myself even for a moment. And correct all my affairs. There is no god but You).” (Narrated by Abu Dawood with a saheeh isnaad, no. 5090; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Kalim al-Tayyib, p. 49).

If a person utters these du’aa’s, which ask that his spiritual and worldly affairs may be set right or corrected, with proper presence of mind and sincerity of intention, whilst striving to achieve that, Allaah will grant him what he has prayed for, hoped for and striven for, and He will turn his worry into joy and happiness.

7 – If a person experiences anxiety and distress because of a disaster, then one of the most effective means of relieving himself of that is to think of the worst scenario to which that may lead, and try to accept that. When he has done that, then he should try to alleviate it as much as possible. By means of this acceptance and these efforts, he will relieve himself of his worries and distress, and instead of worrying he will strive to bring about good things and to deal with whatever he can of the bad things. If he is faced with things that cause fear or the possibility of sickness or poverty, then he should deal with that by striving to make himself accept that, or something even worse, with contentment, because by making himself accept the worst-case scenario, he lessens the impact of the thing and makes it seem less terrible, especially if he occupies himself with efforts to ward it off as much as he can. Thus as well as striving to achieve something good which will distract him from his worries about calamity, he will also renew his strength to resist bad things, and put his trust and reliance in Allaah. Undoubtedly these matters are of great benefit in attaining happiness and peace of mind, as well as bringing the hope of reward in this world and in the Hereafter. This is something which is well known from the experience of many who have tried it.

8 – Steadfastness of heart and not being disturbed about the imaginary things that bad thoughts may bring to mind. For when a person gives in to his imagination and lets his mind be disturbed by these thoughts, such as fear of disease and the like, or anger and confusion stirred up by some grievous matter, or the expectation of bad things and the loss of good things, that will fill him with worries, distress, mental and physical illness and nervous breakdowns, which will have a bad effect on him and which causes a great deal of harm, as many people have seen. But when a person depends on Allaah and puts his trust in Him, and does not give in to his imagination or let bad thoughts overwhelm him, and he relies on Allaah and has hope of His bounty, that wards off his worries and distress, and relieves him of a great deal of mental and physical sickness. It gives indescribable strength, comfort and happiness to the heart. How many hospitals are filled with the mentally sick victims of illusions and harmful imagination; how often have these things had an effect upon the hearts of many strong people, let alone the weak ones; how often have they led to foolishness and insanity.

It should be noted that your life will follow your train of thought. If your thoughts are of things that will bring you benefit in your spiritual or worldly affairs, then your life will be good and happy. Otherwise it will be the opposite.

The person who is safe from all of that is the one who is protected by Allaah and helped by Him to strive to achieve that which will benefit and strengthen the heart and ward off anxiety. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And whosoever puts his trust in Allaah, then He will suffice him”

[al-Talaaq 65:3]

i.e., He will be sufficient for all that is worrying him in his spiritual and worldly affairs. The one who puts his trust in Allaah will have strength in his heart and will not be affected by anything he imagines or be disturbed by events, because he knows that these are the result of vulnerable human nature and of weakness and fear that have no basis. He also knows that Allaah has guaranteed complete sufficiency to those who put their trust in Him. So he trusts in Allaah and finds peace of mind in His promise, and thus his worry and anxiety are dispelled; hardship is turned to ease, sadness is turned to joy, fear is turned to peace. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound, and to bless us with strength and steadfastness of heart, and complete trust, for Allaah has guaranteed all good things to those who put their trust in Him, and has guaranteed to ward off all bad and harmful things from them.

If bad things happen or there is the fear of such, then you should count the many blessings that you are still enjoying, both spiritual and worldly, and compare them with the bad things that have happened, for when you compare them you will see the many blessings that you are enjoying, and this will make the bad things appear less serious.

