Sam's space

Invite to knowledge, prizes and fun all in 1

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 02:58:49 GMT

Darulfatwa brings a course to you starting this sunday and running each sunday in RamaDaan about the rules of prayer and fasting.

And to encourage the seekers of knowledge to memorize, darulfatwa has announced prizes:

The one who memorises the text and comes first wins $1000, second prize is $750, and third prize is $500.

The course will be held on sundays 9am-12pm in Al Amanah College bankstown in either Arabic or English - whichever you choose. For more details please call 97933330.

Hope to see you there in shaa' Allaah uniting to do something good and encouraging others in shaa' Allaah.

Invite your family.

My regards,

Samia.

Lack of knowledge

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 23:21:27 GMT

Lack of knowledge is an open gate for terrorist ideologies to spread.

When terrorists bomb innocent people, killing both Muslims and non-Muslims, ignorance causes some to attribute these actions to Islam.

Muslims who learn their Religion do not become terrorists. Rather it is the ignorant who get sucked into the traps of terrorists that are looking for recruits.

Commit yourselves to acquiring the knowledge of the religion as this knowledge is an important element for the sustainability of Islam.

Know that those who neglect it will be lost and misguided, similar to a leaf blown right and left by the wind, ignorantly following any speaker who appeals to them even when he makes false statements about Islam.

Imam ^Aliyy may Allah raise his rank said:

“People are of three types (i.e. in regards to the knowledge of the religion).

“First are the practicing scholars (i.e. those who have great knowledge of Islam and are implementing that knowledge).

"The second are those who are on the path of success and are acquiring the knowledge as well as implementing it for the purpose of being saved from the torture of Hellfire.

"The third type of people is the rabble, who do not have the knowledge and they do not put any effort to acquire it in the proper manner, rather they follow any speaker who appeals to them even when he makes false statements about Islam”.

Obligations of the Heart

Sat, 17 Feb 2007 09:12:21 GMT

Among the obligations of the heart are:

1. To have the belief in Allah and what He revealed;

2. To have the belief in the Messenger of Allah and what he conveyed;

3. To have the sincerity (ikhlas), which is to do the good deeds for the sake of Allah only and not for the sake of people;

4. To regret sinning;

5. To rely on Allah;

6. To fear Allah so as to perform one's obligations and refrain from the unlawful things;

7. To subjugate oneself to Allah and refrain from objecting to Him;

8. To exalt the rites of Allah;

9. To be thankful to Allah for His endowments by not using them in disobedience;

10. To be patient in performing what Allah made obligatory;

11. To be patient in refraining from what Allah, ta^ala, made unlawful;

12. To be patient with what Allah afflicted one;

13. To hate the devil;

14. To hate sins;

15. To love Allah, His Speech (Kalam), His Messenger, the Companions and the Al of the Prophet, and the righteous Muslims.

Dry Purification (Tayammum)

Sun, 11 Feb 2007 02:24:51 GMT

To be in a state of taharah, one uses water to perform wudu’ and ghusl. However, one may need to perform taharah, yet not find water, or may have water but will be harmed if one uses it. In these cases, the person performs dry purification (tayammum), as the author said:

If one needs to pray, but one is in the state of ritual impurity (hadath), and one cannot find water or will be harmed upon using it, one performs dry purification (tayammum).

Explanation: From the author’s saying “one performs tayammum if one cannot find water” it is understood that if one performs dry purification (tayammum) because one does not have water, one’s tayammum is invalid, unless one first has sought the water. So, one must first seek the water—then, if one does not find it, one performs the dry purification. Also, one performs tayammum instead of using water to perform taharah if using water harms one. So, if using water to perform taharah will cause one’s death, or damage an organ, or lengthen the recovery time from an illness, or cause a disfigurement in any of one’s apparent body parts, like the hands or the face, then one performs tayammum—even if one has water.

There is a specific procedure that is applied for one to be considered as one who did not find water. For example, the traveler who cannot find water is the person who neither has water with him, nor do his companions have water with them, or they have water which they want to sell to him at a higher price than the norm, or he has just enough water to keep him alive so that he does not die of thirst, or he has just enough to keep his animal alive. If this person is in a land where he is certain there is no water within the distance of half a farsakh (9000 cubits, approximately 4 km or 3 US miles), he may perform tayammum. If he knows that there is water close to him (i.e., ½ a farsakh or less), it is an obligation on him to fetch the water.

