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2025-07-05T13:27:00.000+07:00

Let me speak in my islamic, may I gave the information from the other side, because of Allah I was standing, because of Allah I gave the information, for the brethren, and religion, let me share the information, about the fact the truth of islam

We were the most humiliated people on Earth and Allah gave us honour through Islam. If we ever seek honor through anything else, Allah will humiliate us again.
- Umar ibn Al-Khattab (Radi Allahu Anhu)

Facebook and Google+'s video chat tools compared

2011-07-07T23:45:00.000+07:00

Video chat is the big thing again, at least according to Facebook, which let loose a new video chat service yesterday. Powered by Skype, the new feature lets Facebook users start video calls with one another while continuing to use the site.

While other video chat tools may have been built on top of Facebook's application platform, this now comes out of the box for Facebook users, old and new. The result is that Facebook's added yet another way for its 750 million users to communicate with one another.

But moving beyond the hype, the big thing you're probably wondering is how this new service stacks up to the groovy video chat tools found in Google+, the social network Google recently launched as a "field trial" (see CNET's hands-on). One of its crowning features, besides providing an alternative to Facebook, is that you can video chat with your friends in multiple ways. How do the two compare? The short of it is that Facebook is simpler to use. The longer answer is that you might be happier with Google in day-to-day use.

To help illustrate that, I've delved into some things you might want to do with these services to see how they really compare. The best way to do that is with common scenarios you'd run into when wanting to video chat with someone else. Below are five I ran into when putting both services through their paces (Google+ over the past week, and Facebook's all of today).

Scenario: You want to video chat with a technologically impaired friend/family member

How it plays out on Facebook: Facebook's added a video call item to every user profile to let you (or them) start a chat from that page. If they've never used the feature before, Facebook has them download a tiny plug-in file to run, which installs without requiring a browser restart. They then click on a button that confirms they want to chat, and the video starts up.
Want to start a video chat with someone on Facebook? It's hard to miss the option to do it.

Want to start a video chat with someone on Facebook? It's hard to miss the option to do it.
(Credit: Josh Lowensohn/CNET)

Arguably the most difficult part in all this is getting someone to download that plug-in and install it. Facebook says it only takes about 10 to 20 seconds, but you're going to want to make sure your friend or family member can actually find the plug-in installer file in the first place. Luckily, modern Web browsers do a pretty good job nowadays with helping you locate what you just downloaded. Facebook also does a bit of hand-holding here, telling you what to do to first get going.

How it plays out on Google+: Pretty much the same deal as on Facebook with regards to the plug-in aspect. The big difference is in where Google surfaces the video chat option.

There are two points of entry to get a video chat going: the chat list on the left hand side and the hangouts feature. These are entirely different chat experiences, with the chat being a one-to-one experience, and the hangouts being a place where you can chat with one or more users at the same time. Between the two options, it's easier to search for, and find someone to talk with from Google+'s home page using the chat tool. Facebook arguably has the edge here in keeping its buddy list equivalent on the same part of your screen at all times--something that's useful for folks who get lost easily.

Scenario: The conversation gets awkward/boring

You suddenly don't want to talk to this person, or the conversation has stalled. Most people would call an end to it but you don't want to. How do you fill in the time?

How it plays out on Facebook: You're left to your own devices. For better or for worse, the video chat is just that and nothing more. You can't share anything with the other person than your words and whatever's coming from the Web cam.

How it plays out on Google+: It's the same situation in Google+'s standard video chat. But with "hangouts" there are a number of social options to spice things up. You can start watching YouTube videos either by yourself, or have others watch with you. If what Google's done with turning links into content in Google Chat is any indication, more features like this should be on the way.

I attempted to keep my colleague Jay Greene entertained by watching videos of giant explosions on YouTube. That's certainly easier than blowing something up in front of your computer to keep the other person entertained.
(Credit: Josh Lowensohn/CNET)

Scenario: You get a phone call and need to duck out for a minut

How it plays out on Facebook: This is one of those areas where comparisons need to be drawn back to the product Facebook's video chat is derived from, which is Skype itself. In Skype you get a bevvy of options, though notably ones to mute the line and pause the video. Here you're just forced to go to another room, or end the video call. Simply minimizing the chat window will keep the video rolling in the background.

What did we end up doing? We canceled out that Facebook video chat session, then resumed it when the call was done. That's a minor inconvenience, but an inconvenience nonetheless.

How it plays out on Google+: Here again we have to break it out as the Google Chat video experience, and the hangouts experience.

• With the Google Chat video chat, you get quick mute button for the audio, which you can toggle on and off. You're the only one who sees and control this option.

• With Google+'s hangouts you get a microphone and video mute for yourself, as well as the option to mute the audio of others. This means you don't have to fumble for your computer's system volume knob to tell the other person to be quiet for a minute. Hangouts also makes it more transparent about what the other users are doing, whether it's muting their microphones, or hopping onto watch a YouTube video. This means you can keep tabs on what's going on when you get back from your phone call and are wondering what the other person is doing.

Scenario: The other person doesn't want to video chat

How it plays out on Facebook: First of all, if a person's not online, you can't begin a video chat with them; the video option is not present on an offline user's

profile page. But if they are, and are just away from their computer (or intentionally ignoring you), your request will eventually time out.

Here's what's neat about Facebook's approach: the company is taking advantage of its video message service to let you record and leave a video message. These show up in your inbox like any other message, as well as in the chat dialogue on the bottom of the screen. Sure this is just an existing feature that's been re-bundled into something else, but it's smart.

How it plays out on Google+: If someone's offline, you're simply out of luck. Like Facebook, there's not an option to begin a video chat with them. And there's not an option to send them a video message that they can see after the fact.

With Google's YouTube Webcam recording feature you could theoretically work around this by recording a video there first, then sharing it privately through Google+, but let's face it, that's an enormous amount of work. Will Google likely add a video message recording feature to the sharing options of Google+? Maybe.

Scenario: You want to video chat with two people at once

How it plays out on Facebook: So far this is a no-go. During yesterday's press conference, Mark Zuckerberg noted that this could change farther on down the line with multi-person video chat. But for now if you want to talk to two people on video, it's going to be a one at a time affair.

How it plays out on Google+: Same deal with Google+'s Chat component. The difference is with the hangouts feature, where up to 10 people can be together. The obvious thing to point out here is that they'll all be talking with each other since this is a shared chat.

Conclusions

For all around ease of use, Facebook gets a definite edge when it comes to simplicity and ubiquity. It's obvious where to access the feature from user chats and user profiles alike, and you can get a video chat up and running with someone else in less than a minute.

If you want more bells and whistles, then Google's video chat efforts in Google+ beat Facebook's handily. Google's offering users a system that is completely familiar if you're used other Google products like Gmail and iGoogle, and a much more advanced group chat option with the hangouts feature.

So to answer the original question of which one to use, the answer depends on who you want to talk to. Ultimately video chatting is all about getting in touch with someone else in a way that's technologically convenient for both of you. Right now the simple truth is that Facebook's made that easier. It has more than 750 million users, any of whom with a Web cam can now talk to one another across the digital divide.

The huge--and I do mean huge--caveat here is that these two services are by no means sitting still. Google+ is still on its way to being a publicly available product (assuming it makes it there), and Facebook is on a constant march to add and change features. Knowing what Skype, which powers Facebook's video chat feature, is already capable of in software form gives us some road map of where it could be headed within Facebook's

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Original Posted By Josh Lowensohn

What’s new in Microsoft Office 2010?

2011-07-07T22:32:00.000+07:00

At its Worldwide Partner Conference 2009, Microsoft Corp has announced that Microsoft Office 2010 has reached the technical preview engineering milestone.

The Redmond-based company has also revealed its plans to release Office 2010 for manufacturing in the first half of 2010. Currently, tens of thousands of testers will be invited to get a taste of Office 2010 and Visio 2010 Technical Preview.

What’s new in Microsoft Office 2010?

According to the Redmond giant, Microsoft Office 2010 gives you rich and powerful new ways to deliver your best work whether you are at work or home on a computer, Web browser or Smartphone. By offering more ways to access your files from virtually anywhere, Office 2010 puts you in control all the time.

Office 2010 Applications

Microsoft Word 2010
It has enhanced features to create professional-quality documents, you can work together with multiple people and almost anywhere access to your files. You can create and organize documents in less time, with less effort. Store your documents online, then access and edit Word 2010 from practically any Web browser.

Microsoft Excel 2010
Now, you can track and highlight important data trends with new data analysis and visualization tools. Like Word 2010, you can work in group over the Web. Whether you are producing financial reports or managing personal expenses, Excel 2010 gives you the proficiency and flexibility to accomplish your goals.

Microsoft PowerPoint 2010
Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 delivers improved audio and visual capabilities, which will tell you a crisp, cinematic story that is as easy to create and also powerful to watch. With new easy-to-use tools, you can polish your presentations and keep your audience’s attention even longer. You can also access to PowerPoint 2010 from your Smartphone or the Web.

Microsoft Outlook 2010
The most innovative features are present in the Microsoft Outlook 2010 to have a world-class experience. It gives you tools required to stay on top of practically everything. You can save valuable inbox space with improved email conversation tracking and management. Compress long e-mail threads into conversations that can be categorized, filed, ignored or cleaned up with a few clicks.

Microsoft OneNote 2010
It gives the ultimate digital notebook experience, which stores and shares notes in one single, easy-to-access location. Now capture text, photos, video and audio files and check them virtually anywhere.

Microsoft Publisher 2010
With Microsoft Publisher 2010 you can deliver professional-quality results without having a background in graphic design, whether you are creating brochures, newsletters, e-mails, postcards, or greeting cards.

Microsoft Access 2010
With ready-to-go templates and powerful tools, Access 2010 empowers you to make the most of your information, with fewer barriers and at a lower cost.

Microsoft SharePoint Workspace 2010
In Office 2010, Groove 2007 has been renamed as Microsoft SharePoint Workspace 2010, which expands the boundaries of collaboration by offering fast access, online and off, to all SharePoint content.

Microsoft InfoPath 2010
With Microsoft InfoPath 2010, developers can create advanced forms for departmental and enterprise business processes, including composite SharePoint applications and document workflows all using little or no code.

Office Web Applications
Office Web Applications allow you to access documents from anywhere. You can even simultaneously share and work on documents with others online. You can view documents across PCs, mobile phones and the Web without compromising document fidelity. By offering more ways to access files from almost anywhere, Office Web Applications enable you to get things done according to your schedule.

Office Mobile
Office Mobile brings the Office 2010 tools to use on your mobile device. Now you can view documents, charts and presentations in a rich interface designed for small screens with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Mobile. Further, enjoy a familiar e-mail experience with Outlook Mobile and connect with colleagues on the go using Office Communicator.

Windows 7 or Ubuntu 9.10???

2011-07-07T22:29:00.000+07:00

Since its launch five years back, Ubuntu has turned into one of the most popular Linux operating system. After the launch of Windows 7, a major update of Vista, Ubuntu 9.10 or "Karmic Koala" has launched on October 29th. At present, Linux operating system has about 1% market share for desktops as compared to 92% of Windows, whereas it is popular for servers or embedded systems. Ubuntu, based on the Linux’s Debian flavor has focused to bring Linux operating system to the common people.

Here, the article compares some of the features of Windows 7 and Ubuntu 9.10:

Installation and upgrades

Users can easily upgrade their PCs with the new version of Ubuntu and it can be also installed on your current PCs without any hardware requirements. Further, like Windows 7 and Mac OS X, Ubuntu 9.10 automatically keeps users’ operating system up-to-date. While, Windows 7 will update only the Microsoft software and the operating system, Ubuntu updates itself with any other software installed on users’ system.

Multimedia

Due to their own terms and conditions, Ubuntu does not ship with the ability to play commercial DVDs. However, you can download the commercial DVD support via Ubuntu Restricted Extras in the Software Centre. It has Rhythmbox player for music and the Movie Player for video.

Microsoft’s Windows 7 come preinstalled with Windows Media Player and Media Centre, which take care of your personal files. Further, if your hardware permits, you can also watch live TV on the PC.

Software and applications

According to developers, Ubuntu is like Apple’s iPhone and supports vast software and applications. Users can have instant access to thousands of free and open-source applications. It comes with free OpenOffice.org 3.1 installed by default as its office productivity suite through which you can create professional documents, spreadsheets and presentations. The suite is compatible with all office apps including MS Office.

Windows 7 users have to buy Microsoft Office, or they can download OpenOffice and GIMP. While Windows users will have Outlook for their email, Ubuntu comes with Evolution, its emailing and calendaring software.

Windows 7 comes with Internet Explorer 8 and MSN Windows Live messenger, Ubuntu 9.10 ships with Firefox 3.5 and Empathy multiple protocol IM client.

Cloud Service

The new Linux version offers cloud storage to the masses with its Ubuntu One service, where users can store upto 2GB of data for free, but will have to pay for more storage. Ubuntu 9.10 can also take advantage of Amazon's EC2 cloud computing service.

Microsoft also provides a cloud storage application called Live Mesh that offers 25GB of storage for free, but the service is not integrated with the OS as in Ubuntu.

Speed and hardware

In terms of speed, the latest operating system of Microsoft is definitely lighter on hardware than its predecessor, Vista and it will run well on older hardware. However, Ubuntu 9.10 also works well on a wide range of hardware.

Security

According to various analysts, Linux operating systems are more secure than Windows and are not easily infected by bugs and viruses. In Windows 7, Windows Security Center has been renamed to Windows Action Center, which covers both security and maintenance of the computer.

AMD vs Intel

2011-07-07T22:25:00.000+07:00

AMD is trying to cope with greater computing capabilities that Intel is planning to bring in future with its Clarkdale, Arrandale and Sandy Bridge. The company has reported new details on its platform roadmap during its financial analysts' day. In the roadmap, AMD also speak about the company’s future strategy for persistent growth in 2010 and beyond. Further, it has announced the future solutions for servers, desktops and notebooks.

2009’s Milestones

In the current year, AMD has transformed into a design innovation leader, which brings consistent financial results. The company has also achieved various milestones in 2009 to counter the monopoly of Intel.
The various milestones are:

1. Creation of one of the world's largest independent semiconductor foundries, GLOBALFOUNDRIES.

2. Introduction of next generation DirectX 11 capable ATI Radeon HD 5800 and HD 5700 series of graphics cards.

3. It has launched its VISION Technology to simplify the PC selection process.

4. Achieve major technology transitions such as 40nm and DirectX 11.

5. AMD also launched its 1st and 2nd generation Ultrathin Notebook Platforms, Dragon gaming platform based on its Phenom II processors and the 6-core Opteron processor.