See al-Wasaa’il al-Mufeedah li’l-Hayaat al-Sa’eedah by Shatkh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Sa’di

Ibn al-Qayyim summed fifteen ways through which Allaah may dispel worries and regret. These are as follows:

1-     Tawheed al-Ruboobiyyah (belief in the Oneness of Divine Lordship)
2-     Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah (belief in the Oneness of the Divine nature)
3-     Tawheed of knowledge and belief (i.e., Tawheed al-Asma’ wa’l_Sifaat, belief in the Oneness of the Divine names and attributes)
4-     Thinking of Allaah as being above doing any injustice to His slaves, and above punishing anyone for no cause on the part of the slave that would require such punishment.
5-     The person’s acknowledging that he is the one who has done wrong.
6-     Beseeching Allaah by means of the things that are most beloved to Him, which are His names and attributes. Two of His names that encompass the meanings of all other names and attributes are al-Hayy (the Ever-Living) and al-Qayyoom (the Eternal).
7-     Seeking the help of Allaah Alone.
8-     Affirming one's hope in Him.
9-     Truly putting one’s trust in Him and leaving matters to Him, acknowledging that one's forelock is in His hand and that He does as He wills, that His will is forever executed and that He is just in all that He decrees.
10-Letting one's heart wander in the garden of the Qur’aan, seeking consolation in it from every calamity, seeking healing in it from all diseases of the heart, so that it will bring comfort to his grief and healing for his worries and distress.
11-Seeking forgiveness.
12-Repentance.
13-Jihad.
14-Salaah (prayer).
15-Declaring that he has no power and no strength, and leaving matters to the One in Whose hand they are.
 We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound from worries and to relieve us of distress and anxiety, for He is the All-Hearing, Ever-Responsive, and He is the Ever-Living, Eternal.

 See Alhomoom – Dealing with Worries and Stress, in the Books section of this site.

 And Allaah knows best. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

Tuesday 13 March 2012

Acceptance of righteous deeds from one who commits zina

Will Allah accept the prayer and good deeds of a person who is continually committing sin such as fornification eventhough in his/her heart the person is aware that he/she is sinning and is full of guilt and tries his/her very best not to continue committing such sin. Except for this weakness this person tries to be a good muslim e.g. never misses daily prayers, giving out time and money towards the cause of Allah, never take alcohol or other un-halal foods etc.

Praise be to Allaah.
Yes, Allaah will accept whatever righteous deeds he does, such as praying, fasting, giving charity etc., and He will also accept his repentance, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): “And He it is Who accepts repentance from His slaves, and forgives sins, and He knows what you do.” [al-Shooraa 42:25]. But there is the condition that his repentance must be sincere. Does this person truly regret what he has done? Is he indeed determined not to repeat the sin? Has he, I wonder, gotten rid of everything that may lead him to sin, such as relationships, addresses, telephone numbers, going to evil places, bad friends, movies, pictures and so on? What we believe is that if this person truly repents, he will give up this sin.
Zina is one of the worst kinds of immoral deeds. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And come not near to the unlawful sexual intercourse. Verily, it is a faahishah [i.e., anything that transgresses its limits, a great sin], and an evil way (that leads one to Hell unless Allaah forgives him).” [al-Isra’ 17:32].
Married people who commit zina (adultery) are to be punished with the worst and most severe form of punishment, which is to be stoned to death, so that every part of their bodies may feel pain just as they felt pleasure in a haraam manner even though they were not without a halaal source of pleasure (i.e., within marriage). Unmarried people who commit zinaa, and had never been married before, are to be given the maximum number of lashes prescribed in sharee’ah, which is one hundred lashes. In addition, they are subjected to the humiliation of having their punishment witnessed by a group of believers, and are to be banished for one full year from their city, the place where they committed the crime.
The punishment for those who are guilty of zinaa in Barzakh (i.e., after death and before the Day of Resurrection) is that they will be in an oven, the top of which is narrow and the bottom of which is wide. A fire will be lit under it, and they will be naked in (that oven). When the fire is lit, they will scream and rise up until they almost come out of the oven, then when the fire subsides, they will go back down into it. This is what will keep happening to them until the Hour begins. So how will their punishment be in the Fire of Hell itself?
We ask Allaah not to despise us and to accept our repentance; we ask Him to help us to do good and to avoid evil, for He is the All-Hearing, Ever-Near.