If the person is in an unfamiliar land, i.e., he does not know whether or not there is water nearby, he must seek the water. To seek the water means for a person to physically look for the water, either by walking in the four directions for a distance that if he shouted for help, his companions would hear him, (about 300 cubits in each direction), or, if he was in a flat land and can see as far as that distance, he would look in each direction for the water. If he does either of these and does not find water, he is considered as one who sought the water and did not find it. Hence, he can perform tayammum.

Tayammum is performed after the time of the prayer, per se, sets in

Explanation: The person who wants to perform tayammum for a prayer must do so after the time of that prayer has begun. So if a person makes tayammum before the time of Dhuhr sets in to perform the Dhuhr Prayer, his tayammum is not valid. He must perform the tayammum for the Dhuhr Prayer after the sun declines from the center of the sky towards the west.

and after the unexempted najas-filth is removed.

Explanation: If able, one must remove any unexempted najas-filth on one’s body before performing tayammum. If one had an unexempted najas-filth on one’s body and had only a small amount of water—sufficient either to remove the unexempted najas-filth or to perform wudu’, one should use the water to remove the najas-filth, and then, if one did not have enough water left to perform wudu’, one would perform tayammum. If one had an unexempted najas-filth on one’s body and had no water at all, then one must attempt to lighten this najas-filth in some way before performing tayammum. If one was unable, one would perform the tayammum with the najas-filth still on oneself.

Tayammum is performed by using unmixed soil, which is purifying and dusty.

Explanation: Tayammum is valid only when performed using the dusty soil, i.e., soil that contains fine dust. Hence, it is not valid to make tayammum using a rock. Also, it is not valid to use the beach sand as soil, because these sand particles do not contain fine dust particles. It is not valid to use the dust particles that gather on the house furniture, for example, to perform tayammum, unless that dust was the fine dust of soil.

It is invalid to use a najas-filthy soil to perform tayammum or soil mixed with another pure (tahir) material, such as ashes. As well, it is invalid to reuse the soil which was previously used in performing tayammum. For example, if one were to collect the soil which had fallen from the face after using it to wipe the face, one cannot reuse that to wipe one’s arms or to perform a separate tayammum.

One strikes the soil with the inside part of the hands, then makes and maintains the intention of performing tayammum while transferring the dust of the soil from the ground until it is wiped on part of the face. One wipes the entire face and then strikes the soil a second time to wipe the hands and forearms.

Explanation: Performing tayammum involves transferring the soil (maintaining the intention during the transfer) and wiping the specific body parts. One strikes the soil with the inner side of one’s hands with the fingers spread. Then one lifts one’s hands up to begin transferring the soil to wipe one’s face. During the entire time of transferring the soil, from when one first lifts one’s hands from the first strike of the soil, until one wipes the first part of one’s face, one must hold the intention of performing tayammum. Hence, if one’s intention was interrupted between the time of the beginning of the transfer until the wiping of the first part of the face, the intention is invalid and by consequence, the tayammum is invalid. However, holding the intention for the entire duration of the transfer is a case of difference in opinion; some scholars, like Imam Malik, said if the intention was interrupted in the process of transfer, it would not affect the validity of the tayammum.

With the fine soil-dust from the first strike, one wipes the whole face, the boundaries of which were previously defined. (It is not a condition that the soil reaches to the skin under the beard of the man, even if it was thin, because this involves a hardship.) Then one strikes the soil a second time to transfer (its dust) to wipe the forearms and elbows. One wipes the entire forearm, up to and including the elbow—that same area washed in wudu’—using the soil on the inner side of the left hand to wipe the right arm, and the soil on the inner part of the right hand to wipe the left arm.

It is invalid to wipe both the face and the hands with just one strike of the soil. It is invalid to use one tayammum to pray two obligatory prayers. Each obligatory prayer needs a separate tayammum—even if that obligatory prayer was a make-up. One may pray as many optional prayers as one wants with one tayammum.

The Purificatory Bath (Ghusl)

Thu, 28 Dec 2006 02:42:08 GMT

The Purificatory Bath (Ghusl)

Among the conditions of prayer is purification from the state of major ritual impurity (Hadath akbar) by performing the purificatory bath (ghusl).

Dry purification (tayammum) is performed when one cannot perform ghusl.

Purification is a condition for the validity of prayers. Just as one who is in the state of minor ritual impurity (Hadath aSghar) must clear oneself of that state for the prayers by performing wuDoo’ or the dry purification (tayammum) when unable to use water, the one who is in a state of major ritual impurity must clear oneself of that state for the validity of the prayer.

To purify oneself from the major ritual impurity (Hadath akbar) one performs the purificatory bath (ghusl). When one cannot perform the purificatory bath, one instead performs the dry purification (tayammum) using soil to enable one to pray (although performing tayammum does not purify one from the state of major ritual impurity).