In the coming years, it will expand its momentum with new server and client platforms, which will put AMD on a clear path to industry leadership.

Recently, both companies have obtained patent rights from a new 5-year cross license agreement, after which Intel and AMD will leave any claims of breach from the previous license agreements. However, Intel will pay $1.25 billion to AMD.

Roadmap for 2010

In 2010, AMD will introduce various new platforms for balanced performance and superior multimedia and visual computing capabilities.

It will launch its Danube platform for notebook that is based on quad-core processors and is predicted to offer more than 7 hours of battery life. For ultrathin notebooks, AMD will introduce its 3rd generation Nile platform, which also provide seven or more hours of battery life. Both the new platforms will challenge Intel’s Arrandale platform.

On the Opteron server chip side, AMD is developing its Maranello platform, with the Magny-Cours chips bearing from eight to 12 cores. Its Opteron 4000 Series platform that is code-named San Marino and Adelaide is expected to offer four to six cores and two memory channels and will participate in the rapidly growing Web and Cloud Computing segment.

AMD will also introduce the industry’s first six-core desktop CPU called Leo for gaming enthusiasts as the platform supports DirectX 11 graphics and ATI Eyefinity Technology. It will challenge Intel’s Clarkdale processor.

Roadmap for 2011

AMD Fusion: One of the key future plans of AMD is its Fusion strategy, which combines CPU and GPU into an all-new PU, called APU (Accelerated Processing Unit), a concept that was first introduced in December 2006. APUs will be available in the second half of 2011 with the codenames Bulldozer and Bobcat, which will be based on new x86 cores platform.

Intel’s Sandy Bridge, the planned successor to Nehalem, will be launched in 2011 and is a processor micro-architecture based on the 32 nm manufacturing methods from Westmere platform. AMD Fusion technology will counter the Sandy Bridge platform.

While Bulldozer will target desktop and server market, Bobcat will look after the low power, ultrathin PC markets. AMD added that the two cores are being designed to be extremely scalable and able to be united with GPU circuitry and other IP assets into application-specific APUs. The company is also developing Zambezi desktop processor with up to eight cores based on Bulldozer platform.

The roadmap for AMD cites 32nm Llano processor on the Sabine platform for mainstream notebooks and desktop PCs by 2011. For ultrathin notebooks, AMD will offer the Brazos platform, with the Ontario processor supporting the DirectX 11 graphics technology.

15 Ways to increase earnings with proofs from Quran and Sunnah

2011-07-07T22:16:00.000+07:00

1. The Taqwa of Allah

And whosoever fears Allâh and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). (2) And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allâh, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allâh will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allâh has set a measure for all things.

[Surah Al-Talq, Verse 2-3]

And if the people of the towns had believed and had the Taqwâ (piety), certainly, We should have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth, but they belied (the Messengers). So We took them (with punishment) for what they used to earn (polytheism and crimes).

[ Surah Al-Araf, Verse 96]

2. Seeking forgiveness and repentance

"I said (to them): 'Ask forgiveness from your Lord; Verily, He is Oft-Forgiving; (10) 'He will send rain to you in abundance; (11) 'And give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers.' "

[Surah Nooh, Verses 10-12]

"And O my people! Ask forgiveness of your Lord and then repent to Him, He will send you (from the sky) abundant rain, and add strength to your strength, so do not turn away as Mujrimûn (criminals, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allâh)."

[Surah Hood, Verse 52]

And (commanding you): "Seek the forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him in repentance, that He may grant you good enjoyment, for a term appointed, and bestow His abounding Grace to every owner of grace (i.e. the one who helps and serves needy and deserving, physically and with his wealth, and even with good words). But if you turn away, then I fear for you the torment of a Great Day (i.e. the Day of Resurrection).

[Surah Hood, Verse 3]

3. Tawakkul

‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattab reported that Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

"If you were to put trust in Allah (Tawakkul) the way that Allah deserves, then you would be provided for as birds are; they leave (in search of food) at the beginning of the day famished, and return at the end of the day full"

[Shaykah Al-Abani’s Silsilat Al-Sahihah, # 310]

And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allâh, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allâh will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allâh has set a measure for all things.

[Surah Al-Talq, Verse 2-3]

Would that they were contented with what Allâh and His Messenger (peace be upon him) gave them and had said: "Allâh is Sufficient for us. Allâh will give us of His Bounty, and so will His Messenger (from alms, etc.). We implore Allâh (to enrich us)."

[Surah Al-Tawba, Verse 59]

4. Constantly worshiping Allah

Abu Hurayrah stated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

"Allah says, ‘O son of Adam! Take time out to constantly worship me, I will fill your chest with richness , and remove your poverty. And if you do not do so. I will make your hands filled with occupation, and will not remove your poverty”

[Shaykh Al-Albani declared it to authentic in his Sunan Al-Tirmidhi]

Ma’qal Ibn Yasaar reported that Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“Your Lord, all glory and honor be to Him says, ‘O Son of Adam! Take the time out to constantly worship Me, I will fill your chest with richness! O Son of Adam! Do not distance yourself from Me, or I will fill your chest with poverty, and fill your hands with work ”

[Shaykah Al-Abani’s Silsilat Al-Sahihah, # 1359]

5.Thanking Allah

And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: "If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshiping none but Allâh), I will give you more (of My Blessings), but if you are thankless (i.e. disbelievers), verily! My Punishment is indeed severe."

[Surah Ibrahim, Verse 7]

6. Frequently performing Hajj and ‘Umrah

It has been reported by ‘abdullah Ibn Mas’ud that the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

"Follow up between Hajj and ‘Umrah (i.e. continuously repeat the performance of Hajj and ‘Umrah) because they both eliminate poverty and sins just like a furnace eliminates the dirty impurities of iron, gold and silver. And an accepted Hajj has no reward less than paradise"

[ Shaykh Al-Albani in Sahih Sunan Al-Tirmidhi (1/245)]

7. Establishing the ties of kinship

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“Whoever is pleased with the fact that his Rizq be increased, and his life-span be extended, then let him establish the ties of kinship”

[Al-Bukari, # 5985]

Anas Ibn Malik reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“Whoever wishes to have his Rizq increased, and his life-span be extended, then let him establish the ties of kinship”

[Al-Bukari, # 5986]

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“Learn enough of your lineage, so that you can establish the ties of kinship, for establish the ties of kinship increases the love amongst families and multiplies wealth and extends age”

[Shaykh Al-Albani in Sahih Sunan Al-Tirmidhi (2/190)]

8. Spending in the Way of Allah

Say: "Truly, my Lord enlarges the provision for whom He wills of His slaves, and (also) restricts (it) for him, and whatsoever you spend of anything (in Allâh's Cause), He will replace it. And He is the Best of providers."

[Surah Saba, Verse 39]

Abu Hurayrah said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“ Allah has said: ‘O Son of Adam! Spend I will spend on you!”

[Sahih Muslim (2/690)]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“There is not a single day in which a servant wakes that two angels come down (from the Heavens). One of them says, O’ Allah! Give to the one that spends a substitute (for what he has spent). And the other one says, ‘O Allah! Give to the one that withhold some (his money) destruction!”

[Al-Bukhari #1442]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

“While a person was in an open area of land, he heard voice in a cloud above him say. "water the garden of so-and-so!" So the cloud immediately departed, and started pouring its rain out on a rocky plain. A large crevice in the rocks collected all of this water. So the man followed the water (in its course), and he found a man standing in his garden, using an instrument to direct this water in different directions *(to irrigate his garden). He said to him, ‘O servant of Allah! What is your name?’ The man said ‘So-an-so,’ the same name that he had heard in the clouds! Then the man asked him, ‘O servant of Allah! Why are you asking me my name?’ So he responded. ‘I heard a voice in the clouds- the same clouds that this water came from- saying, “water the garden of so-and-so” with your name. What do you interpret this as (i.e. why do you think this happened )?’ So he said, ‘If you say this (i.e. if what you say occurred), then (the reason for this is that) I see what (crops) come out of it (this garden), and I give one third in charity, and I eat with my family one third of it, and I return one third of it (to cultivate more crops)”” and in another narration, it is reported that he said, …and I give one third of it to the poor, and the beggars, and the wayfarers.’

[Muslim (4/2288)]

9. Hijrah, Emigrating for the sake of Allah

He who emigrates (from his home) in the Cause of Allâh, will find on earth many dwelling places and plenty to live by. And whosoever leaves his home as an emigrant unto Allâh and His Messenger, and death overtakes him, his reward is then surely incumbent upon Allâh. And Allâh is Ever Oft¬Forgiving, Most Merciful.

[Surah Al-Nisa, Verse 100]

10. Marriage

And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the Sâlihûn (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allâh will enrich them out of His Bounty. And Allâh is All-Sufficent for His creatures' needs, All-Knowing (about the state of the people).

[Surah Al-Nur, Verse 32]

11.Supporting students of Islamic knowledge

Anas Ibn Malik said,

"There were two brothers (that lived) at the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him). One of them would come to Prophet (peace be upon him), whereas the other one would seek his sustenance (by working). So the the one who used to seek his sustenance complained to the Prophet (peace be upon him) about his brother. The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied,

‘It is possible that you are provided your rizq because of him’"

[Shaykh Al-Albani agreed it to be authentic, Saheeh Sunan Al-Tirmidhi(2/274)]

12. Showing kindness to the Poor

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

"The only reason that you are aided in victory (against your enemies) and provided with sustainance due to your weak?"

[Al-Bukahri (14/179)]

13. Being honest in ones dealings

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

"The two parties of a transaction have the right (to annul the contract) as long as they don't separate (from each other). So, if they were truthful (to one another), and honest in explaining (the defects of an item), then they will be blessed in their transaction. But, if they lied, and hid (the defects of an item) then the blessings of their transaction are destroyed"

[Muslim, # 3836]

14.Making the Hereafter One’s main Concern

Once Zayd Bin Thabit wa with Marwan, the leader of the City, when he went to visit 'Abd Al-Rahman Ibn 'Uthman Bin 'Affan, Abd Al-Rahman said, "Nothing caused him to come here, at this hour except a question that he wants to ask." So he asked him (what the matter was). He replied, "He (meaning Marwan) asked us about matters that we heard the Prophet :saws: say". I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say

"Whoever puts this world as his only (and primary) goal, them Allah will divide his affairs for him, and He will place poverty before his eyes, and nothing will come to him of this world except that which was already written (i.e. pre-destined) for him. But whoever made the Hereafter his goal, the Allah will gather his affairs for him, and he will place richness in his heart, and the world will come to him conquered and submissive"

[Al-Albani Silsila As-Saheehah, #950 ]

15. Striving to achieve the goal (for sustainance)

He knows that there will be some among you sick, others traveling through the land, seeking of Allâh's Bounty; yet others fighting in Allâh's Cause. So recite as much of the Qur'ân as may be easy (for you), and perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât) and give Zakât, and lend to Allâh a goodly loan, And whatever good you send before you for yourselves, (i.e. Nawâfil non-obligatory acts of worship: prayers, charity, fasting, Hajj and 'Umrah), you will certainly find it with Allâh, better and greater in reward. And seek Forgiveness of Allâh. Verily, Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most-Merciful

[Surah Al-Muzammil, Verse 20]

And We have appointed the night and the day as two Ayât (signs etc.). Then, We have obliterated the sign of the night (with darkness) while We have made the sign of the day illuminating, that you may seek bounty from your Lord, and that you may know the number of the years and the reckoning. And We have explained everything (in detail) with full explanation.

[Surah Al-Isra, Verse 20]

“From” and “To”

2011-07-07T21:53:00.000+07:00

oleh Daily Quran and Hadith pada 11 April 2011 jam 21:25

The heart’s hijrah requires migrating “from” one state “to” another. A person migrates with his heart:

from loving other than Allāh to loving Him;

from offering servitude to other than Allāh to offering it to Him;

from fearing other than Allāh to fearing Him;

from having hope in other than Allāh to having hope in Him;

from relying on other than Allāh to relying on Him;

from asking and deploring other than Allāh to asking and deploring Him;

from surrendering and submitting to other than Allāh to surrendering and submitting to Him.

This is precisely the meaning of “fleeing unto Allāh”, as Allāh (subhanahu wa ta’ala) says:

فَفِرُّوا إِلَى اللَّهِ

…Flee then unto Allāh…

[Adh-Dhāriyāt 51:50]

And indeed, the tawheed required from a person is to flee from Allāh unto Him!

Under this heading of “from” and “to” falls a great reality of tawheed.

Fleeing unto Allāh

Fleeing unto Allāh (subhanahu wa ta’ala) includes turning to Him alone for appeal, worship, and all that proceeds from it, such as love, fear, surrender, and reliance. Thus, it includes the tawheed of Ilāhiyyah, which is the common subject among the messengers’ messages – may Allāh bestow His praise and peace upon them all.

Fleeing from Allāh

On the other hand, fleeing from Allāh (unto Him) includes the tawheed of Ruboobiyyah and affirmation of Qadar. It professes that whatever one hates or fears or evades in the creation only takes place by Allāh’s will.

Indeed, whatever Allāh (subhanahu wa ta’ala) wills surely happens, and its existence becomes mandatory by virtue of Allāh’s will. And whatever Allāh does not will never happens and is impossible to exist.

Thus when one flees unto Allāh, one would actually be fleeing (unto Him) from a thing that occurred by His will and decree. In other words, one would be fleeing from Allāh unto Him!

One who properly understands this would then understand the meaning of the Prophet’s (salAllāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) words:

“I seek refuge from You in You” 1

One would then also understand the Prophet’s (salAllāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) saying:

“…There is no shelter or escape from You except to You…” 2

There is nothing in the creation from which one would flee or seek protection but is created and originated by Allāh (subhanahu wa ta’ala) . Therefore, one would flee from what is mandated by Allāh’s decree, will, and creation; and one would flee to what is mandated by Allāh’s mercy, goodness, kindness, and bounty. Hence, one flees from Allāh unto Him, and seeks refuge in Him from Him!

Footnotes:

1. This is part of a hadeeth recorded by Muslim from ‘Aa’ishah (radiAllāhu ‘anha) who said that one night she missed Allāh’s Messenger (salAllāhu ‘alayhi wasallam). After some search, she found him in the Masjid (which was adjacent to her apartment). In the darkness, her hand hit the soles of his feet that were erected (in sujood). He was saying:

“O Allāh! I seek protection from Your wrath in Your acceptance, and from Your punishment in Your pardon, and from You in You! I cannot offer You the praise that you deserve, so I only praise You as You praise Yourself.”