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Will an adulterer be deprived of al-hoor al-‘ayn? What is the meaning of the hadeeth “Whoever commits adultery, the same will be done to him (i.e., his womenfolk)”?

If a man commits zina then repents, will he be deprived of al-hoor al-‘ayn in the Hereafter? And what is the meaning of the phrase “the same will be done to him (i.e., his womenfolk), even within the walls of his house?” If that refers to his mahrams.

Praise be to Allaah.
If an adulterer or anyone else who has committed a sin repents sincerely, Allaah will accept his repentance and expiate for his bad deeds, as is indicated by a great deal of evidence in the Qur’aan and Sunnah. For example, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“Say: O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-Zumar 39:53] 
Indeed, if his repentance is good, his bad deeds may be replaced with good, by the immense grace and mercy of Allaah, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“And those who invoke not any other ilaah (god) along with Allaah, nor kill such person as Allaah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.
The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace;
Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-Furqaan 25:68-70] 
What is implied by the forgiveness of Allaah and His acceptance of repentance is that He will not punish him. 
But if a person persists in committing zina and does not repent from it, then it is proven that such a person will suffer different kinds of punishment, in this world, in the grave and in the Hereafter. We do not find any text that states that he will be deprived of al-hoor al-‘ayn, but some of the scholars have reached this conclusion by analogy with the proven warning concerning one who dies without repenting from drinking wine, who will not drink it in the Hereafter; and one who does not repent from wearing silk in this world, who will not wear it in the Hereafter. 
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) listed the punishments that will befall the one who commits zina, if he does not repent:
 “He exposes himself to missing out on the enjoyment of al-hoor al-‘ayn in the blessed abode of the Paradise of ‘Aden (the Garden of Eden). For Allaah will punish the one who wears silk in this world by depriving him of it on the Day of Resurrection; and He will punish the one who drinks wine in this world by depriving him of it on the Day of Resurrection; so by the same token He will punish the one who enjoyed haraam intimacy in this world. Indeed, everything of haraam things that a person enjoyed in this world, he will be deprived of its legitimate counterpart in the Hereafter.” 
(Rawdat al-Muhibbeen by Ibn al-Qayyim, 365-368) 
With regard to the hadeeth which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said “Whoever commits adultery, the same will be done to him (i.e., his womenfolk), even within the walls of his house”, this is a fabricated (mawdoo’) hadeeth, as was stated by al-Suyooti and Ibn ‘Arraaq, and by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah, 2/155. 
Based on that, there is no point to your objection. Even if the hadeeth were saheeh, it could be interpreted in a sound manner, which is that a man who commits zina and persists in it is one of the immoral and corrupt, and this corruption will have an effect on his family, because it will influence his family and make them corrupt as well. If the head of the household is careless about his own attitude, he will be even more careless about his family, and he will not discipline them to follow their religion properly. As a result, it is not unlikely that they will fall into the same sins as he did, because their faith is weak. In fact there are many stories from real life which point to such cases. This is one of the punishments which are hastened in this world, by means of which Allaah punishes those who violate  the honour of the Muslims, so Allaah causes their honour to be violated in turn, as a fitting punishment. Allaah does whatsoever He wills, in accordance with the utmost wisdom and perfect justice, and He is never unjust towards anyone. He is not to be questioned as to what He does, and He is the Most Wise, All-Knowing.

Woman who accepts Islam and whose husband is a kaafir

If a lady reverts to Islam and is married to a non-Muslim man, must she divorce this man? If he refuses to become a Muslim, can she continue to live with him?