One is required to perform the purificatory bath after any of these five (5) matters occurs:

1.The emission of maniyy;
2.Sexual intercourse;
3.Termination of menses (HayD);
4.Termination of postpartum bleeding (nifaas);
5.Childbirth.

The occurrence of any one of these five matters causes the person to be in a state of major ritual impurity and obligates the person to purify himself from that state for the validity of his prayer. The occurrence of other than these five matters does not make the purificatory bath (ghusl) an obligation on one.

Washing the dead Muslim is not a matter pertaining to purifying him from the state of major ritual impurity. Moreover, performing this ghusl is not an obligation on the dead person himself, because he is no longer accountable. Rather, this ghusl is performed for him out of honouring him. Performing the ghusl for the dead Muslim is a collective obligation on the Muslim community.

The emission of maniyy and sexual intercourse are matters common between the man and the woman, i.e., if either of these matters occurs to the man or the woman, then the ghusl becomes an obligation on them. There are three matters specific to the woman that cause her to be in a state of major ritual impurity and require, once they terminate, a purificatory bath (ghusl) to clear herself of this state. They are:

3. menses (HayD);
4. postpartum bleeding (nifaas);
5. childbirth.

The purificatory bath (ghusl) becomes an obligation on the woman when her menses or post partum bleeding terminates. That is, when the blood of the menses stops (terminating the menses) or the blood that exits after delivery stops (terminating the postpartum bleeding period—even from a caesarean birth), then it becomes obligatory on the woman to perform the purificatory bath (ghusl) in order for her to pray.

The menses is defined as the usual blood that exits from the womb of the woman, neither as a result of illness, nor as a result of childbirth. The minimum time of the menses is the duration of a day and a night, i.e., twenty-four (24) hours of bleeding. So, if the duration of the bleeding adds up to less than twenty-four (24) hours, it is not considered blood of the menses. The maximum period is fifteen (15) days. So, bleeding which continues past fifteen (15) days is not considered blood of the menses.

The postpartum blood is the blood that comes out of the woman after delivery, because of delivery. It may last for only a moment. The maximum bleeding period after delivery is sixty (60) days. Bleeding after that time is not considered a postpartum bleeding, i.e., the blood of nifaas. Also, if the woman bleeds while giving birth, it is not considered the blood of nifaas.

Giving birth renders ghusl obligatory on the woman, whether or not she delivered at term or before, and whether or not she delivered a live or dead child. If the woman delivers and does not bleed afterwards, she still must perform ghusl for the prayers. Since the child originally developed from the combination of the maniyys of the man and the woman, its exit is similar to the exit of maniyy, which requires ghusl.

Integrals of the Purificatory Bath

The integrals of the purificatory bath are two (2):

To have the intention to clear oneself of the state of major ritual impurity (Hadath akbar), or a similar intention;

To wash the whole body with water, including the skin and the hair, even if the hair is thick.

istinjaa'

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 04:48:29 GMT

Cleaning Oneself after Defecation and Urination (Istinjaa’)

Istinjaa’ is obligatory after the emission of any wet material from the eliminatory outlets, except maniyy.

Istinjaa’ is performed with water by rinsing the soiled area until it becomes pure, or else by wiping the soiled area three times or more until the area is clean (although a trace that can only be removed with water may be left), with an uprooting, pure, solid, and unrespectable material such as stone or paper. Istinjaa’ may be performed in this way even if water is present, provided the wet najas-filth (najaasah) is not displaced or has not dried before cleaning it, or else water must be used.

Facts

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 10:12:48 GMT

HUMANITY

Men and women are creations of Allah. They are distinct from plants, animals, jinn, and angels. They were created after the angels and jinn. The first man was created from clay. Allah puts a soul, which He created, in the human being, but in no way is man's soul Allah , or "a part of Allah ". The first man was Adam, and all human beings come from his family. Adam had no mother or father; he was created and given life by Allah. Allah created a wife for Adam who bore his children. Allah created the human beings to order them to believe, profess the truth about Allah and His messengers, worship Allah only, and follow His orders during their life on Earth. Some of mankind do worship Allah correctly and obey His orders. These will be rewarded beyond imagination in Paradise. Some of mankind do not worship Allah correctly and will be severely punished by Allah in Hellfire.

Jinn

Jinn are distinct creations of Allah, who are invisible to humans. The ancestor of all jinn is Satan. He was first a believer, then he blasphemed. Allah created him from the pure flame of fire. The jinn are male and female and have offspring. They exist here on Earth and elsewhere. Like the humans, some jinn worship Allah , but some do not. The ones who do not are known as the devils, whose head is Satan.