2. This is a part of a hadeeth recorded by al-Bukhāri and Muslim from al-Barā’ Bin ‘Aazib (radiAllāhu ‘anhu) that the Messenger (salAllāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) instructed a man to say when going to bed:

“O Allāh! I submit myself to You, turn my face unto You, support my back unto You, and rely in my affairs on You, hoping in You and fearing You; there is no shelter or escape from You except to You! I believe in the Book that You have revealed and in the Messenger You have sent.”

He (salAllāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) added: “If one dies (after saying this), he dies upon the fitrah (pure nature).”

* Transcribed from: Ar-Risalat ut-Tabukiyyah | The Message from Tabuk | Ibn ul-Qayyim

The Battle Islam Vs Jahiliyyah

2011-07-07T21:42:00.000+07:00

And all of Islam in Makkah was manifested in this issue: the issue of the battle between Islam and jahiliyyah. There was no fasting, charity, pilgrimage, inheritance, or anything else of the Shariah mannerisms, such as drinking with the right hand, the details of how to pray, or anything else. All of this was delayed by the Lord of Honor until this believing group was nurtured upon the belief that was settling in the depths of their hearts and running through their veins that there could be no meeting point between Islam and jahiliyyah, and that the fires of this conflict would never be put out so long as there was a truth to uphold, and so long as there was a falsehood that existed, and these two situations can never cease to exist.

This is a battle.

Whoever wishes to understand it clearly as it is, as if he is receiving the Quran as it was revealed, and to take part in the battle that it is fighting - the battle that it fought the first time around - he must read “˜Fi Dhilal al-Quran.” Whoever does not read Sayyid Qutbs tafsir in Fi Dhilal al-Quran will not be able to grasp the depths of this battle, for many reasons. From them is the fact that the man who wrote this book was relaying to the people these events from the midst of the conflict, and from the depths of the battlefield. He wrote these words while he was watching the hangmans noose being tightened in front of his very eyes. So, he wrote them while he was free of all fears, and free of all the burdens of the dunya - no job, no wife, no children, no connection to the burdens that pull one to this Earth. He wrote them while he was bidding the dunya farewell, and everyone who reads the tafsir of al-Baqarah, Al-Imran,an-Nisa,˜al-Maidah,al-Araf, and walks with them - in the second printing onwards - will realize that the one who wrote these words is not from the people of this world. Rather, he is bidding this world farewell with these words, and is giving it a departing wave with these words

Because of this, many people read books, read explanations of the Quran, read the words of Ibn Kathir, at-Tabari, and other than them, and they are never able - and I am saying this to you as a professor of Shariah, and I know more than you, and I understand this issue more than you do - they are unable to understand the Quran as it was revealed, nor are they able to partake in the battle for which Allah revealed it - not just in the era of the Messenger of Allah, but in every era, and in every place.

This Quran is the Book of Allah that was revealed to fight a battle against the enemies of Allah:

{and strive against them with it a great struggle} [al-Furqan; 52]

And it is a must for the people to understand the Book of Allah, why it was revealed, and with whom these texts are dealing with. And some people think that these texts fought a battle, played their role, and that it is no longer possible to utilize this way of looking at things, or to move forward with these rules to fight the battle of today, which is as if it were the same battle that was fought by the Messenger of Allah.

So, I advise you and myself to read ˜Fi Dhilal al-Quran”

[at-Tarbiyah al-Jihadiyyah wal-Bina; 3/6-7]

Ibn Al-Qayyim Speaks on Love

2011-07-07T21:34:00.000+07:00

Chapter: Concerning the Desire for Allah and the Signs of the One Who Knows Allah

As for the desire for Allah (raghbah), wanting Him (lit. His Countenance) and yearning for the meeting with Him, then it is the capital of the slave, the foundation of his affair, the basis of his life of goodness, the source of his (true) happiness, success and bliss, and it is the coolness of his eye. For this reason he was created and for it he has been commanded. The messengers have been sent and the books have been revealed also for this purpose. There is no rectification or bliss for the heart unless its desire is solely for Allah, alone, Mighty and Majestic is He. Hence, He alone should be his desire, what he seeks out and his goal. As Allah, the Exalted, has said, “So when you have finished (your occupation), devote yourself for Allah’s worship. And to your Lord turn your desires and intentions” (Qur’an 94:7-8). And He, the Exalted, has also said, “Would that they were contented with what Allah and His Messenger gave them and had said, ‘Allah is sufficient for us. Allah will give us of His Bounty, and so will His Messenger. We implore Allah’” (Qur’an 9:59).

Those who desire are three types:

* Those who desire Allah,

* Those who desire what Allah has

* And those who desire other than Allah.

So the lover is the one who desires Allah. The one who is concerned with works is the one who desires what Allah has. And the one who is satisfied with this life, in neglect to the Hereafter, is the one who desires other than Him. The person whose desire is for Allah alone, Allah with suffice him from every concern, take on all of his affairs, deflect from him what he is not capable himself to deflect, protect him like the protection of a father to his child and preserve him from all afflictions. And whoever prefers Allah to all others, Allah will prefer him to others. And whoever is for Allah, Allah will be for him where he is not even there for his own self. Whoever knows Allah, nothing will be more beloved to him than Him and no desire will remain in this type of person for anything other than Him, except that which will bring him closer to Him or assist him in his wayfaring to Him.

From among the signs of experiential knowledge (ma’rifah) of Allah is veneration and awe (haybah). As the slave’s experiential knowledge of his Lord increases, so to does his veneration and awe increase. As Allah, the Exalted, has said, “It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah” (Qur’ân 35:28), meaning, those who are knowledgeable concerning Him. And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “I am the most knowledgeable of you concerning Allah and I am the most intense in awe and reverence of Him” (Al-Bukhârî and Muslim).

So whoever knows Allah (has ma’rifah) his livelihood will be pure, his life will be sweet, everything will revere him and all fear of created things will leave him. He will find intimacy with Allah and will have an aversion for (common) people. Knowledge of Allah (ma’rifah) will bequeath to him shyness in front of Allah, veneration and reverence of Him, vigilance (concerning His vision), love, trust in Him, turning to Him, pleasure in Him and submission to His ordinances.

It was said to Junayd, may Allah have mercy upon him, “There are a group of people here that claim that they can attain righteousness by leaving all movement.” He responded, “Such ones have spoken of the removal of all action, and this is something very immense. The one who fornicates and steals is in a better state than the one who says that (as far as I am concerned). For verily, those who have experiential knowledge of Allah (the ‘ârifûn) have taken their actions from Allah and they have returned to Allah in them. If I were to live one thousand years I would not decrease in performing righteous works.” He also said, “One who knows Allah does not really know Allah until he becomes like the earth; the feet of the righteous and the unrighteous tread upon him. And (until he becomes) like the rain that waters what it likes and what it doesn’t like.”

Yahyâ ibn Mu’âdh said, “The one who knows Allah leaves this world (at the time of death) and he has not had his fill of two things: crying over his self and yearning for his Lord.” Others have said, “One who knows Allah will not really know Allah until if he is given a dominion like the kingdom of Solomon it would not distract him from Allah for even the blink of an eye.” It has also been said, “The one who knows Allah has found intimacy with Allah and has an aversion for other than Him. He has realized his poverty in front of Allah, so Allah has enriched him from His creation. And he has humbled himself in front of Allah, so He has ennobled him amongst His creation.”

Abû Salymân Ad-Dârânî said, “While (resting) in bed, the one who has experiential knowledge of Allah has openings that do not even come to the one who is standing in prayer!”

Dhun-Nûn (Al-Misrî) said, “For everything there is a punishment. And the punishment of the one who knows Allah (the ‘ârif) is being cut off from the remembrance of Allah.”

In summary, the life of the heart is with Allah and there is no life for it without that, ever. So when the heart is in agreement with the tongue in its dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and the heart is in agreement with what the Beloved wants from it; when he (the servant) belittles the many works and statements that he has made and regards even Allah’s subtle generosity and kindness as great; when he embraces obedience and leaves off disobedience, and has left all of it for the sake of his Beloved, so that nothing of it remains; when his heart has become full with reverence, awe, preference and pleasure in Him and his patience in yearning for Him has reached its last straw; when he cannot find repose except in His remembrance, desire for Him and yearning for the meeting with Him; when he cannot find (true) intimacy except in His dhikr, while maintaining His ordinances and preferring Him to others…Then this, this is the true lover (muhibb).

Junayd said, “I heard Al-Hârith Al-Muhâsibî say: “Love (mahabbah) is your inclination to something with all of your being. Then, your preference to that thing over your own self, your soul and your possessions and wealth. Then, your being in accordance with that thing inwardly and outwardly, privately and publicly. Then, realizing your shortcomings with regards to your love of it.”

It was said, “Love (mahabbah) is a fire that burns in the heart. It burns everything other than what the beloved wants from the lover.” It was also said, “Nay, it is exerting all efforts in pleasing the beloved. And that could never be so until one no longer sees the ‘love’ anymore, but only witnesses the beloved.” It is mentioned in some of the Hadith Qudsi, “My servant, I am, by your right, a lover of you. So, be you, by my right upon you, a lover of Me.”

‘Abdullah ibn Al-Mubarak said, “Whomsoever is given something of love and is not given its equivalent of awe and veneration (khashyah), then he is deceived.”

Yahyâ ibn Mu’âdh said, “A muster seed’s amount of love is more beloved to me than seventy years of worship without love!”

Abu Bakr Al-Kattânî said, “An issue concerning love (mahabbah) came up in Makkah during the days of the Pilgrimage. The sheikhs spoke on the matter. Junayd was present and he was the youngest amongst them. So they said to him, ‘Give us what you have O Iraqi!’ He lowered his head in humility and his eyes shed tears, and he spoke: ‘(How great is) a slave who has left himself, connected to the dhikr of his Lord, upholding His rights, witnessing Him with his heart. The lights of His Essence have burned his heart and his drink is pure from the cup of His pure love. If such a one speaks, it is by Allah. If he utters, it is from Allah. If he moves, it is by the command of Allah. If he remains silent, he is with Allah. So he is by Allah, for Allah and with Allah.’ So the sheikhs cried and said, “There is nothing that can be added to this. May Allah rectify you, O Tâj Al-‘ârifîn (crown of those who know Allah)!”

It was said that Allah revealed to Dawûd, peace be upon him, “O Dawûd, I have made it prohbited (harâm) for the hearts to contain the love of Me and the love of others at the same time.”

Those who know Allah (the ‘ârifûn) have all agreed that love is not acceptable without compliance (with the Sacred Law), so much so that some of them said, “The reality of love is being in accordance with what beloved wants, concerning what pleases him and what makes him angry.” The People (of the Science of Purification; Al-Qawm) have also agreed that love is not acceptable without Tawhîd (belief in the Oneness of Allah).

It was related that there was a man who claimed that he was overwhelmed by the love of a certain person. So one day this certain person said to him (the lover), “How can this be, when my brother over here is much more attractive and more perfect in beauty?!” The man looked over to him and then the person pushed him and said, “Someone who claims that he loves us and then looks at other than us?!”

Excerpt from the book “The Garden of the Lovers and the Excursion of Those Who Yearn”

Fasting the Great Act of Worship (RAMADAN)

2011-07-06T12:43:00.000+07:00

Fasting: The Great Act of Worship

By Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih Al- ‘ Uthaymeen

Translated by ‘ Abdullaah Al- Faarisi

(May Allah Preserve and reward them both)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

All praise is due to Allaah, and may Peace and blessings be on His Messenger Muhammad.

THE VIRTUES OF RAMADHAAN

Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrated that Allah’s Apostle صلي الله عليه وسلم said, “ When the month of Ramadhaan starts, the gates of Jannah (Paradise) are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and satans are chained.”(1) The gates of Jannah are opened in this month because a great deat of righteous deeds are performed, and as an encouragement for those who seek Allaah’s reward. The gates of Hell are closed because few sins are committed by believers. The Satans will be chained so that they may noy have the chance they have in other months to whisper into the hearts of the believers and misguide them.

Allaah has prescribed fasting and it obligatory upon all nations. He said :

) يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ) (البقرة:183)

O you who believe ! fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al – Muttaqoon (the pious). [Al- Baqarah (2) : 183]

If fasting were not a great act of worship, and the reward thereof were not so great, Allah would not have Presceibed it on all nations.

Among the virtues of fasting is that it is a means for atonement of sins. It is narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه that the Prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم said : “ He who observes the fast of the month of Ramadhaan out of sincerity and hope for the reward from Allaah will have his past sins forgiven.”(2) That is, when fasting is observed out of belief and without resentment to it as an act of worship or doubt in its reward, Allaah will forgive the past sins of the one who observes it.

Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه reported the Prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم as saying : “ Allaah said: All the deeds of Adam’s children belong to them, except fasting, which belongs to me and I will reward it. Fasting is a shield (against the Hell and against the commission of sins). If one of you happens to be fasting he should avoid sexual relations with his wife, and should avoid quarrelling. Should someone fight or quarrel with him let him say, ‘ I am fasting.’ By Him in Whose hand my soul is, the smell of the month of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allaah than that of the musk.”(3) It is a shield because it safeguards the believer from vain talk and wrongdoing, and hence protects him from Hell.

Of all the good deeds, Allaah has favored fasting to be greatly rewarded by Him and distinguished it with prestige when it is observed with the pure intention to please Him alone.

Fasting is so meritorious for a believer that he will have two occasions of joy. The first is at the time of breaking his fast, when he enjoys the bounties of Allaah because he has been favored with Allaah’s mercy to observe the fast while many others have been deprived of this great blessing. He will rejoice in the second occasion when he meets his Lord and enjoys the abundant reward for having observed fasting (4). In addition to this, fasting intercedes with Allaah on behalf of the believer on the Day of Judgment.(5)

WHEN DOES FASTING BEGIN AND END ?

