HIS GAZE IN DEATH…………………

I am at the funeral parlor, they bring him out on a gurney at my request. His eyes are closed. He seems like he is sleeping, a peaceful expression on his face.

“May I see his eyes?” I ask the attendant and he removes something that is keeping his eyes shut. His eyes are open but they are not expressionless like the dead people you see in the movies. His gaze is focused on something……….that is moving away far into the horizon………………..

The Prophet (pbuh) was reported by Umm Salamah to have said “Verily when the spirit (Rooh) is taken the eyes follow it” (Sahih Muslim vol.2 p.437 no.2005).

The successful souls will be made to enter paradise as Allah said to the righteous souls “O soul (Nafs) at peace, come back to your Lord pleased with yourself and pleasing to Him. Enter among My devotees. Enter My paradise.” (Soorah al-Fajr 89:27-30)

CLOUDS…..THE HARBINGER OF MERCY OR AZAAB? 46:24

Clouds can bring rain, or devastation. Here is a Hadith illustrating the responses to changes in nature if one has knowledge of the Quran, and awareness that His (Subhanawtaala) bounties (rain) can be a blessing or a disaster (The winds that came with clouds and destroyed the disobedient nation):

HADITH

Sahih Al Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 54, Number 428:

Narrated Ata:

‘Aisha said If the Prophet saw a cloud In the sky, he would walk to and fro in agitation, go out and come in, and the color of his face would change, and if it rained, he would feel relaxed.” So ‘Aisha knew that state of his.

So the Prophet (pbuh) said, I don’t know (am afraid), it may be similar to what happened to some people referred to in the Holy Quran in the following Verse:

-- “Then when they saw it as a dense cloud coming towards their valleys, they said, ‘This is a cloud bringing us rain!’ Nay, but, it is that (torment) which you were asking to be hastened a wind wherein is severe torment.” (46.24)

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF MUSLIM WOMEN OUTSIDE THE HOME?

Muslim women Nurses of The Red Crescent equivalent to the Red Cross in the West: courtesy of:http://www.flickr.com/photos/27529953@N04/3081335899/

GUEST AUTHOR: Dr. Kaukab Siddique

Hadith Studies demonstrate that:

ALL WOMEN, INCLUDING YOUNG SINGLE WOMEN, ARE URGED BY PROPHET MUHAMMAD (peace be on him) TO TAKE PART IN ALL GOOD WORKS OF THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY

Question: I am studying Islam but can’t find anything in the Koran or the Traditions to support the place of women outside the home. Is it not true that Islam wants to restrict women to having children and cooking food? [U, from London, England]

ANSWER BY Dr. KAUKAB SIDDIQUE:

Asalaam o Alaikum Sister U, I have no idea why you can’t find the relevant texts. There is no need for any argument or interpretation on this issue. Here is a clear text from the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). I have put the Prophet’s words in capitals:

“Ismail narrates from Ayyub who narrates from Hafsa: She said: We used to forbid our never married maidens from going out. A woman came and stayed at the mansion of the Bani Khalaf. She narrated that her sister was married to a companion of the messenger of Allah (peace be on him) who was with the messenger of Allah (pbuh) in 12-armed expeditions. Her sister was with him in six of these expeditions. She (the sister) said: We used to bandage the wounded and take care of the sick. She (the sister) asked the messenger of Allah (pbuh): Is there any harm if one of us does not go forth if she does not have an outer covering (jilbab)?

He (the Prophet, pbuh) said: “LET HER FEMALE FRIEND GIVE HER OF HER OUTER COVERINGS and SHE SHOULD TAKE PART IN THE GOOD WORKS and CALLS TO ALLAH (supplications) OF THE BELIEVERS.” When Umm Atiyya (Allah be pleased with her) came, I (Hafsa) questioned her about it. Umm Attiya said: Let my father be sacrificed for him. (Whenever the Prophet’s (pbuh) name was mentioned, she used to say so.) I asked: Have you heard the messenger of Allah (peace be on him) say so? She replied: Yes. By my father, he (the Prophet, pbuh) told us: LET THE UNMARRIED MAIDENS AND THE YOUNG VIRGINS WHO STAY HIDDEN AND THE MENSTRUATING ONES GO FORTH TO TAKE PART IN THE GOOD DEEDS AND CALLS TO ALLAH (supplications) OF THE MUSLIMS. ONLY, THE MENSTRUATING ONES SHOULD NOT BE ON THE ACTUAL PRAYER AREA. I (Hafsa) asked (Umm Attiya): Even the menstruating women? She replied: Don’t they (the menstruating women) go to Arafat and such and such places? [Hadith in Bukhari's Sahih, kitab al-Manasik.]