ANGELS

Angels are another distinct creation of Allah. They are not male or female and have no children. Allah created them from light. They never sin. They obey Allah in every matter. Humans have angels near them that record all they do. Some angels have appeared to people in the form of men(2), but they never take a woman's shape. Some angels protect people from jinn by Allah's will. Gabriel (Jibril) was the angel who conveyed the Revelations to the prophets.

SATAN

Satan, the first jinn, was present with the angels when Allah ordered him and the angels to bow down in respect before Adam. Satan did not bow down in respect. He objected to Allah and said he was better than Adam, because he was made from fire whereas Adam was made from clay. Because of this objection, Allah damned Satan and banished him. Satan vowed that he would try to persuade humans to accept false belief and to perform false worship and shameful conduct. Allah promised that Satan and those who follow him will go to Hell on the Day of Judgment.

Satan is man's accursed enemy. His vow to ruin many of mankind is not to be taken lightly. He attempts to confuse and ruin man by his prompting and making bad deeds seem good. A person is not sinful when Satan whispers to him; he is sinful if he believes and/or acts on the prompting. Although humans must believe that Satan exists and take the warning about him very seriously, we must remember that Allah has full power over Satan. Satan can do nothing against the will of Allah . When a believer of the true Religion strives to follow Allah's orders and asks Allah for protection from Satan, he must not doubt Allah's great protection and mercy.

RELIGION

There is only one true Religion, that of holding the correct belief in Allah and His messengers, worshipping Allah only, and loving, respecting, and following the prophet of the time and loving and respecting the other prophets. Every prophet and messenger followed and called people to the same Religion; this Religion is called ISLAM. A believer in ISLAM is called a MUSLIM. The meaning of the word Islam is "to submit to Allah ". The meaning of the word Muslim is "one who submits to Allah ."The name Allah is the name of the only true God. It means the one who is attributed with the power to create things. Although prophets and messengers spoke different languages, what they called people to was the same Religion, Islam. A person can declare that he believes and follows the true Religion, Islam, in any language. Belief is known to Allah regardless of the language. Those who say they are Muslims, yet deny the true belief in their heart, with their tongue, or by some actions, are surely not Muslims. Allah knows fully who are the ones who truly believe in Islam. Both messengers Moses and Jesus called their people to the true Religion, Islam. This fact is clearly described in the Qur'an, the last and preserved scripture for all of mankind on Earth.

SINS

When a person goes against Allah's orders (which are conveyed by His messenger), he sins. The worst sin is blasphemy. It is caused by any belief, saying, or action that contradicts Islam. When a person becomes Muslim he leaves all blasphemy. A Muslim must learn about blasphemy to avoid commiting any of them as he proceeds through life. If a Muslim commits blasphemy, he becomes non-Muslim (apostate) and must become Muslim again. If a Muslim commits a sin which is less than blasphemy and dies without repenting to Allah of the sin, then this sin is counted against him on the Day of Judgment, unless Allah forgives it for him. On the other hand, if a Muslim follows Allah's orders, in obedience to Him, this is counted in his favor. All of this is known by Allah and no thing escapes Him.

When a Muslim commits sins, he must repent of them immediately. To repent of blasphemy, one must utter the Two Testifications of Faith, with the intention to clear oneself of the committed blasphemy. The Testifications of Faith (Shahadahs) can be stated as follows:

"I testify that I only worship my Creator and I testify that Muhammad is God's Messenger."

Any statement equivalent to the Testifications of Faith is also accepted.
For a sin less than blasphemy, one must stop doing the sin, regret having done it, and have the intention not to commit the same sin again. If the sin is stealing from a person, for example, then the stolen goods must be returned as well. Allah is ever-merciful to the Muslim. No matter how many times the Muslim sins in his life, if he stops it, regrets having done it, and intends not to do it again, he will be forgiven by Allah. However, for those who are non-Muslim, no matter what good deeds they do, they receive no credit in the Hereafter; they must first become Muslim.

A few examples of blasphemy are: believing that Allah has a son, worshipping an idol, and saying that Allah does not know everything. Some examples of sins less than blasphemy are: killing a person unjustly, adultery, drinking alcohol, and stealing. When a Muslim makes sincere repentance, as was described, it is as though he did not sin, in that he will not be punished for what he repented of, for Allah is ever-merciful to the Muslims. Also, when a person becomes a Muslim for the first time, Allah forgives all his past sins.