Fasting begins upon sighing the new moon. Allaah said:

) فَمَنْ شَهِدَ مِنْكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ)(البقرة: من الآية185)

So whoever of you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadhaan), he must fast that month. [Al- Baqarah (2) : 185]

However, it is not incumbent on everyone to sight the new moon. Rather, if a trustworthy Muslim testifies that he has sighted it, then everyone must observe fasting. Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrated : “ A Bedouin came to the Prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم and reported, ‘ O Prophet, I have seen the new moon of Ramadhaan.’ Thereupon the prophe صلي الله عليه وسلم asked the man, ‘Do you bear witness that “ Laa ilaaha illaaah”. ( i.e. there is no god worthy of being worshipped beside Allah) ?’ ‘ I do,’ said the bedouin. The Prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم further asked him whether he testifies that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. The Bedouin affirmed that, too. Thereupon, the Prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم asked Bilaal رضي الله عنه to announce to the people to begin their fast the next day.”(6)

Ibn ‘ Umar رضي الله عنه also confirmed the practice of sighting the new moon in his report : “ The People were seeking the new moon. Having sighted it myself, reported it to the prophet. صلي الله عليه وسلم He began his fast and ordered the people to begin theirs, too.”(7)

He who sights the new moon of Ramadhaan must inform those in authority in the Muslim government or community. Once the Muslim government announces the beginning of Ramadhaan upon the sighting the new moon it becomes binding on the rest of Muslims to begin their fast.(8)

It should be borne in mind, however, that astronomical calculations must be ruled out from the sharee’ah and must not be relied on for sighting the moon, as the Prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم has ruled that Muslims must begin their fast upon seeing the new moon, not upon calculating the month astronomically. It is only when it becomes hard to see the new moon due to weather conditions when Muslims may complete the month of Sha’baan, which precedes Ramadhaan, as Thirty days.(9) The lunar month is either 29 or 30 days. It has neither fewer nor more days.(10)

WHO SHOULD FAST AND WHO SHOULD NOT ?

Fasting is obligatory on the mature sane and healthy Muslim. Those who are immature (i.e. young children) are encouraged to fast. Exempted are those who suffer terminal illness, or are too old to fast. Allah does not overburden His slaves.

Permission to abstain from fasting is granted to the travelers who do not travel for the purpose of breaking their fast. Even though it is permissible to break fast durning travel, it is praiseworthy to fast while traveling if no hardship imposed. In any case, travelers should make up the days they missed fasting in Ramadhaan once Ramadhaan is over and they are back home.

As for those whose sickness does not allow them to fast, they fall into three categories:

If it is neither hard nor harmful for them, they must observe fasting.
If it is hard, but not harmful for them, they are permitted to break their fast.
If it is harmful for them, then they must abstain from fasting.
It is stated in the Qur’aan:

) يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ إِلَّا أَنْ تَكُونَ تِجَارَةً عَنْ تَرَاضٍ مِنْكُمْ وَلا تَقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيماً) (النساء:29)

) وَلا تُلْقُوا بِأَيْدِيكُمْ إِلَى التَّهْلُكَةِ)(البقرة: من الآية195)

Do not kill yourselves. [An- Nisaa’ (4) : 29] – Baqarah (2) : 195]

The prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم was reported to have said, “ There is (to be) no harm or reciprocating harm.”(13)

The days that are missed in Ramadhaan must be made up once Ramadhaan is over.

During the monthly period or period of post-natal bleeding, women are to abstain from fasting,(14) but must make up the days they missed after the fasting month is over. The Pregnant or breastfeeding woman whose health or the health of the suckling baby might be affected by fasting should break her fast and make up the missed days after Ramadhaan.

It is also recommended for those who engage in combat in the way of Allah to break their fast. The Prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم told his companions in one of the battles, “ You are going to meet your enemy in the morning, abstaining from fasting is better for your strength, so break your fast.” (15)

THE WISDOM BEHIND FASTING

Fasting is a great act of worship the Muslim performs by turning away from his own desires in order to please his Lord, hoping for His reward. Common sense dictates that one would not give up desired things except for the sake of more desirable ones, in this case the pleasure of Allah, which is the most sought after desire.

It is also a means if achieving piety and righteousness. The Prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم said, “ He who does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah needs not his refraining from eating or drinking.”(16) In other words, Allah does not accept his fast.

The heart, through fasting, is inclined to maintain its tenderness since the desires are not sought, but rather shunned, and thus the heart tends to be more receptive to the words of Allah.

The rich person will, through fasting, be more appreciative of Allaah’s graces and bounties. He also will suffer the deprivation the poor and needy experience under normal circumstances. Thus he will be motivated to help them. Fasting helps depress pride or egoism and maintains humbleness. Moreover, fasting has health advantages by means of decreasing the intake of food and relaxing the digestive system. Great is the wisdom of Allah, and great are His Graces !

OBLIGATORY CONDITIONS OF FASTING

Performing the other acts of worship and duties is most important, and salaah is of particular importance, as without it no other act of worship is accepted by Allah.(17) Praying in congregation is a great aspect in our religion. Everyone should attend.(18) Its reward is twenty seven times greater than that which is performed individually.(19) At one time the prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم was about to burn the houses on those who did not attend the congregational prayers.(20)

Refraining from bad behavior such as lying, cheating, music, smoking, backbiting and slandering others to create animosity among them. The Prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم said, “ No slanderer shall enter paradise.”(21) The prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم said, “ There will exist in ummah those who will deem unlawful things lawful (such as) fornication, silk for men, intoxicating beverages and musical instruments.”(22) my

PRAISEWORTHY ETIQUETTE OF FASTING

* Taking the meal of suhoor. The prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم said: “ Take (the meal of) suhoor because there is blessing in it.”(23) He also said: “ The difference between our fasting and that of the people of the book is taking the meal of suhoor.”(24) Even taking a cup of water in lieu of a meal for suhoor has blessing in it, too.

Breaking the fast as soon as the sun sets.(25)
Making du’aa upon breaking fast.(26)
Reciting as much Qur’aan as possible during the monthe of Ramadhaan.
PRACTICES WHICH BREAK THE FAST
Sexual intercourse in the daytime. The willful violation of the fast by this practice requires the fast of sixty consecutive days in order to make up for the day in which the intercourse took place.(27)
Whllful ejaculation by means of kissing or caressing, etc. Wet dreams and unintentional ejaculation do not break the fast.
Eating, drinking, smoking or taking any food substitutes, such as receiving blood, glucose, or I. V. substances while observing the fast.
Willful, not unintentional, vomiting.
Menstrual bleeding.(28)
Days in which the above practices 2 through 5 took place are to be made up a day for a day once Ramadhaan is over.

On the other hand, the application of kuhl ( surmah), eye, ear or nose drops do not break the fast; they are neither food nor a substitute thereof. Wearing perfumes, using the siwaak or toothbrush without toothpaste do not break fast since it has been reported that the Prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم used to do so.(29)

QIYAAM OR TARAAWEEH PRAYER

Allah has made five daily prayers obligatory on the Muslims, which He, due to His Grace, made the reward thereof fifty-fold.(30) He also encourages the believers to perform supererogatory of naft prayers. Among these is the night prayer which falls between midnight and dawn. Allah praised those who engage themselves in prayer at night:

) تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفاً وَطَمَعاً)(السجدة: من الآية16)

Their sides forsake their beds to invoke their Lord in fear and hope …. [As- Sajdah (32):16]

The prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم said : “ The best prayer next to obligatory is the night prayer.”(31) In another tradition he said : “O people ! Spread the (Islamic) greeting (i.e. by saying ‘ assalaamu alaykum”), give the food (to those who need it), connect your relatives (by visitation) and pray at night while the others are asleep, and you shall enter Jannah peacefully.”(32) Of the night prayer is Witr, the minimum of which is one rak’ah and maximum of which is eleven rak’ahs.(33)

Performing night prayer in Ramadhaan is far more superior to the performing in any other month by virtue of its recommendation by the prophet, صلي الله عليه وسلم who said, “Whoever prayed at night in it ( i. e. Ramadhaan) out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven.”(34)

Taraaweeh prayer is considered the night prayer in Ramadhaan, and, therefore, one should take good care the observe it, To pray taraaweeh in jamaa’ah (congregation) is a sunnah initiated by our beloved prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم and revived by the second Rightly-Guided Khaleefah, Umar رضي الله عنه (35) Though there has been a difference if opinion among the scholars in the past as to how many rak’ahs taraaweeh should be, all of them unanimously agreed that the best is to apply the sunnah of performing it with eleven rakahs only. The prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم did not pray more than eleven rak’ahs in Ramadhaan or any other month. ‘ Aa’ishah, the wife of the prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم said, “ The prophet never prayed more than eleven rak’ahs at night in Ramadhaan or in any other month.(36)

The full reward of taraaweeh is obtained only when it is performed in jamaa’ah. The person who performs it in jamaa’ah will be considered, according to authentic tradition, as if he spent the rest of that night praying.”(37)

THE VIRTUES OF RECITING THE QUR’AAN.

There are two types of Qur’aan recitation :

1. Practical recitation, which means reading with belief in and application of the orders of Allah and refraining from the unlawful things.

2. Word recitation.

There are many hadeeths in which emphasis is laid on the great reward for those who recite the Qur’aan. The prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم said, “ The best of you is he who learns the Qur’aan and teaches it.”(38) He also said : “ The one who excels in reciting the Qur’aan will be in the company of the honored angels.”(39) And, “ The example of the believer who reads the Qur’aan is like that of the utrujah (a citrus fruit) which has a beautiful fragrance and a beautiful taste. While the example of the believer who does not read the Qur’aan is like that of the date fruit : It has sweet taste, but has no fragrance.”(40) He also said : “ He who recites One letter of the Book of Allaah, will be rewarded for it, and the reward will be multiplied in folds.”(41)

There are certain soorahs of the Qur’aan that have more reward for their recitation. The prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم verified that Satan does not enter the house wherein Soorat Al- Baqarah(42) is recited. When one recites Ayaatul-Kursi(43) at the night, as the prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم informed us, he shall be protected by Allah, and Satan shall not come near him till he wakes up in the morning.(44) The same results may be achieded by the recitation of the last two verses of Soorat Al- Baqarah,(45) as well as the last three soorahs of the Qur’aan.(46)

Our pious predecessors used to busy themselves extensively in reciting the Qur’aan during the month of Ramadhaan. It was customary for them not to go beyond ten verses before they learned the rulings and the knowledge those ten verses contained.

ETIQUETTES OF READING THE QUR’AAN

The Qur’aan which we recete contains the actual words of Allah revealed to Muhammad صلي الله عليه وسلم . Therfore, we should observe the following when recition it :

1. Seek refuge in Allah before reading it (viz. أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم

“ A’oothu billaahi minash – shaytaanir-rajeem)”

2, Have the intention that the recitation thereof is purely to seek the pleasure of Allah alone.

3. Recite with an alert heart that you may comprehend its contents, imagining while reciting it that Allah is speaking to you though the Qur’aan.

4. Make sure you are clean before touching the Qur’aan. Do not read it when you are in the state of impurity.(47)

5. Do not read the Qur’aan in lavatories or similar places.

6. Read it slowly with pleasant sound and rhythm.

7. Prostrate wherever a verse requires prostration.

THE VIRTUES OF THE LAST TEN DAYS OF RAMADHAAN AND LAYLAY AL-QADR

It has been reported that the Prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم used to put extra effort in his devotion in the last ten days of Ramadhaan.(48) He used to awaken his family in the night that they may not lose the benefit of those bledded nights.(49) It is also reported that he used to make ‘ ittikaaf by spending the last ten days in the masjid.(50)

Laylat al Qadr means the night of honor and decree. It is sometimes erroneously into the night of power. The Prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم recommended to be sought in the last ten days of Ramadhaan. This night is valued to be better than a thousand months spent in devotion to Allah. One of the privileges of this night is that the Qur’aan was revealed in it. In it too, the angels descend to earth with blessings, goodness and mercy (51) . It is a peaceful night in which many are saved from the Hell. Forgiveness of past sins is granted to those who spend it busying themselves in prayer and the remembrance of Allah. (52) The prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم said, “Seek it in the odd nights of the last third of Ramadan.(53)

Reference:

1. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/English), vol. 3, # 123, and Saheeh Muslim (English trans.) # 2361 & 2362. one wording of Muslim is “ the gates of mercy are opened.”

2. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/English), vol. 3, # 125.

3. Saheeh Al – Bukhaari (Arabic/ English), vol.3, # 118 and #128, and Saheeh Muslim (English trans) # 2567.

4. Saheeh Al Bukhaari (Arabic/English), vol. 3, # 128, and Saheeh Muslim (English trans). # 2567.

5. The Porphet صلي الله عليه وسلم said, “ Fasting and the Qur’aan intercede for the servant on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say : O my Lord ! I prevented him from food and desires, so accept my intercession for him ; and the Qur’aan will say : I prevented him from sleep at night, so accept my intercession for him. So their intercession will be accepted.” Reported by Ahmad, Al Haakim, Abu Nu’aym and others from ‘ Abdullaah ibn ‘ Amr. Its chain of narrators is hasan. [Fasting in Ramadaan by Shaykhs saleem Al- Hilaalee and ‘ Alee Hasan ‘ Alee ‘ Abdul – Hameed, p. 5]

6. Sunan Abee Daawud (English trans), # 2333 and # 2334. It is weak according to Al- Albanni.

7. Sunan Abee Daawud (English trans), # 2335. Its chain of narration is saheeh.

8. “Some scholars take into account the divisions amongst the Muslim countries related to the beginning and end of fasting. They advise that in the absence of one Khilaafah governing all Muslims, It is incumbent upon Muslims to follow their repective coutries as to when to fast and when to break the fast. This minimizes the divisions occurring within the same country where people fast according to different rulings.” (See Shaykh Al – ‘ Uthaymeen’s Ash- Sharh Al- Mummti” ‘ alaa zaadil- Mustaqni,” vol.6, p. 322 and Shaykh Al – Albaani’s Itmaa’tul- Minnah fee at- Ta’leeq ‘ alaa fiqhis-sunnah, p. 398). According to Shaykhul- Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, “ The criteria upon which fasting becomes bound upon Muslims is that the informantion regarding the moon sighting reaches them in a reasonable amount of time to be able to act upon it.”

( Jaami lilikhtiaaraat Al- Fiqhiyah li-Shaykhul – Islaam Ibn Taymeeyah by Dr. Ahmad Mawaafi [ Dammam, Saudi Arabia: Daar Ibn Jawzi, 1413/1993], pp. 438-444.) And Allah knows best.

9. Saheeh Al- Bakhaari (Arabic/English), vol. 3, # 130,133, and Saheeh Muslim (English trans.), # 2363-2381. It should also be noted that it is not permissible to fast a day or two before Ramadhaan thinking that it might be Ramakhaan. Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه reported that the prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم said, “ None of you should pre-empt Ramadhaan by fasting a day or two before it, except for a man fasting his usual fast, then let him fast that day.” ( Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/English), vol. 3, # 138)

10. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/ English), vol. 3, # 132, 134-135, and 137, and Saheeh Muslim (English trans) # 2384-2390.

11. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/English, vol. 3. # 181.

12. The Prophet # was asked about fasting on a journey and he said , “ Fast if you wish and break it if you wish “ . Saleh Al – Bukhaari (Arabic / English ) Vol . 3 # 164 and Saheeh Muslim ( English Tans. ) # 2487 ] Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه said , “ Do not condemn one who obsees fast’ or one who does not observe it (in a journey ), for the messenger of Allah # observed it (in a journey), for the messenger of Allah # Observed fast in a journey or he did not observe it (too). [ Saheeh Muslinm (English Trans.) # 2471 ]

13. Ahmad, ibn Maajah; Saheeh [ Saheeh Al- Jaami. As sagheer, # 7517]

14. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/English), vol, 3. # 172. for more information on this subject, refer to The Natural Blood of Women by Shaykh ibn ‘Uthaymeen, translated by Dr. Saleh As- Saleh [ Buraidah , Saudi Arabia ; Dar Al- Bukhari, 1994]

15. Saheeh Muslim (English trans), # 2486

16. Saheeh Muslim (English trans), # 2486. In a fatwah (religious ruling), the Shaykh further explained that the fasting of a person who engages in forbidden speech is not invalidated, but its reward is diminished. The gravity of his sin may be such that it outstrips any reward for his fasting. [ Fataawa As – Siyaam ( Riyadh : Maktabt Al- Furqaan, n.d.)]

17. This is based upon the ruling of one group of scholars that whoever abandons the salaah is a kaafir, and thus, none of his deeds are accepted. The basis for this ruling is several hadeeths in which the prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم indicated that abandoning the prayer is disbelief, such as, “ Between a man and shirk and kufr is only the abandonment of the salaah.” [ Muslim and Ahmad; Saheeh Al Jaami As sagheer, # 2848] Another group of scholars divides those who do not pray into categories, judging them according to their intention. An excellent discussion of the two opinions can be found in the book on the issue of Takfeer by Shaikh Ahmad Fareed [ Suffolk , U. K : Jam’iat Ihyaa’ Minhaaj Al- Sunnah, 1997]

18. Saheeh Al – Bukhaari (Arabic/English), vol.3, # 127. This statement is directed to men. As for the woman, the best place for her to pray is in her home. The prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم said, “ Do not prevent your women (from going to) the masjids, but their houses are better for them.” [Ahmad, Abu Daawud, Al- Haakim saheeh. Saheeh al- Jaami As- Sagheer, # 7458]

19. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/ English), vol, 1. # 618, and Saheeh Muslim (English trans), # 1365

20. This was because of the gravity of their sin. Saheeh Al – Bukhaari (Arabic/ English), vol. 1, # 617. and Saheeh Muslim (English trans), # 1369.

21. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/English, vol, 8, # 82, and Saheeh Muslim (English trans), # 189 Also refer to The Bad Consequences of the Tongue by Shaykh Ahamad Zamzami ( Suffolk , U.K: Jam’iat Ihyaa’ Minhaaj al- Sunnah, 1995) and Gossip and its Adverse Effect on the Muslim Community by Husayn Al- Awayishah [ Bvirut: Ibn Hazm Publishing House, 1997]

22. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/ English), vol. 7, # 494 (B).

23. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/ English), vol, 3, # 146 , and saheeh Muslim (English trans.), #2412. The blessing in it is form obeying the prophet’s orders and following his example, as well as the physical blessing, which is nutrition for the body in order to have the strength to fast. [See Fataawa As- Siyaam, P 40]

24. Saheeh Muslim (English trans.) # 2413.

25. Saheeh al- Bukhaari (Arabic/ English), vol . 3,#178. and Saheeh Muslim (English trans), #1491.

26. Sunan Abee Daawud (English trans). #2350. Also reported by Al- Bayhaqi, Al- Haakim and others, and Daraqutni declared its isnaad (Chain of narrators) to be hasan (acceptable).

27. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/English), vol, 3, #157, and Saheeh Muslim (English trans), # 2457.

28. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/English), vol. 3, #172. This is regardiless of what time of day menses begins. This rule also applies to post-natal bleeding.

29. The prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم said “ The stwaak is a means of cleansing the month and pleasing the Lord.” [ Saheeh al- Jaami, As- Sagheer # 3695]

30. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/English), vol. 1, # 345.

31. Saheeh Muslim (English trans), # 2611-2612; See Saheeh Al- Jaami As- Sagheer #1116.

32. Reported by Ahmed, At- Tirmithi, Ibn Maajah and Al- Haakim, saheeh [ Saheeh Al- jaami, #7865].

33. Saheeh Muslim (English trans), # 1641.

34. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/English), vol. 3, # 226, and Saheeh Muslim (English trans), # 1662.

35. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/English), vol, 3.# 227-229. See also Saheeh Muslim (English trans), # 1667.

36. Saheeh Al- Bukhari (Arabic/English), vol. 2, # 248 & vol. 3, #330, and Saheeh Muslim (English trans), # 1607.

37. This is part of a lengthy hadeeth recorded by At- Tirmithi.

38. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/English), vol. 6, # 545 & 579.

39. Saheeh Muslim (English trans), # 1745.

40. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/English), vol. 6, # 538, and Saheeh Muslim (English trans), # 1743.

41. At- Tirmithi and Al- Haakim, saheeh [ Saheeh Al- Jaami As- Sagheer, 6469]

42. Saheeh Muslim (English trans) # 1707.

43. The 255 th ayah of Soorat Al- Baqaraj (2).

44. Saheeh Al- Bakhaari (Arabic/English), vol. 6, #530.

45. The first edtion of this booklet said “ the last ten ayahs,” but Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen confirmed that this was an error. The prophet صلي الله عليه وسلم said, “Whoever recited the last two verses of soorat Al- Baqarah at night, that will be sufficient for him.” [ Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/English), vol. 6, # 530.]

46. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/English), vol, 6, #536-A.

47. i. e. if you need to make gust.

48. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari ( Arabic / English ), vol. 3 # 241 and Saheeh Muslim ( English Trans).# 2643-2644.

49. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari ( Arabic / English ), col.3, #241 and Saheeh Muslim ( English Trans) # 2643.

50. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari ( Arabic / English ), col.3, #241 and Saheeh Muslim ( English Trans)# 2636

51. Soorat Al- Qadar (97).

52. Saheeh Al- Bukhaari (Arabic/ English ), vol 1 # 34 & vol.3 # 231 and Saheeh Muslim (English trans.) # 1665.

53. Saheeh Al Bukhaari ( Arabic/ English ), Vol.3 # 234; See also vol.3, # 233-240.

What is the Importance of Prayer ?

2011-07-06T12:32:00.000+07:00

The importance of the prayer in Islam cannot be understated. It is the first pillar of Islam that the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned after mentioning the testimony of faith, by which one becomes a Muslim. It was made obligatory upon all the prophets and for all peoples. Allah has declared its obligatory status under majestic circumstances. For example, when Allah spoke directly to Moses, He said: "And I have chosen you, so listen to that which is inspired to you. Verily, I am Allah! There is none worthy of worship but I, so worship Me and offer prayer perfectly for My remembrance" [Taha 13-14]. Similarly, the prayers were made obligatory upon the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) during his ascension to heaven. Furthermore, when Allah praises the believers, such as in the beginning of surah al-Muminoon, one of the first descriptions He states is their adherence to the prayers.

Once a man asked the Prohpet (peace be upon him) about the most virtuous deed. The Prophet (peace be upon him) stated that the most virtuous deed is the prayer. The man asked again and again. The first three times, the Prophet (peace be upon him) again answered, "The prayer," then on the fourth occasion he stated, "Jihad in the way of Allah." [This is form a hadith recorded by Ahmad and ibn Hibban. According to al-Albani, the hadith is hasan. Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani, Sahih al-Targheeb wa al-Tarheeb (Beirut: al-Maktab al-Islami, 1982), vol. 1, p. 150].

The importance of prayer is demonstrated in the many of the Prophet’s statement. For example, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The first matter that the slave will be brought to account for on the Day of Judgment is the prayer. If it is sound, then the rest of his deeds will be sound. And if it is bad, then the rest of his deeds will be bad." [Recorded by al-Tabarani. According to al-Albani, it is sahih. Al-Albani, Sahih al-Jami, vol.1, p. 503. The importance of the prayers lies in the fact that no matter what actions one performs in his life, the msot important aspect is one’s relationship to Allah, that is, one’s faith (imaan), God-consciousness (taqwa), sincerity (ikhlas) and worship of Allah (`ibaadah). This relationship with Allah is both demonstrated and put into practice, as well as improved and increased, by the prayer. Therefore, if the prayers are sound and proper, the rest of the deeds will be sound and proper; and if the prayers are not sound and proper, then the rest of the deeds will not be sound and proper, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself stated

In reality, the prayer is performed properly – with true remembrance of Allah and turning to Him for forgiveness – it will have a lasting effect on the person. After he finishes the prayer, his heart will be filled with the remembrance of Allah. He will be fearful as well as hopeful of Allah. After that experience, he will not want to move from that lofty position to one wherein he disobeys Allah. Allah has mentioned this aspect of the prayer when He has said: "Verily, the prayer keeps one from the great sins and evil deeds" (al-Ankaboot 45).

Nadwi has described this effect in the following eloquent way. Its aim is to generate within the subliminal self of man such spiritual power, light of faith and awareness of God as can enable him to strive successfully against all kinds of evils and temptations and remain steadfast at times of trial and adversity and protect himself against the weakness of the flesh and the mischief of immoderate appetites [Nadwi, p. 24]. The overall affect that the properly performed prayers should have upon humans is described in other verses in the Quran:

"Verily, man was created impatient, irritable when evil touches him and niggardly when good touches him. Except for those devoted to prayer those who remain constant in their prayers…" (al-Maarij 19-23)

As for the Hereafter, Allah’s forgiveness and pleasure is closely related to the prayers. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "Allah has obligated five prayers. Whoever excellently performs their ablutions, prays them in their proper times, completes their bows, prostrations and khushu` [Khushu` in the prayer is where the person’s heart is attuned to the prayer. This feeling in the heart is then reflected on the body. The person remains still and calm. His gaze is also lowered. Even his voice is affected by this feeling in the heart. For more details on this concept (as well as the difference between it and khudhu`), see Muhammad al-Shaayi, al-Furooq al-Laughawiyyah wa Atharahaa fi Tafseer al-Quran al-Kareem (Riyadh: Maktabah al-Ubaikaan, 1993), pp. 249-254.] has a promise from Allah that He will forgive him. And whoever does not do that has no promise from Allah. He may either forgive him or punish him." [Recorded by Malik, Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Nasa’I and others. According to al-Albani, it is sahih. Al-Albani, Sahih al-Jami, vol. 1, p. 616.

The prayers are a type of purification for a human being. He turns and meets with his Lord five times a day. As alluded to above, this repeated standing in front of Allah should keep the person from performing sins during the day. Furthermore, it should also be a time of remorse and repentance, such that he earnestly asks Allah for forgiveness for those sins that he committed. In addition, the prayer in itself is a good deed that wipes away some of the evil deeds that he performed. These points can be noted in the following hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him): "If a person had a stream outside his door and he bathed in it five times a day, do you think he would have any filth left on him?" The people said, "No filth would remain on him whatsoever." The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said, "That is like the five daily prayers: Allah wipes away the sins by them" (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim). In another hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "The five daily prayers and the Friday Prayer until the Friday prayer are expiation for what is between them." (Recorded by Muslim.)

Avoiding Sins of the Tongue

2011-07-06T12:14:00.000+07:00

Unfortunately, one of the infamous signatures of many youth today is a bad mouth. School hallways and teen hangouts are replete with sounds of bragging, backbiting, cussing, sex talk, trash talk, bullying, lying, and every other sin of the tongue that can be imagined. Kids say horrible things to each other constantly and have little to no self-censorship. Many adults have the same vices of the tongue, and some make large sums of money through horrible uses of their tongues in the news media and in music. It seems people take lightly the words that come out of their mouths, yet words can be more damaging than swords both to others and to the self, and have caused everything from suicide to murder.

In Usul al-Kafi, it is narrated,

"Preserve your tongue from idle talk, because the majority of the sins committed by the son of Adam is due to the tongue only. No other part of the body commits more sins than the tongue."

And in Nahjul Balagha:

"When Allah wishes to bless His servant, then He helps him in controlling his tongue. Instead of finding faults in others, Allah keeps him busy in looking at his own defects. Those who speak less, their intelligence is complete and their hearts are pure. Those who speak more, their intelligence is incomplete and their hearts are hard. A God-fearing man's tongue should be behind his heart. First, he should think, then he should speak justly. Otherwise he should keep quiet. A hypocrite acts just the opposite of this. He keeps talking rubbish. He is not worried about what he is saying."

All of us should worry about words and take care in what we say.

Advice for avoiding sins of the tongue includes the following ten tips:

1. Stay out of conversations that do not concern you.
2. Avoid arguing, even if you are in the right.
3. Do not say anything about someone else unless it is true, good, and useful. Say something bad about someone only if it is truly necessary to avoid a greater harm, such as to protect someone from becoming a victim of a crime.
4. Think before you speak; like feathers from a pillow blown away by the wind, words cannot be taken back, and their effects cannot be undone. You cannot control how others will respond to your careless words or what their effects will be. All you can do is control what comes out of your mouth to begin with.
5. Do not use language to try to impress people or sound cool. Use normal, proper speech and avoid slang, excessive eloquence, and false accents.
6. Do not swear or use obscene language. One narration from the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) states, "Heaven is forbidden to whoever is used to swearing/cussing. He cannot enter it." It also destroys your respect in the eyes of others.
7. Speak the truth, even if it is against you. Let your word be reliable.
8. Avoid sexualized speech or dirty talk. Do not degrade the opposite sex or your own through your words, ever, and do not cheapen marital relations with your tongue.
9. Do not break confidences with your tongue. You should avoid saying anything to anyone that you would not want revealed to all, unless truly necessary. Likewise, you should never mention about someone else what they would wish to be kept private. For example, men and women should not talk about their quarrels or relations with their spouses to others, children should not carelessly reveal the bad habits of their parents, parents should not embarrass their children by talking about their past mistakes, etc.
10. Do not listen to any of the negative speech above, even in poetry or music – do not lend your ear to arguments, backbiting, bad-mouthing, cussing, obscenity, lies, etc., as even choosing to listen to such speech is sinful, it promotes such behavior from your own tongue, and it hardens your heart. Actively avoid such speech, and prevent or stop it when possible.