All praise be to Allah the Almighty.
If a woman becomes a Muslima and her husband is a kaafir, then it becomes mandatory for her to separate from him and it is not permissible for her to remain with him in his state of shirk (disbelief), as per Allah's injunction (interpretation of the meaning):
"… do not send them back to the disbelievers—they are not lawful (wives) for the disbelievers nor are the disbelievers lawful (husbands) for them…" (Al-Mumtahinah 60:10).
It is her duty to invite him to Islam and to attempt to convince him via various approaches in the hope that Allah may accept her efforts and give her the great reward for his guidance through her. The prophet (peace be upon him) once told Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) when he sent him to a people who were idol-worshippers:
"Invite them to Islam and inform them what is required of them, for (I swear) by Allah, that Allah guides a man through you is better than if you had humr un-na'am (a particular kind of camel which is the most sought-after wealth among the Arabs)" (Al-Bukhari, Fath il-Baari 3009).
As for the course of the marriage, and what she should do if her husband accepts Islam or doesn't, Ibn ul-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: What is indicated by evidence of his (i.e., the prophet's) ruling is that the marriage is mawqoof, or in abeyance (i.e. suspension); if her husband accepts Islam before the elapsing of her 'iddah (waiting period), then she remains his wife. If her 'iddah elapses then she has the right to marry whom she pleases or if she likes she may wait (in the hope he may still accept Islam). If he then accepts Islam, she becomes his wife without need of renewing the marriage. (Zaad ul-Ma'aad, Vol 5 p.138).
wallahu a'lam. (And Allah the Most Knowledgeable knows what is the most true and correct)

Tragedy suffered by a girl whose mother’s husband does not fear Allaah

It is with sorrow that i ask this question.My friend has been raped be her father for many years.She was conceived outside her parent's marriage but they married following her birth.She revealed the rape after she got married.Her father is a religious man with a solid reputation.I ahve heard once that the father of an illigitimate child is allowed to have a sexual realtionship with her because in Islam she is not his daughter,kindly clear me on that matter

Praise be to Allaah.
If what is mentioned in the question is true, then what can we say about a mother’s husband who is so despicable, vile and contemptible, and who is lacking in religious commitment and transgresses the limits set by Allaah? To Allaah we belong and unto Him is our return; there is no power and no strength except with Allaah. 
Does he not know that Allaah has forbidden a man to marry the daughter of his wife with whom he has consummated the marriage? Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“Forbidden to you (for marriage) are: your mothers, your daughters, … your stepdaughters under your guardianship, born of your wives to whom you have gone in”
[al-Nisa’ 4:23] 
Let alone committing immoral actions with her. Does this man not know of the serious threat which Allaah issues and the painful torment that awaits the zaani (adulterer, one who engages in unlawful sexual relations)? Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“And those who invoke not any other ilaah (god) along with Allaah, nor kill such person as Allaah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.
The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace”
[al-Furqaan 25:68-69] 
Does he not know that committing adultery with one's neighbour’s wife is worse than committing adultery with any other woman? It says in the hadeeth that ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, which sin is the worst?’ He said, ‘Setting up a rival to Allaah when He has created you.’ I said, ‘Then what?’ He said, ‘Killing your child so that he will not eat with you.’ I said, ‘Then what?’ He said, ‘Committing adultery with your neighbour’s wife.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, al-Hudood, 6313).  
Committing adultery with one’s neighbour’s wife is regarded as a greater sin than committing adultery with any other woman, so how about committing zina with someone who is his mahram and is forbidden to him, as this evil man has done?
 Ibn Abi Shaybah said: Question on committing zina with a mahram: Hafs narrated from Ash’ath from ‘Adiyy ibn Thaabit from al-Bara’ that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent him to a man who had married his father’s wife, and ordered him to bring him his head. Wakee’ narrated from Hasan ibn Saalih from al-Suddi from ‘Adiyy ibn Thaabit that al-Bara’ said: “I met my maternal uncle and he was carrying a banner. I said, ‘Where are you going?’ He said, ‘The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has sent me to a man who married his father’s wife, to kill him, or to strike his neck.’” 
Al-Musannaaf by Ibn Abi Shaybah, part 8, p. 380. Also narrated by al-Nasaa’i, al-Nikaah, 3279; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Nasaa’i, 3123. 
So how about if he forced this girl to do that, and committed zina with her against her will?
 It is very strange that it says in the question that he is very religious, even though he has audaciously transgressed the limits set by Allaah. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.
 One of the basic principles of Islam which no Muslim has no excuse for not knowing is that zina – with any woman at all – is haraam and is a major sin, and it is even worse if the woman with whom a person commits zina is one whom he is permanently forbidden to marry. We seek refuge with Allaah from the things that earn His wrath and painful torment.