PRAYER

Upon the order of Allah, Prophet Muhammad commanded the Muslims to pray five times a day. This order applies since the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad until the Day of Judgment. The prayers have a specific format with the one praying praising and thanking Allah, asking for His help and guidance, and asking Him to bless the prophets and the pious Muslims. A Muslim knows that at any moment of his life he can ask Allah for help and guidance, and he is encouraged to do so. However, supplicating Allah does not replace the five prescribed prayers, which have a specific format to be followed.

The Existence of Allaah is unlike the existence of the creations

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 10:01:16 GMT

Surat ash-Shooraa, Ayah 11:

لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ

It means: {Nothing resembles Allaah in any way whatsoever and He is Attributed with Hearing and Sight.}

Clearly this Verse in the Qur’aan shows us that the Attributes of Allaah do not resemble the attributes of His creations. So even if we might use the same word about the Creator and a creation, it definitely carries a different meaning in each situation.

When we say Allaah is Attributed with Hearing and Sight, we know for sure that it is without organs, without a beginning, without an end and unimaginable. However when we say the hearing and sight of humans, it is with an organ, with a beginning, with an end, and is imaginable.

Likewise, when we say Allaah Exists and the creations exist, the word ‘exists’ in these 2 contexts has a different meaning. The Existence of Allaah is without a beginning, without an ending and is not subject to place. Our existence however is with a beginning, with an ending and subject to place.

When a group of jews came to ask him about Allaah, Imaam ^Aliyy, cousin of the Prophet, said what means: {“Where” does not apply to the One Who created the whereabouts, and “how” does not apply to the One Who created the how.}

Some people think that by saying that Allaah Exists without a place we are saying that God does not exist. That is not true. The body is the one which can not exist if it was not in a place, not Allaah.

A body is created but God, the One Who has no creator is not a body.

Imaam al-Bayhaqiyy (a famous narrator of Hadeeth) said:

“The Prophet said what means: {O Allaah, You are ath-THaahir and there is nothing above You & You are al-Baatin & there is nothing underneath You.}

Al-Bayhaqiyy said: “so if there is nothing above Him & nothing underneath Him, He is not in a place.”

If a person says Allaah is everywhere - meaning Allaah knows about everything then that is not blasphemy (kufr) but if he thinks that Allaah occupies everywhere that is blasphemy of likening God to the creations (kufr tashbeeh).

If a person says Allaah exists everywhere, they liken Him to the air; that is tashbeeh and is against the Qur'aan. The mushabbiha are not Muslim; they worship something which they imagine to be God, but Allaah is not like the air and not like any other creation. Allaah is the Creator. He created place & He is not in it.

It is every CREATION which exists in a place but Allaah, the CREATOR, Exists without a place.

Allaah is Perfect & He doesn't change. A famous saying in Arabic is: subHaan al-lathee yughayyir walaa yataghayyar, which means: Allaah changes things but He does not change.

Al-Bukhariyy, al-Bayhaqiyy and Ibnul-Jarud related that the Messenger of Allah said what means: << Allah existed eternally and nothing else existed. >> This hadith proves that only Allah existed without a beginning, i.e., before creating any of the creation. There was nothing with Allah: no place, no space, no sky, no Earth, no light, and no darkness. It is determined in the rules of the Religion and the judgments of the sound mind that Allah, the Exalted, does not change. Hence, it is impossible that after having been existing without a place, Allah will change and dwell in a place.

Every Muslim believes that Allaah’s Existence is unlike the existence of the creations. Creations all exist in a place, Allaah Exists without a place.

Imam Abu Mansur al-Baghdadiyy related in his book, Al-Farqu Baynal-Firaq, that Imam ^Aliyy, the fourth of the caliphs, may Allah reward his deeds, said what means: << Allah existed eternally and there was no place, and He now is as He was. [i.e., without a place]>>

Imam Abu Hanifah, who is one of the authorities of Salaf, said in his book Al-Fiqh al-Absat: << Allah existed eternally and there was no place. He existed before creating the creation. He existed, and there was no place, creation, or thing. He is the Creator of everything. >>

Imam Muhammad Ibn Hibah al-Makkiyy, wrote a book called Hadaa'iqul-Fusool wa Jawaahirul-^Uqul. It came to be known as Al-^Aqeedatus-SalaaHiyyah, after he gave it as a gift to Sultaan SalaaHud- Deen al-Ayyoobiyy, who ordered that this book be taught to the children in schools and broadcast from the top of minarets. In his book he said what means: << Allah existed eternally and there was no place, and the judgment about His existence now is that He is as He was [i.e., without a place]>>. That's exactly what Imaam Ali said.