People who are careful about their words enjoy many benefits. Those known for gentle, kind, good speech and avoiding unnecessary and negative talk earn respect and trust from other people. Friends will feel safe with them, and people will be more at ease to do business with them. They will enjoy a good reputation. They hear more good things and thus learn more and are more likely to have an expansive and enlightened heart. There is no down side to guarding your tongue, and everyone can do it with practice and effort. No other part of the body commits more sins than the tongue, but if we are diligent, we can make ourselves the exceptions.

Medicare Supplement Comparisons

2011-07-05T10:48:00.000+07:00

Author:

Bridgette Dry

Most people who have their own Medicare health insurance often feel the need for a Medicare supplement plan to make way for additional medical benefits. With a number of available options for Medicare supplement plans today, some have a hard time choosing the best plan and the best company to work with. In line with this, plan holders must see choose a Medicare supplement plan that is suitable for their needs.

The best option for a Medicare supplement is something that can give the Medicare plan holder the maximum coverage he/she needs, sans overspending. When choosing the best Medicare supplement, it is best that Medicare plan holders are aware of the status of all Medicare supplement plans. These plans, regardless of the company, are all federally standardized. This means that each of the plan\'s coverage is exactly the same from company to company.

In this case, Medicare plan holders (who are mostly senior citizens) get confused with their Medicare plan and Medicare supplement plan. These individuals must examine their Medicare insurance plan carefully before signing up for a Medicare supplement plan. All Medicare supplement plans are named from letters A-J. This means that any plan without any of these letters is not considered as a legal Medicare supplement plan.

When doing Medicare supplement comparisons, remember that all the same letter plans have equal coverage. This way, individuals can focus more on the prices of each company\'s supplement plans, without the need to get more information on the coverage of the supplement plan.

Another effective way to do Medicare supplement comparisons is to get price quotes from all the plans available. It\'s important to turn to qualified brokers for help. They must be vigilant enough to list down all the price quotes from all the companies that offer the specific Medicare supplement plan of choice.

One of the best ways to carry out Medicare supplement comparisons is to make a choice based on the quotes collected, and the reports on the reputation of the plan provider. For Medicare plan holders, the best way to choose and compare Medicare supplement plans is to get the lowest quote from the best company for them.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/medicare-supplement-comparisons-4985112.html

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Food Allergies and Food Allergy Testing Methods

2011-07-05T10:34:00.000+07:00

Author:

Monica Levin

The term food allergies has recently taken on a meaning that is synonymous with food sensitivities and food intolerances. In this article the words 'food allergies' are used to mean any adverse reaction to food, whether it involves the immune system or not.

Food allergies can affect you in many ways other than anaphalaxis, affecting the skin, the skeleton, the digestive system, the heart and blood vessels, the airways, the muscles, the kidneys and bladder, and the nerves and brain.

Examples of Food Allergy Reactions

The Skin: read and itchy eyes, eczema, psoriasis, itchy skin, hives, rash

The Skeleton: aching joints, rheumatoid arthritis

The Digestive System: mouth ulcers, canker sores, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, stomach ulcers, duodenal ulcers, diarrhea, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, Chron\'s disease, infant colitis, colic, itchy anus

The Heart and Blood Vessels: migraine headaches, irregular heart bear, inflammation of veins, high cholesterol, bruising, high blood pressure

The Airways: runny or congested nose, nasal polyps, chronic sinusitis, asthma, ear infections

The Muscles: aching muscles, fibromyalgia

The Kidneys and Bladder: kidney stones, nephritic syndrome, frequent urination, bed wetting, urinary tract infections

The Nerves and Brain: headache, fatigue, depression, anxiety, memory loss, ADD, ADHD, hyperactivity, epileptic seizures, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia

Diagnosing Food Allergies

Skin Prick Tests: The standard test for food allergies used to be (and often still is) the skin prick test. In this test, suspected allergens are placed on the skin and a prick or scratch is made under the drop. A reaction to the skin is then looked for. Skin prick tests can work for some types of allergens, particularly inhalants, but when the allergen is in a food they do not produce a positive result except when the reaction is immediate and violent.

Medical Blood Tests: Some blood tests have accurately diagnosed food allergies but the blood tests can be expensive and often are not covered by insurance. If you want a medical food allergy blood test, look for a physician who has a lot of experience in this area in order to get a good blood testing lab and accurate results interpretation.

Elimination Diet: Finding your food allergies by doing an elimination diet is the most time consuming method but it is also the most economical. In an elimination diet you avoid all (or most) of the foods that you normally eat. If after three weeks your health improves then you know that you are allergic to (intolerant to) something that you eliminated. Reintroduce one of the foods for three days. If you do not react after three days, add another food on the fourth day. If, however, you did react to the food, eliminate it from your diet again until all symptoms subside (5 to 10 days). Keep repeating this process until you have tested all of your foods.

Muscle Testing (Applied Kinesiology): Another test for food allergies is muscle testing (also knows as Applied Kinesiology). In this method you hold a vile containing a suspected food allergen and the practitioner tests your muscle strength (usually your arm). If holding the vile makes you weaker then you are intolerant to it and need to stop eating it. If the vile makes you stronger then you are not allergic to that food. This food allergy testing method has not been extensively scientifically tested but if you manage to suspend your disbelief you will be pleased with the results! Fortunately the cost of being tested for 100 to 120 food items is reasonable, usually $90 to $120.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/allergies-articles/food-allergies-and-food-allergy-testing-methods-4966609.html

About the Author

Drug abuse and denial

2011-07-05T10:23:00.000+07:00

Author:

NEO@OGILVY

Drug abuse can be ruinous to an addict\'s health and mental well-being and can also be devastating to the family and friends of an addict. Yet a denial of their drug abuse often blinds addicts to the cause of their problems - their dependence on drugs. It allows them to pretend that their using is not destructive.

Addiction is characterised by compulsive behaviour that the addict is unable to curb, despite the serious consequences. Addicts are often in denial that the negative effects of their behaviour are outweighed by any perceived benefits - making them unable to stop.

Denial in addiction

Like in all forms of addiction, denial is a natural defence mechanism taken to extreme and unhealthy lengths - becoming an obstacle to recovery and a 'safe' delusion in which the addict can hide.

People generally do not like to feel helpless and out-of-control and this is particularly true for the addict. An addict will blame everything and everyone except their own substance abuse for their problems.

Another reason is that the addict may be using drugs to deny the fact that they struggle to find other ways to cope with stress, disappointment, anguish, fear and anger without resorting to substance abuse. Some even believe that there is no hope and that they are failures or people with poor morals.

It is this cycle of drug abuse and denial that makes an addict believe that one more drink wouldn\'t hurt, that they have their drug habits under control or that they need them to feel 'normal.'

Accepting responsibility

Denial is painful and causes frustration for those who care about the addict as the destructive progression of the drug abuse becomes obvious to everyone except the addict.

This does not mean that concerned friends and family members are powerless to act. In consultation with a professional, it may be possible to stage an intervention to help convince the drug abuser that there is a problem.

Those suffering from drug abuse need to acknowledge that they have a problem. They need to put the denial aside and realise that they have lost control over their lives. Once they have accepted responsibility for their actions, the drug abuser can seek help through counselling and treatment.

Drug addiction can be arrested and managed

Those in denial about their drug abuse need to understand that drug abuse is a manageable condition, and it is possible for drug addicts to overcome their addictive behaviour and re-enter their everyday lives as productive members of society.

This does not mean that addiction can simply be cured, or that treatment is a passive process, requiring no effort from the addict.

The most effective treatment for drug abuse can be found at an extended primary care rehab facility where individual therapy, group counselling and a daily programme of recovery can be instituted.

The value of a holistic course of treatment in conjunction with a 12 step programme is that it will provide addicts with the tools they need to deal with their own emotional problems and to relate better to loved ones and to society in general.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/drug-abuse-and-denial-4983852.html

About the Author

About the author:
Oasis Counselling Centre offers professional addiction recovery programmes in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa. Oasis understands the cycle of drug abuse and denial and offers proven counselling for drug abuse.

Alcohol and Your Health

2011-07-05T10:09:00.000+07:00

Author:

Sarah Cornish

Alcohol has a wide range of negative effects on an individual\'s health. If used to excess over a significant period of time, it can cause serious damage and health complications.

The body can become physically dependent on alcohol and those addicted to alcohol may need to undergo alcohol detox so that they can stop drinking safely and in the long-term.

One of the misconceptions about alcohol is that it\'s a stimulant; it is in fact a depressant. This is why it can cause people to slur their words, make poor judgements, lose their memory and perhaps become violent.

Alcohol cal also cause stomach problems and is a major irritant. Drinking a lot can cause vomiting, nausea and diarrhoea. It\'s very dehydrating and this is the main factor that contributes to the unpleasant feelings associated with a hangover.

Short-term risks

In the short-term, the risks associated with drinking too much include anxiety and depression, sexual dysfunctions, problems with judgement and reasoning leading to risky behaviour, losing consciousness, choking on vomit, slowed breathing and heart rate and poisoning.

Drinking heavily regularly is also associated with weight gain, which has numerous health risks of its own associated with it. Just an extra three or four units per day could lead to gaining a stone in two or three months.

Long-term risks

In the long-term alcohol abuse can cause a range of serious health problems. These include liver disease, damage to an unborn child, pancreatitis, high blood pressure, strokes, brain damage and many more conditions besides.

Safe drinking

To prevent developing long- and short-term health problems such as these, it\'s strongly advisable to stay within the maximum alcohol unit limits outlines by the Government. This is a maximum or three or four units of alcohol per day for men and two or three for women.

This means not binge drinking – if you stay within a weekly limit but drink all the units on one night, you\'re still risking your health.

If you\'re concerned about your drinking, monitor how many units you\'re drinking and try to cut down so that you\'re within limits. If you find that you can\'t cut down, consult your GP or an alcohol professional. They will assess your drinking and be able to advise you whether you need professional help and alcohol detox.

A medical professional will be able to tell you what effect alcohol is having on your body and your health. They\'ll be able to give you information and guidance on the next steps for cutting down drinking.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/alcohol-and-your-health-4984547.html

About the Author

Wellington Lodge is an established not-for-profit specialist alcohol detox and rehab provider. We offer triage, screening and rehabilitation at our comfortable in-patient facility at Wellington Lodge in North London. We also offer out-patient facilities at specialist clinics in Harley Street, London or at Queens Square in Bath, Somerset.

Tips for Stopping Drinking

2011-07-05T10:02:00.000+07:00

Author:

Sarah Cornish
You may be concerned about your drinking for a number of reasons – perhaps you\'re worried about your health or the damage that drinking is doing to your relationships. If you have not become physically dependent on alcohol, you may be able to stop drinking by yourself.
If you are dependent on alcohol, you still might be able to quit drinking without alcohol treatment but you should speak to your GP or an alcohol support professional as there can be some nasty side-effects so just stopping without support can be dangerous. Your doctor may refer you for alcohol rehab or offer you ways to help you detox from home.
1. Define your goals
Ask yourself why you want to stop drinking and think carefully about it. Understanding what you want to achieve and why is a good way to stay motivated, focused and on track. It may be that you\'re concerned that your health is suffering or perhaps drinking is affecting your performance at work. Many people simply want to feel in control again. Write your reasons for wanting to stop drinking down and refer to them often, especially when you\'re tempted to drink.
2. Plan ahead
It can help to plan your non-drinking in advance, especially in the early days. Pick a day to quit or cut down when you\'re least likely to be stressed and temptation won\'t be in your way. Pick a day of the week to go without alcohol and then gradually build it up, adding an extra day. Eventually you\'ll be out of the habit of drinking altogether or you\'ll feel in control of your drinking.
3. Stay focused
Stopping drinking or even cutting down dramatically is not easy and there most likely will be setbacks. If there are days when you break your own drinking rules or drink too much, don\'t give up altogether. Tomorrow is a new day and it\'s well worth persevering.
4. Get support
If you feel comfortable doing so, talk about your plans to stop drinking with friends and family. This will help motivate you to succeed and you\'re also likely to get a lot of support. In addition, friends and family will avoid offering you alcohol and perhaps even refrain from drinking in front of you. In the early days, especially at social occasions this can be really helpful.
If you\'re finding that you can\'t stop drinking and are breaking your drinking rules regularly, it may be a good idea to get professional help. Talk to your GP or an alcohol professional. They won\'t judge you and they\'ll discuss options with you such as alcohol detox, rehab and non-residential alcohol treatment.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/tips-for-stopping-drinking-4984554.html

About the Author

Wellington Lodge is an established not-for-profit specialist alcohol rehab provider. We offer triage, screening and rehabilitation at our comfortable in-patient facility at Wellington Lodge in North London. We also offer out-patient facilities at specialist clinics in Harley Street, London or at Queens Square in Bath, Somerset.

The Final Message

2011-07-04T02:36:00.000+07:00

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem!

In the Name of Allah, the most Beneficent, The Most Merciful

Asaalam Mualaikum WaRahmatullahi Wabarakatahu!