ANALYSIS by Dr. Kaukab Siddique:

Muslims, by definition, are one nation and one community. However, for this community to become real, Muslims must learn to respect each other and to work together for good causes, starting at the basic level of man and woman.

Decency and modesty are important in Islam but this virtue must not be a cloistered virtue. To achieve real virtue, one must practice virtue within the community.

The hadith (above) begins by mentioning Hafsa’s mistaken notion that single women must not go out into community activities. Then along came a woman who talked about her sister who had participated in six armed expeditions (ghazwaat). Although she was part of the ambulance brigade, she did go forth to the battlefield. Hafsa got this narration confirmed by Umm Attiya (Allah be pleased with her) one of the greatest female companions of the Prophet (pbuh).

Note that the Prophet did not accept the excuse of lack of adequate clothing. Friends can always share dresses. The essential thing is to be part of the struggle. There is no indication whatever that the Prophet (pbuh) would want women to be secluded or separated from the men. Decent dress and modest attitude is all that is needed. TAQWA (God-conscious behavior) is the key.

The biggest surprise for Hafsa was the Prophet’s urging that even menstruating women go forth. No mosque or gathering place is holier than the ground of Arafat, and menstruating women can and do go there. They should stay away from actual formal prayer. (Another aspect often forgotten is that in those days it was difficult to stop the blood flow and the place of prayer would be have blood on it.)

HOW MANY WOMEN ARE NEEDED FOR WITNESSING?

Note also that this hadith in a number of ways contradicts the idea that reporting or witnessing by ONE MUSLIM WOMAN is not valid. Ismail accepted from Ayyub (both males) a narration from ONE WOMAN Hafsa and Imam Bukhari unhesitatingly placed it in his Sahih. The second part of the narration is again from one woman Umm Attiya (Allah be pleased with her).

CRITIQUE of DR. MUSHSIN KHAN’S TRANSLATION: Dr. Khan’s translation of Bukhari in 9 volumes has this hadith in volume 2 on page 418 and it is numbered 714. The translator has made a number of errors.

Firstly he adds the words “On Ids” and “for Id prayer” at the beginning and end of the first sentence narrated by Hafsa. If any expert in Arabic can point out where these additions of Dr. Khan are available in the text, please let me know.

Secondly, he mentions the “menstruating ones” only once, leaving out the first reference as given in my translation. Again see the Arabic.

Thirdly, he DOES NOT KNOW THAT HAFSA HERE IS NOT THE DAUGHTER of Umar Ibn al-Khattab (r.a.) and the wife of the Prophet (pbuh). Dr. Khan mistakenly puts (radi Allahu unha) in front of her name. He should study the Tabqat of Ibn Saad to find out who was this narrator. If she had been the illustrious wife of the Prophet and custodian of the Qur’an, she would not have had to ask Umm Attiya (r.a.).

Fourthly, Dr. Khan blunders by translating jilbab as “veil” and his translation come out, as “She should cover herself with the veil of her companion.” (Is that physically possible?) Most early scholars of Islam agree that jilbab is the outer garment or covering.

Some close Saudi associates of Dr. Khan have issued a summary of Sahih Bukhari from which this hadith has been omitted.

Diseases Not Heard of Before……..

HADITH

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said:

“If ever immorality spreads in a community and there is no sense of shame on its occurrence or mentioning it (and people talk about it as if nothing bad has taken place), diseases which were not present in the time of their predecessors will spread among them.” [Ibn Majah, Al-Bazzar, Al-Bayhaqi]

We may not be committing indecent acts, yet if we ignore what is happening around us then we are to blame also.

It is our job as the Ummah of Muhammad (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) to carry on his message and guide and warn people.

Once Hazrat Jibreel (alaihis salaam) was sent by Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) to destroy a town. Jibreel (alaihis salaam) asked if the pious man in the town, who spent his every moment in the remembrance of Allah, was also meant to be destroyed.

Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) told him to annihilate that ‘pious’ man first, since he did not bother to guide his people.

end tafseer

For uncommon diseases today check out:diseases of the body by disobedience of Allah.

OUR DNA………….