Reply to those who call themselves Jehovah’s Witnesses

Sat, 25 Nov 2006 23:52:13 GMT

It was said:

Be firm that the One Who has the Godhood is the One Who has the Power to create.

God is the Creator and everything else is a creation.

The word ‘create’ here means to bring something from non-existence into existence.

How do we know that God Exists? Because we see creations around us and our sound intellect tells us that every creation with its specifications must have been created.

For example, the existence of this whole world with the trees, mountains, animals and humans is an indication that there is a Creator.

That Creator is God and He is Attributed with the Perfect Attributes which befit Him.

He is not attributed with weakness or powerlessness.

Hence, what is claimed on page 6 of the November 2006 issue of “Awake!” that the bible rejects the idea that every atom and molecule in the universe is under the Eternal Will of God is attributing God with being powerless over the universe.

Moreover, attributing rule to satan the devil (John 5:19, 14:30) portrays God as powerless over satan.

Rather, one must believe God has Power over all things and that He created both good and evil.

Saying that there are ‘hundreds of millions of spirit sons of God’ (Job 38:4, 7; Daniel 7:10) and that satan was originally one of these (Genesis 2:17, 3:1-5) does not agree with the sound intellect.

Firstly, because God is not a spirit and He Exists without a place.

The proof for this is that He is the Creator of the spirits and of everything, including the heavens and earth. Hence He Eternally Existed before them without them. He Eternally Existed without a place and He now Exists as He Eternally Existed – without a place, because change is impossible to attribute to Him – He is Eternally Perfect and does not change from that. Attributing Him with place attributes to Him weakness and need and it is a sign of being created. Hence we do not say that about God.

Secondly, because Knowledge about all things is an Attribute of Godhood and God Eternally Knew that some of His creations would commit evil. His Angels are created with obedience inherent in them but humans and jinn were created as susceptible to sin. Jinn is the kind of creation satan is; they are created from fire, angels from light and humans from soil. God created satan and Knew he would commit evil. He Eternally Willed for the existence of both good and evil but He Ordered the humans and jinn with good. To say otherwise is attributing weakness to God – Godhood and weakness do not go together.

To say that God has no Power over natural disasters is also attributing weakness to Him. These disasters occur by the Eternal Will of God and each human is judged according to their situation.

Certainly satan does not have the power to send a tsunami to people, because it was not given to him by God, but even if it was, satan would not destroy both good and evil people as the tsunami does.

The tsunami is a cause of death for many and death is inevitable – no matter what the cause is. Some people die old and some die young and they all will be judged according to their situation.

But to say that a tsunami comes and it is not by the Will of God does not make sense at all for the one who believes in the Godhood of God.

According to John 3:16, ‘God sent Jesus to die in our behalf so that we might have the hope of living forever.’ If Jesus is dead now, how can he according to you ‘restore Paradise and even raise the dead back to life’.

God, the One Who is NOT attributed with death is the One that gives life and brings death and resurrects the people for Judgement.

He will punish those who blasphemed in Him and some of the believers who died without repentance as even can be found in 1 Thessalonians 4:6 and Galatians 6:7.

God created the whole world and evolution is not the correct thing to believe. This is outlined even on page 21 of the November 2006 issue of “Awake!” where they mention a booklet exposing the failings of evolution. Unfortunately, on page 27 they say that 450 churches now believe evolution is acceptable. According to them, doesn’t that contradict Genesis 1:12, 25.

I hope this letter is received with acceptance and realisation that there are some statements in the present-day bible which could not possibly have been preached by Prophet Jesus or any other Messenger of God.

Invalidators of Ablution

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 09:21:19 GMT

Invalidators of Ablution

Ablution is invalidated by:

The emission of anything from the eliminatory outlets whether usual or unusual, except maniyy. By itself, the emission of the maniyy does not invalidate one’s wuDoo’, however, it makes the purificatory bath (ghusl) obligatory.

Touching the penis, vagina, or anus of a human with the inside part of the bare hand; The inside part of the hand is defined as the area of the hand which does not show when one places one’s hands together, palm to palm with fingers spread, and applying a slight pressure.

Touching the skin of the marriageable person who attained to an age at which he or she is normally desired; This is with the condition that both the toucher and the touched have reached an age when normally they would be desired, even if they did not yet reach the age of puberty. Although it is forbidden, touching the tooth, hair, or nail of a marriageable person does not invalidate one’s wuDoo’.