Responsibility Towards the Child of Fornication

AsSalaamu Alaikum.
Before I accepted Islam I committed adultery an conceived a child with a married woman. The woman's husband has been told the truth and is aware that the child is not his, but he still wants to keep the child and his wife. Her husband wants to have nothing to do with me(understandably) and wishes that I keep away from my son who I have rarely seen and he does not know who I am. The child is almost 3 years old and I have been a Muslim for almost 2 years.
What is the Islamic ruling in such a case? Can I consider the child to be mine?
The husband and his wife are both kaffirs.

All Praises are Due to Allah
Islam erases whatever took place before it and after Allah guides you there is no sin on you, regarding something which took place in the past. The rule according to the Shariah (Islamic Laws) is that the child is to the bed and follows the husband, unless he washes his hands of the matter.
The child in not considered to be your son, nor do you have any responsibility for him. So start a married life according to Islam.
May Allah forgive you and increase you in protection.

He does not pray and he lives with his girlfriend; he wants to repent and marry her

There is a French Muslim man who does not pray or fast, and he lives with his Christian girlfriend. He wants to repent and fast, but he is using the fact that this woman is living with him as an excuse. Is it permissible for him to marry her now, knowing that tomorrow is the first day of Ramadaan? If that is permissible, then what is the prescribed shar’i procedure for that?.

Praise be to Allaah.
This person and others should note that not praying is kufr which puts a person beyond the pale of Islam. Islam does not accept for any of its followers not to pray or fast and to live with a girlfriend. 
What you have to do is to advise him and explain to him what Islam really is, which is submitting to the rulings of sharee’ah. The Muslim should be an example to others, especially in that (non-Muslim) country, for he is not representing himself only, rather he is representing Islam which he has embraced and committed himself to. So he has to give up the sin that he is committing and adhere to the rulings of sharee’ah, especially prayer which is the thing that distinguishes between Islam and kufr.
 Secondly: 
We are very happy to learn that he wants to repent, so what is stopping him from repenting? Allaah rejoices over the repentance of His believing slave. When a person turns to Allaah, Allaah turns to him and forgives his sin. So he should hasten to repent and not delay it or make it conditional upon certain things happening, lest he dies without having repented and he meets his Lord with a burden of sin and may even meet Him in state of kufr. 
Tell him that Allaah turns bad deeds into good deeds for the one who repents. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-Furqaan 25:70] 
So he must hasten to repent by giving up all that he is doing that incurs the wrath of Allaah, namely not praying and living with his girlfriend. 
See the answers to questions no. 624139903490522912
Thirdly: 
If he repents to Allaah, he should note that it is not permissible for him to marry that girlfriend, not because she is Christian, but because she is a zaaniyah (fornicatress) – according to what he has said. One of the conditions of marrying a woman of the People of the Book (i.e., a Jewish or Christian woman) is that she should be chaste, not a fornicatress or a woman who has a lover or boyfriend. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“Made lawful to you this day are At‑Tayyibaat [all kinds of Halaal (lawful) foods, which Allaah has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables and fruits)]. The food (slaughtered cattle, eatable animals) of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is lawful to you and yours is lawful to them. (Lawful to you in marriage) are chaste women from the believers and chaste women from those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) before your time when you have given their due Mahr (bridal-money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage), desiring chastity (i.e. taking them in legal wedlock) not committing illegal sexual intercourse, nor taking them as girlfriends”
[al-Maa’idah 5:5] 
Allaah has stipulated that in order to marry them, they must be chaste. It is not permissible for a Muslim to marry a woman of the people of the Book who is not chaste. Even if a woman is a Muslim but she is not chaste, it is not permissible for a chaste Muslim man to marry her. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“The adulterer — fornicator marries not but an adulteress — fornicatress or a Mushrikah; and the adulteress –fornicatress, none marries her except an adulterer — fornicater or a Mushrik. Such a thing is forbidden to the believers (of Islamic Monotheism)”
[al-Nur 24:3] 
For more details on this issue, please see the answer to question no. 11195and 2527
If he wants to marry her, that can only happen after he repents and comes back to Islam by starting to pray, and after they both repent from zina (fornication). 
This applies if he wants to marry her. 
The duty of being sincere (naseehah) compels us to tell him of the best way we know of setting straight both his religious and worldly affairs, which is that he should repent to Allaah sincerely, and hasten to leave this woman without any hesitation or delay, and look for another woman who is a chaste, believing Muslim. If he repents to Allaah, he will need someone who understands her religion and will stand by him and encourage him to obey the Most Merciful after this deviation. As for that woman, even if she repents from fornication she will never be able to help him to obey Allaah and she will never be trustworthy with regard to his household, his wealth and his honour, and she will never be fit to raise his sons and daughters. We mean nothing but good by offering this sincere advice. Let him use his mind and avoid being emotional, then he will know that this is right. 
If he looks around him, he will see other Muslims who have married non-Muslim women, and how bad their situations are, and how they regret it and wish that they had not married non-Muslim woman. 
See also the answer to questions no. 20227 and 45645
And Allaah is the Source of strength.