Courtesy: www.flickr.com

Narrated ‘Abdullah: Allah’s Apostle, the truthful and truly-inspired, said,

“Each one of you collected in the womb of his mother for forty days, and then turns into a clot for an equal period (of forty days) and turns into a piece of flesh for a similar period (of forty days) and then Allah sends an angel and orders him to write four things, i.e., his provision, his age, and whether he will be of the wretched or the blessed (in the Hereafter).

Then the soul is breathed into him. And by Allah, a person among you (or a man) may do deeds of the people of the Fire till there is only a cubit or an arm-breadth distance between him and the Fire, but then that writing (which Allah has ordered the angel to write) precedes, and he does the deeds of the people of Paradise and enters it;

and a man may do the deeds of the people of Paradise till there is only a cubit or two between him and Paradise, and then that writing precedes and he does the deeds of the people of the Fire and enters it.”

(Book #77, Hadith #593)

For more on this subject please refer to the scholars:

Qadaa wal Qadar by Shaykh Mokhtar Magraoui available at : www.zawiyah.net or www.aswatulislam.com

I ‘d like to be…………..

Excerpted from Surah 59: Al-Hashr (The Gathering) Recitation By: Mishary Rashed AlAfasy

AS YOU PACK YOUR BAGS FOR HAJJ…..

Jabal e Rahma

guest article

A beautiful Hadeeth about Hajj

by Asma bint Shameem

One day Ibn Umar (RA) was sitting with the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) in the masjid in Mina when a man from the Ansaar and a man from the Thaqeef came. They gave Salaam and said, “O Messenger of Allaah, we came to ask you questions.”

So the Messenger (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said: “If you want I can inform you why you came and what you want to ask, and I will do so, and if you want I will hold back and you can ask me and I will answer you.”

They said: “Tell us O Messenger of Allaah!”

The man from Thaqeef said to the Ansaari: “Ask.” So the Ansaari man said: “Inform me O Messenger of Allaah!”

The Messenger of Allaah (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said: “You came to me, to ask about leaving your house and aiming for the Bait-ul-Haraam and the reward for it; about praying two Rakah after Tawaaf and the reward for it; going between as-Safa and Marwa and the reward for it; your staying the evening in Mina, and the reward for it; stoning the Jamarah and the reward for it; slaughtering an animal and the reward for it; and the Tawaaf of al-Ifaadh.”

The man said: “I swear by the One who sent you with the truth! This is what I came to ask you about.”

The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said: “As for you leaving your homes aiming for the Bait-ul-Haraam: then your she-camel does not place its foot nor does it raise it except that Allaah writes for you a reward due to it, and wipes off one of your sins.

As for the two Rakah after the Tawaaf, then it is equivalent to freeing a slave from the Children of Ismaeel.

Muqaam-e Ibrahim

As for your circuiting of as-Safa and al-Marwa, then it is the same as freeing 70 slaves.

Saee: Between Safa and Marwah walking in the steps of our mother Hagar

As for you staying till the evening in Arafah, then Allaah descends to the sky of the Duniya and He boasts about you to the Angels, and says: ‘My slaves have come to Me, looking rough, from every deep valley hoping for My mercy, so if their sins were equivalent to the amount of sand or the drops of rain or like the foam on the sea I will forgive them. So go forth My slaves! Having forgiveness and for what or who you have interceded for.’

Arafah in 1950

On the way to Jamaraat

As for stoning the Jamaar (the pillars), then for every stone that you throw, it removes a big sin from the deadly sins.

As for your slaughtering, then it is saved for you with your Lord.

As for shaving your head, then there is a reward for every strand of hair that you shaved, and a sin is wiped off by it.

Hajre-Aswaad, where tawaaf begins

As for you performing Tawaaf of the House after all this, then by this time you are performing Tawaaf with no sin upon you and an Angel comes and places his hand between your shoulders saying: “Perform good deeds in what you face of the future, for verily your past sins have been forgiven.” (at-Tabarani and al-Bazaar–graded hasan by Al-Albaanee in Saheeh al-Targheeb wa Tarheeb’)

End Hadith

Subhaan Allaah! What a beautiful hadeeth!

And what good news for the pilgrims!

Rejoice and celebrate! Those of you going for Hajj this year! What more could you ask for?!!

Remember this hadeeth as you leave your homes for this honorable journey, whether it is by plane, ship, car or camel. Remember that Allaah will forgive your sins at each step you get closer to your destination and reward you at each step.