The Final Message

1) A divinely revealed belief system

" And with truth We have sent it down (the Qur'an), and with truth it has descended. And We have sent you (O Muhammad (SAW)) as nothing but a bearer of glad tidings and a Warner" [The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 17, Verse 105]

"And truly, this (the Qur'an) is a revelation from the Lord of the Alamin (mankind, jinn and all that exists), which the trustworthy Ruh (Jibril(Gabriel{AS})) has brought down upon your heart (O Muhammad(SAW)) that you may be one of the warners, in the plain Arabic language." [The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 26, Verses 192-195]

2) A belief system centered on the laws of Allah

"Say (O Muhammad (SAW)): I am only a man like you. It has been revealed to me that your Ilah (God) is One Ilah (God i.e. Allah)" [he Holy Qur'an, Chapter 18, Verse 110]

"Say (O Muhammad (SAW)): I possess no power over benefit or hurt to myself except as Allah wills. If I had the knowledge of the Ghayb (Unseen), I should have secured for myself an abundance of wealth, and no evil should have touched me. I am but a Warner and a bringer of glad tidings unot people who believe." [The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 7, Verse 188]

3) An ongoing or eternal miracle

"And they say: Why are not signs sent down to him from his Lord? Say: The signs are only with Allah, and I am only a plain Warner. Is it not sufficient for them that We have sent down to you the Book (the Qur'an) which is recited to them? Verily, herein is mercy and a reminder for a people who believe" [The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 29, Verses 50-51]

"We will show them Our signs in the universe, and in their own selves, until it becomes manifest to them that this (the Qur'an) is the truth. Is it not sufficient in regard to your Lord that He is a witness over all things?" [The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 41, Verse 53]

4) A message which addresses reason

"Verily, in these are Ayat ( prrofs, evidences, signs) for the people who understand." [The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 13, Verse 4]

"Thus do we explain the signs in detail to a people who have sense." [The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 30, Verse 28]

"Say (O Muhammad (SAW): I exhort you to one thing only, that you stand up for Allah's sake in pairs and singly, and reflect (within yourselves in the life history of the Prophet (SAW), there is no madness in your companion (Muhammad (SAW)). He is only a Warner to you of a severe torment." [The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 34, 46]

5) A message to all mankind

"O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and mad eyou into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourabl of you with Allah is that (believer) who has at-Taqwa ( i.e. he is one of the Muttaqun (the pious)). Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware."[The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 46, Verse 13]

"It (this Qur'an) is only a reminder for all the Alamin (mankind, jinn ad all that exists). And you shall certainly know the truth of it after a while."
[The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 38, Verses 87-88]

6) A balance between the spiritual and the material

"But seek, with that (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on you, the home of the Hereafter, and forget not your portion of lawful enjoyment in this world; and do good as Allah has been good to you, and seek not mischief in the land. Verily, Allah loves not the Mufsidun (those who commit great crimes, oppressors, tyrants, mischief makers)." [The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 28, Verse 77]

"Say (O Muhammad (SAW)): Who has forbidden the adornment with clothes given by Allah, which He has produced for His slaves, and At-Tayyibat ( All kinds of Halal(lawful) things) of food? Say: They are, in the life of this world, for those who believe, (and) exclusively for them (believers) on the Day of Resurrection. Thus We explain the Ayat (Islamic laws) in detail for people who have knowledge."
[The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 7, Verse 32]

7) An eternal message for every time and place

"So set you (O Muhammad (SAW)) your face towards the religion (of pure monotheism). Allah's Fitrah (Islamic Monotheism) with which He has created mankind. No change let there be in Khalqillah ( the religion of Allah - Monotheism), that is the straight religion, but most of men know not." [The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 30, Verse 30]

8) A message protected by the One who revealed it

"Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (the Qur'an) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)." [The Holy Qur'an, Chapter 15, Verse 9]

And ALLAH (SWT) knows best.

Don't forget to have it shared to as many as ALLAH (SWT) wills. JazakAllah khair.

Ma Asaalam!

The Question of Hijab: Suppression Or Liberation?

2011-07-04T02:16:00.000+07:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem!

In the Name of Allah, the most Beneficent, The Most Merciful

Asaalam Mualaikum WaRahmatullahi Wabarakatahu!

HIJAB

The Question of Hijab: Suppression Or Liberation?

"Why do Muslim women have to cover their heads?" This question is one which is asked by Muslim and non-Muslim alike. For many women it is the truest test of being a Muslim.

The answer to the question is very simple - Muslim women observe HIJAB (covering the head and the body) because Allah has told them to do so.

"O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women to draw their outer garments around them (when they go out or are among men). That is better in order that they may be known (to be Muslims) and not annoyed..." [Noble Quran 33:59]

Other secondary reasons include the requirement for modesty in both men and women. Both will then be evaluated for intelligence and skills instead of looks and sexuality. An Iranian school girl is quoted as saying, "We want to stop men from treating us like sex objects, as they have always done. We want them to ignore our appearance and to be attentive to our personalities and mind. We want them to take us seriously and treat us as equals and not just chase us around for our bodies and physical looks." A Muslim woman who covers her head is making a statement about her identity. Anyone who sees her will know that she is a Muslim and has a good moral character. Many Muslim women who cover are filled with dignity and self esteem; they are pleased to be identified as a Muslim woman. As a chaste, modest, pure woman, she does not want her sexuality to enter into interactions with men in the smallest degree. A woman who covers herself is concealing her sexuality but allowing her femininity to be brought out.

The question of Hijab for Muslim women has been a controversy for centuries and will probably continue for many more. Some learned people do not consider the subject open to discussion and consider that covering the face is required, while a majority are of the opinion that it is not required. A middle line position is taken by some who claim that the instructions are vague and open to individual discretion depending on the situation. The wives of the Prophet(SAW) were required to cover their faces so that men would not think of them in sexual terms since they were the

"Mothers of the Believers," but this requirement was not extended to other women.

The word "Hijab" comes from the Arabic word "hajaba" meaning to hide from view or conceal. In the present time, the context of Hijab is the modest covering of a Muslim woman. The question now is what is the extent of the covering

The Quran says:
"Say to the believing man that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that will make for greater purity for them; and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what must ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands..." [Noble Quran 24:30-31]

These verses from the Quran contain two main injunctions:

A woman should not show her beauty or adornments except what appears by uncontrolled factors such as the wind blowing her clothes, and the head covers should be drawn so as to cover the hair, the neck and the bosom.

Islam has no fixed standard as to the style of dress or type of clothing that Muslims must wear. However, some requirements must be met. The first of these requirements is the parts of the body which must be covered. Islam has two sources for guidance and rulings: first, the Quran, the revealed word of Allah and secondly, the Hadith or the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who was chosen by Allah to be the role model for mankind. The following is a Tradition of the Prophet:

"Aysha (RA) reported that Asma' the daughter of Abu Bakr (RA) came to the Messenger of Allah (SAW) while wearing thin clothing. He (SAW) approached her and said: 'O Asma'! When a girl reaches the menstrual age, it is not proper that anything should remain exposed except this and this. He (SAW) pointed to the face and hands." [Abu Dawud]

The second requirement is looseness. The clothing must be loose enough so as not to describe the shape of the woman's body. One desirable way to hide the shape of the body is to wear a cloak over other clothes. However, if the clothing is loose enough, an outer garment is not necessary. Thickness is the third requirement. The clothing must be thick enough so as not to show the color of the skin it covers or the shape of the body. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) stated that in later generations of his Ummah there would be

"Women who would be dressed but naked and on top of their heads (what looks like) camel humps. Curse them for they are truly cursed." [Muslim]

Another requirement is an over-all dignified appearance. The clothing should not attract men's attention to the woman. It should not be shiny and flashy so that everyone notices the dress and the woman. In addition there are other requirements:

Women must not dress so as to appear as men.

"Ibn Abbas (RA) narrated: 'The Prophet (SAW) cursed the men who appear like women and the women who appear like men.'" [Bukhari]

Women should not dress in a way similar to the unbelievers.

The clothing should be modest, not excessively fancy and also not excessively ragged to gain others admiration or sympathy.

Often forgotten is the fact that modern Western dress is a new invention. Looking at the clothing of women as recently as seventy years ago, we see clothing similar to Hijab. These active and hard-working women of the West were not inhibited by their clothing which consisted of long, full dresses and various types of head covering. Muslim women who wear Hijab do not find it impractical or interfering with their activities in all levels and walks of life. Hijab is not merely a covering dress but more importantly, it is behavior, manners, speech and appearance in public. Dress is only one facet of the total being. The basic requirement of the Muslim woman's dress apply to the Muslim man's clothing with the difference being mainly in degree. Modesty requires that the area between the navel and the knee be covered in front of all people except the wife. The clothing of men should not be like the dress of women, nor should it be tight or provocative. A Muslim should dress to show his identity as a Muslim. Men are not allowed to wear gold or silk. However, both are allowed for women.

For both men and women, clothing requirements are not meant to be a restriction but rather a way in which society will function in a proper, Islamic manner.

III&E Brochure Series (Published by The Institute of Islamic Information and Education (III&E) and reproduced in electronic form by Islamic Academy for Scientific Research with permission)

And ALLAH (SWT) knows best

Don't forget to have it shared to as many as ALLAH (SWT) wills. JazakAllah khair.

Ma Asaalam!

Da'wah

To seek Refuge in other than Allah is a part of Shirk

2011-07-04T02:06:00.000+07:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem!

In the Name of Allah, the most Beneficent, The Most Merciful

Asaalam Mualaikum WaRahmatullahi Wabarakatahu!

To seek Refuge in other than Allah is a part of Shirk

Allah the Most Exalted said:
"And verily, there were men among mankind who took shelter with the male jinns, but they (jinns) increased them (mankind) in sin and disbelief" (72:6)

Muslim reports that Khawlah bint Hakim ((RA)) said, I heard Allah's Apostle (SAW) say:
"Whoever goes into a dwelling and says (while entering it): 'I seek refuge in Allah's perfect words from the evil (of those creatures) which He created', no harm shall befall him until he departs from that place." (Muslim)

Important issues of the Chapter

1) Explanation of the verse from Surah Al-Jinn (72:6).

2) Seeking refuge in others than Allah is a part of Shirk (polytheism).

3) Using this Hadith as a proof: For, the scholars use it to prove that the Words of Allah are not creatures. They say this because to seek refuge in creatures is Shirk.

4) The superiority of this invocation despite its being short.

5) Though it may be that one can achieve some worldly benefit from a thing, as prevention from a harm or evil, or gaining some advantage or good, but it does not mean that it (dependence on such) is not Shirk.

Reference: Kitab At-Tauhid Chapter #: 13 by Sheikh-ul-Islam, Muhammad bin Abdul-Wahhab.

http://www.islambasics.com.

And ALLAH (SWT) knows best.

Don't forget to have it shared to as many as ALLAH (SWT) wills. JazakAllah khair. :)

Ma Asaalam!

Da'wah

Equality of Men and Women

2011-07-04T01:54:00.000+07:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem!

In the Name of Allah, the most Beneficent, The Most Merciful

Asaalam Mualaikum WaRahmatullahi Wabarakatahu!

Equality of Men and Women

My brothers and sisters everywhere! Islamic law [Shari'ah] - that Allah (SWT) sent down to His Messenger Muhammad (SAW) - came to announce that women (exactly like men) are full human beings. Women (like men) are therefore required to follow the way appointed by Allah (SWT).

A woman (like a man) is therefore obligated with all three degrees of this religion: Islam (outward submission to Allah), Iman (inward faith in Allah), and Ihsan (perfection of worship of Allah).

Islam (outward submission to Allah)

It is thus required for every woman to testify that there is none deserving worship but Allah and that Muhammad (SAW) is Allah's Messenger; to pray; to give charity; to fast; and to make a pilgrimage to Allah's House if she has the means.

Iman (inward faith in Allah and the unseen [Al Ghaib])

It is likewise required for every woman to believe in Allah, His angels, His scriptures, His messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in Allah's decree (and that the good and evil consequences thereof are from Allah).

Ihsan (perfection of worship of Allah)

It is likewise required for every woman to worship Allah as if she sees Him. For although she cannot see Allah, she must believe that He sees whatever she does in secret and in public.

Women (exactly like men) have been commanded with these three levels of the religion (Islam, Iman, and Ihsan).

Women, like men, are also obligated to enjoin good and forbid evil; to strive and struggle by saying that which is truthful; and to adhere to all noble behavior, like: truthfulness, trustworthiness, courage, modesty, and self-respect.

Every Muslim woman, just like every Muslim man, is commanded to be steadfast in her religion and not to be negligent with her faith. It is not permissible for her - under any pressure or compulsion - to open her heart to accept the word of disbelief. Hence every Muslim woman, like every Muslim man, falls under Allah's statement:
"Whose disbelieves in Allah, after he has believed - excepting him who has been compelled, and his heart is still at rest with the Faith - but whosoever's breast is expanded in unbelief, upon them shall rest anger from Allah, and there awaits them a mighty chastisement." [Noble Quran 16:106]

Clearly when Islam charged women with all these duties and in all these obligations made her equal to men, the intent was to honor her and permit her to reach the highest degree of perfection of her being.

The duties that Allah has obligated humanity with are but a means to honor us. Prayer, as well as fasting, is an honor for the servant and a means to raise his rank. To adhere to Allah's straight path and the manners of Islam are, without doubt, a means to honor us and not to humiliate us as imagined by those who are ignorant of Allah and follow their desires.

Such people think and imagine that a human being who does not believe in Allah, does not uphold the trust of these duties, and does not perform what Allah has commanded him is of a higher standing than the believer who adheres to the obligations of Islam. Such an idea is ignorance and renders human beings on par with the animals.

Humans have been created to be tried by Allah and have been charged with fulfilling these duties to Allah (SWT) and His creatures. As for animals, while they have been created by Allah, they have not been charged with this trust.

Whoever considers that a human being who does not uphold what Allah has obligated as equal to those who fulfill what Allah has obligated is like those who consider humans and animals to be equal. For this reason, Allah has said:

"Shall we treat that those who have surrendered (as Muslims) as We treat the guilty?" [Noble Quran 68:35]

And He has said:
"We have crated for Hell many of the jinn and humanity; they have hearts, but understand not with them; they have eyes, but perceive not with them; and they have ears, but they hear not with them. These are like cattle; nay, rather they are further astray! Those - they are the heedless." [Noble Quran 7:179]

The disbeliever in Allah (whether a man or a woman) is a guilty criminal, for he or she does not know whom to worship, i.e., The Creator, The Protector, The Lord, and He Who created this universe in which he or she lives. The disbelievers enjoy what Allah has blessed them with and yet they forget the One Who blessed and preferred them with such blessings. As for the believers, they are the honorable servants who know their Lord and Creator, Allah, Whom they worship. They fulfill what Allah has obligated and travel upon the path that Allah has delineated for them.

And ALLAH (SWT) knows best.

Don't forget to have it shared to as many as ALLAH (SWT) wills. JazakAllah khair.

Ma Asaalam!

Da'wah

Do You Have Audio and Video In Your Web site?

2011-07-04T01:08:00.000+07:00

Author:

Dorothy Frank

Why Do You Have A Silent Web site?
Will You say 'May I Help YOU'? LIVE to your on-line acquaintances?
Talking websites and e mails create it doable since audio and video generators were created. These are the technologies that are giving us the chance of having talking websites and e mails.

You wish interactivity to create relations, to build confidence, to form trust.
Audio and video in our communication system are great enhancements that are serving to us to extend focused attention of our visitors and give us a higher response rate.

Credibility is enhanced, and there is a powerful price that creates trust. The non-public touch ads a way of excitement as we tend to will interact with our visitors.

Well known world leaders, consultants, speakers, authors and plain people from all walks of life are flocking around these awesome technologies.

Streaming voice and audio are the newest trend in Internet communication, and by using streaming audio and video in your websites and e-mails you\'re going a step sooner than the crowd.

Web communications, are the cornerstone of your main reason for you to be on the internet, because it\'s your way to putting together relationships, as rapport and trust build guests additional willing to listen to your voice messages and even see you , rather than simply reading your messages..