Is there any expiation for having intercourse with a woman in her back passage?

Is there any expiation for having intercourse with one’s wife in her back passage?.

Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly: 
It is haraam to have intercourse with one’s wife in her back passage, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that the one who does that is cursed. 
We have quoted the evidence from the Qur’aan and Sunnah to show that it is haraam, as well as describing some of the evil consequences of that, in the answer to question no. 1103 and 6792
Islam has not stipulated any expiation for this action, so there is no expiation for it apart from repentance and regret, and turning back to Allaah. 
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: What is the ruling on having intercourse with a woman in her back passage? Is there any expiation required of the one who does that?  
He replied: 
Having intercourse with a woman in her back passage is a major sin and is one of the most heinous acts of disobedience, because it was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Cursed is the one who has intercourse with his wife in her back passage.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2162; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood. 
And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah will not look at a man who had intercourse with a man or a woman in the back passage.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1166; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. 
What the one who has done that must do is hasten to repent sincerely, which means giving up the sin and abstaining from it out of respect for Allaah and out of fear of His punishment, regretting what he has done of that and sincerely resolving never to go back to it, as well as striving to do righteous deeds. Whoever repents sincerely, Allaah will accept his repentance and forgive his sins, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 
“And verily, I am indeed forgiving to him who repents, believes (in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does righteous good deeds, and then remains constant in doing them (till his death)”
[Ta-Ha 20:82] 
“And those who invoke not any other ilaah (god) along with Allaah, nor kill such person as Allaah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.
69. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace;
70. Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-Furqaan 25:68-70] 
There is no expiation required of one who has anal intercourse, according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions, and his wife does not become haraam to him because of that, rather she remains his wife. But she does not have to obey him in this grave evil; rather she is obliged to refuse, and to demand a annulment of her marriage to him if he does not repent. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound from that. 
From Fataawa Islamiyyah, 3/256 
Al-Bayhaqi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 
If he does that (i.e., has intercourse with her in the back passage), then he should be punished (i.e., the judge or ruler should mete out a punishment that will deter him and others like him), because he has committed a sin for which there is no stipulated hadd punishment or expiation. 
Kashshaaf al-Qinaa’, 5/190 
So he clearly stated that it is a sin, but no expiation is required. 
See Ansa al-Mataalib, 4/162; Mughni al-Muhtaaj, 5/624 
Secondly: 
Many people make the mistake of thinking that because there is no expiation stipulated for a particular sin that it is an insignificant matter and is a minor sin. This way of thinking is not correct. Rather if one were to say that Allaah has not stipulated any expiation for anal intercourse because it is too serious to be expiated by any expiation, that would not be farfetched. As Imam Maalik says concerning swearing a false oath (al-yameen al-ghamoos): it is too serious to be expiated by any expiation. 
Al-Taaj wa’l-Ikleel, 4/406; see also al-Mudawwanah, 1/577 
And Allaah knows best.