And remember this hadeeth as you circumambulate the Kaa’ba and say your two rakaat….And during your Sa’ee as you get tired……and on the Day of Arafah as you spread out your hands and ask for His Mercy and forgiveness….remember this hadeeth and cry. Weep out of your fear of Him and beg Him to pardon you and to guide you to Jannah.

And as you stone the Jamaraat with the crowds, remember this hadeeth and thank Allaah for this opportunity to have your major sins forgiven. And when you slaughter your animal and shave your head only for His sake, remember to thank Him and praise Him and glorify Him, for no one but Him Alone made all this possible for you. No one but Him Alone can forgive you and guide you. And no one but Him Alone can accept all this from you.

And finally, as you make Tawaaf of al-Ifaadhah….remember this hadeeth and firmly resolve to be good, to fear Him, to be honest and upright…..a follower of the Sunnah….a true Muslim in word and deed, not just by name. Promise Him that you will try your best to have taqwa and keep away from all that is haraam. And direct all praise and thanks to Allaah Alone who honored you by first inviting you to His Noble House then enabled you to perform Hajj and then forgave you your sins. Alhamdulillaahi Rabb il-Aalameen. Can we ever thank Allaah for His kindness and blessings?!!

And if you do all that, sincerely following the Sunnah, you will be forgiven, just as the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) promised us. And your reward will be Jannah.

As for those of us who couldn’t go this year, make firm intention NOW, to go for Hajj next year. No, not in the near future. Next Year. That’s it. Don’t delay it. Make a promise to yourself and ask Allaah to make it happen. If you ask sincerely, He will surely make it come true.

For, how can one read this beautiful…beautiful hadeeth and not want to take benefit from it?!!

How can one stand not to be the one to whom this hadeeth applies?!!

How can one not be one of the Haajis??!!!

May Allaah enable all those of us who have not yet gone for Hajj to do so and may He accept all those who did go. Ameen.

THE ETIQUETTE OF TAHAJJUD

Kalima

SAHIH BUKHARI Volume 2, Book 22, Number 289:

Narrated Kuraib Maula Ibn Abbas:

‘Abdullah bin Abbas said that he had passed a night in the house of Maimuna the mother of the faithful believers , who was his aunt. He said, “I slept across the bed, and Allah’s Apostle along with his wife slept lengthwise. Allah’s Apostle slept till mid-night or slightly before or after it. Then Allah’s Apostle woke up, sat, and removed the traces of sleep by rubbing his hands over his face. Then he recited the last ten verses of Surat-Al Imran (2).

Then he went towards a hanging leather water-container and performed a perfect ablution and then stood up for prayer.” ‘Abdullah bin Abbas added, “I got up and did the same as Allah’s Apostle had done and then went and stood by his side. Allah’s Apostle then put his right hand over my head and caught my right ear and twisted it.

He offered two Rakat, then two Rakat, then two Rakat, then two Rakat, then two Rakat, then two Rakat and then offered one Raka Witr. Then he lay down till the Muadh-dhin came and then he prayed two light Rakat and went out and offered the early morning (Fajr) prayer.”

FOR ALL YOU NIGHT OWLS OUT THERE………..

Night at times square

GUEST ARTICLE

Staying up late…..a disease of modern times

by Asma bint Shameem

They roam the streets when everyone is asleep. Or they may hang out with friends all night at the local ‘hookah place’. Or if they have nothing to do, some of them may even ‘egg’ some poor unsuspecting person’s house….’just because’. And if they are not ‘out there’, they are indoors, up until the wee hours of the morning, watching movies, listening to music, playing video games or chatting on the Internet, just because it’s ’summer vacation’.

Yes, that’s right, brothers and sisters, that’s our youth during the summer.

And even when it is not summer, they stay up late even then. They think it is ‘cool’ to do so.

And, unfortunately, this ‘disease of late nights’ has become so widespread that we, as parents, don’t think much of it either. In fact, many of us adults are afflicted with this same disease ourselves. We come back from parties and dinners late at night and we let our kids do the same.

However what we don’t realize is….. that’s not how Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta’ala intended the order of things. In fact, it is quite contrary to the natural rhythm which Allaah has created in the universe and in mankind. Allaah says:

“It is He who has appointed the night a covering for you and sleep for a rest. The day He has appointed for rising.” (Surah Furqaan: 47)

Thus, the night is created for rest and the day for work and for seeking provision. Yet we do the exact opposite. We are up at night and sleep late into the day, sometimes, up to or even beyond Dhuhr time, and waste much precious time. ‘Umar Radhi Allaahu Anhu used to punish people the people who did this and say: ‘You stay up for the first part of the night, then sleep for the last part of it?’”.