Losing sanity or consciousness, except if one is sleeping with one’s buttocks firmly seated. If one becomes insane, even for one moment, one’s wuDoo’ is invalidated. As well, every kind of loss of consciousness invalidates one’s wuDoo’ –even sleeping- unless the person falls asleep with his buttocks firmly seated, in such a way that it is certain one does not pass gas, and one wakes up in the same position in which one sleeps

Some pointers about Ablution (WuDoo’) according to Imaam ash-Shaafi^iyy

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 11:10:20 GMT

Ablution (WuDoo’) is one of the conditions of the prayer.

Ablution is a condition for the validity of the prayer.

Prayers are invalid without purification.

Ablution effects purification.

Integrals of Ablution:

The integrals of ablution are six (6):

There are six matters a person must satisfy for his wuDoo’ to be valid.

All the other matters ordered in the Religion to perform during wuDoo’ are sunnah.

1. According to Imaam ash-Shaafi^iyy, to have the intention of purification (Tahaarah) for prayer - or any equivalent intention – when the water first touches the face. However, according to Imaam Maalik, it is enough if the intention preceded washing the face by a short time;

The first integral of wuDoo’ is the intention; one must have the intention in one’s heart to perform the purification for the prayers.

For instance, one establishes in one’s heart, I intend to perform wuDoo’, or I now intend to perform the obligations of wuDoo’, or the required purification for praying, or the like.

The intention is in the heart.

It is not sufficient for one to merely utter the words without having the intention in one’s heart.

According to the school of Imaam ash-Shaafi^iyy, may Allaah raise his rank, one must have the intention when the water first touches the face.

However, according to Imaam Maalik, it is sufficient if one’s intention for purification preceded washing the face by a short time.

2. To wash the whole face, from the normal hairline to the chin and from one ear to the other including the hair and skin, but not the inner part of the man’s thick beard;

One has to wash the entire face when performing wuDoo’.

The boundary of the face vertically is from the normal hairline to the chin, and horizontally from ear to ear.

One must wash all the skin and hair within these boundaries except the inner part of the man’s thick beard and ^aariDaan.

The ^aariDaan is the hair—other than the sideburns—growing on the jawbone (beneath the lower end of the ear) and is considered part of the beard.

(It is not the sideburns.)

If the hair of the beard is thin, then one must wash the hair and skin underneath it.

If one considers a string stretched from the normal hairline at the middle of the face to the pinna of the ear, then the hair below the string must be washed along with the face.

As to the hair on the other side, it is considered part of the head and one is not required to wash it with the face.

3. To wash the hands and the forearms up to and including the elbows and what is on them;

One must then wash the entire area from the tips of the fingers up to and including the elbows.

If one leaves out washing the elbows, one’s wuDoo’ is invalid.

It is better (sunnah) to start at the tips of the fingers and finish at the elbows.

4. To wet wipe the head or part of it - even if it is only one hair – within the boundary of the head;

The obligation is to wet wipe at least a part of the hair of the head or part of the skin of the head.

The vertical boundaries of the head are from the point of the normal hairline to the occiput.

If one washes even just part of a hair, which, as it normally falls, is contained within the boundaries of the head, it will be sufficient to fulfil this integral.

5. To wash the feet, including the ankles, or else to wet wipe the footgear (khuff) when the conditions of the footgear are fulfilled;

The fifth obligation of wuDoo’ is to wash one’s feet and ankles.

If one leaves out washing the ankles, one’s wuDoo’ is invalid.

One can instead wet wipe the footgear (khuff) when the conditions of the footgear (khuff) are fulfilled.

Some of the conditions to consider shoes a valid footgear (khuff) are for the shoes to:

Be pure (Taahir);
Cover the feet including the ankles;
Withstand walking back and forth in errands without them being torn apart;
Be worn when one is in the state of complete purity (Tahaarah).

More details about this matter are mentioned in the more comprehensive books of the Religion.

6. To observe the aforementioned order.

One must observe the proper order of washing/wiping the body parts for one’s wuDoo’ to be valid.

So, one must start with the intention of purification when the water first touches the face, then wash the entire face, then wash the hands and forearms, up to and including the elbows, then wet wipe the head, then wash the feet with the ankles.

If one does not observe this aforementioned order, one’s wuDoo’ is invalid.

Allaah mentioned this order in the Qur’aan in Suratul-Maa’idah, Ayah 6.

Allaah said:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءامَنُواْ إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلاةِ فاغْسِلُواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُواْ بِرُؤُوسِكُمْ وَأَرْجُلَكُمْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَينِ

It means: [O you who believed, if you stand up to perform prayers, then wash your faces and your hands up to (and including) the elbows, and wet wipe your head and wash your feet with the ankles.]

What YOU need to know.

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 09:47:39 GMT

The Obligatory Knowledge of the Religion is comprised of:

-The Obligatory Knowledge pertaining to Belief.