As guests expertise the personal touch and human heat from your talking e-mails and websites, they feel better by visiting your web site against ancient websites and e mails.
Many Technological genius, teamed up to create the fastest, easiest, and economical manner to interact on the Internet increasing traffic and interest in our websites.

The employment of those technologies is restricted solely by our imagination.
Simply Click the Play Button and you might hear a whisper or a shout. The sound quality is so good that your message is delivered at your best convenience.

You record your messages using a normal phone, employing a toll free number. Inside seconds you receive the HTML code to cut and paste into your site therefore your visitors get the message simply at a click of a button. It is that easy.

Audio and video are convenient, accessible, requires no special equipment, is obtainable 24 hours each day seven days a week, easy to use even for newbies in technology, you\'ll record a message whenever you like and send the link to family, friends or customers therefore they\'ll hear you at once.

Friends, relatives and customers can be delighted to listen to from you. Your voice can be mixed with a true music track, therefore your message is more skilled and compelling.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/audio-articles/do-you-have-audio-and-video-in-your-web-site-4012916.html

About the Author

Dorothy Frank been writing articles online for nearly 2 years now. Not only does this author specialize in audio streaming ,you can also check out her latest website about: 120 Gallon Aquarium Which reviews and lists the best 120 Gallon Aquarium

Get Great Rankings with Search Engine Optimization Packages

2011-07-04T00:58:00.000+07:00

Author:

Malcolm Lawson

The sluggish and continuous procedure will certainly elevate your web-site to the very first page in the research engine optimization.

Search engine optimization, the magic acronym retains immense potentiality. For some, it is the most practical and strong technique for ensuring profitable business, for some others it is a devil\'s instrument, which can deceive even the most innovative lookup engines and that we really should be frightened of as the monstrous strategy, or as a black magic, that will need to be eradicated as soon as possible. When will Website positioning ultimately vanish? Never ever, as everybody has to turn out to be a pure portion of each web-site.

Search engine optimization stands for Research Engine Optimization, or optimize web-pages for lookup engines. This principle is familiar to all of us. But let us look at it from a a little broader context. What is actually an optimized website web-site? Optimization is a organic desire of webmasters to develop web site ranking. Not so lengthy in the past, optimization used to serve distinct aims like guaranteeing effortless-to-read through webpages for the display screen readers of cellular machine, Netscape Navigator and World-wide-web Explorer.

Optimization is not and has never been improper. Pages that are not optimized for Netscape Navigator in Netscape do not present virtually as much as research engines do not show up near to web sites which are not optimized for them. Some call it Search engine marketing, what else could it also be? Search engine marketing companies are so well-known that it deserves its own acronym. But it\'s not about any deception the website optimized for lookup engines in these types of a way that SEs realize them. Following all, they\'re just machines we require to meet their requirements.

The fact is that Lookup Engines are ready to search related web sites and suggest them to the on-line website visitors. It is crystal clear that the search engine will not suggest a web page that can not be realized. Website positioning is primarily based on the existence of total-text search engines. If the pages ended up not transparent for SEs then SEs could not have uncovered proper pages for its people to submit content and include things like paid advertisements.

Web optimization is an abbreviation for Search Motor Optimizer. Several SEOs supply valuable products and services for web site proprietors, from producing duplicate to giving recommendation on web site architecture and aiding to find appropriate directories and report submission web-sites.

Support for search checklist, locate even simple details about how to optimize. If the Website positioning practises had been a threat to SEs then it definitely did not compel the site owners to implement Website positioning methods. Even if you neglect about this, research engines nonetheless belongs to the class pages of information. Like other informational web pages searched pages also have promoting revenues, generally paid inbound links.

Hidden text, keyword repetition, hyperlink-farming and equivalent problems are regarded as Search engine marketing spam. Spam has very little to do with Website positioning. Any human activity can resort to unfair way. Calling anyone who makes use of Web optimization spam strategies an pro Search engine optimization is about the similar as calling a man who builds properties for single use, Mason.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/get-great-rankings-with-search-engine-optimization-packages-4978009.html

About the Author

Benjamin is a search engine optimization (SEO) consutlant and spends lots of time composing on numerous SEO weblogs. Study a lot more about Benjamin and SEO right here Comparison of PPC and Search engine optimization Optimization, Uncomplicated Onsite Search engine marketing Optimization Strategies

Unblock Filtered Sites With Two Tricks

2011-07-04T00:53:00.000+07:00

Author:

John Lee

Many work places and schools are cracking down on the web sites and online services. Blocking access to social sites has been a common tactic. The most common websites that are blocked in schools include MySpace, Bebo and Facebook.

There are however always legitimate reasons to bypass the internet filters and visit the blocked websites. The following methods will help you access blocked websites in school, college or your company.

Trick A: Using a web proxy to bypass restrictions. Proxies that focus on website browsing are called web proxies. A web proxy works by acting as a 'middle man': it downloads the requested pages to its proxy server and in turn you download the page, all images and other such objects from the proxy server to your browser, thus bypassing any filters and annoying firewalls.

Assban.com ( http://www.assban.com ) is a popular web proxy. You can search on Google for 'myspace proxy' and find a great deal of other web proxies as well.

But chances are that your school administration has already blocked access to most web proxies as well. In that case, you have one more options:

Trick B: You can download Ultrasurf (http://www.ultrareach.com/company/download.htm ) and save it to a USB stick. UltraSurf is a green software, which means no installation process is needed nor system setting is required to change when using the software. UltraSurf implements almost all browser functions based on HTTP and user needs, such as browsing websites, login and posting on web forums, using Web mail, uploading and downloading data files, real time audio, video and other multimedia programs, etc.

The more people are aware of these tricks, the more likely your network administrators will catch on and find ways to shut them down. So be sure not to let others know how to do these tricks. Accessing unauthorized web sites using the above tricks may be considered a violation of school or work policies and might put you in trouble. Use them at your own risk.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/unblock-filtered-sites-with-two-tricks-219009.html

About the Author

John Lee is the admin of http://www.aplusproxy.com

The Top 25 Facebook Games of 2010

2011-07-04T00:46:00.000+07:00

Author:

Kashish Gk
Facebook games showed a lot of popularity over the last year. As Facebook adds more games to the menu and great entertainment you might wonder what games are the best and most fun to play. This paper provides reviews of games for each of the 25 best games of 2010 Facebook separate.

To begin the game reviews Facebook, let\'s start with a look at the number one game on Facebook called Farmville. Farmville, which is made by Zynga currently has about 73.8 million users a month and is growing steadily upward. Farmville is a game where you can become a farmer. Farmville lets you interact with your friends and neighbors still with them. Basically, you\'re going to do everything that a farmer Farmville during playback. Planting, cultivation, harvesting and cultivation of a farm successfully. Just make sure that playing this game you harvest your plants at this time. Different plants have different harvest times, and if harvest time the plants will die. The care of the farm, you get more points and level up.

Birthday cards take the place of the most popular game of 2010. birthday cards made by RockYou and has about 32 million users a month. When using the set of birthday cards you can customize and send cards for free, use a birthday calendar, a list of personal memories and personal anniversaries. The game also allows you to start the zoo own birthday too. It is popular for those who want to remember friends\' birthdays and send cards on Facebook.

The third most popular game on Facebook Café du Monde, which is made by Zynga. The coffee has about 31 million active users a month. World Café is a fun game to play, if you ever dreamed of owning his own restaurant. When the game you can cook, bake and cook what you want when you play Café du Monde. During playback of Café du Monde is the chef and restaurant owner, so hire servers. By hiring a server at Cafe du Monde, you can select one of your Facebook friends. Make sure you always have plenty of food ready for your guests.

The fourth most popular game on Facebook is happy Aquarium which is carried by CrowdStar. Happy aquarium has about 27 million active users a month. During playback of Aquarius happy in Facebook, you can create your own aquarium. This can be done by purchasing fish and other creatures. Make sure you always feed the fish in the aquarium happy reading, because the fish may die as in real life. It\'s a fun game for fans of desire and dream of having an aquarium in your home. The downside of this game is that you can not feed your fish friends, if you die.

The fifth most popular game on Facebook is FishVille is done by Zynga. FishVille is about 24 million active users a month. FishVille is very similar to the Aquarium happy where you set your own aquarium and fish care. When you have finished raising their fish, you can sell the coins and points. Aquarium happy that you keep your tank or poor creatures die.

The sixth most popular game on Facebook\'s Mafia Wars by Zynga is done. Mafia Wars is about 24 million active users a month. The goal of the game Mafia Wars is to grow your mafia family. This can be done by inviting Facebook friends to join you in Mafia Wars. Another objective is to increase the wealth of their group and provide their friends with guns. What do you say it\'s bigger and stronger the mafia is the group that comes to mind.

The seventh most popular game on Facebook is the Texas Hold\'em Poker, which is also made by Zynga. Texas Hold\'em Poker on Facebook has about 22 million active users a month. When playing Texas Hold\'em Poker on Facebook is more or less the same as playing the game in life. Before familiar with the rules on how to play Texas Hold\'em. Texas Hold\'em Poker on Facebook you can play with friends.

The eighth most popular game on Facebook is Pet Society, which is made by Playfish, Pet Society has about 21 million active users a month. Pet Society on Facebook is very nice game for animal lovers. While playing Pet Society, you can decorate your house and go to the house of his friends with gifts. It\'s a very cute and funny game.

The ninth most popular game on Facebook is Petville is done by Zynga. Petville has about 17 million active users per month. This game is another love for adorable. When this game will take care of your pet. When you become a player Petville be prompted to create your own pet. The options are endless and the end result is an adorable virtual pet. The goal is to keep your pet clean and well fed, walked and loved. This will help create an animal Petville happy for you. This game is very similar to Playfish Pet Society and other animal games.

The tenth most popular game on Facebook is YoVille is by Zynga. YoVille has about 17 million active users per month. When playing YoVille to live a virtual life. This game is very similar to the wildly popular Sims game for personal computers. While playing YoVille to build a virtual life. During playback, you can work, socialize, decorate your house or anything else you desire. It\'s a fun game for fans of the escape of a virtual world.

The eleventh most popular game on Facebook is Town House, which is done by SlashKey. City firm has about 16 million active users a month. Close the city is very similar to the game Farmville Facebook. When this game will take care of their own farm. To advance to higher levels, which are planted and harvested, invite friends to participate and hire workers to help on the farm. It\'s a fun game for those who want to be farmers, but living in the city.

Twelfth most popular game on Facebook is the restaurant in a city that is by Playfish. Restaurant in town has about 15 million active users a month. City Café is very similar to the city. During playback of the city restaurant you own a restaurant, to create the menu and hire workers. It\'s a fun game if you\'re interested in how a restaurant. This is a social game and you can interact with your Facebook friends.

Thirteenth most popular game on Facebook is MindJolt Games is made by MindJolt. MindJolt games are about 14 million active users a month. When playing MindJolt can play over 500 games. The games are arcade, puzzle, strategy, and more. MindJolt is fun for those who want a little variety of games.

Fourteenth most popular game on Facebook is glad to be done CrowdStar Pet. Happy Pets has about 12 million monthly active users on Facebook. When animals play I\'m glad your kitten develop into an adult. The aim is to care for cats as you can. How happy can cats take care of the animals happy? If you are overwhelmed with too many pets to take care not to fall into the temptation to sell their cats. not as good animals who sell their kittens.

Fifteenth most popular game on Facebook is that RCK is by Zynga. RCK has about 11 million monthly active users on Facebook. Facebook is a fun game where you can create your own rock band. Ask your Facebook friends to join and help create a group of switches. This is a fun game for any music lover.

Sixteenth most popular game on Facebook is World Zoo is by RockYou. The zoo has about 10 million active users a month. When you play World Zoo on Facebook that will take care of zoo animals and zoo world cash. When you win the World Zoo money can buy new animals in the zoo and place in the zoo. It is a fun way to pass the time, if you like zoo animals.

Seventh most popular game on Facebook is Bejeweled Blitz is made by PopCap Games. Blitz Bejeweled has about 10 million active users a month. Bejeweled Blitz is an easy to master puzzle game. The curious thing about this game is that you can compete with your friends from Facebook. Many people spend many hours a day there playing Bejeweled Blitz.

ninth most popular game on Facebook is the world\'s fish made of Tall Tree Games. Fish World has about 9,000,000 active users per month. World Fish is very similar to Happy Aquarium. During the breeding fish in the world to care for their own virtual fish. Be sure to feed and care for them to stay alive. Sell your fish world fish are a common part of the game.

XX most popular game on Facebook is Pillow Fight, which is made by Shikha. Pillow Fight has about 8 million active users a month. Pillow Fight is a fun game if you like hitting your friend with pillows. The pillows are made of different materials and their friends can accept being beaten by pillows choose not to. The pillow you choose to use will be posted on the Facebook page to your friends.

The most popular game on Facebook twentieth (Lil) farm life that is made by Playdom. (Lil) Farm Life has about 6 million active users a month. This is another game that is very similar to Farmville and City Farm. When this game lets you create your own farm with crops, animals and buildings. This is another fun game for those who tire of Farmville and City Farm.

The first twenty most popular game on Facebook is the Sorority life is made by Playdom. Sorority Life has about 6 million active users a month. By playing this game, you can create your own guild. When you register for sorority life, you can invite friends to join your guild. Another feature is that you can dress up and customize to your liking. It\'s a fun game for those who miss their college fraternity lifestyle.

The twenty-second most popular game on Facebook is Paradise Island is done by Meteor Games. Paradise Island is about 6 million active users a month. It\'s a fun game where you create your own island paradise. When creating your island, you can grow plants, animals, or add whatever you want on your island. During playback of an island paradise, you can stop and visit friends. This is similar in Farmville, but for those who love life on the island.

The twenty-third most popular game on Facebook is the country life, which is made by Country Life. life in the country has about 5 million active users per month. This game is another that looks great in Farmville. When this game you take care of crops, the only difference in Farmville, is that you can make your own bread to more profit.

The twenty-fourth most popular game on Facebook Field history is made by Playfish. Country history about 5,000,000 monthly active users. This is another Facebook game farm theme. This game is ideal for lovers of the Farm / Farmville City and want to play something different.

The twenty-fifth most popular game on Facebook is happy Island is done by CrowdStar. Happy Island is approximately 5,000,000 monthly active users. By playing this game, you can create your own island. Attractions to add to most of their island win island. This is similar to Paradise Island, but with more buying and selling in question.
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Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-marketing-articles/the-top-25-facebook-games-of-2010-3789733.html
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