If we look at how the righteous before us spent their nights, we realize that they used their nights as a means to earning Jannah; praying, reciting the Qur’aan, crying and supplicating to Allaah. However, some of us Muslims, today take their nights as a means of entertainment and fun and even, aaoodhu billaah, a means of haraam and sin.

Actually, the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) himself, did not like to stay up or even speak after Ishaa.

“The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) used to like to delay the ‘Ishaa’ prayer and he hated to sleep before it or talk after it”. (Bukhaari).

He also disapproved of staying up late and warned against it.

He (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said: “Beware of staying up after people’s movements settle.”

Why did he do that? Because staying up late might cause many harms. Some of them are:

1. It may cause one to totally miss the Fajr prayer

The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said: “Between a man and kufr and shirk, there stands his giving up prayer.” (Muslim)

2. Even if you do wake up for Fajr, it is extremely hard to concentrate in the prayer or even know what one is saying.

3. Staying up late causes health problems, exhaustion, weakness, and loss of enthusiasm.

The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said: “Staying up late is tiring and burdensome.” (Daarimi, Tabaraani, others)

4. It also leads to lack of responsibility and laziness, as it is extremely difficult to wake up early for school, job, etc. if you are up half the night. The person ends up sleeping late into the day, missing his work, and slacking in responsibility.

Al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyaad said: There are two qualities that harden the heart: sleeping too much and eating too much.

5. We also miss out on the most blessed part of the day is the early morning. The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam) said:

“The early morning has been blessed for my Ummah.”(Saheeh al-Jaami’).

That’s why whenever the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa sallam) sent out troops or an army, he would send them at the beginning of the day. But by sleeping late, we lose the blessings of this time and the profits we could have gained.

6. If we sleep early, we can wake up in time for qiyaam ul-lail, a time for prayer, making dua and seeking forgiveness from Allaah, as the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:

“Our Lord descends every night to the heavens when there is only one third of the night remaining and says: Who is supplicating to me so that I can respond to him? Who is asking Me for something so that I can grant him that which he is asking for? Who is seeking My forgiveness so that I can forgive him” (Bukhaari, Muslim)

Is it befitting that we, as Muslims, miss this honorable and virtuous time and waste it either sleeping or  following our desires?

7. Staying up late is also a major reason behind many of the moral crimes, community problems, car accidents, etc.

8. Exceptions to the rule: The Ulama say that staying up late unnecessarily is nothing but a bad habit, unless it serves a purpose, such as praying and worshipping Allaah, seeking knowledge of Islaam, a person’s job, traveling, students preparing for exams, or other beneficial or permissible matters.

The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said: “Staying up late is for one of three categories of people; those traveling, those praying the night prayers, or those on their wedding night.” (Abu Ya’laa).

What Islaam encourages us to do is to sleep early, preferably right after Ishaa, then wake up early in time for

our prayers (Fajr and Tahajjud, if possible) and then take advantage of the blessings of early morning for our work and provision. We are also encouraged to take a nap during the day, either before Dhuhr or after, if we are able to. The Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:

“Take a nap, for the shayaateen do not take naps.” (al-Tabaraani–Saheeh).

Ishaaq ibn ‘Abd-Allaah said: “Taking a nap is one of the deeds of good people. It revitalizes the heart and helps one to pray qiyaam al-layl.”

Brothers and sisters, realize that staying up late is a diseased lifestyle that takes one away from the religion of Allaah and encourages the following of ones lusts and desires. One should avoid it unless there is a legitimate reason for it. Not only should we keep our kids away from it, we ourselves need to break this bad habit and develop healthy lifestyles and wholesome ways.

May Allaah enable us to realize the harms and evils of staying up late. May He enable us to utilize our time in the most productive manner, that is most pleasing to Him. Ameen

THE POWER SURGE FOR A MUSLIM

Masjid e Nabvi, women's entrance

Link up with Allah Almighty. Don’t miss your prayers under any circumstances. You need the power surge:

“Pray standing up; if not possible, then sitting down; and if you don’t have the strength even for that, then pray lying down.” [Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, Hadith narrated by 'Imran, r.a.  in Bukhari's Sahih, Abu Dawud's Sunan and Ahmad ibn Hanbal's Musnad.]