-The Obligatory Knowledge pertaining to Purification (Tahaarah).

-The Obligatory Knowledge pertaining to Prayers (Salaat).

-The Obligatory Knowledge pertaining to Fasting (Siyaam).

-The Knowledge pertaining to Zakaat for the one upon whom it is obligated.

-The Knowledge pertaining to Hajj for the one upon whom it is obligated.

-Knowing the sins of the heart and of other organs.

-Knowing how to repent.

-Knowing the rules of dealings for the one who is involved in them.

Asking Allaah by the Prophet

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 04:48:51 GMT

In defence of the Muslims who are wrongly accused of blasphemy by a group that claims to follow the Prophet

Asking Allaah by the Prophet is deemed permissible by the consensus of the top scholars (mujtahids).

AT-Tabaraaniyy narrated & classified as SaHeeH that the Prophet taught a blind man to go to the place of wudoo’ and make an optional prayer of 2 cycles then to supplicate: “O Allaah, I ask You & direct myself to You by Your Prophet MuHammad, the Prophet of mercy. O MuHammad, I direct myself to my Lord by you in my need (then mention your need).”

The narrator of this Hadeeth (^Uthmaan ibn Hunayf) said what means when he was narrating this Hadeeth: “By Allaah, we did not separate and it was not long before the blind man entered and he could see.”

So that blind man was not present with the Prophet and ^Uthmaan ibn Hunayf when he was making the supplication.

Now, after the Prophet’s death:

^Uthmaan ibn Hunayf taught a man this supplication (mentioned above) because that man needed something from ^Uthmaan ibn ^Af-faan (during his caliphate) and that man was not being able to meet with the caliph. Until he recited this supplication and quickly him and the caliph met and the caliph fulfilled his need. This was related by at-Tabaraaniyy who classified it as SaHeeH.

Imaam Abu al-Wafaa’ ibn ^Aqeel al-Hanbaliyy (who is one of the pillars- as they say- of the Hanbaliyy school of thought) said that among what is liked to say when visiting the Prophet’s grave is what means:

“O Allaah, You said in Your Book to Your Prophet:

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ جَآؤُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ اللّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُواْ اللّهَ تَوَّاباً رَّحِيماً

(Verse 64, Surat an-Nisaa’ means: {If only, when they are unjust to themselves, they come to you and ask Allaah for forgiveness, and the Messenger asks forgiveness for them, they will find that Allaah is Forgiving and Most Merciful.}) and I have come to Your Prophet repented and asking for Your forgiveness, so I ask You to forgive me as You gave forgiveness to those who came to Your Prophet during his lifetime. O Allaah, I direct myself to You by Your Prophet Sallallaahu 3alayhi wa sallam, the Prophet of mercy, O Prophet of Allaah, I direct myself by you to my Lord for Him to forgive my sins.”

Al-Bayhaqiyy narrated with a SaHeeH chain from Maalik ad-Daar (a trustworthy person appointed by ^Umar during his caliphate) that he said what means:

“There was a drought (for 9 months) in the time of the caliphate of ^Umar. A man from the companions came to the grave of the Prophet Sallallaahu 3alayhi wa sallam and said: ((O Prophet of Allaah, ask rain for your nation for they are in ruins)). That companion saw the Prophet in his dream saying to him what means: ((Send my salaam to ^Umar and tell him that it will rain and tell him to try his best to serve the nation.)) The companion went to ^Umar and told him. ^Umar cried and said what means: ((O Allaah, I will not fall short in trying to serve the nation.))”

This companion was said to be Bilaal ibn al-Haarith al-Muzaniyy.

The caliph al-Mansoor when he made Pilgrimage and visited the Prophet asked Imaam Maalik ((O father of ^Abdillaah, should I face the Quiblah and supplicate or should I face the Prophet of Allaah Sallallaahu 3alayhi wa sallam?)). Imaam Maalik said: “And why would you not face him when he is the one you ask Allaah by and the one your father Adam ^alayhis-salaam asked Allaah by? Face him and seek his intercession and Allaah will allow him to intercede.”

This was mentioned by Qaadee ^IyaaD in the book “Ash-shifaa”.

Asking Allaah by the Prophet = seeking to gain benefit or alleviate harm, from Allaah, by mentioning a Prophet in honour of the mentioned, with the firm belief that Allaah is the Creator of benefit and harm.

In the Hadeeth related by al-Bukhaariyy in al-Adab al-Mufrad: when Ibn ^Umar’s leg became paralysed, in his call for help he said: “O MuHammad.” His call was answered with a cure.